tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41834559845854204792024-03-08T09:17:20.286-08:00Sign4BabyHelping parents discover what their baby is thinking through baby sign languageAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-80143554974730421802014-08-03T23:12:00.000-07:002014-08-03T23:15:26.535-07:003 Things Every New Parent Wants to Foster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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When I was pregnant with my first, I distinctly remember wishing to raise an independent child. It's funny how things change when you go about your new parent journey. Not too long after the birth of my daughter I was introduced to the notion of Attachment Parenting. This parenting practice advocates for not rushing independence in our young, but rather fostering attachment that strengthens <b>child-parent bonding</b>. Once you have your baby put into your arms that maternal instinct kicks in and clearly bonding becomes priority number one. There are many practices that can help you increase your bonding experience with your baby, and baby sign language just so happens to be one of them. When communicating via sign language eye contact is facilitated naturally with an infant, aiding in that bonding experience.</div>
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If you've ever heard the phrase "You are your child's first teacher" it is a true statement and the most important thing I think we can teach our children is an affinity for learning new things. Kids who love learning will do well with their studies and find ways to make learning fun. They seem to know intuitively to follow their innate interests and will be happier in their chosen field of work. Babies are eager to communicate and it is a pretty significant part of what they work on learning in those first few years. Baby sign language will help you facilitate a love of learning when they begin to master communication earlier and at an accelerated pace. </div>
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Sometimes as parents we will intentionally lose so our child can build confidence in the new board game being played. Letting them know that they CAN DO something will lead to budding confidence. A confident child will be a happy child. Providing a way to be understood through sign language when they don't yet have the words to express their thoughts builds a baby's confidence. Being understood gives a baby a big confidence boost! Not only in their ability to communicate but it transcends into exploring and creating and a sense of independence.... that thing I wished for when I was first learned I was pregnant with my first child. </div>
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Signing with your baby has many benefits, including the ability to facilitate the 3 things that new parents want to foster in their children. That early bonding through sign language leads way to learning to communicate and then paves the way for confidence. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-9511755993725759872014-08-01T10:07:00.000-07:002015-05-23T11:35:40.470-07:00Born to be..... SIGNERS!<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1406883092011_5049" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
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Did you know that babies are born communicators? Shortly after birth if you stick your tongue out to your newborn, they will in turn stick their tongue out. When I instructed my husband to do this with my daughter as he held her for the first time after getting some oxygen post delivery he exclaimed "SHE STUCK HER TONGUE OUT AT ME! You have to sign MILK to her!" I loved it that we started off communicating from birth, letting my baby know that we would take the time to understand her. It's an amazing bonding experience that grows with you as you expand your signing vocabulary and go through the various baby and toddler stages. We talk to our babies from birth, and the Deaf sign to their babies from birth. If we know that humans, by design, want to communicate why not give them the opportunity to do so earlier?</div>
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The number one question I get from parents is this "when do I start signing with my baby?" And the answer is always the same. Now. The earlier you begin the more confident and more vocabulary YOU will have to be able to demonstrate the signs and be your baby's first teacher. An added benefit to signing early is the extra eye contact that newborns give us before they get mobile, so take advantage of this. Also, it ends up becoming part of your parenting paradigm, pausing to really understand your child, taking the time to figure out what they are telling you.... when you start signing early.</div>
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I encourage parents to start with signs for nouns, items your baby shows explicit delight in such as fan, light, dog, rattle, music, keys.... these are some of the most common items that babies have a natural curiosity for. Like with learning anything new, when it comes to sign language, parents will stay committed if they learn with a group in a structured environment. Baby sign language classes give parents the opportunity to ask questions and share stories which inspires them to keep practicing. Plus, it's good for both you and the baby to get out and socialize with other new moms and babies. Make new friends, learn a new language, get hip cuz baby sign language is more than just a trend, baby.</div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of <a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="color: #1155cc;">Sign4Baby</a> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for <a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" target="_blank">FREE</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-4072075599661461902014-07-14T11:25:00.000-07:002014-08-03T23:13:38.534-07:00Baby Sign Language is a Great way for Siblings to Bond<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I remember the moment Amberly first decided to start signing to her brother. While I was offering him a sippy cup of water I was signing WATER. He had just started signing MILK a day or two before and Amberly knew how excited I was for this. She took notice of my repeated high pitch tone showing Kyle the sign for WATER and promptly came over and got between Kyle and me to show him the sign for WATER again and again and again. It was adorable! She said "Water Ky-ky. Water!" It was as though she knew intuitively that he would pay far more attention to her than to me. Which he did! He wouldn't take his eyes off her even if I tried to interject. She had not bothered to sign to him at all until he officially became a signing baby. Such wonderful memories watching her teach her baby brother to sign!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-78458772256167072392014-04-15T18:38:00.001-07:002014-08-04T00:14:44.391-07:00Parallels Between Pre Verbal Babies and a Deaf MomWhenever I'm driving solo for more than 20 minutes or in the shower my brain has a chance to wander a bit and I'm often struck by thoughts and ideas that really take my breath away. When something hits you like a ton of bricks that should have been so obvious before but wasn't. Or when an epiphany strikes on what else I can do to bring clarity to my clients.<br />
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It is especially common for these thoughts to strike me when I'm about to start a brand new class or have just completed a class with brand new students. Having done this for 7 years, I'm still amazed at the little things that I continue to learn and what revelations I have, proving this is a journey and it is the journey that is worth celebrating.<br />
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So this thought I had today....<br />
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Image credit, Stills by Hill</div>
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When I look into a baby's eyes and talk to them, for me it is clear that they are thinking, absorbing what I'm saying and forming thoughts and coming to their own conclusions. The conversations I have with the babies and toddlers in my class are pretty much an example of how I conversed with my own babies.... knowing that they are taking it all in and that rapidly growing brain is processing and storing everything. Sometimes when I'm conversing with one baby, another interjects. The new moms tend to laugh at the cuteness or just don't know what to make of it. What I make of it is that the child has seen that I'm open to listening to what they have to say, giving them the space to share and feel a sense of belonging and value. See, for most babies that do not yet have the tools to express themselves fully or be "heard" completely, I imagine it is frustrating for them to not be able to participate fully in regular daily conversations..... much like the experience my mom shared with me about how it is to be a deaf person in a room full of hearing people, where no one is signing and she feels isolated. <br />
