Signing With Your Baby: Baby See 'n Sign Volume II

Mother of Kronz Kidz Productions
Gives Birth To Another Baby Signing Video

Introducing "Baby See 'N Sign Volume II"

June 16, 2003 10 ounces 7 ½ inches

Volume I and Volume II are now available in the Signing Baby Shop!

EUGENE, OR, June 16, 2003 - Kronz Kidz Productions, one of the leading producers of sign-language videos whose target audience is "babies"- children of 6mos.-5yrs.in age- announced today the release of the next volume in the Baby See 'N Sign Series. "Baby See 'N Sign Volume II" is a continuation of the company's already popular "Baby See 'N Sign Volume I". Volume I was the first signing video developed specifically for babies, including baby jargon and images from baby's world. Volume I was also named (Jan. '03) as one of Parenting Magazine's winners of the Best DVDs and Videos of the Year 2002. All Baby See 'N Sign products have been created by Kathy Kronz-Faber, a stay-at-home mother of four and former children's video producer.

Baby See 'N Sign products are based on American Sign Language (ASL), the most used and accepted form of sign language in the world. The instructor on the videos is Johanna Larson-Muhr, a teacher of ASL at the University of Oregon. Larson-Muhr also happens to be a hearing daughter of deaf parents and the mother of two sons with whom she signed with when the boys were young.

According to Faber, with practice and repetition, exciting things can happen. She says it is not uncommon to hear from parents that their baby, who started learning to sign at age 6 or 7 months, started to sign back at around 10 months or earlier.

All videos are loaded with vocabulary. Every image is labeled with the corresponding vocabulary and natural sounds (if there are any). The vocabulary words on screen expose children to words and letters and can be a great spelling tool for older kids too.

Baby See 'N Sign Volume I begins with a brief open, then rolls into a 3-minute introduction by Larson-Muhr. After the intro, the signs are broken down into seven categories beginning with a bath and a Let's Get Dressed section to kick off baby's day. The remaining categories are Food, Chow Time, Play Time, Animal Pals, Down on the Farm, and Away We Go.

Volume 1 has been designed for children ages six months and up and teaches signs that are iconic in nature, which means the signs look like the image they represent. For example, the sign for duck looks like a duck. Faber's intention was to choose words that would be easy to learn so that both parents and child would succeed in their first attempts at signing. "I did not want to see anyone become frustrated and fail, and then give up altogether on an incredible communication tool," says Faber. To that end, Faber took care to present each image and each sign three distinct times,
using a combination of still photos as well as slow motion and normal speed video.

Finally, the video ends naturally with bye-bye and then closes with a 7-minute parental guide in Q& A format that answers the questions Why Sign?, When to Start?, Will Signing Make My Child Smarter?, and other questions parents might have, concluding with The Key To Success. 25 BONUS or additional signs can also be accessed via an internet address code flashed at the end of the video.

Baby See 'N Sign Volume II follows the same format, but offers twice as many categories and words this time, continuing baby's day with Familiar Faces & Places, Outdoors, Zoo Friends, Party Time, My Body, Bath Time, Nighty-Night and finally another BONUS category entitled Manners. Volume II includes more word-object associations and progresses into abstract terms and concepts such as the word more and the notion of more of something. Volume II is for a bit more advanced age group, through 5 years old and possibly beyond, depending on a child's developmental ability.

"Baby See 'N Sign products were created with 'babies' in mind," says Faber. "I've watched each of my own three (soon-to-be four) children (ages 4yrs., 2 1/2 yrs., 16 mo. & #4 due 7/16), learn to sign one-by-one. Signing is an incredible tool that allows parents to communicate with their children before their babies can actually form words. This ability limits frustration for both baby and parents. The excitement you feel when you finally see them sign to you and express whatever it is that's on their little mind is overwhelming!"

Baby See 'N Sign products are beneficial not only to babies, but also to children and adults with language delays or other special challenges. "I only wish my Down's sister could've benefited from signing when she was just a baby", says Faber. "If she had, maybe she would have regressed to her first language now that she's in her thirties." They are also excellent educational tools for anyone learning English including ESL students, adopted children from foreign countries, and for those just wanting to start
with basic ASL.

In 1999, Kathy extensively researched what was available to parents on signing with babies and came up with very little. Books lacked baby-appropriate vocabulary and were difficult to decipher. And they weren't much fun to share with baby, either. "To date, there are only a few other videos available and my impression is that they are either over-priced, more entertaining than educational, or designed to engage the parent rather than the baby. Baby See 'N Sign videos teach more signs than any other videos available today, giving parents not only a quality production but a good
value as well. Volume I alone has over 60 signs on it--more than any other product out there. As a Mom on a budget, I wanted to give folks a great teaching tool and a good value too. I believe I've managed to do that and, based on the feed back we're getting, I feel safe in saying the public agrees".

Since the release of Volume I, Kathy has received requests for more words from parents that like the Baby See 'N Sign format. Their specific requests have been addressed in the new Volume II.

"Baby See 'N Sign doesn't intend for parents and children to learn all the signs on the videos (unless they want to)," explains Faber, "but rather to offer them a range of signs that might interest them so they can choose those they would find useful. I think it's a personal thing, and only the parents really know which words they need or what interests their child."

Faber also counsels parents and kids to watch the video by sections rather than the whole thing in one sitting, which could be overwhelming at first. "The best approach for viewing Baby See 'N Sign products would be for the parents to watch the entire video alone first, and select an appropriate category or specific words of interest. The parent should view those with baby and then reinforce and play with the material throughout the day-practice by signing and saying the word with baby. Little by little baby will respond and make the connection that 'Hey, my hands say something!' Once the child realizes this, it all just falls into place from there. Watch the video together and learn as many or as few of the signs on the tapes as you like until the child no longer chooses to sign, but to talk instead."

"Sales of Volume I are going through the roof!" states Faber. "We anticipate Volume II being every bit as popular. Parents are beginning to see that signing to babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers not only limits frustration--and thereby reduces crying and whining--but is also being proven as a significant factor in increasing test scores, raising I.Q.s and lowering the age at which children begin to speak their first words." Faber also notes, "If your kids are like mine, they'll want to keep on signing even after they can speak, wanting to know the sign and word for everything their eyes can see! I hope their enthusiasm lasts beyond pre-school and well into adult-hood, especially now that universities are offering American Sign Language as another foreign language option for students."