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!
You can sign with your child to support early literacy, create more productive communication, and provide emotional security for your child all day long! Here’s a rhyme to sign using the signs from Nita’s Day: More Signs for Babies and Parents. Find this and other signing activities in 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!
For the past ten years, while pursuing my career as an American Sign Language interpreter and storyteller, I have also been quietly pursuing another dream: to become a published novelist. A little over a week ago, that dream became a reality when my debut young adult novel, Sword and Verse, was published by HarperTeen. Sword and Verse is the story of a land where writing is restricted to the nobility, and a slave girl who learns the language of the gods and finds the key to saving the kingdom. Though the story does not explicitly mention signing, it is absolutely soaked in my love of language and informed by the lessons I have learned from the Deaf community.
I am excited to share with you an interview about the book conducted by Ruth Lehrer, a fellow American Sign Language interpreter and the author of the forthcoming middle grade novel Being Fishkill (Candlewick, 2017). We decided to do the interview in American Sign Language to make it completely accessible to our friends in the Deaf community. (Don’t worry, nonsigners – we also provided an English transcript – mostly. There’s a bonus, untranslated question for signers only!)
I loved the thoughtful questions Ruth asked about the role of language in the book, and I loved the opportunity to share how my experiences in the Deaf community impacted the story. I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did! Watch the interview in ASL or read it in English at the Swanky Seventeens Blog.
Sword and Verse is available in hardcover, e-book, and audio. Read the first 9 chapters for free at Epic Reads!
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!
Stories by Hand 