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Much of my childhood I was a little interpreter for my mom. I gained a 6th sense in being able to determine if someone was getting their entire message across.... as it is with any two languages sometimes there is not a literal translation from one language to the other and some part of the true message is lost. So a little more explaining is needed by the interpreter. There were many occasions in my work life where that 6th sense came in handy and my superiors would always comment on this uncanny ability I had. There were little things to watch for, listen for that helped me identify that the words coming across were not "exactly" describing the picture in the customer's mind. I would do more fact finding and viola! We'd navigate the true course to solve the problem.<br />
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There were times I would not want to be "the interpreter," say for instance at a birthday party or at a school function, where my mom knew who these people were, but didn't "know" them because she couldn't converse with them. I was a kid and I wanted to play with my friends. Now that I'm an adult I can be at peace with those times that I was frustrated with the role I had. I commend Deaf parents who do not put this responsibility on their child.... even though I gained from it. There's not a right or a wrong here. It's a tough debate that I can see both sides of clearly. The biggest thing I gained from it was that sense of empathy for someone who could not fully express themselves because of a language barrier.<br />
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As a mom, specifically as a mom who embraced attachment parenting, I saw it as my responsibility to help build the bridge to effectively communicate with my children. As they grew their signing vocabulary I could see where they were more and more capable of jumping into a conversation when they heard something of interest being discussed. Most parents of toddlers and preschoolers will know what I'm talking about... but I'm saying that this happened every single day with my children as <i>babies</i>. They expressed pure delight when they got to share their thoughts, point out their observations, and really just connect on a conversational level. <br />
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So, I have discovered yet another reason why I'm so deeply passionate about the work that I do. Being witness as a child to what it was like for someone to feel isolated due to a language barrier, I hope some of the moms that take part in my programs feel courageous enough to introduce themselves to someone in a social setting who is Deaf and could use some conversation. I also like to think that the babies in my classes are developing this 6th sense that I gained due to their access to language at an early age. And finally the sense of empowering a new mom to be that interpreter for her pre verbal baby is a gift that I never grow tired of giving.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-7646898115956465782014-04-06T10:45:00.002-07:002014-08-04T00:15:39.016-07:00Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - baby sign language<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Signing alongside Hullabaloo at Kid Ventures</b></h2>
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Singing and SIGNING with your baby is good for brain development, spacial awareness, verbal acquisition, rhythm, fine motor skill development, word recognition, bonding and more!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Zq6STD0WWoc" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-50749504901602430712014-04-02T23:22:00.000-07:002014-08-04T00:15:58.894-07:00Gift Certificates are Now Available<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A2t2QsQ2Tcg/Uzz7zYLRA5I/AAAAAAAAC4A/tFWhxp7gJU8/s1600/Announcing+Gift+Certificates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A2t2QsQ2Tcg/Uzz7zYLRA5I/AAAAAAAAC4A/tFWhxp7gJU8/s1600/Announcing+Gift+Certificates.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you'll be attending a baby shower in the near future, this is a gift that will have everyone talking! The gift of communication will be one they use for a long time and you'll be facilitating that great bonding connection between mom and baby. Aside from all that baby sign language does for a baby, these classes will be great for mom so she can meet like-minded parents, make new friends and just plain get out of the house! Every new mom has good intentions of not becoming a home body, but it happens all too quickly. So, give this incredible gift to your friend and she will be ever so grateful!</div>
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These gift certificates are good for the Sign, Play & Learn class taught here in San Diego. Know someone outside of San Diego that would benefit from one on one coaching? Yes, I do travel, just give me a call to discuss a quote.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-50111950260309757562014-03-20T19:40:00.001-07:002015-05-22T22:14:24.215-07:00How to Create your own New Mama Tribe<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Before I became a mom I had zero intention of finding "new mom friends." But then I realized how hard it can be to make it through the day without people to share the journey with and started to step outside my comfort zone. Probably more at my husband's urging than my own volition. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">It was one of the things I dreaded most when I became a new mom. Going to play dates. Little did I know that one of the most beautiful things about being a mom was going to be letting my guard down to let people in who were experiencing this same journey. Extending myself to meet people who I didn't know but would grow to adore and lean on from time to time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">So, here it is.... </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HVayHSWVKqw/UyumhHukMyI/AAAAAAAACes/5uPoCOu7p5c/s1600/New+Mama+Tribe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HVayHSWVKqw/UyumhHukMyI/AAAAAAAACes/5uPoCOu7p5c/s640/New+Mama+Tribe.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">1. Walk your neighborhood.... and stalk people with strollers and baby carriers! I don't really mean stalk them, but you know what I mean. These people clearly are at the same stage of life as you - stop them and say hi!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">2. Go to the local library story time. This is how I met almost all the moms in my neighborhood. Shortly thereafter we formed a playgroup.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">3. Connect with friends of friends. Ask people in your life to connect you with their other local new mama friends that you can meetup with to see if you jive. Everyone knows someone who has just had a baby.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">4. Use meetup! It has been a great resource for new moms to find a local playgroup - just go to </span><a class="ot-anchor aaTEdf" href="http://www.meetup.com/" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.218s; background-color: white; color: #427fed; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.218s;" target="_blank">www.meetup.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> and put "baby" and the current year in their search box and you're sure to find a group of moms who have just had babies seeking new friends.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">5. Join classes! Swim classes. Music and movement classes. Baby Gymboree classes. AND of course </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">baby sign language</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> classes (wink!) as you'll get a chance to chat with other moms before and after class and find people you have things in common with and surely form new friendships. So many moms have become friends after meeting in my classes and it makes me so happy to see them connect and their children play together LONG after their time in my classes have ended.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-arfzKAab1ew/UyuKSCMhsbI/AAAAAAAACec/51tPVoPuno0/s1600/Sophia+and+Aly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-arfzKAab1ew/UyuKSCMhsbI/AAAAAAAACec/51tPVoPuno0/s640/Sophia+and+Aly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Sophia (right) and Aly (left) sign to one another when they play!