Baby and Child Sign Language with
"Happy Baby Signs"
We are so pleased to partner with Happy Baby Signs to bring you these amazing classes. They are the leading Bay Area providers for American Sign Language (ASL) instruction for parents and authors of the book Signs of a Happy Baby.
As part of their program, Happy Baby Signs offers:
- An Introductory Workshop
- Three six-class series for expecting families and those with babies up to 18 months: Red, Yellow and Blue Series.
- A seven-class series for families with toddlers (active walker to 5-year-olds)
Introductory Workshop
This online workshop introduces more than 20 signs that are based on American Sign Language (ASL) and is designed for expectant parents and those with babies ranging in age from birth to 18 months.
You will learn about the latest research and all the tools to teach your baby to sign.
Fun activities and songs will show you how easy it can be to integrate simple signs into your everyday routine to jump-start your child’s verbal skills.
Class Size: 8 to 20 families
Price: $35 per family
Upcoming dates:
Instructor: Bill White, from Happy Baby Signs
Wednesday, March 31st
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific Time
Friday, April 30th
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Pacific Time
Six-Class Series (expectant parents & families with babies up to 18 months old)
These online series are a fun way to build your signing vocabulary and skills with themes like mealtime, animals, colors, family, bedtime, and more.
The three different six-class series meet once a week via Zoom and are named after the primary colors: Red, Yellow, and Blue. No need to take them in order. Just dive into one and go from there :)
Each series includes the essential basic starter signs and vary in the more advanced vocabulary. The Introductory Workshop is recommended but is not a prerequisite. Older siblings are very welcome to join the fun and ask questions too!
Class Size: 8 to 20 families
Upcoming dates:
Early-bird Price (register by 4/7): $135 per family
Blue Series - meets on Wednesdays, from April 14th to May 19th
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Pacific Time
Red Series
Day 1. Magic 7 Signs & Mealtime Red
Day 2. Colors and Clothing
Day 3. Animals on the Farm
Day 4. Bath Time Signs
Day 5. Weather Signs
Day 6. Family & Series Review
Yellow Series
Day 1. Magic 7 Signs & Mealtime Yellow
Day 2. Colors and Garden Critters
Day 3. Animals in the Zoo
Day 4. Safety and Senses
Day 5. Feelings and Emotions
Day 6. Opposites & Series Review
Blue Series
Day 1. Magic 7 Signs & Mealtime Blue
Day 2. Ocean Animals
Day 3. Things that go Zoom
Day 4. Bedtime Signs
Day 5. Playtime and Manners
Day 6. Woodland Animals & Series Review
*The Magic 7 Signs are the basic starter signs
Instructor: Bill White, from Happy Baby Signs
Seven-class Series (families with Toddlers & Preschoolers)
Happy Baby Sign's Online Toddler and Preschooler Series takes the Baby Sign Language Playgroups to a new level!
Your child will have a blast learning American Sign Language (ASL) with singing, dancing, storytime, and action-packed games. Whereas the baby sign language series are named after the primary colors: Red, Yellow, and Blue, the three Toddler series are named after the secondary colors: Orange, Green, and Purple.
Orange Series
1. Let’s Eat
2. More than a Rainbow of Colors
3. On The Farm
4. We Are Family
5. Things That Go!
6. What are You Wearing?
7. Seasonal Surprise
Green Series
1. Move and Groove
2. What Are You Feeling?
3. Splish! Splash!
4. Sleepyhead
5. It's Potty Time!
6. What A Zoo
7. Seasonal Surprise
Purple Series
1. Opposites
2. Manners
3. Going Buggy
4. In The Forest
5. Let's Go Outside
6. Happy Birthday
7. Seasonal Surprise
Class Size: 8 to 20 families
Early-bird Price (register by 3/21): $135 per family
Instructor: Erika Vetter, from Happy Baby Signs
Upcoming dates:
Purple Series - meets on Sundays, from March 28th to May 23rd (skips April 4th and May9th)
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Pacific Time
Bill White - Instructor - Introductory Workshops and Baby Sign Series
Bill White is the founder of the Happy Baby Signs and co-author with Kathleen Harper of the internationally best selling book, Signs of a Happy Baby.
He facilitates baby sign language programs at Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, Sutter Health, Harmony Birth and Family, Blossom Birth and Family, Stanford Work-Life, Cisco Systems, Children’s Creative Learning Centers, Genentech, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, and many other locations.
Bill received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychobiology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is passionate about how signing greatly helps us connect with our babies and is the proud father of two hearing sons who both sign.
Erika Vetter - Instructor - Toddler and Preschooler Sign Series
Erika Vetter fell in love with sign language in her childhood, when she befriended a Deaf girl in her Brownie Scout troop. This friendship continued for many years and led her to volunteer in the hard-of-hearing preschool during recess when she was still in elementary school.
She received her Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and Audiology with Teacher Certification at Elmira College and earned her Master's Degree as a Teacher for the Deaf for grades K-12 from Canisius College in upstate New York.
For the past 18 years, Erika has taught both Deaf and hearing children in schools such as the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and the California School for the Deaf in Fremont. She currently works as an ASL interpreter and instructor.
Erika's thesis on teaching ASL to preverbal hearing children, along with her recent coursework in bilingual education, has reinforced her belief that signing with children can produce amazing results.
All three of her children started signing between six and seven months old and still sign on a daily basis. Erika delights in seeing children empowered with a tremendous ability to communicate effectively at a very early age and is eager to share her experience and enthusiasm with you.