Eliana

Our beautiful daughter Eliana visited with Rachel & family in 2008 while taping Baby Signing Time 3 & 4. Thanks to Signing Time and dedicated parents, Eliana has been reading since she was 11 months old.  Her reading has been tested at the seventh grade level. Last year Eliana’s overall development was assessed. With an IQ of 143, she is in the genius category and exceeded the 130 requirement to become a member of MENSA.

Eliana is very active. This December, she will be in a new Disney Channel show (Austin & Ally). She has a role in our local church drama for the third year in a row. As part of ‘Hands of Praise’, she was invited to sign a song at a local community event.

See her video http://www.elianaarroyo.com/AboutEliana.html.

Her younger brother, Elijah, 3 (also in Baby Signing Time 3 & 4), is on track to equal or exceed his sister’s accomplishments. At age 2, Elijah was spelling and writing his name and alphabet, and at age 3 he is reading at the third grade level. Also their 18 month old twin siblings can already read and sign most of the signs on BST and Signing Time DVDs. As their communication skills continue to advance they say and/or sign their requests.

Thank you Rachel, Aaron, Emilie, Leah & Alex and everyone else who has contributed to our children’s past, present and future.

-Michael A.

This guest blog post is from LeeAnn. She’s the one who creates those cute Signing Time “Hand-y Crafts” every month. She sends out the Sign of the Week email and Signing Time newsletter, and she answers the questions parents ask us on our Facebook page. This is a question she gets a lot, so we asked her to share her answer here.

Many parents wonder what to do after their child has learned all the signs in the Baby Signing Time series. For me, that answer is easy.

With my oldest daughter, we started with Signing Time Volumes 1-3 because that is all that was available! We waited for each new volume and introduced them to her as quickly as they were released. Volumes 4-6 were released shortly after my second daughter was born. Then in 2005, I was lucky enough to start working for Two Little Hands Productions. I ran a signing playgroup that got invited to be part of the filming of Volumes 7-9, so those quickly became my daughters’ favorites because they knew the kids in the DVDs!

A few years later, we were blessed with a son. With him, we started with Baby Signing Time. However, we also show him Signing Time, Practice Time and Story Time videos. He is 2 1/2 now and asks for the DVDs by name. His current favorites are Baby Signing Time Vol. 4: Let’s Be Friends, Signing Time Vol. 9: Zoo Train,  and Signing Time Vol. 5: ABC Signs. It is so fun to watch him sign his ABCs. Last week he was signing them in his sleep, but by the time I got the video camera out and set up, he was awake.

So when parents ask me what DVD to buy after Baby Signing Time, my answer is “any of them!” My family started out using the series sequentially, but we’ve experienced just as much fun using all of the  Baby Signing Time, Signing Time, Practice Time and Story Time videos at once, in no particular order.

So now that you know what my experience is, let me share with you what others do. Many parents move from Baby Signing Time right into the Signing Time Volumes 1-3, which have most of the same signs that are featured in the Baby Signing Time series, but are an excellent sign review. Some parents skip those videos and jump in at Vol. 4: Family, Feelings and Fun. No matter where you start, you’ll enjoy Series 1, which ends with Vol. 13: Welcome to School. From there you can introduce Sing & Sign, Practice Time, Story Time and Signing Time Series Two.

There is no wrong way to keep teaching your children ASL vocabulary. The most important part is sharing that time with your child and learning new ways to communicate.

Watch the clip of Sam signing along as he watches Volume 9 Zoo Train.

Say hello to LeeAnn at the Signing Time Facebook page!

The Baby Signing Time “Sign & Read” Collection is now available exclusively at www.babysigningtime.com!

• What’s new in this collection?
• Why did you make the new collection?
• Can I order the board books separately?
• Can I order the collection by phone?
• Can I order it on the Signing Time website?

What’s new in this collection?
In addition to the Baby Signing Time Music CDs and Flash Card Sets, we’ve included:

• New Board Books
  Baby Alex, Baby Leah, and Baby Hopkins invite your baby to learn new signs in fun ways in these full-color board books. Each book also includes a sign guide for parents.
• New Parent Guide
  This guide to early learning will teach you how to bond with your baby and enhance early learning through talking, signing and reading together. Includes a Sign Glossary of all the signs taught in Volumes 1-4.
• Enhanced DVDs
  We’ve added new footage of the printed words with Rachel’s fingers running under them as each one is spoken to show babies that printed words have meaning. It’s part of the “see it, sign it, say it” approach to early learning.