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Photo credit to Jessica Luongo as shared on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Sign4Baby" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">6. Find a baby wearing group. These women may be the most kind and generous and helpful people I've known. Their purpose is to educate moms on the proper way to wear a baby and often they have a lending library to help you figure out what kind of baby carrier would be ideal for you. There's so many choices and seeing lots of women wear their babies in one place helps you to figure out what would be a good choice for you. Baby wearing was one of my absolute life savers as a new parent.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">7. Blog about your experience! I have seen it time and time again in the blogging world. Just being real and open about this transition in your life will connect you to others going through the same thing and you end up with a support system... sometimes just voicing your challenges to the world is cathartic enough to figure out how to learn and grow and turn those challenges into adventures. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">8. My last one is simply "Ask for help." My birth educator taught me one important thing that continues to be a message I pass on. Tell the universe what you want and it will be attracted to you. Say it out loud. And when help is offered, accept it gratefully.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I know lots of mamas on the inter webs will have more ideas! How did you find your circle of support as a new mom?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This post was inspired by my friend Abby with her blog post: <a href="http://www.abigailburdlcsw.com/7-ways-to-find-your-circle-of-support-when-pregnant-and-postpartum/#comment-38" target="_blank">7 Ways to Find Your Circle of Support When Pregnant and Postparum</a> --- which you must go view even if just for the awesome quote image she shares there. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-56390653084618190512014-03-17T17:49:00.001-07:002014-08-04T00:17:24.291-07:00Founding Principles of Sign4Baby <div style="color: #7b2a00; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">As I was driving in the car the other day it dawned on me that I haven't shared the REASON for the name "SIGN 4 BABY" as my company name. It is two parts really. One is that there are 4 guiding principles, and the other is a constant reminder that we don't sign for our own benefit, but rather for our child's benefit.</span></div>
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The reason I founded Sign4Baby was more than just to teach parents ASL vocabulary. I wanted to make a difference by helping your baby.... AND helping you. While most parents report that their goal in signing with their baby is better communication, the foundation of my work has 4 guiding principles:</div>
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1. Better communication between baby and parent. </div>
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Sometimes that means being a better listener. Other times that means really figuring out what your baby is saying. Either way, my goal is to help you establish better communication early on that will help you for YEARS to come. Often this means helping shift focus to the best signs to teach first, how to engage your baby and remembering to stay child focused for measurable success. There's a reason why my tagline is "Discover what your baby is thinking!" as we work to focus on your baby's curiosities and have fun along the way.</div>
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2. Bonding with Baby.</div>
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It is an important tenet of the Attachment philosophy to bond well with your baby so they feel secure and <strong>do not develop trust issues</strong>. I don't know about you, but I'd say a pretty fantastic bond is created when you can understand another person fully and they can understand you. Communicating effectively lays a foundation for a solid bond in your relationship to your baby.</div>
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3. Brain development.</div>
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I've said it time and time again, <strong>ALL babies are smart</strong>, just most of them don't have this tool, if you will, to SHOW you how smart they really are. When you can see a child comprehend something, it is innate that you continue to engage and teach. Parents of signing babies are given the positive reinforcement to be motivated to prolong discussion and exploration, in turn your baby is learning even more. Signing is a fabulous thing to add into your story time. I talk about it on the <a _mce_href="http://video.fox5sandiego.com/Mommy-Daddy-Handbook-Baby-Sign-Language-25703182?playlistId=12231#.Ux9uZj9dWtB" _mce_shape="rect" _mce_style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;" href="http://video.fox5sandiego.com/Mommy-Daddy-Handbook-Baby-Sign-Language-25703182?playlistId=12231#.Ux9uZj9dWtB" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: blue !important;" target="_blank" track="on">Fox 5 Mommy and Daddy Handbook</a> segment last week. I know from my own experience growing up that children who signed as babies have an aptitude for learning... demonstrating higher IQ, being in advanced classes and being able to think outside the box.</div>
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4. Boundary Setting.</div>
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As your baby becomes a toddler they will love to explore and for their safety (and your sanity) you need to establish boundaries. It is a challenging concept for toddlers as they strive to become more independent and are seemingly met with more rules just as the world is getting more interesting with their new found ability to walk. The visual aid that baby sign language provides helps those boundaries become more clear to your exploring toddler and even supports the emergence of self regulation. In the end, the time invested in using sign language paired with boundary setting reduces a lot of frustration for YOU and BABY.<br />
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Your baby deserves to be heard and understood. Parenting should be made a little easier. I help you accomplish both of those things PLUS all of the above.<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-16989742610793317682014-02-27T18:18:00.000-08:002014-08-04T00:17:46.941-07:00Elevator Pitch You may think it is a little bit odd that I would just come right out and share with you my "elevator pitch" but I don't think it is odd at all because I've said hundreds of times, I'm rather transparent in my business and my practices when it comes to explaining how and why I do things a certain way in running my business. So, I figured, why not ask how this resonates with my audience!<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b><span style="color: #45818e;">You know how that first year of parenting is a little overwhelming and stressful? It's kind of like a roller coaster ride! Well, I make this parenting roller coaster ride more fun by allowing parents to connect with their baby through a technology called baby sign language. After working with me, parents are amazed to discover what their baby is thinking.</span></b></span><br />
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I'm currently seeking partnering sponsors for the next endeavor of Sign4Baby. If this sounds like something your brand would like to be involved in, be sure to email me at info@sign4baby.com. </div>
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Photo credit: <a href="http://www.stillsbyhill.com/" target="_blank">Stills by Hill</a> - always capturing the essence of my classes</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b><span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span></b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-54851415536210730662014-02-09T15:26:00.002-08:002015-05-24T22:20:04.312-07:00How to sign "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?"<br />
<br />
By far, the most popular video I have posted to YouTube. It just surpassed the 10,000 views mark!<br />
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*** UPDATE*** Now at 13,000+ views!<br />
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I'm still sharing it every chance I get because "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?" is such a classic. It has a natural rythm both the storyteller and listener enjoy. If you don't have this book in your home library, I highly recommend making the addition. And if you can get this specific edition with the sliding windows, even better! Babies and toddlers become more engaged when there is a tactile element in a book. It will quickly become one of the books your baby will ask you to read again and again.<br />
