It's the last week of the summer holidays for most children so we're going to take one last trip to the seaside (even though, as I write, I'm wearing a jumper and Ugg boots – but that's in the best tradition of British seaside holidays).
Beach
Series 3 (2008) On the All Around Me DVDJustin and Mr Tumble go through the magic door to the beach at Bowleaze Cove near Weymouth in Dorset. Justin and his friends Sophie and Chloe find lots of exciting things on the beach including sea anemones and a crab.
You sign:
- ROCKPOOL
- SEAWEED
- ICE CREAM
- The sign for POOL is similar to SEA; as with lots of signs in BSL and Makaton, you differentiate the signs by the amount you move your hand i.e. SEA is a more obvious wavy movement than POOL. In the Mountain episode we learn how to sign LAKE and PUDDLE which are similar.
- The sign for WEED is the same as PLANT, which we meet in lots of episodes of Something Special.
- ICE CREAM is one of those signs you can very easily guess – just mime licking an ice cream – Yum!
Justin signs a potentially very useful sentence: FOUR ICE CREAMS PLEASE. Quadruple yum!
We also see Justin sign:
- BEACH
- WHERE SHALL WE LOOK FIRST?
- UNDERWATER CREATURES
- UNDER
- FUN EXPLORING THE BEACH;
- LISTEN, I HEAR AN ICE CREAM VAN
Mr Tumble also signs:
- COLLECT
- PEBBLES
- SHELLS
- SURPRISE
Grandad Tumble uses his time on the beach to catch up on his beauty sleep, but when he wakes up he signs: TOWEL and WHERE.
Best bit: Grandad Tumble clearly has an interesting back-story; when he's talking in his sleep we hear him say, “No, Mavis, no!” and “That tickles!”
By The Sea
Series 5 (2010) On the DVD Out and About: Hello Mr Tumble
Justin meets his friends Violet and Fahim by the SEA on the Isle of Wight. They take the very exciting CHAIR LIFT in Alum Bay down to the beach where they go for a boat ride around the Needles LIGHTHOUSE. Later, back on dry LAND, they play a hoopla GAME.
You sign:
- Chair lift
- Lighthouse
- Game
- Chocolate
Signing tips:
- Although you might already know the signs for chair, light and house (or home), Justin uses signs which are specific to these contexts. It's tempting to think that such signs are of limited use, but if you live near a noticeable feature like a lighthouse or chair lift, your child will probably want to talk about them. My little boy is far more interested in exciting things like the trains and boats near our house, than asking for his nappy to be changed!
- To sign GAME, notice how Justin uses the sign for the letter G, then swaps his fists around. To sign Grandma in our family we sign G G, with the right fist on top each time.
- The sign Justin uses for DRY LAND, might be more familiar to you as PARK or GARDEN.
Mr Tumble is also BY THE SEA with Grandad Tumble and Aunt Polly. Mr Tumble dresses up as a PIRATE and tries to follow a TREASURE MAP but says, I CAN'T FIND THE TREASURE. He follows the map to Grandad Tumble who helps him by giving him a SPADE, even though Mr Tumble has just accidentally tripped over his SANDCASTLE. Mr Tumble can't guess what the spade is for, and Grandad Tumble tells him to WAIT AND SEE. Mr Tumble is even more mystified when Aunt Polly gives him a KEY. Aunt Polly finishes her CHOCOLATE CAKE and goes PADDLING IN THE SEA while Mr Tumble uses his TELESCOPE to find the palm tree marking the spot where the treasure is hidden: a chest full of CHOCOLATE coins – yippee!
Justin also signs:
- READY
- THROW
- HOOP
- ONE MORE HOOP
- WISH ME LUCK
- HURRAY
- WE'VE WON A PRIZE.
Other signs used today include SORRY and OK.
Best bits:
- When they are going down to the beach in the chair lift, Justin says, “Violet's having such a lovely time, she doesn't want to get off.” Violet's face tells a very different story!
- We see Aunt Polly very daintily insert a whole piece of chocolate cake in her mouth at once.
More Tumble-by-the-sea
- In the episode called Park from series 6 (2010, not yet available on DVD), Mr Tumble starts the episode sitting on the beach. He uses binoculars to look for a sailing boat so he can go out to sea.
- Series 2 features an episode called Holiday where Mr Tumble has gone to the seaside at the wrong time of year and struggles to keep warm. (This episode doesn't seem to be available on DVD.)
What next?
- Practise the signs in these episodes by hiding some items in your sandpit. You might not have a real crab handy, so a picture of one will still be good enough for a fun game of hide and seek.
- Make your own hoopla game: use a few empty plastic bottles, or a few tin cans of food (they will be more stable if they still have their contents in). Cut some rings out of card with a central hole at least an inch or two wider than the widest jar or bottle. Children might enjoy painting the rings before starting the game.
- Draw a simple map of your living room or garden, with a trail that children have to follow to find their own buried treasure. This also works with tinies if you give verbal instructions (supported by signs if possible) instead: “Where's Teddy? Look under the chair. Now look behind the curtains.”
