by Gwen Cox, Signing Time Academy Director

As you may have heard, the Signing Time Academy has recently opened its doors and the virtual halls are buzzing with activity.  Each month I will focus on a special Instructor that has exemplified the essence of the Academy and its mission.

This month, however, I can’t just pick ONE! During the first few days after we launched this new network of certified instructors, there were a number of applicants that stood out among the rest because of their hard work and their “get it done” attitude. I nicknamed them The Dynamic Dozen.

This group has worked hard to help create an Academy that supports and motivates all who come through our “doors.”   There are obviously many more Instructors that have since come on that are an integral part of the structure of the Academy and are doing an amazing job.  You will hear about a new instructor each month!

And now, without further adieu, I’m pleased to introduce The Dynamic Dozen (plus one!):

Abbey Cook, Master Signing Time Instructor – Peoria, Illinois abbey@signingtimeacademy.com

Amanda Hudgins, Baby Signing Time Instructor – Surprise, Arizona amanda@signingtimeacademy.com

Brenda Jones, Master Signing Time Instructor – Corona, California brendajones@signingtimeacademy.com

Cathy Ybarra, Advanced Signing Time Instructor – Henderson, Nevada cybarra@signingtimeacademy.com

Christine Fitzgerald, Advanced Signing Time Instructor – Burbank, California cfitzgerald@signingtimeacademy.com

Dana Iungerich, Advanced Signing Time Instructor – Frisco, Texas dana@signingtimeacademy.com

Franci Agajanian, Advanced Signing Time Instructor  - Hermosa Beach, California teacherfranci@signingtimeacademy.com

Hedi Bright, Baby Signing Time Instructor – Laconia, New Hampshire

hedi@signingtimeacademy.com

Jen Norton, Master Signing Time Instructor  - Peterborough, Ontario jnorton@signingtimeacademy.com

Jennifer Turnbull, Master Signing Time Instructor – Knox, Maine jennifer@signingtimeacademy.com

Jessica McLaren, Baby Signing Time Instructor – Twenty-Nine Palms, California jmclaren@signingtimeacademy.com

Ronai Brumett, Master Signing Time Instructor – Maple Grove, Minnesota ronai@signingtimeacademy.com

Sue Rouillard, Advanced Signing Time Instructor – Whitefield, New Hampshire sueroulillard@signingtimeacademy.com

I hope you will take some time today and contact them about classes that they are offering in your area.  You can view all Certified Instructors here. Click on your state or Province to see if there is one near you. We have over 100 instructors either certified or in the process of becoming certified, so be sure to check back frequently.

If YOU want to become a part of the Academy, you can find out more at www.signingtimeacademy.com.  This could be an opportunity for you in 2010, to start your own business, reaching out to families in your community and provide them with the educational tools that help them to learn to sign with their children. We are a very diverse institution with men and women from all parts of the world interested in teaching parents how to use the Signing Time materials to enhance their lives through early communication.  We invite you to join us!

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*Next month read about THE DREAM TEAM.  These individuals have been instrumental in using their creative abilities to help other Instructors make the teaching experience a memorable one!

We are excited that iParenting Award winner Baby Signing Time Vol. 3: A New Day is #2 on Disney’s Family.com! Hooked on Baby Learn to Sign by Hooked On Phonics which is also a Baby Signing Time Product is #10. They were chosen by Disney editors to be included in the Top 10 Baby Videos Product List.

Baby Signing Time Vol. 3: A New Day sets your baby’s day to music with signs for everyday things in your baby’s world: nature, weather, following directions, and more.

Purchase Now

Hooked on Baby Learn to Sign comes with a comprehensive program that teaches American Sign Language and encourages speech development.
Hooked on Baby Learn to Sign:

* Two special edition Baby Signing Time DVDs
* Two sets of flash cards
* Reference poster
* Parents’ Guide
* Progress poster with stickers

Purchase Now

You can view the complete list of winners by visiting Disney Family.com

For Immediate Release

Contact: Mike Lyman
801-676-4440 ext 113
Mike@signingtime.com

TWO LITTLE HANDS PRODUCTIONS VOTED ONE OF TOP 200 LEADING MOMS IN BUSINESS IN STARTUPNATION COMPETITION

Midvale, UT – May - Two Little Hands Productions announced today that it has been recognized as one of the top 200 mom-owned businesses in StartupNation’s 2009 Leading Moms In Business Competition (http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-2009). The competition, sponsored by VerticalResponse, recognizes the achievements of mothers across the country who run outstanding businesses.