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The bonus is that you learn both animal signs and color signs in one video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QCZMdkh3zR8" width="480"></iframe> </div>
If you're local to San Diego, I hope to see you at an upcoming Signing Story Time - you can join our <a href="http://www.meetup.com/sign4baby-playgroup" target="_blank">meetup</a><br />
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What favorite book would you like to see added to the Signing Story Time collection on our YouTube channel? I'd love to hear your recommendations.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-25477393522074046692014-01-25T22:11:00.000-08:002015-05-22T22:31:40.389-07:00The Most Important GiftWhat is the most important gift you have given your baby?<br />
<br />
For me, it is
sort of a tie between <b>breastfeeding</b> my little ones for between 2 and 3
years each AND <b>signing with my babies</b>. Every once in awhile we have a day
where the kids are totally interested in re-visiting signs they have not
used in awhile and then I'll see if I can verbally coach them to draw
the sign from memory. It's pretty fun to see them come up with the sign
even when they thought they couldn't remember it. Then usually what follows is a story I tell them about when they would use that sign or first learned it or words that sounded alike and their sign was the only way I could know for sure what they were expressing. Sometimes I'll have a
conversation asking my youngest if he remembers that he used to have
mommy's milk and I can see him thinking hard about a time that seems so
long ago. Being that I tandem nursed twice, my older two saw me breastfeed plenty and it was quite normalized around our house. They don't necessarily see breastfeeding as being special as they know it is a common way for babies to be fed. However, they do know that most children have not been exposed to sign language and so they enjoy hearing these stories about their earliest learning experiences and how their own language developed. It is sort of fascinating to me that they are so curious about their early access to language.<br />
<br />
We have such a short window to provide our baby with
the best nourishment for optimum development. We have an equally short
window to gain some insight to the inner thoughts of our babies. All too
soon they will be talking, almost nonstop and the opportunity to truly
see the world from their firsthand perspective disappears. I say firsthand perspective because as any signing parent will tell you, a baby signs what they are discovering and what connections they are making. So these parents are not left wondering what their baby is thinking. As a two year old does not have a filter to their thoughts and speaks what is on their mind, a baby does not have a filter to silently think, but rather they sign what they are thinking. Sometimes they sign to no one in particular, they're just thinking aloud.<br />
<br />
I have
gone on record to say that if I had been forced to choose
ONLY ONE of these two incredibly important gifts, I would choose
signing with my babies hands down. And that is a pretty strong statement
coming from a recovering breastfeeding Nazi. A term I relinquished
because it has negative connotations, I have plenty of friends who
didn't breastfeed for various reasons and I myself was never breastfed.
My younger sister was breastfed. My mom learned from a relative the importance of breastmilk days after getting home from the hospital with me. When you learn what's best you can't change the past, but just do better with your newfound information. But, I did learn to sign as a baby, as did my sister. I wonder what would be different if I
had been breastfed. The fact is, I will never know. All I could do is
make the choice to give my babies the two BEST gifts I possibly could in the small window of opportunity available in order to reap all the benefits that each offer.<br />
<br />
Tune back in for a comparison of the benefits of singing with your baby and the benfits of breastmilk. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MYFZOyuNN0s/UuSl79rqZoI/AAAAAAAABUs/IHrh8j9B2ew/s1600/AmberlyandKyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MYFZOyuNN0s/UuSl79rqZoI/AAAAAAAABUs/IHrh8j9B2ew/s640/AmberlyandKyle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Amberly just shy of her 2nd birthday and Kyle about 5 months old<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-80106871145656768882014-01-07T00:10:00.002-08:002014-08-04T00:18:40.522-07:00#Gratitude365 The Rattle GameI'm currently blogging a series that I've entitled #Gratitude365 on my personal blog,<a href="http://joannwoolley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Mommy's Slice of the Pie </a>(where I truly am more sassy and you ought only to follow me there if you desire to know me on a personal level). Today I happened to be noticing a LOT of things that filled me with gratitude, and being that I've just had a long break from teaching (since Thanksgiving!), it was a good feeling to be back "in the classroom" again. Because this moment of gratitude pertains to what I do with Sign4Baby - I decided to share it here and give you a few little nuggets that can help you in your discovery of what your baby is thinking....<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1F6iNu_3g_A/Usu2S5qIGFI/AAAAAAAABEE/816vGr6Q81U/s1600/logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1F6iNu_3g_A/Usu2S5qIGFI/AAAAAAAABEE/816vGr6Q81U/s1600/logo.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of my returning families from the last session shared with during our introductions that
they had hit a plateau with her twin boys picking up signs and she was
trying to pinpoint what else would be of interest to them so they could
keep building up their vocabulary. The topic of today's class happened
to be "just what the doctor ordered" as it's the class where I
demonstrate the signs for all the <a href="http://youtu.be/Z-Wngkl3j3A" target="_blank">universal things that babies are intrigued by. </a><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z-Wngkl3j3A?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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When we were playing the rattle game, one of her boys was
responding with great enthusiasm! We all were paying attention, mom, nanny, the other moms in class, and myself. It was clear that he was intentionally
reciprocating the message of rattle in this rhythmic game that we played.
We play it all throughout the first class because it demonstrates how
much fun showing signs to your baby should be - and the mere repetition as a practice - and often by the end of 6
weeks together almost all of the babies and toddlers are basically
"asking me to play rattle" with them. Later, after playing a song while
his mom was holding him facing outward, he began shaking the rattle
again with an incredible smile! We could all tell he was elated to be
making this connection and to see the mom's face was pure joy. I have
such gratitude for having these moments in class where I get to observe
these kinds of breakthrough!<br />
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Did anything here help you? I'd love to hear back from you in the comments below.<br />
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Our <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/102514222130730044753" target="_blank">Baby Sign Language 411 community</a> is growing on Google+ so join us there for lots more! <br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-44404438786966257072013-04-20T20:28:00.000-07:002015-05-22T22:30:18.758-07:00My Plumber Analogy<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">Parents sometimes approach me with the question of why they need a baby sign language class, if the information is online and they can learn that way.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">I'll be very honest, I do not market to the DIYers. Although I've had many DIYers in my classes and they love the results they get.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">Let me explain it this way... </span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]"><br /></span></span></span>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">We've discovered a leak underneath our sink. I cannot for the life of me fix a leak. I
would have to hire a plumber who is trained and knows HOW to do the job
effectively PLUS he has the right TOOLS. AND a plumber is NOT CHEAP, but
I have a FINITE window of time to take care of this problem. </span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">Then I start to thinking, I'm a pretty smart woman. I could go online and google
some articles/videos... but while I'm spending TIME doing this RESEARCH
I'm missing out on valuable time playing with my baby, keeping the house
in order and the process has taken a lot longer than I thought.
