Book an interactive session and celebrate American Sign Language through stories, songs, and more – all while social distancing in the comfort of your own home!
- For Kids and Families
- Live Online Storytimes for Libraries
- Online Professional Development for Librarians and Educators
- Policies and Booking Information
For Kids and Families
Kathy MacMillan presents interactive theme-based classes that combine age-appropriate signs and activities with follow-up handouts and crafts sent electronically. Sessions take place online via Zoom with link provided by presenter. Program content will be tailored to age of participants. Check my availability calendar and identify your preferred dates and times.
Cost:
- 45-minute session for up to 10 participants: $75
- 45-minute session for 11-50 participants: $100
- 60-minute session for up to 10 participants: $100
- 60-minute session for 11-50 participants: $150
- Access to recording for 3 months following live session: $100
Select from the many Little Hands Signing theme sessions available.
Policies and Booking Information
Live Online Storytimes for Libraries
Looking to bring exciting, interactive content to your patrons? Kathy MacMillan presents interactive, high-energy online storytimes that teach basic American Sign Language for all ages. Sessions can take place via the live social media platform of your choice or online via Zoom and recording access is included. Program content will be tailored to age of participants. Check my availability calendar and identify your preferred dates and times.
Cost:
- 15-minute live storytime: $200
- each additional 15-minute live storytime: $100
- 30-minute live storytime: $350
- each additional 30-minute live storytime: $200
Select from the many themes available, or contact me about creating an online storytime to meet your library’s needs!
Policies and Booking Information
Online Professional Development for Librarians
Online Professional Development for Librarians and Educators
The following webinars offered through the American Library Association. Please contact ALA Editions Webinars to schedule a session for your library or consortium:
- Creating Outstanding Online Storytimes (90 minutes): Join veteran storyteller Kathy MacMillan to explore the fundamental differences between online and in-person storytimes and best practices to bring early literacy programming into an online environment. Learn how to plan video-friendly programs, how to keep your programming interactive even when you don’t have live feedback from storytime attendees, and how to manage external stresses such as technological glitches and internal stresses such as camera fright
- Serving Deaf Patrons in the Library, Parts 1 and 2 (each 90 minutes): This two-part online workshop offers an overview of the different ways deaf people communicate, strategies for meeting your library’s legal obligation to serve deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons, strategies for communicating with a deaf or hard-of-hearing person in the library, basic library signs, and tips for finding, hiring, and working with interpreters.
- Liven Up Baby and Toddler Storytimes with Sign Language (90 minutes): Signing with young children of any hearing ability fosters bonding, stimulates language development, and reduces frustration for caregiver and child. Learn how to use sign language in storytimes to broaden their appeal and make them more participative. In this interactive workshop, Kathy MacMillan—American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, librarian, and storyteller—will use video examples to provide easy-to-learn signs that can be retaught and incorporated into stories, rhymes, and songs. You will be able to use the skills learned in this workshop to create programs that will help you, your staff, and parents communicate better with children.
The following webinars are offered directly through Stories By Hand. Sessions take place online through Zoom. Prices are for live session for up to 50 people; 3 months of recording access may be added for $100 per workshop. Please see Policies and Booking Information to schedule these webinars:
- Little Hands Signing Professional Development Storytime (1 hour webinar; $250): An interactive theme-based “annotated storytime” that teaches basic ASL vocabulary and demonstrates how to use the signs in storytime activities. Children of participants are welcome to join for the first 40 minutes. The final 20 minutes will consist of lecture and Q&A.Choose from 5 different vocabulary themes: Feelings Signs, First Signs, Colors Signs, Family Signs, or Animal Signs.
- Basic American Sign Language for Library Staff (2 hour webinar; $350): The deaf patron approaches the reference or circulation desk…but you don’t panic. Thanks to this interactive workshop, you know the basic of how to communicate with deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons and can introduce yourself and help the patron navigate the library.
- Create a Calmer Classroom with American Sign Language (2 hour webinar; $350): No matter what age you work with, using basic American Sign Language with students can enhance student understanding, address different learning styles, and create calm. You’ll leave this session armed with a toolbox of signs to start using right away.
- Hands-on Storytimes (2 hour webinar; $350): This presentation will cover the benefits of using basic ASL with all children, and offer a variety of simple techniques for making your programs more fun, educational, and participative through the use of signs with audiences of all ages. Participants will leave armed with a vocabulary of very basic signs to start using right away.
- Little Hands Signing in the Classroom (2 hour workshop; $350): Studies show that using American Sign Language with hearing children can improve vocabulary, reading comprehension, defuse behavior issues, support a variety of learning styles, and increase overall interest in learning! Learn the fascinating reasons behind this phenomenon as well as strategies for incorporating into your classroom.
- Sign, Baby, Sign! (2 hour workshop; $350): Babies can sign long before they can speak, and research shows that using sign language with both hearing and deaf babies imparts language benefits that can last a lifetime. Learn the benefits of using signs with babies and toddlers, as well as ways to incorporate signs into your program and educate parents in baby sign. Participants will leave with a basic vocabulary of signs to use right away.
- Working with a Sign Language Interpreter (1 hour webinar; $250): Communicating through a third party can be stressful for everyone involved – but it doesn’t have to be that way! Participants in this workshop will develop an understanding of the interpreter’s role, and will learn how to effectively communicate through an interpreter.
Check my availability calendar to identify your preferred dates and times.
Policies and Booking Information
and Educators
Policies and Booking Information
Policies
Payment: Sessions booked by individuals will not be confirmed until payment is received. Individual payment may be made online via PayPal, Square, or Venmo. Institutions may pay by check or credit card.
Cancellations: Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice for any reason will be billed in full.
Platform: Unless otherwise agreed, sessions will be conducted online via Zoom. Presenter is not responsible for technical difficulties at the receiving end.
Photos and Recording: Unless otherwise agreed upon, recording is not permitted without the express permission of the presenter and all attendees. 3 months of recording access may be added to the live event for $100. Live Online Storytimes for Libraries include recording permission and access.
Interpreters: The presenter can present in either spoken English or American Sign Language. If an interpreter is needed, it is the responsibility of those booking the session to work out those logistics prior to the session.
Proceeding with contractual agreement implies acceptance of terms.
To book an appearance:
- Check my availability calendar and identify your preferred dates and times.
- Fill out the contact form here. Include your contact information, estimated number of program participants, and choices of dates/times.
- I will check dates/times and reply to you with a confirmation.
- Please read the policies above carefully. A cancellation fee will apply as described above.
Stories by Hand 