Kids love to get their hands into everything. (I can see you grabbing the sanitizing wipes.) From the day we discover those appendages attached to our bodies that move and experiment with those tiny fingers wiggling on the end. We want to do everything with them, much to the chagrin of our parents.
Early on we use our arms to make movements with music and to emphasize a point in a story. Presenters will use their hands and arms to point out the graph in their presentation. A contestant on the Price Is Right uses their hand to pull the arm on the big wheel to see if they can win a thousand dollars.
Take a look through history and you will see many cultures that use oral language would also use their hands and arms in passing down their life’s story. Why not take story time to the next level?
Many librarians already use some actions to go along with the story they are telling. What if they did more? What if there was a whole language using your hands? Oh, wait there is: Sign language.
Story time would be a great way to teach our children a second language while just telling stories. They already love stories and they love learning anything they can do with their hands. It’s a win win for all. With this second language, children would grow up sharing it as they go.
What’s even better is that as Sign language is used more and more a silent minority will be able to communicate freely with anyone. Deaf or hard of hearing have used Sign language for a long time. Communication is so key to society that no one should be left out. Think of the things everyone can share together. Stories, knowledge, and different ways of life that can improve others around all with the power of our hands. How would you like to join in that conversation?
April 3, 2011 at 8:32 pm
The way you were talking about fingers and arms, I thought sure your post was about limb-related birth defects. Then you get sign language in your dialog. I just have tone deafness myself but I grew up in a neighborhood where there were several families with children facing this challenge. Having librarians know sign language would be wonderful.