Meanwhile I've wasted a lot of water, bought the wrong tool at the home
improvement store and keep emptying the bucket of water as the sink
continues to leak, creating more work for myself. Finally after a whole weekend lost to this plumbing
issue, I call a plumber, he comes over and fixes the leak within
just an hour. We celebrate by going out to dinner.... or rather because the dishes from the weekend are piled high in the sink!</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">I know HOW to sign and I know HOW to effectively teach babies.</span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">PLUS I have all the right tools to make class educational and fun.</span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">AND my classes are NOT CHEAP.</span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">Your baby is little for a FINITE amount of time. </span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">I save parents TIME by having done the RESEARCH and packaging it up and delivering the nuggets they need to create hundreds, if not thousands, of conversations and moments of connectedness.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]">Yes, so in some ways, I'm sort of like the plumber. </span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]"><br /></span></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[532].[1][4][1]{comment445839845502687_446395725447099}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[0]"><br /></span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-16917298894322352582013-04-10T00:35:00.001-07:002014-08-04T00:19:35.664-07:00Signing and a Lock Down Drill<span class="userContent">A little glimpse into the walls of the Sign4Baby household: </span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br />
Owen was just telling me yesterday how they did a "walk through" at
school... he kept saying it over and over and was getting mad that I
wasn't getting his pronounciation... I had<span class="text_exposed_show">
him take a breath and think of other words to describe to me something
else to help me understand. I didn't even mention to use a sign, and
that is immediately what he used. He signed KEY to demonstrate LOCK...
which he knew intuitively is the same without ever having been taught
this. Then I got it. They practiced a LOCK DOWN. My heart sank and leapt
at the same time. He could effectively tell me what he meant, yet the
idea of a LOCK DOWN for a 4 year old with all his classmates and teacher
huddled in the bathroom with the door locked pretending there was a bad
guy outside and being super quiet... how scary is that?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">This scenario has got me thinking about how signing may be an effective tool for teachers to have with their students in these drills though. Imagine how police and military units have hand signals to complete a mission. Kids this age have trouble staying quiet for any length of time, so this could at least give them a vehicle to communicate in a situation where they are have to be quiet and keep their mind occupied at the same time. </span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Our children are growing up in far different times than we did. </span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-41958928761571226832013-04-08T16:10:00.001-07:002014-08-04T00:20:18.732-07:00Ever wonder if signing with your baby is doing much for their brain?If using gestures while teaching improves learning in kids, I'm going to make the leap and say baby sign language improves learning in babies.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_jnloePOjMI/UwmEv8_EeYI/AAAAAAAAB3c/_HYVbxX-oHE/s1600/sign4baby_1211_32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_jnloePOjMI/UwmEv8_EeYI/AAAAAAAAB3c/_HYVbxX-oHE/s1600/sign4baby_1211_32.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Clapping is a gesture and clearly communicates something</b><br />
<b>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.stillsbyhill.com/" target="_blank">Stills by Hill Photography</a></b></div>
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A recent study on teaching kids with the use of gestures could make a strong argument for why baby sign language is growing in popularity so rapidly! Check out what they said about that study over at <a href="http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/kids-learn-better-from-adults-who-talk-with-their-hands/?scid=fb_wallPost" target="_blank">BabyCenter</a>.<br />
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I watch the babies and toddlers all the time in class and can see the attention span increase when I'm signing, and their responses are different to my just saying something versus asking a question. Every new piece of information is being processed by those marvelous little brains of theirs, and the more senses we invoke in the learning the better it sticks. Much like what I share in <a href="http://sign4baby.blogspot.com/2011/02/signing-story-time-is-nourishing-babys.html" target="_blank">Signing Story Time is Nourishing Baby's Brain</a>.<br />
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When teaching, I tend to use my hands even when I'm not signing. It seems to help me outline my points when I'm delivering information. I can emphasize a point I'm making. There's something innate about gesturing when we communicate, probably because innate that tells us the other person can better receive our message when we do so. What the study reveals is really no surprise to me. Friends of mine who grew up signing because they were also CODAs (Child of Deaf Adult) tended to be in the advanced classes or perform at the top of their class.<br />
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The take away here is that YOU ARE YOUR BABY'S FIRST TEACHER, and they understand way more than we give them credit for, so if children learn better from teachers who use gestures, every parent should be making the investment in signing with their baby and toddler to give them an extra tool for optimized learning.<br />
<br />
What do you think about the study on gestures improving learning? <br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-18414320620914310792013-02-03T09:44:00.003-08:002014-08-04T00:21:05.136-07:00Here monkey monkey monkey!<div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LDpJvzciyQw/S8TkKCgSduI/AAAAAAAAABY/G9PpLCMBC8A/s1600/April+2010+001.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LDpJvzciyQw/S8TkKCgSduI/AAAAAAAAABY/G9PpLCMBC8A/s320/April+2010+001.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459739509402007266" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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When Owen was about a year old we went to the San Diego Zoo with the <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Sign4Baby-Playgroup/" target="_blank">Sign4Baby Playgrou</a><a href="http://www.meetup.com/Sign4Baby-Playgroup/" target="_blank">p</a> and had so much fun checking out the Koalas and Kangaroos. Upon arrival there is a huge picture of a Gorilla that Owen immediately pointed out to me by signing and making the goofy gorilla sound (it sounds terribly close to his rendition of an owl). It was funny because he got more excited about the large picture of the Gorilla than seeing the other real animals on the tour we did. It occurred to me that he really enjoys this animal in particular and the only way I could know this is his telling me through sign! The one photographed here is a photo we saw when exiting, yes I know it is not HUGE but the other one was ; ) Our playgroup goes to the zoo once a month to participate in the San Diego Zoo's monthly meetup program. <br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-31867360309425431952013-02-02T14:54:00.001-08:002014-08-04T00:21:30.416-07:00How I taught my daughter to sign MILK (Part 3)It is one of my most exciting moments as a mom! The day Amberly signed for the first time. Like mama, her first sign was MILK. It is an easy sign to do for a baby as young as 2 months old (you should check out the story of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4183455984585420479#editor/target=post;postID=1183216484531064688">Owen first signing MILK</a>). After observing her great ability to watch and mimic with keen eyes I decided the day after Valentine's Day that I would have Amberly signing MILK by day's end. You'll want to check out the previous posts relating to this story to see exactly what I mean - <a href="http://sign4baby.blogspot.com/2011/08/story-of-how-i-taught-my-daughter-to.html">Part 1</a> and <a href="http://sign4baby.blogspot.com/2011/08/story-of-how-i-taught-my-daughter-to_09.html">Part 2</a>. <br />
