baby sign & songs

baby sign & songs

main * buy the song book * testimonials * past classes

"I really enjoyed the classes. I liked the little "routine" you had put in place with a song to say "hello and welcome" and a song to say "good-bye". It was good that you had little animals/soft toys to show kids what we were singing about, and it was great that you had one for each child every time. This would involve the kids in the group activity (as they cannot sing it was good that they could be actively involved with touching the little animals or looking at a book). It also helped to re-focus their attention when they were already interested in crawling/walking around to try and find other interesting things to explore. I also liked the fact that you chose songs that would be fun (and useful) to sing in precise circumstances like the bath or bed times. I loved learning the signs for different animals and it is fun to re-do them at home because you find all these animals in baby/children books... I was really motivated to learn how to sign words and did enjoy the class both for this reason and also because your class was a great time to share with Remy and the other moms and kids. Like in every group, I suppose motivations were different and I was wondering how many moms came with the firm intention to apply baby signs every day. What I want to say is that whatever the motivation of moms joining your class, you were really successful in giving everyone what they came for and that is very important to my point of view. I think you did really well and I regret I could not join the following classes because of Remy's crèche. I wish you success and fun in Ghana! -Sylvie Brochu, 17 September 2009

"James loved the interaction with the other children and I think it was fun for him to see other children his age using signs. The idea to have a brief playtime before and after the class is a good idea... James really liked the everchanging toys/stuffed animals/books that you used for visual aides. A great idea! James enjoyed the music... he learned some great new music. You did a fine job as the teacher. I certainly couldn't have done as well... we do use baby sign outside of class quite a bit and James' vocabulary continues to grow. He is able to communicate really well most of the time. The other day, while visiting my parents, James wanted a toy out of our bedroom only he was too scared to go in and get it by himself (unfamiliar place, lights were off). He came to me and grabbed my hand and signed "scared". When I walked with him, he went right in and retrieved the toy. Really cute!" -Emily Peterson, 11 September 2009

"I looked forward to your class every week (and am missing them now) and I am sure so did Tristan. At the age of 12.5 months, Tristan had a vocabulary of about 40 words (34 signs and 6 spoken words). I find this truly amazing. I love it when he tells me about airplanes, dogs, flowers and balls when we go for a walk or when he impatiently signs for his milk in the morning or when he tells me that he wants a bath, have his teeth and his hair brushed or when he simply wants to go to sleep. Also at 12.5 months, he started combining signs: dog and sleep (when he saw my parents dog taking a nap); milk and me (when he saw me walking into the room with his morning bottle) – the funny thing is that he actually says ‘me, me, me’ in English when he points to himself. I think this shows the power of the repetitive songs like the "me, you, we, yes, no, maybe" songs. Tristan is a great example that your course – just the way you gave it to us – is a great success. What worked well: The open, friendly and relaxed atmosphere you created * The rapport you build with the children * The songs were fantastic * Using books and all the other little things you threw into every class (animals, glasses, etc.) * Information like "70% of a young child’s vocabulary is about animals, so let’s give a focus to animal signs" * Opening and closing song (after the yoga course, I understand better why this is important; intuitively it always felt right). -Diana Hoefman, 7 September 2009

"Thanks Cristin, it was great today. Alya enjoyed it. I kept on singing and signing all day long. :)" -Asli Altan, 17 February 2009

We do not and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion (creed), national origin (ancestry), gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, size, neurodiversity, disability, equation, marital status, or military status in any activities or operations - we welcome all!