I wanted to take a second and share some of my all-time favorite ASL "singers". Anytime I get ready to translate a song into ASL one of my first steps is go to YouTube. You never know when there has been someone who has already been there/done that and did a banged up awesome job. Nothing like stealing someone else's ideas huh :)
Seriously though- time saver when you can find a good translation. However they are pretty far and few between. Translating any song from one language to another gets tricky. The whole idea is to take the concept of the song and make it understandable in a different language. BUT one has to take into consideration all the phrases and play on words don't translate well (whether you're talking English to ASL, or Spanish to English or whatever).
Still every once in a while I hit the jackpot and today I want to share my 8 top picks.
Number 8: Based on shear numbers alone- currently Sophia has over 900 videos! I like her clarity and dedication to translating songs into ASL. Only thing I dislike is she does the same background for every video so after a few it gets old. But overall- good stuff!
http://youtu.be/yTlwHMQrgjg
Number 7: Ethan Cross: One of his first translations "By His Wounds" is one of my favorite songs (Third Day! woot). He's gotten better and better through the years but his music picks are now not my favorites. Still for his translations- not bad :)
http://youtu.be/MWe4fA63viE
Number 6: HandsActivated- She doesn't avoid songs that some people (like me) would. Hard to translate- she jumps right in a does a great job too.
http://youtu.be/Xwi5N9WZvyc
Number 5: The twins- Together one of the best ASL songs I can only assume that one or both of these guys are Deaf. Good luck trying to guess which one!
http://youtu.be/0mRUScKpYOY
Number 4 : Another great example of hearing who does a song great- she makes this song so fun to watch :)
http://youtu.be/GJesqvsFw9Y
Number 3: Sometime you get a hearing person who does a song so well that even if it doesn't make complete sense in ASL it just rocks! Here's one of the best:
http://youtu.be/wbU0V9LGIgw
Number 2: I've loved CodaCMoments songs for a few years. I had the great pleasure of meeting his wife just recently too. Turns out he's coda from one of the biggest Christian Deaf families in the USA. He just is amazing to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-vci9DEv_4&list=PL76425E38AAB4AD72&feature=share&index=11
Number 1: Anytime a DEAF person can make a song come to life- I'm all over that. Even though Ronaldo does not have many songs done, the ones he has done are such great quality that its hard to put numbers over skill. I've gotten to meet Ronaldo in person a few times and love his passion for music. That passion is what makes him my all time favorite ASL singer. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qAGlb8RNwM&list=UUBwcKEB1ejHPCVra0NQaF7Q&feature=share&index=4
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Cloth diapers 101- Types of diapers in ASL
Today I wanted to share a quick video I did on types of cloth diapers. It's not fancy, captioned, or voiced- sorry hearing friends!
Just wanted to share a little about my love for cloth. 3 types I forgot to mention- contoured (similar to prefitteds but lack leg elastics), AI2 (just like AIO but with snap on inserts instead of sewn on), and flats (basically a square piece of fabric usually bamboo that you fold similar to prefolds.
There are pros and cons to every diaper type.
Prefolds, flats-
Pros:
Inexpensive, easy to wash/dry
Cons:
Requires learning to fold, must use pins or snappis, not stay dry for baby, harder to use on a wiggly kid, must have a cover
Fitteds, contours, prefitteds-
Pros: no folding required, ease and sometimes less expensive
Cons: longer dry time, not stay dry (few fitteds do have stay dry options), must have cover
Pockets-
Pros: ease to wash/dry, ease of use (very similar to disposable diapers in shape), stay dry, some are OS (one size- adjustable to fit small, medium, and large babies all in one diaper), no cover needed (has outer layer of PUL).
Cons: must stuff pockets with inserts (microfiber, bamboo, hemp, prefolds being the most common inserts), more expensive than prefolds/flats.
AIO, AI2-
Pros: ease of use, no stuffing, no folding, stay dry, no covers
Cons: longer dry time, typically most expensive diapers.
Covers can range from PUL covers to breathable wool and fleece. Wool and fleece are good year round (breathable and do not get hot in summer), wicks away moisture naturally and wool tends to be natural germ fighters. Any 100% wool can be used for covers- knit, crochet, even upcycled from wool sweaters.
In future posts I hope to show some of my upcycled wool creations and eventually my knit works but for now- enjoy the video!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Knotty business of knit and crochet
Knotty business it is learning to crochet and knit.
About a year ago a friend began teaching me knit. I love it! My non-creative self thinks repetitive patterns are awesome. However since we bought our house my time has been spent doing house projects.