<br />
We started off like most days, lounging in pjs and nursing on demand and at 4 1/2 months we made it sometimes 2 hours between feeds - she really enjoyed her milk! Each time Amberly showed the first signs of being hungry, I would talk to her about nursing and having MILK even more emphatically than before. This produced a smile, I knew even from this young age that her personality was budding and that she greatly valued being understood. I went to nurse her, after having signed MILK a decent number of times, 3-5.... but not making it take more than a minute to do so. You know how those hungry babies can get fiesty pretty quick if you don't provide the breast or bottle quickly enough! <br />
<br />
What I did differently this day than previous days is I'd stop her a couple of times, you know, pop her off the boob and ask her while signing, "Are you having MILK?" If she was so hungry and disinterested in this game I didn't push it. Most times she thought this was fun. The proof? By mid day she came to expect me to pop her off the boob to have this conversation of sorts and she'd turn back to the breast but turn and steal a glance as if to say "go ahead, ask me if I'm having MILK" which was pretty cute. For those experienced mommies you know how that age comes where your baby is discovering the world around them and you cannot seem to get them to pay attention to nursing long enough to finish a feeding? Well, this game I created probably started Amberly on this track earlier because I was giving her a reason to stop, haha! New mommies, we donn't always know what we're doing, but so long as we're bonding and having fun with it, go with the flow! <span style="font-style: italic;">Side note: Later, with the boys I used the "not-a-new-mommy-knowledge" and signing to my advantage in those scenarios when the boys would stop nursing and look around, I signed MILK to get them focused back at the task at hand so we could finish up and continue to play after. </span><br />
<br />
Several of these feedings took place in my office sitting in front of the mirrored closet doors where I would sit Amberly up and point to my exposed breast, and ask her if she wanted MILK. Babies are social by nature, so I created a context of socializing with our favorite "baby in the mirror" to add to the experience. She would look at herself in the mirror, my reflection and then back at me. A few times when I interrupted her feeding, she'd turn to look for the baby in the mirror. Maybe to check if that baby also was having her feeding interrupted haha! <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
At her 5 o' clock feeding, Amberly again pulled off the boob as I'd been doing intentionally all day, then before I could ask her if she was going to have more MILK she signed it! And with a huge smile to boot! The feeling of knowing how she could now identify this special activity was incredible. She continued to do this a few more times for emphasis. Babies LOVE to do that, being scientists and checking for understanding. Each time I confirmed for her "Yes, you're having MILK! Now you can show Mommy when you want MILK." Of course signing MILK each time I said it and she would repeat the sign. I was amazed. Seriously to know our babies are able to process and create associations and implement actions to communicate with full intention at just 4 months. I couldn't wait for Daddy to get home and share what we'd been up to all day.<br />
<br />
As a new mom I thought this might be just the thing to make life a little easier because she could ask me for milk instead of grab at my boob or begin to fuss. The truth of the matter I don't think it was until Amberly was roughly 8 months old that she signed MILK in order to have it. Rather as their communication abilities develop, both verbal and non-verbal, the first thing babies will do is mimic, then they will sign in the context of the thing or activity, then when object permanance occurs, this is when they can ask for the item. Still it was fun to respond to her telling me "Mommy, I'm having MILK" essentially as she loved to do from that day forward 'til about 8 or 9 months. I could affirm her thoughts and have a conversation with her about her surroundings knowing that she was "getting it." <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-style: italic;">If you haven't checked out the previous posts in this series, please do. </span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-50419029632806141702013-02-01T14:14:00.001-08:002015-05-22T22:15:17.909-07:00The Real Magic of Baby Signing - a guest post<br />
<b> The Real Magic of Baby Signing</b><br />
<br />
A guest post by Kari <b><br /></b><br />
<br />
Kari is <a href="http://mommytoelodie.tumblr.com/">Mommy to Elodie</a>, a rambunctious, joyful and goofy 2 year old.
She loves to blog about her adventures in motherhood, drawing upon her
experience as a preschool teacher. When she is not blogging, Kari can be
found relaxing with a nice cup of tea, snuggling with Elodie or
browsing Pinterest.<br />
<br />
There are countless reasons to
sign with your baby- and they are all good ones. We all want to help
prevent tantrums and encourage cognitive and language development in our
little ones.<br />
Signing classes are fun and entertaining for baby, and
allow parents to bond in classes as tiny tots begin their first
friendships. I could go on and on and on...<br />
<br />
But the real magic- in
my opinion- was not in how it was useful, helpful or IQ-raising "baby
sign language" was. Instead, I just liked being able to understand what
my tiny infant daughter was thinking about. <br />
Our first conversations
were about the "light", "fans", and "shoes" at around 9 months old. It
was not until she was over a year old that she used sign to ask for
things she wanted or to tell me how she felt. (Though as a 2 year old,
her signs are super helpful in understanding her budding speech.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tm7-qpCcdrI/UQw-Kwkfc9I/AAAAAAAAAYM/ZFxdZPZVv2w/s1600/Kari+and+Elodie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tm7-qpCcdrI/UQw-Kwkfc9I/AAAAAAAAAYM/ZFxdZPZVv2w/s640/Kari+and+Elodie.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
But
I thought it was amazing! Elodie would notice small details around us
that I had tuned out to. When I would catch her signing and respond to
it, her face would light up. And I think that our special moments where
she signed and I understood what she was trying to communicate to me
further deepened our relationship.<br />
<br />
Of course she was always
dearly loved and attended to, but signing gave her a way to express
herself and feel heard and validated at a very young age. I will always
do my best to hear her out and respect her voice. Signing gave us a way
to establish that foundation (that some parents and children never
successfully forge) at a very, very early age.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-82061197555129639772013-01-17T22:42:00.000-08:002014-08-04T00:22:16.999-07:00Baby Sign Language Works Wonders - guest post<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="normal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Baby Sign Language Works
Wonders</b></div>
<div class="normal">
A guest post by Angela Quisumbing</div>
<div class="normal">
Co-founder <a href="http://www.sdmomsnightout.com/">San Diego Mom’s Night Out</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
My daughter just turned three years old and to this day people,
strangers and family alike, always tell me how clearly she speaks. My mom
always tells me that she talks like a mature little girl. My sister says she is
a woman trapped in a little girl’s body! You get the idea. When people notice
that Alana is very well spoken, I usually attribute it to three things, okay
maybe four. </div>
<div class="normal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.95pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>She has awesome parents ;)</div>
<div class="normal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.95pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The fact that we started reading to her when she
was still in the womb</div>
<div class="normal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.95pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Subconsciously we did not talk baby talk to her</div>
<div class="normal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.95pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Baby sign language classes at six and 18 months
with <a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/">Sign4Baby</a></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
I always knew I wanted to teach my baby sign language.
