Sing and sign with your little one for early literacy – and learn the Stinky Diaper Song!
This is the latest entry in my Little Hands Signing video series. See the whole series here and look for more videos to come!
I’m so excited to share with you this printable guide to using Nita’s Day in the classroom or storytime! Check it out for tips and tricks for sharing signs during the story, and following up with other fun ASL activities: Nita’s Day Teacher/Librarian Guide
Here’s a fun-filled early literacy activity for your home or online classroom or storytime from the Nita’s Day Teacher/Librarian Guide.
This is the latest entry in my Little Hands Signing video series. See the whole series here and look for more videos to come!
Missed the Nita’s Day launch celebration storytimes? Catch ’em on video below!
Nita’s First Signs Storytime:
in Spoken English with closed captions
Nita’s Day Storytime:
in Spoken English with closed captions
Here’s a fun bathtime song to sing and sing after reading Nita’s Day!
This is the latest entry in my Little Hands Signing video series. See the whole series here and look for more videos to come!
In honor of the release of Nita’s Day, I’m giving away a signed copy of the set! This makes a great gift and may be personalized. Must by 18 or older to enter. US Only. Giveaway closes May 22, 2020. Find 3 ways to enter here!
Today I’m featuring a guest post from Dawn Babb Prochovnic, author of the excellent Story Time with Signs and Rhymes series (more about that here), about her upcoming releases and some exciting ways to use them in storytime!
Take it away, Dawn!
Hello Readers and Signers!
Kathy was kind enough to invite me to write a guest post on her blog to celebrate the upcoming release of my two latest picture books: Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty? and Where Does a Pirate Go Potty? These new books are geared for young readers ages 3-8, but they will appeal to potty humorists of all ages.
Although these new books don’t incorporate sign language like my Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series, in my experience, most books can be enriched with sign language with just a little bit of advanced planning. For example, I recently developed a detailed sign language story time lesson plan for folks who are interested in some comic relief while toilet training. You can find that lesson plan here.
That said, these new books are more aptly categorized as potty-humor books, vs. potty-training books. Given that I’ve taught Sing and Sign workshops for the past twenty years, music and sign language are infused in just about everything I do. Over the past couple of months, I had the unique opportunity to work with two different musicians to create a children’s song for each of my new books. I couldn’t be more pleased with how they turned out.
For the Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty? song, I worked with singer, songwriter and performing musician, Marshall Mitchell.
You can listen to our song here.
Kids of all ages love to sing and sign AND they love to laugh. Singing and signing along with the Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty? song creates a perfect opportunity to incorporate all three of these fun activities.
I’ve included the song lyrics for Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty? below, noting in bold some of the words you might consider signing along with. TIP: Don’t feel pressured to sign more words than you are comfortable with. It’s perfectly okay to start by signing only one or two key words, (for example, WHERE or POTTY) that repeat throughout the song. As your American Sign Language vocabulary (and your confidence) develops and grows, you can add more signs each time you sing. Rest assured, kids are likely to ask you to repeat the song again and again!
Here are the lyrics:
Lyrics by Marshall Mitchell and Dawn Prochovnic; Music written and performed by Marshall Mitchell
When she’s exploring nature…out west.
And her belly starts to feel somewhat distressed.
Out in the canyon or the brush…when she feels the need to rush.
Where does a cowgirl go potty?
When she’s out there on the wide and open range.
And her tummy starts to feel a little strange.
Because waiting is the worst…she thinks she just may burst.
Where does a cowgirl go potty?
Now she can’t go just anywhere…’Cause other folks go potty there.
She’ll find a place and then…it’s just beyond the next bend.
She knew it when she saw…then gave a big, “Yee-Haw!”
This is where a cowgirl goes potty.
Now, this is where a cowgirl goes potty.
Here are links to some reputable video-based resources for the bolded American Sign Language vocabulary , along with some brief reminder notes to help jog your memory as you are learning the signs:
As I mentioned above, I worked with singer, songwriter and performing musician, Marshall Mitchell for the Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty? song. Marshall Mitchell is a frequent performer at schools and libraries around the country. He recently performed dozens of fun, educational shows for a variety of library summer reading programs. You can see snippets of his work here.
The story of how I met and developed a friendship with Marshall is here.
If you’re interested in bringing Marshall to your learning community, you can contact his booking agent here.
Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, Kathy! I hope your readers have as much fun singing and signing along with this silly song as I had working on the lyrics and collaborating with Marshall Mitchell.
