Second Workshop Huge Success

The second baby sign workshop given at Washtenaw Intermediate Schools by Barbara Leonard and Sherry Warden was very enthusiastically received! Participants were coached in American Sign Language (ASL) by the two veteran teachers, Sherry and Barbara. Barbara comes from a signing background and Sherry received her masters degree from Gallaudet University. Both have been using and speaking with ASL for over thirty years.

Then, the eager child care providers, teachers, administrators and parents rolled up their sleeves to take what they knew and put it to good use. They used stories, games and songs that they already are doing in their settings and added signs and gestures to make them more clear and language rich.

One group who works with little, little ones used mostly simple food signs for the hungry caterpillar book and included activities to crawl through a fabric tunnel and touch various textured food items that would be velcroed inside. How clever!

As a group we learned the alphabet song and If you are Happy and you Know it Clap your Hands. We also reviewed many color, animal, food, and activity signs. Everyone wanted more! So in January we will have more.

We will do mostly activity based groups. The requests have been heard and there will be more songs, more basic activity signs, like: clean up, line up, and share. All the groups really appreciated the sharing and creativity that they saw in their neighboring groups so there will be time to share and take away the lessons and signs that we all create.

This session also included a critique of the package deals that are avaiable as far as how to learn signs on your own. Of the kits, the presenters liked the lessons and activities in the BABY SIGN (r) kits but noted they do vary from ASL. The Joseph Garcia, kit, PICK ME UP is great. It has fewer lessons and activities but it is cheaper and is pure ASL. SIGNING TIME (r) is also great but as far as this reviewer is aware, there is not a kit to learn lessons and to teach parents as a group. The SIGNING TIMES are very nicely done in ASL though.

All are great. Participants are cautioned to check out the signs they want to teach their class and parents by looking a ASL PRO or ASL BROWSER for accuracy. We noted in the signing sheets that were handed out that each sheet had a slightly different picture for 'town'. All were correct if you already know the sign, but, looking at the two- dimensional drawing, the groups came up with very creative interpretations for this sign before Sherry and Barbara could come around to help the out. Consistency is the key. If a child learns to sign 'bird' at preschool and sees a person on TV signing it, it should be the same.

Next post will include many photos as the groups, plan, sign, and make it and take it.