Signing Time~A review and CONTEST!!

****Update! I am sorry to keep you all in blissful suspense! I bet you are dying to find out who won the DVD gift set? Well, to no further ado....drum roll please (bdddddddddddddrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...)
The winner of the Baby Signing DVD gift set is Doreen! Congratulations, Doreen!

I have always been in awe of Signing. I think it is a beautiful language!! It has been my desire, since I was really little, to learn signing. I have recently found the best DVD's for learning sign language, called Signing Time! I am so excited and thrilled to share these videos! I have had these DVD's for only a few weeks, and Caleb is a sponge for learning the signs. I haven't actually counted what he knows, but I would be confident enough to say he has about 20-25 signs down solid. He loves the videos! There are 2 main children who help with the teaching, Alex and Leah. Leah's mom, Rachel, is the main teacher in the DVD's. I think it is an amazing story how Signing Time! came to be. Leah was born deaf, and Rachel learned American Sign Language (ASL) to teach Leah. Leah picked it up so fast, and knew more ASL than the spoken vocabulary of hearing children her same age! Rachel's sister also taught her son, Alex (who can hear), ASL so Leah and him could communicate.

Rachel and her sister Emilie decided to team up to create a captivating, entertaining video to teach sign language to hearing children. Their plan was to make a short DVD that gave their friends and family a fun and easy way to learn a second language, but most importantly to sign with Leah. In May of 2002, the first volume of Signing Time! was completed, starring Rachel, 3-year-old Alex and 5-year-old Leah.

These DVD's offer so much! I love watching them and learning the signs with Caleb and Madelyn. They are very clear, and easy to follow. I really like how Rachel explains why the sign is done the way it is. For example, the sign for banana is: you hold up your forefinger with one hand, and with your other hand you use your forefinger and your thumb to make like you are peeling the banana. I think it really beneficial how Rachel teaches the signs. There are many children and adults in these DVD's, and I like that because kids love watching people. Kids do a lot of the talking in the videos, too. I really like that they really go over each word to help retain the information.

Rachel does singing in the DVD's and the DVD gift sets come with a music cd, so you can practice the signs you learned in the DVD's. Madelyn and Caleb really love the music! I think it helps some people learn with music, too.

I love what these videos have to offer! Signing is not only for those who are deaf. Scientific studies show that "typical" children who learn to sign:
• have higher IQ scores

• are better adjusted

• read at an earlier age

Many parents observe that by learning to communicate earlier, the “terrible twos” are not so terrible—children can use a sign instead of throwing a tantrum to express their needs. I think this is a super reason to introduce and teach signing!

Signing Time is used widely by educators, pediatricians, home-schoolers, speech therapists, public schools, daycare centers, libraries and families as the most fun and easy way to introduce children to sign language.

In addition to 26 Volumes of Signing Time available on DVD, Two Little Hands Productions also offers Baby Signing Time—a series developed for children ages three months to three years old;

Signing Time Songs—CDs featuring the much-loved music for the series; children's board books, flash cards, and other DVDs developed to reinforce the use of sign language in everyday life.

Please note that you get some of the same signs for each the Signing Time and the Baby Signing Time. The Baby Signing Time is designed specifically for babies 3-36 months old, but fun for all ages!

Would you like to win a gift set of either the Signing Time (volumes 1-3) or the Baby Signing Time (volumes 1-3)??

This contest is open to bloggers and non-blogger residents of the United States.

Here are the "rules":

1. Go to the Signing Time website : http://www.signingtime.com/ and check out the amazing products they carry!
2. Sign up for the promotions or newsletter for signing time that is found on the left side of the website. **This is a requirement for the contest!
3. Be sure to check out the Signing Time gift set (1-3) and the Baby Signing Time gift set (1-3).
4. Comment on this post with the set you would like to win!
5. After doing #3 & #4, blog about this contest, and comment again with a link to your link!

This contest will be open until March 2 at 11:59 PM CST. Thanks, and happy looking! You will love these DVD's!!