For those who can’t get enough of the song, keep an eye on my social media accounts about the release of the book trailer for Where Does A Cowgirl Go Potty? It’s in production now, and will be available to view, soon! Also, I’ll soon be making announcements about the song and book trailer for Where Does a Pirate Go Potty? ARRR!
Want an Advance Release copy of Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?Comment below, and/or share this post on social media, and tag @KathysQuill (FB and Twitter) and @DawnProchovnicAuthor (FB) / @DawnProchovnic (Twitter) for chances to win. I have two advanced copies along with classroom sets of bookmarks to share. I’ll give them away sometime next week!
Dawn Babb Prochovnic is the author of Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?; Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?; First Day Jitters, featured in the award-winning book, Oregon Reads Aloud; and 16 books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes Series, including one title that was selected as an Oregon Book Awards finalist. Dawn is a vocal advocate for school and public libraries and was honored as a 2015 Oregon Library Supporter of the Year by the Oregon Library Association. She is a frequent presenter at schools, libraries and educational conferences, and the founder of SmallTalk Learning, which provides American Sign Language and early literacy education. Dawn loves to travel and has visited thousands of potties across the Pacific Northwest and around the world. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two kids, two cats, and a feisty dog. Learn more at http://www.dawnprochovnic.com or find her on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
I’m so excited to share with you this printable guide to using Nita’s First Signs in the classroom or storytime! Check it out for tips and tricks for sharing signs during the story, and following up with other fun ASL activities. Click here or on the picture below to download and print your own copy.
If you’re looking for resources to share American Sign Language with your students or storytime attendees, check out the Little Hands Signing Storytime & Craft Ideas board on Pinterest! It’s where I pin my favorite ideas from around the internet for sharing ASL with kids, and gather links to my own videos showcasing signing rhymes and songs. Check it out!
Direct Link: https://youtu.be/YCT3FEC-ZY4
Begin by teaching the ASL signs TREE and BIRD. Explain that in this rhyme, you will be learning about a specific kind of bird called a woodpecker, and will be using the signs to show how the woodpecker uses the tree.
Woodpecker, woodpecker, time to eat! (sign BIRD)
Woodpecker, woodpecker, fly to the tree. (sign TREE with your other hand and move the BIRD to your forearm)
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap! (make the bird’s beak tap quickly on your forearm, which represents the tree trunk)
Now eat up the bugs you found, just like that. (move fingers to show beak eating bugs)
Woodpecker, woodpecker, time to sleep! (sign BIRD)
Woodpecker, woodpecker, fly to the tree. (sign TREE with your other hand and move the BIRD to your forearm)
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap! (make the bird’s beak tap quickly on your forearm, which represents the tree trunk)
Now nestle in the hole you made, cozy as can be! (nestle bird in palm of hand)
Find lots more great storytime activities in More Storytime Magic, the latest volume in the Storytime Magic series!
More Storytime Magicby Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker
ALA Editions, December 29, 2015. $52.00
Order now from the Deaf Camps, Inc. Online Bookstore (autographed copies that support a great cause!) or the ALA Store.
“MacMillan and Kirker continue their successful formula for helping librarians and others who plan stories and activities for children aged two and up…a welcome addition for public and school library professional collections.” – American Reference Books Annual
“Another excellent resource from this author pair, this title presents songs, stories, and activities arranged by themes, such as fairy tales, animals, friends, and food. The stories and songs include originals and adaptations alike, and many of the tunes are sung to well-known traditional songs…For those who wish to specify the elements of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) demonstrated in storytime, the coding found with each activity is helpful…With fun activities and timely information on the CCSS, this is an ideal choice for administrators, librarians, and parents eager to promote current literacy standards.– School Library Journal
“The authors do a very good job of providing activities that can be used for different age groups as well as different time allotments and settings.” – School Library Connection
“…a worthwhile purchase for any youth department where there is a focus on storytime.” – Booklist
MacMillan and Kirker’s knack for creating storytimes that engage and delight young ones have made their previous books bestsellers. Now they’re back with an all new assortment of original fingerplays, transitional rhymes, movement songs, flannelboards, sign language rhymes and other activities to spice up storytimes for ages two and up. This ready-to-go sourcebook for children’s librarians, early literacy specialists, and other adults who work with young children offers everything needed to plan and host quality storytimes, including
Using the guidance and activities contained in this book, storytimes will be more magical than ever!
Stories by Hand 