How It All Started

EarlytoLearn.com is a site dedicated to teaching parents, grandparents, caregivers, educators, speech therapists, and homeschoolers the benefits of signing with hearing children and using a multisensory approach to teach children.  This is how it all started…

Baby Sign Language

It all began when I started using sign language with my oldest daughter when she was a few months old.  To my amazement she quickly and eagerly learned many signs and was able to communicate with those around her effectively before she was even a year old.  Based on my own experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist and using sign language for the past 3 years with my two daughters, they both have a better grasp of vocabulary and concepts for their age, minimized frustration due to the ability to communicate effectively (virtually eliminating the terrible-twos), and a love for books and reading.  I have no doubt this is due to using sign language when they were babies and I want to share the same benefits with others.

Multisensory Learning

I’ve also found that one thing leads to another, like baby sign language has led to my continued interest in multisensory learning.  As I teach my now 3 year old daughter, I’ve continued with a multisensory approach to learning.  I believe that learning should be FUN above everything else.  By setting the tone that learning is fun with your child from the beginning, I believe you are setting the foundation for a lifetime of learning and success.  In playing and having fun with my daughter I found that sign language, in combination with art and music, provides a fun multisensory way for children to learn and have an amazing ability to recall information (I’m talking about a 3 year old recalling the metamorphosis of a pollywog into a frog which she learned when she was 2 years old!).  EarlytoLearn.com will provide creative ideas and resources for you to learn and confidently use a multisensory approach to teaching with your own child.

Homeschooling

While homeschooling is a growing trend these days, it is hardly mainstream.  Like many moms, I attended public school and a part of me wanted my children to have the same experience.  But due to the snowball effect that started with baby sign language, my daughter has continued learning at a rapid pace and is way ahead of her peers.  I know that the only way she will continue to be challenged is by teaching her at home.  I have already started homeschooling unofficially and look forward to sharing my day-to-day experiences, ideas, and resources here.

Going Green

Lastly, due to my children, I have been slowly but surely making changes toward a healthier lifestyle for my family.  Like every mom, I am concerned about my children’s health and want the best future for them.  So I think about the food they eat, the household cleaners I use, and body care products I put on them.  You can read more about my Journey to Going Green.  I would call myself a granola conservative or a cross-breed when it comes to the two prevailing views of today (my husband would lovingly call me a freakshow!).  I am living proof that it doesn’t have to be either or.  So as I continue to learn more about going green, I will pass this information along to you.

By providing you with information and resources on these topics, I hope that you will be inspired to see the world through your child’s eyes…a place to be explored and where learning can be fun!