Personally, it was one language I wanted to know, but I also did some research
and found that it is very helpful for babies to learn sign language to better
communicate. I was surprised at how quickly Alana picked up. Her first signs
were ‘dog’ and ‘milk’. It was so helpful, and not to mention amazing, to know
that my little girl could communicate with me using her hands before she could
even speak. Although she is talking non-stop now, she still occasionally uses
her signs like ‘please’ when she really wants something. It literally blew my
mind just learning how much children can retain when taught in a welcoming and
loving environment. </div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
My favorite is when she learned to sign ‘I love you,’ another
sign she used often, especially when I would tell her “I love you” while
nursing. Instead of getting off the boob, she would hold up her hand and sign
to me that she loves me. </div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
If anything, learning sign language is a great bonding
experience for your entire family since as parents, we become our children’s
first teachers. </div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
Check out <a href="http://thepinkyproject.com/2010/07/baby-sign-language-week-1">The Pinky Project</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i>to learn more about our adventures
with baby sign language and Sign4Baby.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-10212047686047388192013-01-03T07:30:00.000-08:002014-08-04T00:22:48.613-07:00When I thought it was SWEATEROne day recently driving Owen to school he asked me for what sounded to me like SWEATER. He doesn't have any sweaters so even though I knew the answer to this question I asked anyways, "You want your sweater?" I was driving so I couldn't even turn to look at him and see what he might be reaching for on the floor of the van. Owen persisted and said "I want my insert-unknown-item-here." I again asked if it was a sweater and knew my attempt to understand with the exact same follow up question was futile. When Owen started to get frustrated I explained to him that I was trying my best to hear his word but it was hard for me to understand, then asked him to say it again, believing I could strain my ears enough to make out his word.<br />
<br />
Instead Owen surprised me and fell back to a tool that he extrapulated from our use of baby sign language. See, he had been effective at being his own interpreter in many situations before where I did not know his words and he instead fell back to the sign or went to point out the object or on occassion we went through a series of questions to determine what the item he desired was. He began to describe what the word was, "gold, pirates find it" and then I got it! He had been saying "I want my treasure." Not in a million years would I have guessed that treasure would sound like sweater coming out of his mouth, but it did, it sounded just like sweater from the mouth of a 3 year old. I had never shown Owen the sign for TREASURE, in fact, I don't know it myself. But we have used such a plethora of signs in our family that even when the kids don't know a sign for it, their brain has figured out that there is another way to get their poin across. <br />
<br />
A preschool teacher once informed me that about 50% of what 3 year olds say is understood by the general population, and it varies with each child. Of course moms understand a great deal more of what their own child is saying, I call that the mommy ear. But, still there are plenty of times well past toddlerhood where a child is still expanding their vocabulary at a rapid pace and their ability to enunciate the word exactly is still just shy for us to understand them 100% of the time.<br />
<br />
I had to laugh when I figured out that Owen wanted his treasure and again thanked my lucky stars for the fact that I was born a CODA, Child Of Deaf Adult, so that ASL was my first language and it was a no brainer that I would teach my children to sign as we are still experiencing the benefits of it even though Owen is 3 1/2 years old.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-85991861416548159002013-01-02T07:30:00.000-08:002014-08-04T00:23:07.706-07:00These Words Sound Alike: Juice, Shoes, Zoo, BlueThank goodness for American Sign Language and the fact that it has given me the ability to give my children the ability to interpret their toddlerese into words I can comprehend.<br />
<br />
Many parents of toddlers know that JUICE and SHOES are top of the list of favorite things. And it just so happens that the sound of J and the sound of S let alone SH are challenging for toddlers to make so those two words JUICE and SHOES sound an awful lot alike coming from the mouths of babes.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure how many times over the course of parenting 3 little ones I thought my child had said juice and it was in fact shoes or vice versa, but it was a lot. Enough that I knew to share with parents in my classes that these are words to consider listening for and looking for and bother teaching their baby/toddler the signs for to avoid a common frustration in communication breakdown. <br />
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Sometimes it ends up being words that rhyme that sound alike (but not always), so as my toddlers vocabulary grew and ZOO and BLUE were added, those became words I would at times need to ask "Can you sign it?" Usually that was after they had said JUICE cup for example and I thought they were asking for the BLUE cup. Silly things like this result in tantrums in many households where they don't have a tool to navigate the words that are being misunderstood. Many times I could just pause and ask my children to "show me" what they wanted. In our household "show me" could either be 1) show me the sign OR 2) show me the item --- and then I'll show you the sign so we avoid future communication breakdowns.<br />
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Stay tuned for more stories of words that sounds alike coming from the mouths of babes ; )<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-36180787457306073192013-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:002014-08-04T00:24:29.582-07:007 ways we communicate non-verbally <div id="tabMessageViewerBody_headeri423_4241357022236393">
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<span id="lw_beacon_1357022245036"></span>In the event that any parents are wondering whether signing is worthy of their time and effort (since there's already so much to learn on the parenting rollercoaster) here are a few examples of ways we already communicate non-verbally.<br />
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1. Waving: we wave hi and bye whether you're trying to teach your baby to sign or not.<br />
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2. Playing peek-a-boo: a favorite amongst babies as they learn object permanence. <br />
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3. Clapping hands: a way to cheer on our littles when they master a new skill, do something cute, or demonstrate understanding.<br />
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4. Pointing: trying to get something we want to showing someone "look."<br />
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5. Blowing kisses and giving hugs: expressions of our love without saying a word.<br />
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6. Making faces: sometimes your look says it all!<br />
