Saturday, June 27, 2015

Fascinating Fill-Up Faces: A Sure-Fire Way to Pass Time

It happened the way many things do....completely by accident and out of necessity.


My husband had stopped at the gas station on the way home from daycare with both boys one day. They were itching to get out of their car seats and go to the park, so they weren't being terribly cooperative about waiting while he filled his tank.

In an effort to try to keep them entertained, Daddy started making silly faces through the windows. It definitely made the boys giggle, and they even started making their own funny faces back at him. With the boys sufficiently distracted, Daddy was able to finish filling up the tank and they were on their way to play.



Now, every time we stop for gas, the boys insist on playing this game.  Mr. L. likes to make sure that no one misses out on the fun, and insists everyone gets their own turn.  It's hard to hear him through rolled-up windows, though, to determine who's turn he thinks it is.


Once again, our signs save the day!

I started signing YOUR-TURN to each of the boys who would come up with the silliest face they could then MY-TURN and I'd do the same.  This wasn't a brand new sign for any of us, but it was definitely a new context for it to be used!  At first, the boys would point along with my sign to whoever was to make the next super silly face.  Then, out of the blue one day, Mr. I. started using the sign all on his own.

We were on our way to an out of town birthday part and made a quick stop to fill up and grab a drink from the convenience store.  I was pumping gas while Daddy ran in to make our purchase.  I was a tad lost in my own thoughts and had forgotten about our gas station ritual.  The next thing I knew, I heard a little knock on the window, and Mr. I. was excitedly grinning and signing YOUR-TURN.  We each took a few turns making silly faces and signing YOUR-TURN while little bother snoozed in his car seat.

At 4, signs are not a daily part of our communication strategy with Mr. I. but our experience using the Signing Smart tools and strategies definitely still serve him well.  He is able to pull out signs at exactly the right moment to make sure he's fully understood!


What are your favorite ways to pass the time for your little ones while you run errands?

18 comments:

  1. Here from Merry Monday. Signing is so exciting with kids! I don't have littles anymore, just the best grand baby in the world! I love playing games with her.

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    1. There are tons of great reasons to sign with little ones - grand babies included! I encourage you to introduce her (and her parents)! Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Those silly-face pictures are so cute. You should definitely save them and embarrass your kids when they're older! I agree that signing is great with the kiddos! Thanks for sharing at the Manic Mondays blog hop!

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    1. They were pretty excited to let me take pictures of their sill faces! Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. So cute! Thanks for sharing with us at the Merry Monday link party. Hope to see you link up with us again next week. Sharing your post on Twitter!

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  4. It's amazing how something that happens one time turns into tradition! How very fun, so glad you shared this with #SocialButterflySunday this week! Hope you link up again this Sunday :)

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    1. It really does happen that fast! I'm glad they see such fun in running errands, though, and truth be told, I kind of look forward to the game myself. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Hi thanks for linking up with Flashback Friday and what a fun way to fill in that time. We love funny faces in our family so will definitely be trying this out! #fbfriday

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    1. It's a fun way for me to wait on the pump to finish too! Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. So cute! Have you ever used the silly effect in Mac's Photo Booth. My family sat around laughing for hours using that. Thanks for linking up at the Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home!

    Jennifer

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    1. I haven't used Mac's Photo Booth, I'll have to check it out. My boys do love being silly! Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. What a great game to play, and some great faces are being made there. I love that signs are really helping your communication. I now have a DVD we just need to start watching it x

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    1. Congrats on giving yoru family such a precious gift as language! I hope you find both fun and benefit on your language journey!

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  8. Lovely way to pass what-could-be a boring time for them and I love the pictures. Thanks for linking up with #ssamazingachievements :)

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    1. A few funny looks from other pumpers is definitly worth it for two happy boys waiting paitentily in the car! Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. Love your posts!! This would definitely be a good resource tool for my sister who is a special needs educator. I will definitely pass this on to her.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by with such sweet words, and for passing along to your sister. There are definitely some additional benefits to using ASL with children with a variety of special needs - especially those resulting in a language delay. I'd love the chance to work with her to get her students, their families, and herself set up on a positive communication journey!

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