Fast forward to this week- we had friends from out of state visiting. Friend 1 decided to teach me crochet (scarf). So off we go to the local craft store and get a crochet hook and about 500 colors of yarn (hey they were 40% off!).
Lesson 1- not bad! Took me about 4 hours but pretty decent scarf.
By scarf 4 I could finish in about an hour.
I think I just might use all 500 colors and buy more! But shhhh- don't tell my husband ;). Knotty knotty!!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
No dumb questions?
So the other day I'm in local burger joint. I order the meal (using voice with my usual accidental ASL signs thrown in for good measure).
Now I speak very well mind you. I was hearing till I was 10 yrs old so...
So waitress looks at me with that quizzical look - you know the one- and I know all to well what's coming.
"Do you know sign language?"
(Well yes I do that's why I was just using it). "Yes I'm deaf/hard of hearing/ or whatever I feel like replying with on the day in question"
I brave for- "oh that's neat! I'm learning sign too".
Then she takes a left turn and shocks me- " Does it hurt to use your voice?"
(Me looking dumbfounded)... "Ummm no."
Seriously not the brightest reply but I was stunned. Now they always say there are no stupid questions and I believe this wholeheartedly. However there might be a hall of fame for bizarre questions. I think this made the list.
Do other hearing people think using your voice hurts? Maybe because Deaf people often sound awful so if it hurts your ears it must hurt their throats?
I gotta say IF it did hurt to voice why on earth would I subject myself to such pain? Just so you can hear me speak??
No there might not be any stupid questions but there might be a few dumb ones. But don't worry- I'll try to keep the giggles inside till I get in my car- sweet lady. I know you just want to learn and for that- thank you for asking even the dumb questions :)
Monday, October 28, 2013
Going Gluten-Free
Ok so today's post isn't really at all related to deafness (multifaceted remember :).
I'm at a point in my weight-loss journey that I'm noticing the scale not moving. It's actually been stuck for a month and half. I'm ready to tear out my hair and chunk it to the wind but instead I did some research and found out something quite accidentally.
Hypothyroidism.
Sure I've heard of it before but really didn't know what it was. Poking around and found a list of symptoms and was shocked that I have almost all of them! In fact- all the naggy things that have been tormenting me physically for the last say 5 or so YEARS are from that list! And all this time I thought it was a brain tumor or some wacky parasite caught from hanging out with little children or something :)
Since we're insurance-less and will most likely remain so (no thanks to Obama-don't-care), I've taken it into my own hands to try to come up with a homeopathic treatment. Now these steps aren't the true answer (only meds will really clear up hypothyroid symptoms) however I think I can at least give it a run for my money and a little bit of time and effort to TEMPT to feel better.
So today I'm starting my gluten-free and soy-free life. Wish me luck cause I'm going to need all of it. :)
I'm at a point in my weight-loss journey that I'm noticing the scale not moving. It's actually been stuck for a month and half. I'm ready to tear out my hair and chunk it to the wind but instead I did some research and found out something quite accidentally.
Hypothyroidism.
Sure I've heard of it before but really didn't know what it was. Poking around and found a list of symptoms and was shocked that I have almost all of them! In fact- all the naggy things that have been tormenting me physically for the last say 5 or so YEARS are from that list! And all this time I thought it was a brain tumor or some wacky parasite caught from hanging out with little children or something :)
Since we're insurance-less and will most likely remain so (no thanks to Obama-don't-care), I've taken it into my own hands to try to come up with a homeopathic treatment. Now these steps aren't the true answer (only meds will really clear up hypothyroid symptoms) however I think I can at least give it a run for my money and a little bit of time and effort to TEMPT to feel better.
So today I'm starting my gluten-free and soy-free life. Wish me luck cause I'm going to need all of it. :)
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Deaf funnies
My son is almost 10 and always coming up with funny Deaf/hearing culture jokes. Thought I'd share them as they come to us.
Friday, October 25, 2013
ASL game ideas for teaching hearing students
For ASL class we got to do a review and game day. It was a LOT of fun :)
So today I want to share the awesome games we did. Some I took from various internet sites, some were favorites from back in the day of deaf college ministry, and some were totally made up by me.
Since we have 3 age levels I did 3 games per class. We used the vocabulary we had been learning however each of these games can be adapted to use whatever signs you are teaching or learning.
Enjoy!
Little kids class:
Colorful Balloons- This game is similar to "Four Corners" but with colors. Tape 1 balloon of each color in different areas (on the walls) of the room. Everyone except the caller- person who is blindfolded and standing in the middle of the room- runs to a balloon (hopefully not everyone goes to the same balloon but spreads out). The caller- - signs a color. Everyone who is standing under that color balloon is out. And so and so forth till there is only 1-2 left in the game.