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7. Dancing: one of the best expressions of oneself, especially uninhibited children.<br />
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Babies want to express themselves as much as we do. Signing gives them the ability to help us help them. It feels great to be understood, to have validation that we are "heard" and it is no different for babies. The look on their face when they see you understand them or when they get to interject in a conversation is worth all the energy, time and money you may spend on creating this early communication bond through baby sign language. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-49602300982904895902012-07-10T08:46:00.000-07:002014-08-04T00:24:08.616-07:00Baby Sign Language 101 - Repeat, Repeat, RepeatThis is one of the most critical lessons in teaching your baby to sign. Repetition is a big piece of learning for anyone, but I think we might think of the phrase "practice makes perfect." Well, with a baby, we know they pay attention when we repeat words and use a high pitched sing-song voice, otherwise known as <a href="http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/baby-and-toddler/baby-talk-speaking-parentese/">parentese</a> (that's the PC term so Dad's are included too!) and it used to be referred to as motherese. <br />
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That repetition comes naturally when talking to babies, nobody has to tell a mother to do this as she nurtures and bonds with her baby in arms. Just as we use repetition in speaking to our babies, it makes sense we would repeat the signs for those key words we are repeating. Afterall those are the words your baby is focusing on with all that repetition - so go ahead and sign those exact words you would repeat in motherese or parentese. <br />
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What we tend to do as parents is get bored quickly of the very games we start with our babies and toddlers. Go ahead and think back to the last time you played peek-a-boo with your babe and consider if your baby turned to another activity or if it was YOU that got bored and switched gears. <br />
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After class today I demonstrated how exactly to use the idea of repetition with Isaac and signing MILK. He had to have heard me say and seen me sign MILK 100+ times in various sing-song questiong games. Not only was he growing further and further engaged in watching me and responding with the movement of his eyes and tracking from my eyse to my hand and back again, but his expression showed he enjoyed the game immensely. In discussion with his mom she said she had been making the context of signing MILK fun and repeating it, but after observing me her understanding of what I REALLY mean by repeat, repeat, repeat was more clear. I can't wait to hear what transpires with her this week!<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-68101625893187395392012-07-09T17:12:00.004-07:002014-08-04T00:24:57.309-07:00Baby Sign Language 101 - Let your baby's interests lead the wayMore often than not parents are motivated to learn baby sign language and teach it to their little one because it will make their job easier in knowing what their baby wants or needs. This is helpful, yes. Who wouldn't prefer a baby signing MORE or ALL DONE while in the high chair or DIAPER when they need a new one? But, for most babies this is not the best way to begin signing. <br />
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I learned this with Amberly by chance. When she was 6 months old we were hanging out on the stairs where a pile of rubber ducks and other bathroom decor waited to be taken to her bathroom to embelish it. As she picked up the little ducks I would playfully "quack" and use the ducks to kiss her and make it a fun interaction. We did this for maybe 10 minutes, I am not sure because I wasn't watching the clock... we were just having fun. As I watched Amberly play with the ducks she held one up and signed and said DUCK clear as day. Now, she didn't again say DUCK for a couple months, but this scenario showed me how closely they pay attention to what we are doing and saying when it is all based on play.<br />
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If you have read one of those baby sign language books that advises starting with MORE, ALL DONE, EAT, DIAPER, NIGHT-NIGHT, I have my 3 guinea pigs that clearly showed more interest in using these signs only after learning the signs for things that most interested them. <br />
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Leave me a comment: I'd love to know what your baby's first few signs were and what you think about starting with some fun intriguing signs before jumping into the abstract or complex ideas of MORE, ALL DONE, etc...<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183455984585420479.post-61670181042106190032012-07-03T14:01:00.002-07:002014-08-04T00:25:47.498-07:00Why sign FIREWORKS to your baby or toddler?Why would I bother signing FIREWORKS to my baby or toddler if they'll be in bed before it begins? Well, fireworks are LOUD and if you live in close proximity to where they'll be going off your little one may wake up and wonder what all that noise is.<br />
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Tip: Look up some videos of FIREWORKS displays on YouTube and show your baby the sign. Talk about how they are loud, colorful, and you might hear them in the middle of the night. Here is a Disney World display to use as an example:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MeFi3SDi_n8?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Here's the video for all those fun 4th of July signs, including FIREWORKS!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4kDYy13ZE-Q?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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And just in case you thought your kids are too old to sign, I'll let you in on a little secret.... American Sign Language is FUN for kids! They love being theatrical and expressing themselves... if you look carefully at the signs for PINWHEEL, FLAG, and FIREWORKS you can see how iconic the signs are. See my kids signing these:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HtW1aCW5dqk?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Happy 4th of July!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">Joann Woolley is owner and instructor of </span><a href="http://www.sign4baby.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;">Sign4Baby</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"> in San Diego teaching parents how to communicate with their pre-verbal baby using American Sign Language. With her in depth knowledge of ASL as her first language she takes you beyond just the basics in signing, also filling your parenting tool belt with parenting tips and tricks coupled with signing as a great boundary teaching tool for toddlers. Want to know which signs most parents start with but gets them stuck in the mud? I'll send you that hundred dollar tip for </span><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001XOXiuHMUerRefu-rcUhuUfTiBNtqIuJ6HmYpNir5q5-mr59mn-cg8UVRnLTDEA6tX_Iy3nNiBHM%3D" style="background-color: white; color: #7c93a1; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FREE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.91499900817871px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06420657927103348319noreply@blogger.com0