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Elizabeth Watching Signing Time

Remember that 17-month old toddler, Elizabeth Barrett, who astonished us all when she proved that reading at such a young age was possible? Last March, Elizabeth and her parents were invited to appear on the Today Show, where Elizabeth read words and even sentences in front of a nation-wide audience. Elizabeth’s parents attribute her early reading in part to Signing Time.

According to the Today Show website, “The Barretts are speech pathologists, and when Elizabeth was born, they started teaching her sign language along with spoken language. They read to her often, and her favorite television program — the only one her parents let her watch — was a PBS show called “Signing Time,” which teaches kids sign language.”

As we have mentioned on our website, after the Barretts appeared on the Today Show, Signing Time invited Elizabeth to be a part of Baby Signing Time 3 & 4, where she was able to demonstrate her sign language skills.

Well, Elizabeth continues to WOW audiences around the nation. The Barretts were again invited to go onto the Today Show, where Elizabeth demonstrated how she can now read Spanish!

Elizabeth Reading

Visit our website and read the article: Baby Learns to Read with Help from Signing Time. You can read and even watch the Today Show clips that ran in March as well as today, November 7th. We also included some little extras that we put together from Elizabeth’s visit to Salt Lake City.

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s blog to read all about her experience signing with Elizabeth.

Watch and Read Today Show clip from November 7th

We are back…well, Rachel and Leah get back sometime today.

The Triangle Down Syndrome Network Buddy Walk was fantastic. Rachel, Alex and Leah were a smash!

Going down the slide

After the morning show interview that I talked about in the last post, we all went over to Brier Creek Community Park, where we set up and got ready for the big performance. We may have stopped to take advantage of some fun things at the Buddy Walk…

Rachel, Alex and Leah at the Meet and Greet

After a couple of times down the slide, we headed over to our table and set up a place where people could stop and meet Rachel, Alex and Leah. Even before we set up, the hosts of Signing Time were bombarded… and loved every minute of it.

They had a chance to meet all the little buddies who were there to walk, and even got to see some people who came just to meet the Signing Time stars!

We even had the chance to meet 15-year old Noah Long, who (I hope I get the story right) unbeknownst to his family, volunteered them to help at the Buddy Walk so he would have a chance to work for a good cause and meet Rachel at the same time.

Lindsey Meeting Noah Long

Noah, who is blind, happened to stumble upon the music for Signing Time and has been a fan ever since. It was nice to finally meet him and his family.

When it came time to get Rachel, Alex and Leah to the stage, we felt so bad for leaving the booth…but we literally had to run to make it to the stage on time – we were running as they made the announcement. Rachel went on first and sang the Signing Time theme song. When Alex and Leah were introduced, they were greeted by the best applause and hooting and hollering around!

As part of the show, Rachel, Alex and Leah performed the Silly Pizza song, one of Rachel’s favorites It just so happens that all our Signing Time fans love this song and get really bummed if Rachel doesn’t perform it. Perhaps one of the most challenging songs, Rachel, Alex, Leah and a couple of Buddy Walk attendees performed this without a hitch. As a joke, Rachel falls to the stage exhausted. You can view the video below.



You can read all about one fans experience on our forum.

After the performance, Rachel, Alex and Leah joined the walkers for a walk around the park. From the looks of it, there were almost 2,000 participants that came for the walk.

Walking at the Buddy Walk

All in all, the Buddy Walk was a huge success…and we were so excited to be a part of it. You can see more photos on our website in the Photo Album.

The next day, Rachel and Leah were able to host a Signing Time Story Time at the Child Development Center in Wilmington. Students with exceptionalities and disabilities were able to meet these two stars and learned some sign language at the same time. Rachel and Leah were also able to meet with parents and families living in or around Wilmington, where they were able to talk about the importance of giving communication to all children, regardless of ability.

The Wilmington Star News reported before the event: Star News Parents: Meet Signing Time Host.