Meet Shannon

In October of 1999, we began Signing with our 9 month old son, Eli, using Joseph Garcia's Sign with your Baby™ program. By his first birthday, Eli could tell us whether he was hungry, thirsty, tired, or needed a diaper change by using Sign Language.

At 22 months of age, Eli could sign over 60 signs. He could show us what he wanted, what interested him, how funny he was, and some very important things, such as where it hurt and why. We continued to learn and use Sign Language with Eli even after he could speak, and by his third birthday Eli could sign over 300 signs and fingerspell the Alphabet.

When Eli was 5 years old, we were invited to help with the filming of the award winning "Signing Time" children's videos. Eli appears in volumes 4 and 6, showing the signs for COUSIN, GRUMPY, RAIN, BLUE, SWIM and GRAPES and in volume 5 'ABC Signs' he signs the Alphabet Handshapes A, B, W and L-M-N-O in the "L-M-N-O" Song!

I am a trained volunteer for the Family to Family Connection, a statewide, non-profit organization which provides parent education and support for families in Nevada. My program includes teaching parents and caregivers how to incorporate Signs into their daily habits with preverbal babies, as well as the research and benefits of this multi-sensory approach to language development for preverbal children.

I've Presented my Wee Can Sign programs at several Annual Nevada Early Childhood Conferences, held by the Nevada Association for the Education of Young Children. I've presented programs and workshops for the Clark County School District, Clark County Young People's Library Summit, Henderson Library's "Every Child Ready to Learn" series, and have facilitated child care trainings at the University of Nevada Reno Cooperative Extension. I've helped implement Sign Language programs in several childcare facilities, including Nellis Air Force Base Child Development Centers, Lone Mountain Creative Learning Center, Lit'l Scholar Academies and The Shenker Academy. I've had the honor of working with the families and professionals at the North American Craniofacial Family Conference for the past 6 years. My classes are approved by the Nevada Registry for child care trainings.

I am an active member of the Sign2Me Presenters' Network, the Sign with your Baby™ program by Joseph Garcia. I have successfully complete the Level I Competency Assessment for the Sign2Me Presenters' Network Certification.

Wee Can Sign Classes and Workshops are available in the following categories:

• "Wee Can Sign" Classes for Infants and Toddlers
• "Sing & Sign" Level 2 Classes
• Staff Training for Child Care Providers
• Signing Programs and ASL products for Schools

ASL Products available for sale include:

• "Sign with your Baby" Kits: Book, DVD & Quick Reference Guide
• "Pick Me Up!" Music CD and Activity Guide
• ABC Phonics "Sign Sign and Read" Book with Music CD
• Sign2Me Nursery Rhyme Posters/Placemats
• "Sign Babies" Flash Cards and Board Books

TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES:
Please email shannon@weecansign.com
or call us at 702-334-4178