Hi All,
The Library has been my best friend and I borrowed books and DVDs to teach signing. I also used YouTube. There's a great bunch of videos by SmartHandsCA that show her and her baby signing. I learned so many signs from her since they were convenient and cute to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/v/7gSZfW4gVhI&rel=1Since I wasn't trying to actually get him fluent in ASL, I used ASL as a guide along with taking cues from my son. We signed 'bug' 'diaper change' 'stinky' 'nite-nite' & 'I love you' based on my son's cues, not ASL. Most other words were ASL based. I ended up teaching him about 55 words in sign. My son was a very early talker and speaks quite clearly for a 20month old. Yet I'm still so happy he knows sign. When he's very frustrated, it's can be difficult for him to get the word out, so he may quickly do a sign to tell me what he wants.
Here were some of the signs we taught:
All Done
More
Eat
Please
Sorry
Thank you
Nite-Nite
Simple Foods (cheese, cheerios, fish, cereal, cracker, apple, banana)
Drink
Milk
Hat (He would tell me everytime he saw someone with a hat (or a baby!) anytime we were out. It was so much fun to see what he was observing!)
Baby (Same thing as hat!)
Daddy
Mommy (funny story about this. I tried to teach him the ASL sign. During this time I was also teaching him that my name was Mommy. So I would put my hand on my chest and say "Mommy", then point to him and say "Your name is Jonathan". My son started using his Hand on his chest as the sign for Mommy. HA!)
Bath
Cold (used the sign for cold followed by the sign for milk to differentiate between Cow Milk and Mommy Milk)
Diaper Change
Hurt
Help (one of the best signs I taught him!)
Then things he liked around the house and outside (light, ceiling fan, tree, book, bird, various animals etc)
I honestly believe that my constant talking to my son and teaching him signs are directly related to his early talking and large vocabulary. I think that early signing taught him very early that things had names and he could communicate by using them. Best of luck to you in your teaching!