Category Archives: eCourses and Webinars

Add some signs to your springtime storytimes!

Photo of a white girl holding up a flower in a field. Text reads: Little Hands Signing Professional Development: Spring Signs. Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 12-1 PM Eastern/11 AM-12 PM Central/10-11 AM Mountain/9-10 AM Pacific, Webinar presented by Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S. Includes recording access. StoriesByHand.com/webinars.

Little Hands Signing in Storytime: Spring Signs

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 from 12-1 PM Eastern/11 AM-12 PM Central/10-11 AM Mountain/9-10 AM Pacific

Online session via Zoom (1 hour webinar). Includes recording access for 30 days.

Learn basic American Sign Language and extension activities to use in spring storytimes! Learn how to incorporate ASL into storytime songs, rhymes, and stories in a respectful and effective way. Certificate of completion available with successful completion of post-test.

Pricing:

  • Individual: 45.00 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live event)
  • Group rates available for groups of 10 or more. Contact info@storiesbyhand.com for more information.
  • Optional Add-on: Individualized video feedback: 25.00. Submit a video (up to 10 min) demonstrating your planned signing activities for storytime and receive individualized feedback on sign choices, production, and more from Kathy MacMillan via return video within 14 days. Must be used within 6 months of purchase.

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Registration now open for these popular ALA eCourses for Librarians and Educators!

Text reads: Ecourse: American Sign Language for Library Staff, Level 1, Ecourse: American Sign Language for Library Staff, Level 2, Ecourse: American Sign Language for Children in Storytime or the Classroom. With Kathy MacMillan. At the top, a brown-skinned man signs THANK-YOU in American Sign Language. At the bottom, a close-up photo of a light-skinned woman’s hands signing COLLABORATE in American Sign Language.

Registration is now open for upcoming sessions of my popular eCourses through the American Library Association!

Upcoming sessions:

American Sign Language for Library Staff, Level 1: 6-week ecourse begins May 4, 2026:This course will introduce basic American Sign Language vocabulary and grammar appropriate for use in a library setting and place that information within a linguistic and cultural context to aid participants in improving library services to patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing.

American Sign Language for Library Staff, Level 2: 6-week ecourse begins July 6, 2026: Designed to provide more in-depth learning, practice, and feedback, this course will use readings, multimedia resources, online discussion boards, and hands-on assignments to introduce more ASL vocabulary, grammar, and culture topics relevant to the library setting.

American Sign Language with Children in Storytime or in the Classroom: A Practical Guide: 6-week ecourse begins October 5, 2026: American Sign Language is most commonly used in storytimes for babies, but the applications can go much further. In this 6-week eCourse, MacMillan explores the benefits of signing with all children.  In addition to learning basic ASL vocabulary appropriate for use with children in library and classroom settings, you will also learn to teach stories, songs, and other activities that incorporate ASL.

Purchase all 3 courses as a bundle and save 20%!

All eCourses are asynchronous, meaning that you can work at your own pace, and use a combination of videos, readings, discussion forums, and interactive projects.


Past attendees say:

“This course has been invaluable to me. I have spent countless hours reviewing all of the videos, re-reading the lessons, and just generally trying to absorb as much knowledge as I could. The instructor was a gem in the way that she provided comprehensive answers to questions, feedback, tips and resources.”

“While I had taken ASL many years ago, this class has expanded my vocabulary and boosted my confidence in my abilities. I think it helped that this class specifically addressed situations I might encounter here at work.”

“This class was interesting, informative, and entertaining. It opened my eyes to a variety of ideas and concepts that can only make me a better librarian as well as a better person. I thought things were well organized and presented in an ordered and logical fashion, each lesson building on the one before.”

“One of the most well-organized and rewarding professional development courses I’ve taken.”

“Kathy is an amazing instructor. She made learning online very easy and comfortable. She replied quickly when students had questions and she responded with feedback with videos to help sign better.”