ASL Charades- This game is just like it sounds. Because we were working with very young kids (some were not old enough to read) I went online and printed pictures of animals we had learned in ASL (if they are older kids you can print just the words). Then put all the pictures in a bag. Each child had to draw a card and act out the animal shown but without signing the name. Then all the other kids have to SIGN the name of the animal back (no voices!).
Grab Bag- This game focused on the Lesson about Foods but it can be adapted to just about any lesson. I printed off the internet pictures of foods we had learned (2 copies of each picture). Then put 1 copy of each picture into a bag. Then split the class into 2 teams and lined them up. On the opposite side of the room we had 2 chairs- each with a grab bag. When it was time to Go! 1 student would run up to the grab bag- reach in and grab 1 card- sign the picture as fast as they could- then throw the card off to the side and race back- tagging the next in line. Racing is the funniest part and you do need referees watching to see if they are signing correctly but it's neat seeing them try to remember the signs when under a time-rush.
For elementary age kids:
Who Am I?- Probably my favorite game and loved by all who play it- Who Am I? is so versatile that even Deaf people play a version of it. For ASL class we chose animal signs but you can adapt it for foods, or rooms, or family or whatever. First everyone sits in a circle (preferably on chairs) except 1 person (stands in the middle). Everyone (including the person in the middle) gets a sign- I let them pick their favorite animal but make sure everyone is DIFFERENT. Help them remember what animal each person in the circle is (no voice- only signs). Then after a lot of practicing and everyone feels familiar with who each person is- start the game. The middle person has a rolled up newspaper or magazine. Someone in the circle signs an animal name (not their own). The people in the circle as well as the middle person try to figure out who is that sign (like I say "alligator" and everyone looks for "alligator"). IF alligator realizes they have been called, they try to sign another person's animal name- i.e. "squirrel". BUT they have to call another's animal name BEFORE the middle person whacks them with the newspaper (leg not face). IF they call another's animal name before getting swatted then the middle person tries to find the second person "squirrel" before "squirrel" calls someone else's animal name. And so on and so forth until the middle person whacks someone before they can call a new name out. ONCE the middle person swats someone before they can sign a name, that person they whacked gets to become the middle person. This game is all about speed and memory.
Videophone: You all remember playing "Telephone" as kids right? Well Deaf can't use the regular telephone so we played "Videophone" instead. The basics is the same- everyone lines up facing away from the teacher (i.e all facing right). The first person (the teacher) taps the 1 student on the shoulder and signs a 2-3 sentence story. Then the student turns and taps the next student on the shoulder and repeats the story to the best of their ability. And so-on down the videophone line. The story always ends up much shorter and very interesting!
ASL Scavenger Hunt: I will include the clues I used but feel free to make up your own! Just like a regular Scavenger Hunt except substitute words in English for signed pictures of words you have taught. We did this after learning family signs and room signs. And of course- you MUST have a prize at the end of the hunt!
High School Class:
ASL Mad Libs: I printed off words we had been learning and put them in a bag. Then each student had to take 3-4 words and hold onto them without showing them to their neighbors. Then one student began a story. For example: "Sally went on a vacation." Then the student had to use their 3-4 words in the story (could voice the words they had not learned but had to sign the words that had been taught). Then the next student continues the same story but adds on using the words they pulled from the bag- again signing the words they knew instead of voicing them. In the end- everyone gets practice both signing words and reading the signs to keep the story going.
Finger Bridge: One of the first classes was fingerspelling ABCs. Students are encouraged to practice ABCs as often as they can to build fluency and speed. Since our high school class was pretty small this game was easy to do. Think like egg toss games- pair up partners and have them facing each other on opposites sides of the room. Make sure they are standing close enough to still see each other's hands :) One side fingerspells a word who's sign has also been taught in class, then the other side has to Sign the word back (i.e we learned family signs so one side fingerspelled "M-O-M" and the other side signed "Mom"). IF the person signing back gets the word correct they get to take one small step forward. IF after several attempts they can not figure out the word, they get a new word but the goal is whoever gets to their partner first- wins.
I hope each of my descriptions were clear. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions! Oh and each game could always use improvement- so feel free to make them your own :)
So today I want to share the awesome games we did. Some I took from various internet sites, some were favorites from back in the day of deaf college ministry, and some were totally made up by me.
Since we have 3 age levels I did 3 games per class. We used the vocabulary we had been learning however each of these games can be adapted to use whatever signs you are teaching or learning.
Enjoy!
