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We just added a calendar of events located at the top of the blog. We have included events where Rachel will be, as well as where Signing Time representatives will be.

Be sure to click on the descriptions to see when and where the events will be. The information will also detail whether or not Rachel will be attending. We hope to see you at some of these events!

We have been signing with our daughter Afton since she was seven months old. She’s now 21 months and usually speaks the words she’s signing as well. This often leads to confusion about why we sign with her if she’s not deaf. Truth be told, I thought the same thing before I joined the team at Two Little Hands Productions last year and we started using Signing Time with our kids.

Prior to Signing Time, we were completely “signless.” But once we started signing with Afton, my wife and I, as well as the older kids quickly caught on so that eventually the whole family was signing with Afton at every opportunity – it was so fun – and addictive – seeing her understand us and exert her own personality on our family dynamic. We discovered that it really lived up to all the press – we were communicating with Afton far before she could express herself verbally. We continue to use it because it’s turned out to be a phenomenal aid to help us both as she’s learning to speak. Even if I can’t understand her words, I understand her signs. We’ve also seen a much lower frustration level than I recall having with our two previous kids (who we did not sign with as babies) when they were Afton’s age. She’s not perfect but she doesn’t fly off the hook because she knows she’s understood. Our experience has been great and it’s nice to see validation popping up in the press , seemingly on a weekly basis these days!

I found the article below, published in STLtoday.com, the other day and thought it did a great job explaining the benefits of baby sign language and even mentions Signing Time! Enjoy.

Signs show that babies can be taught simple hand gestures, written by Wendy Sharky.

Rachel Coleman will be a guest on KSL’s Studio 5, a show on the NBC network in Salt Lake City tomorrow, Friday, July 11th at 11:00 a.m. Rachel, along with guests who participated in the production of Baby Signing Time, will talk about the benefits of using sign language with hearing children.

While many people may think that sign language is only for the deaf, scores of parents everywhere are paying attention to “baby sign language” as a powerful means of teaching babies and toddlers to communicate before they are old enough to talk. Parents are noticing that using sign language actually accelerates language and reading development through the unique blend of sign language, written word, song and video modeling used in Signing Time.

Scientific studies show that ‘typical’ children who learn to sign may:

• have higher IQ scores
• be better adjusted
• read at an earlier age

We hope that you will get a chance to watch the program tomorrow.

Happy signing!

The Best Summer of My Life

by Leah Coleman

When school got out I felt like screaming! I had not felt like this in a long time, not since last summer. The older kids on my bus broke into a chorus of “Happy Birthday” like they did on every half day. ANNOYING. When I finally got off the bus I ran home, but I don’t remember what I did after that.

Let’s just fast forward to Cancun, Mexico! Everybody was packing for Cancun, a bunch of my cousins, my Grandma Linda, and Grandpa. Eighteen of us were going for a week! On the plane, Maddie (my cousin) and I were listening to my I-pod and signing along and I mean it, not singing, but we were signing along. It was so funny because we would sometimes mess up and break into a chorus of giggles. When we finally arrived it was hot and humid, we caught a bus to the hotel, on the way Alex and I were playing hand games. When we got to the hotel, we all checked in. Alex and I were chasing each other around the lobby until my mom stopped us. Can’t we kids have some fun?
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