Customer Reviews

Signing Time! Volume 3: Everyday Signs DVD

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have 2 kids, who are 2.5 and 11 months. This video is NOT geared towards babies. All of the signs are standard ASL, which is good, but it makes them a bit difficult for a baby without coordination to learn. Babies also tend to lack the focus to sit there and watch a video. My son won't even look at the tv. This is a good video to teach YOU some ASL to teach your baby (or you can get an ASL dictionary and do it yourself). I did Baby Signs with my daughter when she wasn't talking yet, and used the board books, which I highly recommend. She's forgotten all of her baby signs but she's picked up the real ASL very quickly from this video, as a preschooler.

For teaching a toddler age 2 or older ASL, it is GREAT. My daughter really likes watching the video and she will mimic the signs and do them later. She is in a phase right now where she likes to tell me who is a boy and who is a girl, so the "I'm a boy/I'm a girl!" song is fabulous. Very catchy and you'll be humming it to yourself. Same with the Silly Pizza song. And the Signing time with Alex and Leah song I get stuck in my head constantly. So it does have good entertainment value as well as educational value for the preschool age set.

I wanted a pretty general video for teaching some ASL signs because these DVDs run $21 and I didn't want to buy the whole series (yet), so I thought this one would have a good enough useful variety. I liked this video better than the 1st one of the series (which I got from the library), so if you're trying to decide between the two and just get 1, I'd recommend this one.

(and for the person who didn't like them teaching "ice cream" and "candy"... guess what are the favorite signs of a toddler? :-) They'll sign what interests them the most, and if they sign "candy!" to you, you can always sign "no!" back! :-D

The "Signing Time" video series is targeted to young hearing children (intended audience: 0-5 years), though it is a wonderfully non-threatening way for persons of any age to learn sign language. Parents don't need to already know sign language in order to help their children learn the signs in the videos. The videos are quite thorough - with each sign being demonstrated once by Rachel (mother of a deaf child, and co-creator of the series), and then multiple times in a variety of situations by a variety of children. (Note that volumes 2 and 3 are a little less repetitious than Volume 1 - for better or worse, depending on your preference.) The narration on the videos is done primarily by young children. The signs are linked well with the objects, emotions, etc., that they represent. The children in the videos are "real" - demonstrating the signs in their own imperfect ways, according to their abilities - much the same as when children learn to speak with their voices. There is cute animation and fun background music with sound effects that make the videos pleasing to watch.

I purchased volumes 1-3 of the Signing Time video series a few weeks ago (along with the music CD containing all the songs in these volumes). While volume 1 ("My First Signs" - with 18 signs) is very good, volumes 2 ("Playtime Signs" - with 28 signs) and 3 ("Everyday Signs" - with 32 signs) are even better. For starters, I thought Rachel looked too serious and tense when she demonstrated signs in the first video, whereas she appears more relaxed and inviting in the newer videos. Perhaps more importantly, though, the latter two videos make much broader use of Rachel's musical talents, with catchy, original songs sprinkled throughout the video (as opposed to only an opening and closing song in the first video). Another change is that in the 2nd and 3rd videos, words are presented in groups (e.g., hot & cold, friend & play, etc) rather than individually. In the extra features section of the DVD there is a new feature called "Putting it all Together" in which Rachel gives useful sign language tips. The tips are excellent, but the segment is much too short. Hopefully this will be expanded in future volumes. The other extra features are: songs, sign review and scene selection. I was disappointed that there isn't a parent's guide with the videos, but I have found helpful information on the signingtime.com website. If you need to be convinced of the benefits of teaching sign language to your hearing child, or you want to see clips from the videos, check out that website.

This is mainly directed towards hearing children. I am amazed at how quickly my two children (ages 3 and 4) picked up on many of these signs and use them daily.

There is a word shown on the screen (mother, for example) and then the lady demonstrates the sign with a description of the sign (you touch your thumb to your chin). Then you see many mothers and many kids signing mother.

This one has a lot of songs on it and they are fun songs too.

This is well worth the money and very fun.
Enjoy.

