Little Hands and Big Hands, 2nd edition release and FREE online program
Releasing today from Hands Up Press:
Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together, second edition
by Kathy MacMillan
Photography by Kristin Brown
Research shows that using American Sign Language with young children can
- reduce frustration for both caregiver and child
- increase IQ
- stimulate language learning
- enhance bonding
- raise a child’s self-esteem
- improve everyday life and communication!
Little Hands & Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together offers solid background information on signing with children ages birth to six, along with hands-on games, fingerplays, songs, and more that caregivers, librarians, and educators can use to smooth transitions, calm a fussy child, or engage a stubborn one. Each activity is accompanied by photos of the relevant signs.
“Author and ASL educator Kathy MacMillan has brilliantly combined the world of ASL with early literacy activities…Explanations and research support are seamlessly woven into each activity…I highly recommend this resource to anyone working with children from birth to age six.” -Betsy Diamant-Cohen, creator of the award-winning Mother Goose on the Loose early literacy program
Pre-order now from the Deaf Camps, Inc. Online Bookstore (autographed copies that support a great cause!) | amazon.com | barnesandnoble.com | bookshop.org
Join the author for an online book launch event for all ages:
Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together, 2nd edition
Online Book Launch Event with Kathy MacMillan
Thursday, January 12, 2023
6:00 pm Mountain Standard Time
Hosted by Clearview Library District
Sign, sing, read, and play together in this online storytime for all ages! American Sign Language interpretation and automatic captioning will be provided.
Register now!
Autographed copies of the book may be purchased here, with all proceeds supporting Deaf Camps, Inc.’s scholarship program. To request personalization, email deafcampsinc@gmail.com.
New edition of Little Hands & Big Hands: Children & Adults Signing Together
Coming January 10, 2023 from Hands Up Press:
Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together, second edition
by Kathy MacMillan
Photography by Kristin Brown
Research shows that using American Sign Language with young children can
- reduce frustration for both caregiver and child
- increase IQ
- stimulate language learning
- enhance bonding
- raise a child’s self-esteem
- improve everyday life and communication!
Little Hands & Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together offers solid background information on signing with children ages birth to six, along with hands-on games, fingerplays, songs, and more that caregivers, librarians, and educators can use to smooth transitions, calm a fussy child, or engage a stubborn one. Each activity is accompanied by photos of the relevant signs.
“Author and ASL educator Kathy MacMillan has brilliantly combined the world of ASL with early literacy activities…Explanations and research support are seamlessly woven into each activity…I highly recommend this resource to anyone working with children from birth to age six.” -Betsy Diamant-Cohen, creator of the award-winning Mother Goose on the Loose early literacy program
Pre-order now from the Deaf Camps, Inc. Online Bookstore (autographed copies that support a great cause!) | amazon.com | barnesandnoble.com | bookshop.org
Join the author for an online book launch event for all ages:
Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together, 2nd edition
Online Book Launch Event with Kathy MacMillan
Thursday, January 12, 2023
6:00 pm Mountain Standard Time
Hosted by Clearview Library District
Sign, sing, read, and play together in this online storytime for all ages! American Sign Language interpretation and automatic captioning will be provided.
Register now!
Autographed copies of the book may be purchased here, with all proceeds supporting Deaf Camps, Inc.’s scholarship program. To request personalization, email deafcampsinc@gmail.com.
50% off storytime resource books from ALA Editions!
ALA Editions has lots of great storytime resources on sale at 50% off, including 2 of our titles:
Multicultural Storytime Magic by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker (ALA Editions)
Regular price: $48 – Now on sale for $24!
Weave diversity into any and every storytime, no matter what the topic! Arranged thematically around dozens of popular storytime themes, this resource book presents original and traditional resources from all over the world that will enrich storytimes for ages 2 through 5. Includes download links for flannelboard and stick puppet patterns and illustrations of American Sign Language signs. Buy now.
A Box Full of Tales by Kathy MacMillan (ALA Editions)
Regular price: $52 – Now on sale for $26!
Children’s programming made easy. Really easy. What librarian doesn’t dream of offering more and better children’s programs with less effort? Story boxes offer a simple method for capturing ideas, talent, creativity, and resources available in your library. This handy resources also includes detailed plans for fifty great story boxes including suggested books, fingerplays, songs, props, crafts, and sign language activities. Buy now.