Little kids class:
Colorful Balloons- This game is similar to "Four Corners" but with colors. Tape 1 balloon of each color in different areas (on the walls) of the room. Everyone except the caller- person who is blindfolded and standing in the middle of the room- runs to a balloon (hopefully not everyone goes to the same balloon but spreads out). The caller- - signs a color. Everyone who is standing under that color balloon is out. And so and so forth till there is only 1-2 left in the game.
ASL Charades- This game is just like it sounds. Because we were working with very young kids (some were not old enough to read) I went online and printed pictures of animals we had learned in ASL (if they are older kids you can print just the words). Then put all the pictures in a bag. Each child had to draw a card and act out the animal shown but without signing the name. Then all the other kids have to SIGN the name of the animal back (no voices!).
Grab Bag- This game focused on the Lesson about Foods but it can be adapted to just about any lesson. I printed off the internet pictures of foods we had learned (2 copies of each picture). Then put 1 copy of each picture into a bag. Then split the class into 2 teams and lined them up. On the opposite side of the room we had 2 chairs- each with a grab bag. When it was time to Go! 1 student would run up to the grab bag- reach in and grab 1 card- sign the picture as fast as they could- then throw the card off to the side and race back- tagging the next in line. Racing is the funniest part and you do need referees watching to see if they are signing correctly but it's neat seeing them try to remember the signs when under a time-rush.
For elementary age kids:
Who Am I?- Probably my favorite game and loved by all who play it- Who Am I? is so versatile that even Deaf people play a version of it. For ASL class we chose animal signs but you can adapt it for foods, or rooms, or family or whatever. First everyone sits in a circle (preferably on chairs) except 1 person (stands in the middle). Everyone (including the person in the middle) gets a sign- I let them pick their favorite animal but make sure everyone is DIFFERENT. Help them remember what animal each person in the circle is (no voice- only signs). Then after a lot of practicing and everyone feels familiar with who each person is- start the game. The middle person has a rolled up newspaper or magazine. Someone in the circle signs an animal name (not their own). The people in the circle as well as the middle person try to figure out who is that sign (like I say "alligator" and everyone looks for "alligator"). IF alligator realizes they have been called, they try to sign another person's animal name- i.e. "squirrel". BUT they have to call another's animal name BEFORE the middle person whacks them with the newspaper (leg not face). IF they call another's animal name before getting swatted then the middle person tries to find the second person "squirrel" before "squirrel" calls someone else's animal name. And so on and so forth until the middle person whacks someone before they can call a new name out. ONCE the middle person swats someone before they can sign a name, that person they whacked gets to become the middle person. This game is all about speed and memory.
Videophone: You all remember playing "Telephone" as kids right? Well Deaf can't use the regular telephone so we played "Videophone" instead. The basics is the same- everyone lines up facing away from the teacher (i.e all facing right). The first person (the teacher) taps the 1 student on the shoulder and signs a 2-3 sentence story. Then the student turns and taps the next student on the shoulder and repeats the story to the best of their ability. And so-on down the videophone line. The story always ends up much shorter and very interesting!
ASL Scavenger Hunt: I will include the clues I used but feel free to make up your own! Just like a regular Scavenger Hunt except substitute words in English for signed pictures of words you have taught. We did this after learning family signs and room signs. And of course- you MUST have a prize at the end of the hunt!
High School Class:
ASL Mad Libs: I printed off words we had been learning and put them in a bag. Then each student had to take 3-4 words and hold onto them without showing them to their neighbors. Then one student began a story. For example: "Sally went on a vacation." Then the student had to use their 3-4 words in the story (could voice the words they had not learned but had to sign the words that had been taught). Then the next student continues the same story but adds on using the words they pulled from the bag- again signing the words they knew instead of voicing them. In the end- everyone gets practice both signing words and reading the signs to keep the story going.
Finger Bridge: One of the first classes was fingerspelling ABCs. Students are encouraged to practice ABCs as often as they can to build fluency and speed. Since our high school class was pretty small this game was easy to do. Think like egg toss games- pair up partners and have them facing each other on opposites sides of the room. Make sure they are standing close enough to still see each other's hands :) One side fingerspells a word who's sign has also been taught in class, then the other side has to Sign the word back (i.e we learned family signs so one side fingerspelled "M-O-M" and the other side signed "Mom"). IF the person signing back gets the word correct they get to take one small step forward. IF after several attempts they can not figure out the word, they get a new word but the goal is whoever gets to their partner first- wins.
I hope each of my descriptions were clear. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions! Oh and each game could always use improvement- so feel free to make them your own :)
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