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''Signing Time!'' is an American
television program A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via Terrestrial television, over-the-air, Satellite television, satellite, and cable te ...
targeted towards children aged one through eight that teaches
American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...
. It is filmed in the United States and was created by sisters Emilie Brown and Rachel Coleman, the latter of whom hosts the series. Between 2006 and 2016, it was syndicated by American Public Television to public television stations across the US. ''Signing Time!'' is produced and distributed by Two Little Hands Productions, which is located in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
,
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
. ''Signing Time!s multi-sensory approach encourages learning through three senses — visual, auditory and kinesthetic — and reaches children with diverse learning styles and abilities by encouraging interaction through signing, singing, speaking and dancing. The series teaches signs for common words, questions, phrases, movements, colors, sports, days of the week, everyday objects, and common activities. From 2009 to 2012, ''Signing Time!'' interstitial music videos aired on the Nick Jr. channel. As of October 4, 2010, public television stations were allowed to show the series for the next two years.


History and conception

In 1996, Rachel Coleman had a child, Liam, who was discovered at 14 months old to have been deaf since birth. Subsequently, they learned
sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...
, first with Signing Exact English (SEE), then with
American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...
(ASL), so that they could learn to communicate. Coleman noticed that within six months, Liam's sign language vocabulary surpassed the vocabulary of hearing children their same age.de Azevedo Coleman, Rachel. ''A Sign of the Times.'' 2005. ''Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur's Soul: Advice & Inspiration for Fulfilling Dreams.'' By Jack Canfield, et al. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, Inc., 2006. 167-169. Coleman and her sister Emilie created a visual video for hearing children's learn ASL, and started Two Little Hands Productions, their production company. A foundation, Signing Time Foundation, also exists to teach ASL.


Format


''Signing Time!''

Coleman hosts the show, with her child Liam and nephew Alex also starring to provide support. In ''My First Signs,'' it was not originally planned for her to be in the videos, but she was added to demonstrate the signs because Alex and Liam could not consistently sign clearly enough to teach viewers the signs. The second season introduced a new format that includes new signs and more original music. Each program addresses a single theme, marked by a theme song, which is introduced verse by verse. In addition, new segments “ABC Time,” “Counting Time,” “Game Time,” “Story Time,” and “Hopping/Moving Time” explore the episode theme or other skills in a playful way. ''Signing Time! Sentences'' is a three episode mini-series released in 2015 and 2016 geared toward older children and teens. In it Alex and Liam, both now in their late teens, return with Rachel to teach viewers the basics of American Sign Language grammar.


''Baby Signing Time!''

''Baby Signing Time!'' is a sister series to ''Signing Time!'' It started in 2005 and is geared towards children aged 2 and younger; it is similar to the early volumes of Signing Time where the signs are introduced one at a time. It is much more musical than regular Signing Time and teaches basic ASL signs for a baby's needs and environment. Coleman hosts this series as well, though it features Alex and Liam as animated babies rather than their live-action counterparts.


Signing Time on public television

The Signing Time Foundation funded the airing of Signing Time on public television stations around the country from 2006 to 2008. Signing Time began airing on public television stations nationwide in 2006 and went from being relatively unknown to having over 80% national cumulative carriage. It was the only show on national television teaching children to sign. Public television does not pay for programming, and in order to keep Signing Time on public television, the Signing Time Foundation was expected to produce and deliver 13 episodes annually, which would have totaled an annual cost of approximately 1.5 million dollarsUS, something that Signing Time's production company could not afford. As of October 4, 2010, public television stations were given the right to air ''Signing Time!'' for the next two years.


Cast

* Rachel Coleman, the host of the ''Signing Time!'' series. She has spent much of her adult life in the entertainment industry. While performing with her band ''We the Living'', Rachel's 14-month-old child was diagnosed as having a profound hearing impairment. * Liam Coleman, one of the main children in the show. Liam is the inspiration behind the creation of ''Signing Time!'' Diagnosed as profoundly deaf at 14 months old, Liam is now . In fourth grade, they garnered national attention for winning first place in their school spelling bee. Liam received a
cochlear implant A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted Neuroprosthetics, neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for imp ...
in January 2004. * Alex Brown, one of the main children in the show. Brown appeared in the first episode of ''Signing Time!'' before his third birthday. He learned to sign as a baby so that he could communicate with his deaf cousin. A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Alex has also lived in Virginia and California. * Aaron de Azevedo as Hopkins, a cartoon frog. Originally named "Twerp" (a play on the nickname "Terp," for interpreter). Hopkins appears as a little green animated sidekick in segments demonstrating words taught in the show. He is named after
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (December 10, 1787 – September 10, 1851) was an American educator. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Fitch Cogswell, Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first permanent institution for the Education of the Deaf, educatio ...
, who in 1817 established the first free American school for the deaf and hearing-impaired.


Media


Television


Home media

* ''Baby Signing Time!'' – 4 volumes * ''Practice Time'' – 2 volumes – ''Level 1: ABCs'' and ''Level 1: 123s'' * Story Time Volume 1 * Sing and Sign: Favorite Songs from Volumes 1-6 * Potty Time: A potty training video sold as a set with an audio CD. A "Potty Time" watch with a "potty reminder" alarm is also available as part of a different set. * Signing Time Christmas: 2 DVD and 1-CD set published in 2014. Brings back Alex and Liam as teenagers. Other items include printed materials such as board books and flash cards, ''Signing Time!'' clothing, and ''Signing Time!'' music CDs.


Awards and nominations


See also

* Sign language in infants and toddlers *
American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...


Notes


References


External links


Signing Time!
{{Former PBS Kids shows Sign language television shows Deaf culture in the United States 2000s American children's television series 2002 American television series debuts 2008 American television series endings American children's musical television series American preschool education television series American television series with live action and animation 2000s preschool education television series Direct-to-video television series PBS Kids shows Television series about children Television shows about deaf people First-run syndicated children's television series