Projects for Eco, Global, and Art Explorers Bundle
Save up to $15 and get 75 ready-to-use projects!
Includes handy PDFs of 25 Projects for Eco Explorers, 25 Projects for Global Explorers, and 25 Projects for Art Explorers. These projects from best-selling author Christine M. Kirker can be integrated into K-5 educational lesson plans and library programming for children aged 4-10. Engaging activities for teaching children what makes each topic special, materials lists, programming tips, and additional resources are all included.
Learn from Home with the Explorers Series!
If you’re looking for structured extension activities to do with your children while you are all home together, Christine Kirker’s Explorer series will provide you with some fresh ideas!
25 Projects for Art Explorers
Designed for kids aged 5 – 10 with projects that can be adapted to the age of the child. The projects:
-introduce children to a variety of art techniques, from gouache and watercolor to collage and papermaking, using a curated selection of quality picture books;
-provide detailed directions for guiding children to experiment with these techniques to create their own projects; and
-include materials lists adaptable for any budget, capsule biographies of the picture books’ illustrators, programming tips, and links to additional resources.
25 Projects for Global Explorers
Designed for kids aged 5-10, and flexible enough to use in either storytimes or classroom settings, the projects here:
-use representative picture books as tools for learning about different places and people;
-take kids’ imaginations on journeys to a variety of U.S. landmarks, such as Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and Lei Day Festival in Hawaii;
-introduce more than a dozen fascinating places, traditions, and cultures from across the world, including the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, the Day of the Dead in Mexico, the Ziggurat of Ancient Mesopotamia in Iraq, and the San People, formerly known as the Bushmen of South Africa; and
-include hands-on activities for teaching children what makes each topic special, materials lists, programming tips, and additional resources.
Coming May 2020: 25 Projects for Eco Explorers
Though the daily news is filled with reports of climate change, severe weather, environmental distress, and endangered species, children’s librarians and educators might be uncertain how to incorporate these topics into their current curriculum. This handy resource offers an ideal solution, presenting more than two dozen ready-to-use projects on environmental topics that can be integrated into K-5 educational lesson plans and library programming for children aged 4-10. Starting with a representative picture book as a foundation, children are guided through each topic using a hands-on project that reinforces learning. Whether they’re in the classroom or library, kids will feel excited and engaged as they explore such topics as
-honeybees, loggerhead turtles, mountain gorillas, polar bears, and other animals;
-environments like coral reefs, estuaries, and the Galápagos Islands;
-wildfires, hurricanes, and tornadoes;
-composting, gardens, seeds, and the farm to table movement; and
-garbage, recycling, renewable energy, water conservation, and Earth Day.
About the Author
Christine Kirker is a Library Associate with the Carroll County Public Library (MD). She is the author of 25 Projects for Art Explorers and 25 Projects for Global Explorers and the coauthor (with Kathy MacMillan) of five books in the Storytime Magic storytime resource series, all from ALA Editions. Since joining the library staff in 2005, Christine has developed and presented many programs for children of all ages. In addition, she has applied for and received many grants benefitting the library including a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, wherein Christine worked with the community to create a native garden at the library and offered many educational outreach programs. Previously, Christine spent ten years employed at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) as a Research Analyst for the Office of Institutional Research.
Celebrate the Week of the Young Child!
April 24-28 is the Week of the Young Child™, an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers and families.
Here are some great resources to use with the young children in your life!
Turning everyday interactions into storytelling opportunities from NAEYC
Resources for signing with babies and young children from Stories By Hand
Baby and Toddler Program Resources from Storytime Stuff
Resources for teaching young children about diversity from Bright Horizons
March 2 is Read Captions Across America Day
So you probably knew that March 2 was Read Across America Day – but did you also know that it is Read Captions Across America Day?
Lead by the Described and Captioned Media Program, Read Captions Across America (RCAA) is held in conjunction with the National Education Association’s (NEA) Read Across America event every year on or around March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.
The purpose of Read Captions Across America is to raise awareness—particularly among children and their parents and teachers—that video-based media can be just as effective at encouraging and fostering reading skills as books, as long as captions are always turned on!
Order a FREE toolkit, including posters, bookmarks, and certificates here.
Additionally, DCMP members are eligible to receive a free Dr. Seuss DVD as part of this campaign. Find out if you are eligible for a free membership here.
