Family Signs and New Learnings: My Week with Sing & Sign
So far, this week has been both meaningful and productive for my ASL learning project. With our day off yesterday for the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, my wife, daughter, and I attended one of the Stay ‘n’ Play Parenting Sing & Sign classes that my wife and daughter have been attending weekly. It was an absolute treat to join them as not only was it a chance for quality family time, but it was also the perfect opportunity to tie into my course project of ASL learning.
The theme of this week’s class was all about family (I know… how fitting is this, right?). Some signs I already knew such as Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, but I was excited to add new ones such as brother, sister, auntie and uncle. We learned the signs, read a children’s book, played with noise makers, and sang songs such as Baby Shark (YouTube’s #1 most viewed song as I learned this past week in our class activity), and other family-themed children’s songs and lullabies. At the end of the class, I asked Jess (the class leader and Stay ‘n’ Play Parenting Network owner), if she would be open to an interview for my blog next week. She kindly agreed, so stay tuned!!
Outside of the class, I have continued with my daily ASL Pocket Sign sessions (but sadly lost my streak last weekend due to coaching a senior girls volleyball tournament), and started branching into other online resources. Two YouTube videos I watched this week were Basic ASL Information for Beginners and Learn ASL Alphabet ABCs. These videos gave me the foundation that I needed before going too far into my learning journey. I even remembered some of the alphabet signs from my first year of teaching when I had a hard of hearing student, which made the review even more personal and meaningful.
Looking ahead, I plan to interview Jess later this week or early next week, as well as keep expanding my daily sign vocabulary, and even start mapping out my outline and template for my ASL final project video. This week has certainly reminded me how rewarding it feels when my learning project overlaps with both my life as a teacher and being a dad.
One thought on “Family Signs and New Learnings: My Week with Sing & Sign”
Jordan, I appreciate reading about how you’re bringing ASL into your family life, it reminds me of when we did something similar with our kids. We weren’t as formal with it, but we taught a handful of signs, and honestly, “more,” “water/drink,” and “all done” became absolute staples in our house. It was remarkable to see them communicate before they could talk, though I remember feeling a little bittersweet when those signs faded once speech took over.
I’m curious about your experience with the different learning methods you’ve tried (attending in-person classes, using the app, and watching YouTube videos). Do you find that one of them stands out as the “best,” or do they end up working together in a complementary way for your learning?
Really looking forward to seeing how your interview with Jess adds to your project.