Wednesday

Signing Time


Background

Rachel Coleman and her sister Emilie launched Two Little Hands Productions as a company that would help to create a "sign language community" enabling the hearing world to communicate with children like Rachel's daughter, Leah, who is deaf.

Rachel and Emilie worked together to create Signing Time! .....an entertaining video that teaches ASL (American Sign Language) through music and instruction to hearing children. They quickly realized how easy and fun it was for friends and family to learn this new language and how ASL was a valuable way to communicate with someone who is deaf, has a special need or may be preverbal. In May 2002, the first volume of Signing Time! was completed with Rachel as the singing, signing host and starring 5-year-old Leah and 3-year-old Alex, Emilie's hearing son. Since the successful debut of the first Signing Time video, Two Little Hands Productions has released seventeen (13 Signing Time and 2 Practice Time) award-winning Signing Time videos/DVDs for children and infants, along with a series of colorful hardcover books and engaging Flash Cards to reinforce the vocabulary skills learned from the DVDs, a Practice Time DVD series as well as the popular Signing Time! TV series that airs on Public Television Stations across the country.

Signing Time! DVD Full Collection Gift Set



Volume 1: My First Signs
Volume 2: Playtime Signs
Volume 3: Everyday Signs

Volume 4: Feelings, Family and Fun
Volume 5: ABC Signs
Volume 6: My favorite Things

Volume 7: Leah's Farm
Volume 8: The Great Outdoors
Volume 9: Zoo Train

Volume 10: My Day
Volume 11: My Neighborhood
Volume 12: Time To Eat
Volume 13: Welcome to School

Plus 4 Music CD's

  • Each DVD includes sign learning and review segments as well as songs that help to reinforce the signs being taught.
  • 30 signs taught per DVD, more than 500 signs used in songs (many of which are not included in the teaching segments but are easy to learn through the songs).
  • Winner of over 55 national parenting awards
  • Some of the DVDs include special features like music videos
  • Each DVD is approximately 30 mins in duration.
  • Created for ages 1-8 yet fun for all.

Want a preview? Click here

In addition, tune into Public Television Stations every Saturday morning to see the Signing Time DVD's (check your local listings for times)


Baby Signing Time Gift Set



  • Each DVD includes sign learning and review segments as well as songs that help to reinforce the signs being taught.
  • Baby Signing Time focuses on the 50 most important signs babies need for pre-verbal communication
  • Reduced frustration and tantrums
  • Increased bonding with parents
  • Enhances speaking, writing and spelling skills
  • Designed for 3-36 month olds but fun for all.

Signing Time! was the first series of its kind to combine lively music, animation and live action narration to teach hearing children and parents the vocabulary building skills of learning ASL. Signing Time! can be seen weekly on Public Television Stations throughout the country and is also available on DVD. Also available are supplemental Practice Time DVDs, board books, music CDs, flash cards, outreach materials, and a DVD series just for babies entitled Baby Signing Time!.

Please note that Signing Time! offers additional products such as DVD's, CD's, Board Books and Flash Card's with are coordinated to enrich the baby/child's learning experience.

Awards:

Please click here to view the awards


Purchasing details:

Please click here to browse the online shop and purchase products


Success Through Play Comments:

Baby Signing Time Gift Set
This Gift Set is extraordinary in every way! From the unique songs, music and graphics to the adorable babies signing. The "Diaper Dance" is fabulous and oh so catchy. The songs deal with everyday activities and are thus enjoyable and useful. The DVD's and CD's are very well produced and are set at an easy pace for baby to follow along. This set would make an idea baby shower gift.

Signing Time! DVD Full Collection Gift Set

This fabulous collection of 13 volumes will be an asset to your signing collection. Designed for an older child, each volume offers a new adventure and a fresh opportunity to learn new signs. Each sign is presented very clearly and is repeated several times, to help you remember it! Each DVD is very well edited and includes real examples of the objects being signed, for enhanced learning. Highly Recommended for the older child who has been signing for some time and has the basic signs down pat and is ready to move on to more advanced signs!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so happy to see your excellent article on Signing Time! My daughter first discovered this series while looking for materials to teach my grandson sign language and he has been hooked ever since the first preview he saw on the Internet. At 5 years of age he knows well over 400 signs and becomes instantly animated when asked to demonstrate (even though he is normally pretty shy). I use the DVD's in my special education classroom and the students, as well as any adults in the room, all love them. I highly recommend Signing Time for teachers as well as parents.

Anonymous said...

We also love Signing Time! My daughter had a cleft palate and even at 4 1/2 has speech delays. Thanks to this engaging series, we have no toruble communicating and she is learning to read and write Englush faster than her peers - because she knew the letters by sight, sound and sign before she was 18 months old. Thank you for featuring this wonderful series!

Cricket said...

I enjoyed reading the article on Signing Time. We use Signing Time with our 7 year old Apraxic son. Signing has had such a positive effect on his communication skills and the videos are fun for the whole family to watch.

Jessica Engh said...

What a great informative article. Our family has been using Signing Time! for over 4 1/2 years. My daughter, 5 years old, doesn't have any disabilities, but has benefited greatly from the videos and books. She is above her peers in reading and word recognition which is due in part to learning ASL and fingerspelling. My infant neices and nephews are also huge fans of Signing Time. It is great to see them communicating at such an early age.

Success Through Play said...

Thank you for your comments! It is always wonderful to hear from readers who are having success with the products that we feature.

Kei said...

What a great write-up about Signing Time! This is our favorite series. My youngest son has Down syndrome, and we found out about Signing Time through a friend's post on a Down syndrome messageboard. Once we bought the first one, William's signing and communication skills took off. He began spelling and reading words at 4½,and since they were all from Signing Time, we realized the series was teaching him more than how to sign and communicate. This series is indispensable!

Anonymous said...

I loved your article on Signing Time! We were given the first video as a gift when my 4-year-old son was just 9 months old. It has been his favorite series and he is eager to share them with his 2 month old sister. My 2 1/2 year old nephew recently discovered ST and absolutely loves them. His parents are excited that they can finally communicate with their him because he has Apraxia. Before ST he only had a few words, but since he has started signing, his vocabulary has significantly increased.

GFMouse said...

Our family also loves Signing Time. Thank you for writing up such a great review on them to let others know! Signing Time has given our family a new fun way to communicate with others and deffinately has helped during the toddler fustration years, which might I add we are still in!