Baby and Child Sign Language withÂ
"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.
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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)
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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 :)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
Frequently Asked Questions - Answered by Happy Baby Signs
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How is Cucu's PlayHouse program different to other music classes?Our program has an emphasis in exposing the children to the Spanish language through music and play. Children learn while having fun virtually or in-person in San Rafael, California. We also take the time to get to know our families and make everyone feel welcome :)
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Who are these classes for?These classes are ideal for parents who would like to introduce their children to bilingualism. According to recent studies, the ideal age to start exposing them to a second language is between 0 and 3 years of age. Doing so, stimulates their brain development and has numerous cognitive, social and cultural long term benefits. Cucu's PlayHouse program is also beneficial for parents who's first language is Spanish and would like to engage their children in Spanish enrichment activities.
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Will learning a Second Language confuse my child?Research shows that children who study a foreign language perform better in their native language than non-bilingual students, as measured on standardized tests. Other research has shown that children learning a second language start reading earlier, and the advantage increases the earlier they are exposed to the second language. In addition, bilingual children were better at identifying grammatically incorrect sentences than monolinguals. ​ ​
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What is your class size? (number of children per class)The limit for our in-person classes is 12 children and for our Virtual classes, 25. Advance registration is highly recommended, especially for our Morning Classes, which tend to fill up. If you registered for a class and will not be able to attend, please make sure to cancel, so that your space can be release for another family.
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Who are your Memberships for?If you enjoy our classes and would like to attend on a regular basis, then the Memberships will make the most sense for your family. Our Weekly Memberships will offer you the best value and you will not have to manually register for every class. Once you become a member, you will choose the days of the week you would like to attend, and we will register you. Once you complete that step, your card will be charged automatically every week/month and you will receive an email reminder before each of your classes. ​ As a Member, you will have access to our Digital library, where you will find a collection of illustrated Vocabulary Guides in PDF format. Each guide explains the vocabulary for one of the songs we play in class. They are a valuable resource for reinforcing the words learned. You will also have access to our Songbook and Spotify PlayList.
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How do I cancel my membership?You can cancel your Membership right from your account by logging in with your email and password, or just send us a quick email and we will cancel your membership within 1 business day, no questions asked. contact@cucusplayhouse.com We can also suspend your Membership temporarily if you need to stop attending for a few weeks, just reach out.
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Can I Cancel a class after registering?Yes. Just send us a quick email, or give us a call. You may cancel up to two hours before the class start time for a full refund or credit. As a courtesy to other parents, please cancel as soon as you know you won't be able to attend, so that we can release the space for other children.
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What about Re-Scheduling?Yes. You can re-schedule by logging into your account on our website or just get in touch with us and we will help you find a new date for your class. You may re-schedule up to two hours before your original class start time. As a courtesy to other parents, please re-schedule as soon as you know you won't be able to attend, so that we can release the space for other children.
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Can I bring a visitor to the class?Due to space restrictions, only one adult may participate per registered child. However, we are happy to accommodate additional visitors depending on availability. Please email us to contact@cucusplayhouse.com to request a visitor's pass.
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Do you have a Referral program?Yes, we sure do. If you love our classes, please help us spread the word :) The first step is to have your friend register to Try a class for free. Once they experience the class, if they decide to sign up for our program, you will receive a $20 Gift Card that can be used in our toy store or to pay for classes or Open Play times. You will get a Gift Card for each new family that signs up for a Class Pack or Membership referred by you.
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How do you keep your space and toys clean?After each class, we clean all of the used toys with alcohol wipes, and our playmat with Method Multisurface spray cleaner. Water based baby wipes are available in our changing table for the parents' use.
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Is there Parking near Cucu's PlayHouse?If you are driving, please allow yourself a few extra minutes to park your car. 1 Hour Free Parking, with our Parking Validations: City Parking Garage on C, between 3rd and 4th (1.5 blocks from us). Just park your car in the garage and keep your ticket. After your visit to Cucu's we will provide you with a parking validation card that will cover the cost for the first hour. You will need to insert your original ticket in the machine first, then our validation ticket. If you stay in the garage for over 1 hour, you will have to pay the time above 1 hr. The price is $1.00 per hour. Closest: There is plenty of metered parking on our block, but sometimes it's not enough for everyone. The price is $1.50 per hour. Free street parking: there is free 2 hour parking on 5th between E and F (two blocks from us). Please note that there are eight parking spaces in our building, but none is assigned to us. They all belong to other tenants. Do not park in any of those spaces, your car could be towed. Thank you!