Forget-Me-Not Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 This would be for my very bright 7 yo DD. She's learned a bit from church (we are LDS and the ward we attend is a designated deaf congregation) and from my MIL who is an ASL interpreter. I want something that is mostly DVD based. I know I could get a book and teach her myself, but with a new baby on the way and an already fairly rigorous homeschooling schedule, it's just not going to happen right now. I'd love something she could pop in and study at her own pace :) My MIL is too busy to be available to teach her on a regular basis, but we'll for sure check in with her occasionally and make sure she's on the right track. I've been looking at the Signing Time videos, but they appear to be designed for very young children, unless I'm mistaken. Thanks in advance:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Signing Time works for older kids and grownups, too. It's effective. Just don't get Baby Signing Time. Lifeprint.com is very thorough as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschnee Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I agree, Signing Time is excellent for all ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardis Girl Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 If you are looking for ASL words, Signing Time is great! I don't think anything is going to beat the "plug it in and play it on your own" aspect of those DVDs. It's colorful, catchy, reinforcing, thematic. Some of the DVDs introduce a lot more ancillary words, whereas some seem to stick more tightly to the topic. Check if your library has them. If you are looking for more "real" ASL, there is an online class called SigningOnline.com you could consider (you have to pay for it). They actually can count for continuing education courses for adult -- it is not geared to children. But she is going to need some support from you for that, I think. There are oodles of LDS DVDs that have ASL, but those aren't going to actually teach. The Gallaudet Dictionary of American Sign Language is another great resource for finding words, and there is an accompanying DVD-ROM (for your computer) that illustrates the signs. Another excellent book for true ASL is the American Sign Language Phrase Book by Fant. It's practical, but most importantly, it is true ASL in terms of its grammatical structure. And of course, get her using what she knows as much as possible with people at church. Maybe you can find someone you guys could visit -- someone whose day would be brightened by your daughter's sunshiney smile and wouldn't mind practicing with her and giving her some instruction. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Thanks everyone! I'll look into signing time for now. I do realize she will need teacher/adult support at some point, but like I said before with a new baby coming and all that, I need something easy for the time being :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Definitely Signing Time. ASL ended up being my youngest's first language. It held the interest of my academically gifted 5, 6 and 7 year olds, too, and they picked up a lot. We lived in Salt Lake at the time, and many of the shows were filmed locally (the family that does them lived in Cottonwood Heights), so occasionally local scenes would pop up, which was cool. Of special interest to LDS kids, on the rare occasion that the showed a picture of a church (like on days of the week, they would point out that Sunday is a special day for some people (they also showed a family going to a mosque on Friday and a synagogue on Saturday), the Sunday church was an LDS ward house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Another vote for Signing Time. We started them when dd was 9 months old. She's 9 years old now. She doesn't watch them as often as she should (I have to remember to have her do that!). You can learn a lot from them and they are fun. I love the songs....singing and signing the songs is so much fun. I've learned a lot from Signing Time myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Yup, another vote for Signing Time! We love Signing Time and DD just loves her Rachel. Between living in Utah and my being an instructor with the Signing Time Academy, DD has had several opportunities to meet with Rachel, including filming. She is an amazing person and knowing that just makes me want to recommend the dvds even more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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