Why did you make the new collection?
We asked Emilie Brown, co-creator of Signing Time and Baby Signing Time, to answer: “Parents are their child’s first teachers, so we made sure this Baby Signing Time collection included a parent guide to early learning. Every parent-child interaction can strengthen the relationship and feed a child’s growing mind. Reading together is an especially powerful way to connect and learn. That’s why we insisted on board books being included in the new collection. We’ve added new footage to the DVDs to highlight printed words. Our goal isn’t to get babies to read, but to experience how language works: a word can be spoken, signed, or printed, and they all share the same underlying meaning. This idea may seem simple to adults, but for young children, it’s a profound discovery.”

Can I order the board books separately?
The board books are only available with the collection. If you already have the Baby Signing Time products and want to get the board books, we suggest that you consider purchasing the new collection and giving the items you already have as gifts.

Can I order the collection by phone?
Yes! Call or Skype (855) 589-7800 Monday – Friday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. MST

Can I order it on the Signing Time website?
Right now, the new collection is only available at www.babysigningtime.com.

Two Little Hands Productions, creators of the award-winning Signing Time series, released a new collection of Baby Signing Time products. The “Sign & Read” Collection, which includes a new parent guide, a set of new board books, updated DVDs, and flash cards, places an emphasis on early learning through parent-child interaction.

“Parents are their child’s first teachers, so we made sure this Baby Signing Time collection included a parent guide to early learning,” says Emilie Brown, co-creator of Signing Time and Baby Signing Time. “Every parent-child interaction can strengthen the relationship and feed a child’s growing mind. Reading together is an especially powerful way to connect and learn. That’s why we insisted on board books being included in the new collection. We’ve added new footage to the DVDs to highlight printed words.” Brown adds, “Our goal isn’t to get babies to read, but to experience how language works: a word can be spoken, signed, or printed, and they all share the same underlying meaning. This idea may seem simple to adults, but for young children, it’s a profound discovery.”

Click here for a preview of the commercial

The launch of the new collection is being supported by a national media campaign, which includes a 30-minute infomercial and radio ads. In addition, Signing Time Academy Instructors across North American and in many countries throughout the world have begun offering “Sign & Read” play classes to help parents nurture their child’s language, cognitive and social-emotional development through three key areas of communication: talking, reading and signing. Meet your local Signing Time Academy Instructor and sign up for a class today!

“We already know that signing allows hearing babies to communicate before they learn to talk – which goes a long way toward reducing frustration,” says Gwen Cox, Signing Time Academy Director. “Babies who can sign feel understood and secure – and happy babies are able to focus on learning. Our goal is to show parents how simple interactions like reading, signing or talking can add fun to their day, boost their child’s self-esteem, and nurture their child’s love of learning as well.”

If all newborns could come with an instruction book, this would be it.

That’s what Kenneth Kosik of the Neuroscience Research Institute had to say about the book Bright From The Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3 by Dr. Jill Stamm.

Dr. Harvey Karp (Happiest Baby on the Block) calls this book “a gem” and David Perlmutter, M.D. (Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten) says it gives parents “the most leading-edge approach to maximizing your children’s intellectual potential.” We really like this book , too! That’s why, for a limited time only, we are including this important book in our Baby Sign Language Start Kit.

This book is a natural fit with Baby Signing Time. Dr. Stamm explains why:

The evidence is overwhelming that early communication plays a critical role in future academic success and in healthy social-emotional development. There is little doubt that sign language can play a significant role in facilitating the parent-child bond, which is the cornerstone of healthy brain development.

About Bright From the Start
Should I really read to my baby? Is all TV bad, or only some TV? What kind of toys do babies need? Can teaching a baby sign language really boost IQ? Should I pipe classical music into the nursery? Dr. Jill Stamm translates the latest neuroscience findings into clear explanations and practical suggestions, demonstrating the importance of the simple ways you interact with your child every day. Stamm shows parents how to nurture their infant’s brain through ABCs: Attention, Bonding, and Communication. Practical games and tips for each developmental age group will show you not only what the latest findings are. but more importantly, tell you what to do with them.

About the Baby Sign Language Starter Kit
Your little one has a lot to say and with sign language you don’t have to wait for her first word to know what’s on her mind. The Baby Sign Language Starter Kit makes it fun and easy for you and your baby to learn simple signs you can use to communicate before she learns to talk. This family-friendly Baby Sign Language Starter Kit will teach you 24 of the most useful signs that correlate to baby’s “first words.” Original music, darling animation, and Emmy-nominated host Rachel Coleman make this kit a must-have for any family. Baby Sign Language Starter Kit contains:

• Baby Signing Time Volume 1 DVD – approx. 30 minutes long
• Baby Signing Time Volume 1 CD – with eight original songs
• Baby Signing Time Volume 1 Flash Card Set – contains 24 cards with D-ring
• Bright From The Start by Dr. Jill Stamm

View the Baby Sign Language Starter Kit