Home Education Magazine's Free Online Newsletter
hem-online-newsletter@home-ed-magazine.com
by Carol Narigon
August 2001

I've been interested in American Sign Language for years. In the past I've taught classes for hearing adults and volunteered in a classroom for deaf teens. I taught my daughter some sign when she was little, and I believe it helped cement her understanding of the alphabet, made her a better spelling and encouraged creativity with language. I've often recommended using the manual alphabet and signs to help little ones learn their letters and how to spell their own names, as well as for children with learning differences or difficulties. Not everybody knows sign language though, so what's a parent to do if she doesn't?

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to review a couple of videos from different companies directed at teaching sign language to babies. I couldn't believe the difference between the two! One I can highly recommend; the other I might recommend as entertainment for your toddlers, but not for learning to sign.

Baby See 'n Sign, intended for ages 6 months and up, shows parents and children how to sign 60 words using a variety of learning modes to reinforce the signs. Each sign is demonstrated for 30 seconds in several different ways-a picture (real life) of the object, the sign demonstrated by a sign language professor, the object in action (a baby being dressed or a child eating a banana, for example), the sign itself again in slow motion, a different picture of the object and the sign again. For each shot in the sequence, the sign is spoken as well shown on the screen in text. The woman who signs on the video uses wonderful expression and precise signs, both essential for learning sign language.

In addition to the 60 signs on the video, at the end of the tape a parents' guide gives information on the advantages of teaching your child sign language as well as a special code for downloading more signs from the website. At $14.99, it's a good value that will encourage your whole family to learn a fun, useful language.

The second tape was disappointing. Offering only 10 signs, an adorable girl of about 3 or 4 signs each of (only) 10 signs. After she quickly and imprecisely shows the sign several times, a puppet takes over and performs a slow, little skit that demonstrates the object of the sign in some way. He puts a ball through a hoop for the word "ball," for instance. The actions of the puppet do not reinforce the sign, which isn't repeated, and only distracts the viewer from the sign the action illustrates. In one case of extreme sign confusion, an adult giving a baby a bottle of juice to demonstrate "milk!"

This video borrows heavily from the Baby Einstein videos, which are designed to introduce children to art and music. If you're looking for a video for your toddler, I'd suggest sticking with the original Baby Einstein. If you want to learn sign language with your child, get Baby See 'n Sign.
 
Back to "In the News"