ACT Testing by Lori Whiteker

As we approach the high school years, there are many things to organize. One of those things is testing for college admissions. Most colleges and universities require the applicant to submit their ACT scores. As home school parents, we do not have the benefit of a school guidance counselor to assist us in scheduling and registering our students. Being informed is an important part of educating our children.

The ACT tests are offered from September to June. Each year the specific dates are different so it is important to have an ACT Registration Packet. THINK receives these each year in August and they are available at all of the THINK meetings. If you need one, please ask.

Preparing for the ACT tests is important. Colleges and universities are looking for good scores. We want our children to score well. Their scores will have a direct effect on scholarships and admissions. HSLDA has links to resources for study. One free website is www.studyguidezone.com. The ACT Online Prep and Real ACT Prep Guide is available at www.act..org.

When should your child take the ACT? Everyone has their own recommendations. ACT recommends taking the test during the spring of your junior year. A student can take the ACT multiple times. HSLDA suggests a student should take it during their sophomore year. This will give the student time to restudy and retake the test if they are not satisfied with their scores. The student needs to have Algebra I , II, and Geometry completed before taking the tests. There are math questions concerning these areas on the test.

When you are ready to take the test, you will need to follow the procedures required by ACT to register. The home school code for ACT is 969999. The ACT website is www.act.org. Do your homework. Be informed. Aid your child in successfully taking his/her ACT.

(Published in the April 2006 THINK Newsletter)

Teaching Sign Language to Babies and Young Children by Cherie Foss

For many years I have seen curriculums and videos for teaching sign-language to babies and young children in various home school catalogs. Timberdoodle in particular has touted the benefits of teaching signing for a long time. I have always looked at it, thought it a good idea, but then figured it would be another one of those things that I would purchase but never get around to doing.

This past April when my 5th baby Kathryn was just 9 months old, we had our first opportunity to meet her 12 month old cousin who lives in upstate New York. This little fellow was being taught sign language by his parents and I was totally amazed. I could not believe how much they were able to interact with him and how well he was able to communicate his needs without crying or becoming frustrated. He even signed please when he wanted something. To me the child seemed happy, pleasant, and even older because of his non-verbal communication skills.

I was sold. I started working with Kathryn on some of the signs that I had seen them do with him. She immediately picked up the signs for more and all done which was very helpful at feeding time. Later, I came across a signing video recently published by The Critical Thinking Company and we loved it. She began to learn more and more signs, and so did her four older siblings who have all enjoyed communicating with her through signing. I believe that it has really enhanced the bonding that we all have had with her because it is incredibly cute, and we can communicate so much more and so much earlier with her.

Kathryn is actually quite verbal and can speak many of the words that she has learned to sign. I really wish that I had known the benefits of signing when my 3rd child was a baby. Actually, I wish that I had done it with all of them, but my 3rd was such a late talker. I know that if he had been able to communicate more with us, there would have been much less frustration and unhappiness in his early years.

Whether your child’s verbal skills are early or late, the benefits of signing are wonderful. It actually enhances brain development since signing uses a different part of the brain than speech. It increases vocabulary and supposedly increases IQ scores. Another claimed benefit that we have really seen is the enhanced level of bonding with the child.

We have used both the signing videos from Critical Thinking software and from Signing Time and love them all. The Critical Thinking software videos (www.brightminds.us) are geared to both the parent and the child. They direct suggestions and tips for teaching sign language to the parent at various places throughout the videos. The Signing Time videos which Timberdoodle (www.timberdoodle.com) sells, have more music, songs, and visuals that are directed more to the child and will hold his attention longer. Both series are excellent and your child will enjoy watching either one. No matter which videos you decide to use, watch them with your baby or child regularly and then use moments during his day when he is eating, playing, and reading books to reinforce the signs that you are learning together. Encourage your older siblings to watch them with the younger child as well. They not only receive the benefits of learning sign language but it gives them the opportunity to bond with the younger child, and it also helps reinforce to the younger child the importance of signing.

If you would like to try the videos before you buy, quite a few of the Signing Time videos are available in the Boone County library system. You can also learn more about these videos at www.signingtime.com. Signing Time has recently published videos specifically for babies 3-36 months but we have only used the regular Signing Time videos with Kathryn who is now 18 months and she just loves them.

(Published in the January 2007 THINK Newsletter)