More Storytime Magic
More Storytime Magic
by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker
ALA Editions, December 29, 2015. $52.00
MacMillan and Kirker’s knack for creating storytimes that engage and delight young ones have made their previous books bestsellers. Now they’re back with an all new assortment of original fingerplays, transitional rhymes, movement songs, flannelboards, sign language rhymes and other activities to spice up storytimes for ages two and up. This ready-to-go sourcebook for children’s librarians, early literacy specialists, and other adults who work with young children offers everything needed to plan and host quality storytimes, including
- more than a dozen thematic groupings of activities, featuring such fun topics such as “All About Me,” “Bugs and Insects,” “Fairy Tales and Castles,” and “People in my Neighborhood”;
- recommended storytime books for each theme, along with material lists, patterns for flannelboards and stick puppets, and illustrations of American Sign Language signs; and
- coding for each entry indicating which Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten skills it supports.
Using the guidance and activities contained in this book, storytimes will be more magical than ever!
“Another excellent resource from this author pair, this title presents songs, stories, and activities arranged by themes, such as fairy tales, animals, friends, and food. The stories and songs include originals and adaptations alike, and many of the tunes are sung to well-known traditional songs…For those who wish to specify the elements of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) demonstrated in storytime, the coding found with each activity is helpful…With fun activities and timely information on the CCSS, this is an ideal choice for administrators, librarians, and parents eager to promote current literacy standards.– School Library Journal
“MacMillan and Kirker continue their successful formula for helping librarians and others who plan stories and activities for children aged two and up…a welcome addition for public and school library professional collections.” – American Reference Books Annual
“The authors do a very good job of providing activities that can be used for different age groups as well as different time allotments and settings.” – School Library Connection
“…a worthwhile purchase for any youth department where there is a focus on storytime.” – Booklist
On Sale Now!: More Storytime Magic
More Storytime Magic
by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker
ALA Editions, December 29, 2015. $52.00
“MacMillan and Kirker continue their successful formula for helping librarians and others who plan stories and activities for children aged two and up…a welcome addition for public and school library professional collections.” – American Reference Books Annual
“…a worthwhile purchase for any youth department where there is a focus on storytime.” – Booklist
“Another excellent resource from this author pair, …With fun activities and timely information on the CCSS, this is an ideal choice for administrators, librarians, and parents eager to promote current literacy standards.” – School Library Journal
MacMillan and Kirker’s knack for creating storytimes that engage and delight young ones have made their previous books bestsellers. Now they’re back with an all new assortment of original fingerplays, transitional rhymes, movement songs, flannelboards, sign language rhymes and other activities to spice up storytimes for ages two and up. This ready-to-go sourcebook for children’s librarians, early literacy specialists, and other adults who work with young children offers everything needed to plan and host quality storytimes, including
- more than a dozen thematic groupings of activities, featuring such fun topics such as “All About Me,” “Bugs and Insects,” “Fairy Tales and Castles,” and “People in my Neighborhood”;
- recommended storytime books for each theme, along with material lists, patterns for flannelboards and stick puppets, and illustrations of American Sign Language signs; and
- coding for each entry indicating which Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten skills it supports.
Using the guidance and activities contained in this book, storytimes will be more magical than ever!
Celebrating Earth Day in Storytime
Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, in San Francisco, California. Since then, over one hundred countries have joined together for this annual environmental event. This Earth Day, help the little ones in your life appreciate nature and learn about protecting the environment with this roundup of our favorite Earth day resources from Storytime Stuff and beyond!
Here at StorytimeStuff.net:
Bringing Nature Inside for Storytime – bring the best of the outdoors to your classroom or storytime room!
Nature Around the World Storytime – bring a multicultural touch to your Earth Day celebration!
Springtime Fun Storytime – celebrate the sounds, smells, and sights of spring!
Around the Web:
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Earth Day for Kids Website – lots of storytime suggestions and printable resources.
Preschool Earth Day Storytime from Library Village – rhymes, songs, book suggestions, and a supercool recycling craft that easy to make.
Reading for the Earth: Ultimate Earth Day Resource Roundup – a comprehensive roundup of lesson plans, books suggestions, activities, video links and more at the Lee & Low Books blog.
Storytime Stuff 