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LearnSigns 013: Nature

Join me in my back yard this time to learn some nature signs. My current office/video studio is a corner of my unfinished basement. Last week I started doing some work to build walls so that I don’t freeze to death this winter while trying to make videos for the website. I enjoyed being outside to shoot this video, but I had to hurry before the sun came up and blinded me. Because of hurrying to get ready and shoot the video before the sun came up, I just grabbed a shirt and ran out the door. It wasn’t until we started editing the video before I realized that I was wearing the same shirt as I was in the last lesson.

Rain, snow and rainbows are included in this list of nature words.

Words learned in this lesson:

  • Nature
  • Tree
  • Flower
  • Sun
  • Moon
  • Star
  • Earth
  • World
  • Dirt
  • Land, Property
  • Rain
  • Snow
  • Rainbow
  • Animal

Project: Using the information you learned in lesson 11, write out the description for the word GRASS in your area. This is a word that changes quite a bit from region to region in the United States. Write your description in the comments below.

This was actually the second take of this video. There were two major problems with the first video. I didn’t have something set right on my audio recorder and the sound was awful. The second problem was the swarm of mosquitoes that attacked my bald head. I did a good job of not swatting at them the whole time I was recording, but by the time the video was done there were several that could be seen feasting on my skull.

The video above is captioned for those needing captioning. Be sure to click on the [CC] logo on the video player to see the captions.

View the episode transcript.

By david

Missionary working with the Deaf. Started learning sign language in 1988 and have spent much of my ministry training others in how to minister to the Deaf through local church ministries.

3 replies on “LearnSigns 013: Nature”

I asked my ASL teacher about the sign for “grass”. She said that there are two options. 1) With an open hand and relaxed fingers, rub the palm of your hand against your chin in a forward motion. This is a repetitive motion.
2) With the hand signing the number 4, rub the back of the hand against your chin in a forward motion. This is a repetitive motion.

Thank you Michelle. I appreciate the feedback.

The first way you mention is one of the more common ways to do GRASS. What is funny though, is that it is also one of the two most common ways to do the word TRASH that I know of. And, recently in Maryland, we met Deaf who use that exact same sign to mean TRUCK! I had never seen truck done that way. They told me that it was an older way to do TRUCK and many of the younger Deaf don’t use that anymore. I think the lady told me that was the way they did the sign when she was growing up in the MD School for the Deaf in Frederick.

I have seen the second way you mentioned used some.

First one, is the same sign here in FL. Though I say it more of an upwards motion on bottom of your chin. I could just have that wrong. I at times grow a beard, so it “feels” like grass to me when I press up on it. It’s how I remember the sign. 🙂

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