I got Volumes 1-3 right after we had my 2 1/2 yr old tested for language delays. She barely missed the cutoff for services, but we were still concerned. She only had 30 word appoximations! Well, after watching the videos for 1 week, she had picked up 15 signs with the clear spoken word to match! by the end of 5 weeks, she could speak and sign all 100 or so signs from the set! (I also have a 4 1/2 yr old who has also improved with these videos. Plus, my 7 month old daughter is often enthralled with them. She recognizes the sign for "milk" and gets excited when we sign it!)

My husband is Deaf, so we do use sign at home, but she refused to pick up EITHER language. These videos provided a way for her to communicate! Now she is picking up the signs/words from Vol 4-6 just as quickly, and she is stringing words and signs together.

The songs are so fun! You will be singing them even if there are no kids around! I love these videos and what they have given to my daughter!! :)
Jennie

My son LOVES this DVD! He would watch it 24/7 if I let him. He has learned all the signs and is still excited to watch it. I really don't know what it is about the DVD, but every kid I've let watch it is just captured by it. It's amazing! I'd recommend it to anyone.

My 3 and a half year old son, who is autistic, just loves these videos. He has learned more from these DVD's than from anything else - including speech therapy. He can now do over 50 signs and he never bores watching the videos. Also, my 13 month old daughter is watching along with him and she now does a handful of signs. A must for all families with special needs kids.

I bought this for my 14 month old who had learned all the signs from the Baby Einstein video. I was hoping that this would be a similar video and that she would learn more signs from it....... That hasn't happened yet AND it is not anything like the Einstein video. :(
The video is wayyy too busy - too much loud, fast music. I do not like the way the signs are presented either - I feel that the presentation of sign, picture and word is effective, but this video doesn't do that. It puts up a cartoon picture of the item with the word then shows the sign and then jumps to people/babies/children doing the sign while fast music is playing and the narrator sings. ugh.
While my 14 month old has sat perfectly still and been glued to the Einstein sign video for months now, this Signing Time video has yet to keep her attention for more than a few minutes at a time. She loves sign language and uses the ones she knows daily (I also know sign language, so I teach her beyond the videos as well - but the video idea is nice for 'down time')

We will continue to use this video since I have not seen any other good ones out there.

UPDATE 2/2/09 - While this video is still a bit annoying to me, my little girl has decided now that she is interesed in it! The past few days she has brought me the movie and then run to her chair to watch it. (she's done the same with the Baby Signing Time video recently) I am very glad that she is liking this video b/c I am excited about her learning the new signs. I may even end up buying another from this series after all :)

Update (9-30-09) Ok, so i've given in and we have the ENTIRE collection of these videos. Now that my little one is bigger (she's almost 2), they are not as 'busy' and she really does love "akee and leah" - she knows the signs in ALL of the videos and tells me exactly which volume she wants to watch and she does every sign many times before it even comes on the screen b/c she's watched them all so many times!
I still think they are loud and busy for young, young children - but the learning that they offer can't be beat!

My kids love this DVD, the presenter Rachel has a very happy disposition and presents words, signs and songs at the right pace for little ones.

What a wonderful DVD! The songs are catchy, the colors are bright, the words are perfect for a toddler/preschooler, Rachel is engaging in her facial expressions and her signs are easily understandable for parents to learn and reinforce with their children. The children's voices throughout the DVD capture my daughter's attention and because each word is signed by multiple kids and Rachel - it allows our daughter to try it herself!

I think best of all is that my curiosity of Rachel and Emilie led me to search out their own story on the net and this DVD set is really a labor of love since Leah (the little girl in the DVD) is Rachel's daughter and she was born deaf. Rachel had been a singer/songwriter in a band and she put everything on hold to learn ASL for herself and her child/family. This DVD collection is her hope to enable many young children to learn ASL and not avoid deaf children they come in contact with on the playground, at the schoolyard etc. Like all parents, it's hard to see other children ignore our own child. This DVD will hopefully allow Leah and other deaf children an avenue to communicate with new friends.

Our granddaughter, who will be three soon,is developing at a slower rate and has been working with a therapist. Everything that's on this DVD is something that she's being taught. The DVD reinforces her therapy time at home AND helps Grandma and Grandpa to learn the signs for when we are called on to care for our granddaughter. This way of learning is SO EASY.We LOVE it!