New sign language program combines songs and playtime at Community School of the Arts
Thursday, January 12, 2006
New sign language program combines songs and playtime at Community School of the Arts
GOSHEN, Ind. – Beginning Jan. 28, Goshen College’s Community School of the Arts will offer a new music and sign language program called Sign & Sing for parents and their children ages six months to three years. This research-proven program is based on methods shown to speed language development in hearing children, ease frustration and enhance long-term learning abilities.
Jenny Campagna, a Kindermusik educator, is teaching the program created exclusively for Kindermusik by leading experts in sign language for hearing children called Signing Smart Inc. This new class combines songs and playful interaction to help children learn American Sign Language.
“Instinctively your baby reaches up when she wants to be held, and you instinctively pick her up and dance and sing to soothe her,” said Campagna. “Sign & Sing helps you see these moments happening every day in your life and gives you the language to improve that communication, and strengthen the bond between you and your child.”
The five-session class gives parents the tools to learn more than 50 American Sign Language signs for children ages 6 months to 3 years. Campagna will teach signs such as “help,” “change,” “bed,” “where” and “thank you.”
The class experience also includes a set of clip-on flashcards of American Sign Language that features photos of both a parent and a child making the signs. Also included is a booklet of activities for parents and their children to learn and play with at home, and a DVD glossary that features adults using sign language.
“One of the best ways to draw a child into learning sign language is through what they love: songs and play,” says Carol Penney, Kindermusik’s manager of curriculum development.
The class will be held on five consecutive Saturdays, beginning Jan. 28, and it will meet from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. at the Goshen College Music Center. Cost for the class and materials is $85.
Kindermusik International is the world’s most respected publisher of music and early childhood education programs. Signing Smart Inc. is a nationally-recognized program for hearing infants and toddlers created by Michelle Anthony and Reyna Lindert, experts in language and child development.
For more information or to register for the class, contact Community School of the Arts by calling (574) 535-7361 or emailing csa@goshen.edu.
Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.
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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.
Read about the Sign Language Degree at Goshen College.