Life’s Lessons from my Child: Self Care
By Lora Heller After a few minutes of watching the rain, and listening to the drops on the roof begin to drown out the carousel music, I began silently stressing about the fact that I had just buckled my kids into the stroller and we had been out all day without much in the way […]
First Words
By Lora Heller I remember my older son at almost 6 1/2 months saying “I love you.” Well actually, he signed it. His sign was an approximation of the ILY hand shape in ASL and was one of the most memorable moments as a parent. It was absolutely in context as he responded to our […]
Memories of a Mensch
By Lora Heller ‘Lewis Merkin, a Deaf, gay, Jewish actor, playwright, and interpreter died this week from cancer. He died in the city he loved, New York City, surrounded by family. Rest in power, Lewis. Your brilliance, humor, kindness, talent, and radiant smile will be deeply missed.’ – obituary Lewis was a mensch. This Yiddish […]
Stops Along the Way: An UWS NYC Childhood
If you live or grew up on the upper west side of Manhattan, you will likely recognize these hippos. I always considered this to be our backyard playground and an important landmark in our neighborhood. We had a couple of our kids’ birthday parties there; out of town family visitors always came with us to […]
How are we dealing with Covid at Baby Fingers?
~We continue to offer our engaging and interactive programs (1:1 and groups) live online for students of all ages, newborn through adult. Including: Sign & Song, Story-Sign, ASL Playgroup, Adult ASL, Music Lessons, Music Therapy, and more. ~Our teachers are all vaccinated and boosted, wearing masks, and testing regularly. Our healthy teaching team will sub […]
Memories and Traditions
Had you been dreaming of a white Christmas? Is there snow where you are today? I’m visiting my parents and we had beautiful snow here for Christmas eve – but it’s a rainy Christmas day. I am Jewish, so while we don’t celebrate Christmas, we do have our related traditions. As a child, my mom […]
Life’s Lessons from my Child: Self Care
One of my fondest parenting memories is so much more than that… My two kids and I were at the Carousel in Central Park. They must have been about one and three at the time. There we were with our wide double stroller, nearing the end of a lovely long day outdoors, when it suddenly […]
It’s not “baby sign language” it’s ASL!
It’s ASL in little hands. It’s approximated language, just like what happens in speech. When a baby says ‘ba-ba’ we don’t call it ‘baby English.’ It’s a babble, or a word approximation, and it will gradually become ‘bottle’ with modeling and practice (it takes time for the oral motor mechanism to develop sufficiently for speech […]
AWARENESS and IDENTITY
Did you know that the first school for the Deaf in the US was established in 1817 in Hartford, CT? September is back to school time, and it’s also Deaf Awareness Month. I grew up in Rochester, NY, which happens to have a large Deaf community. My first Deaf friend was an 11 year old […]
5 Reasons (among many!) to learn Sign Language
Have you been considering learning sign language but wondering how you and your family might benefit? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Sign language can support development in many areas and here’s how: 1. Sign Language Helps to Solidify One’s Deaf IdentityDo you have a Deaf child or anyone in your family who is Deaf? […]