“I am amazed. It couldn’t have gone better. I came away learning many signs I can use and gained some helpful information for my storytimes.”

“The instructor was phenomenal, and I am already incorporating coursework into everyday interactions in the library. Everything in the course is relevant and beneficial.”

Register now!

Webinar Recordings Available for Purchase

Learn on your own schedule with these recorded webinars, available now!

You will receive recording access information by email within 24 hours of order. You will have access to the recording for 30 days.

For Writers

Text reads: So You Want to Publish a Book | A Webinar for Writers (On demand) | Presented by Kathy MacMillan, KathyMacMillan.com. A photo of a smiling white women with glasses and shoulder length brown hair appears next to the text. Images of an open notebook and someone writing on a laptop are in the background.Sale! $35.00  $20.00

You’ve got the idea, you’ve got the drive, and you’ve got the willingness to work to get your book in print. But where do you start? Kathy MacMillan, Compton Crook Award finalist and author of more than two dozen traditionally published fiction and nonfiction books for children, breaks down the bewildering world of publishing, from writing and revision to submission and publication and the realities of life after publication.

 

Storybuilding | An Online Workshop for Writers with Compton Crook Award Finalist
Kathy MacMillan. Words appear against a green painted background next to a photo of a smiling white woman with glasses and shoulder length brown hair, surrounded by her book covers: The Runaway Shirt (picture book), Nita’s First Signs and Nita’s Day (board books), She Spoke (children’s nonfiction), Sword and Verse and Dagger and Coin (young adult fiction).

Sale! $35.00  $20.00

No matter your genre, a rich palette of details brings the world of your story to life. Compton Crook Award Finalist and author of fiction and nonfiction for children, teens, and adults Kathy MacMillan shows how to focus on the specifics you need at each stage of the writing process to build your characters’ world without ever losing sight of the story at its heart.

 

Manuscript critiques and coaching calls also available!

 

For Librarians and Educators

Learn basic American Sign Language vocabulary and how to use it in storytime with these lively sessions that teach themed vocabulary while demonstrating storytime activities and best practices for signing with young children. Each webinar focuses on a vocabulary theme and follows a demo storytime with language and culture notes to help you present American Sign Language to hearing audiences in context. $35.00 per recording.

Colorful handprints line the top and bottom of the graphic. Text reads: Little Hands Signing Professional Development Webinar: Autumn Signs (On demand) Presented by Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S. | storiesbyhand.com    Colorful handprints line the top of the graphic. Under that is a photo of a White woman with light brown hair and glasses. Text reads: Little Hands Signing Professional Development Webinar: Winter Signs (On demand) Presented by Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S. | storiesbyhand.com    Colorful handprints line the top of the graphic. Under that is a photo of a White woman with light brown hair and glasses. Text reads: Little Hands Signing Professional Development Webinar: Spring Signs (On demand) Presented by Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S. | storiesbyhand.com    Colorful handprints line the top of the graphic. Under that is a photo of a White woman with light brown hair and glasses. Text reads: Little Hands Signing Professional Development Webinar: Summer Signs (On demand) Presented by Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S. | storiesbyhand.com

One-on-one coaching calls also available.

 


Upcoming live webinars open for registration.

Grant opportunity for MD schools, libraries, and nonprofits

I’m thrilled to announce that I have been accepted to the Maryland Teaching Artist Roster!  This means that Maryland schools, libraries, community centers, and nonprofit organizations can now access Arts in Education Grant funding from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) to bring me in for:

The best part is that it’s super easy to apply for grant funding!  Simply contact me to discuss a program or series that best meets your needs. Then I fill out the application, and all your site coordinator has to do sign off on the application (or provide a letter of support) and fill out a brief follow up evaluation after the program or workshop. Grant payments are made directly to the Teaching Artist from MSAC – so you don’t even have to handle any money.

Find out more about Arts in Education grants here or contact me to get started booking your grant-funded programs or workshops!