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TeachingMyTwo

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  1. Re: Master Reader-- they just rebranded it as the "Hooked on Phonics Pro" app. I find the app is more varied than the software and therefore more engaging, but I still like the feel of a book in my hand versus the ebooks that come on the app. They are the exact same as the chapter books in the Master Reader kit but the illustrations are in color. It was free for a day, now it's $20 I think.
  2. The K level has cute songs, levels 1 & 2 do not. Like the Big Pig song which you can find on youtube. There is a song like that for all of the short vowels IIRC. The description and example of the words cycling through was right on. Waterdreamer uses this app now with her son and I think she said that it's the same thing as the DVD's (videos, words cycling through, etc) but it has the added feature of being interactive versus the DVD being "broadcast" only. Master Reader, designed for 6-8 year olds, was rebranded and recently turned into an app as well (Hooked on Phonics Reading Pro). It was free when it was first released a month or two ago but now it is $20. It is however a pretty big jump IMO from the second grade sounding out exercises and short stories to the page length Master Reader/Reading Pro stories and chapter books. In short, I think they have a great quality reading program and maybe just invest in one level at a time to make it more affordable. If they had the Learning to Read app versus just the workbooks and dvd's a few years ago, I would have gone for the app for sure.
  3. The preschool prep series is amazing, particularly for YOUNG early readers. They have a whole line of DVDs, books, flascards, apps, workbooks, etc. The words are in nice bold print on the opposite side of the page from the illustration and they have both phonetic readers and sight words readers. See if your library carries this set. The hooked on phonics learn to read apps are great as well. We had the workbooks and dvd's when DD was 2 and she would beg "Mama do phonics?!" which was pretty much the cutest thing in the world. :) Since she could not write yet, we just colored the words and used the workbook like a coloring book. I would fill in all the answers and we would take turns reading/sounding out if she wanted and then coloring over my writing. You can check out BrillKids Little Reader (software for computer or tablet)or www.readingbear.com which is totally free. Brillkids early readers are great, huge print and pictures on the opposite side of the page but they are a bit thin. All the stories are on the software, too, so you can read them that way if your child is a page ripper. Really, I would just show him a ton of literacy based DVDs and youtube videos. -Readeez -Preschool Prep -Your baby can read/your child can read (which introduces more phonics, blends, sentences, nursery rhymes etc). The Your Child can Discover series is excellent, too. You might have a tricky time finding these brand new while they are busy rebranding after rediculous lawsuits. -My Montessori House (Make big words, Tough words) -A wide variety of ESL phonics videos on youtube- just make a playlist. The leapfrog TAG system was awesome for my daughter, she would occupy herself with it everynight before our reading together time. She learned to point word by word at about 2 or 2.5 years old. Anyway, all of these things are pretty much input, input, input. You don't even have to ask him to read anything (no pressure required). Just let him continue to absorb information in a literacy rich "immersion" environment and it will come bubbling over when he is ready.
  4. Showing her some great literacy based DVDs might be enough to help her crack the code- Leapfrog, My Montessori House, and Preschool Prep videos are all very well done. Check your local library and even Netflix for the leapfrog ones. You can even use youtube videos aimed at English as a Second Language students that do a lot of sounding out or www.readingbear.org if you want to be cheap. And of course there are tons of apps out there. Create a literacy immersion environment where she cannot HELP but learn. No pressure and tons and tons of exposure. Skywriters is an easy and efficient app that only allows the child to trace the letters in the correct order so they are not picking up bad habits. That doesn't help with proper grip, etc but it's a no-fuss way to reinforce stroke order which is one less thing to worry about when the pencil hits the paper. And FWIW, it's not too soon at all. I taught mine beginning from infancy through toddlerhood and it was so much simpler than I was expecting. We still work on skills and refining their pronunciation of very long words, but the investment up front paid off big time. Earlier is the way to go IMO, so go for it.
  5. Kerri how are things going with Alex at school? I put Lily in public K for similar reasons (she craves being around other kids but doesn't really know how to interact effectively.) They skipped her to first after a few weeks at their choosing (they did exactly SEVEN, yes a whopping SEVEN minutes of testing because that's how long it took her to complete their lousy "test" if you can even call it that). Even so, the work is still pretty pitiful and common core irritates me to no end. She is the strongest reader in the class by lightyears and is ahead in every subject at home but she would be toast in a second or third grade classroom socially so it's not like I can ask them to move her. :( She is getting *something* out of it so I am going to hang in there as long as we can and keep afterschooling on the side. I really needed the break after a lot of life stresses and multiple moves in a year, I am hoping to hang in there at least for one school year. She is not really challenged but enjoys it and really loves being with people. She has had a few social issues here and there with rude kids telling her to "go back to the kindergarten" or whatever because her nametag still said K and the school never thought to update it. >:[ but overall, it has expanded her horizons a bit in ways she needed. We'll reevaluate as we go. Just wondering how things are things are going on your end...
  6. The only catch on the ipad version is that not all of the areas of the carnival are accessible yet (still in development). To level up in problem solving, they cannot complete a grade until all of the areas of that grade level are complete, including the carnival. You can do those areas on the computer OR download a flash browser on your ipad and open the traditional desktop version from ipad. It does not work as well, but that is what we used before the ipad version came out. I adore dreambox. Since we only semi-homeschool for enrichment/preschool, I am pretty casual about it and like programs that track the children's progress for me. Dreambox is very independent overall (it gets easier/more difficult in response to the child's interactions), and since I am a lazy an efficient mom I like that a lot. :) We use dreambox and soroban apps as our "core" since the kids are young, barely turned 4 and 5 last month, and it works for us.
  7. Look into www.testingmom.com and compare prices. Their site includes BrainPop/BrainPopJr as one of the offered enrichment programs. If you get on their mailing list she regularly runs specials, you can stretch your money by getting a lot more materials than just brainpop.
  8. Yep, I agree. I would absolutely start with the keyboard. It's what we did while I was waiting for the "perfect" used dp to show up on Craigslist. Dh got tired of waiting and bought a keyboard in the meantime. It was a great first step until we could get something else, it was fine for starting out. So they spent all that time learning, versus doing nothing until I could find what I wanted. My only regret was not buying *something* sooner! I didn't look at the model you are looking at, but I wanted to say that I started my kids young while they were still building finger strength (not yet writing fluently, etc) so the difference in the weighted keys was probably exaggerated in our situation on account of their age. With an older child, it would be less of a difference I think.
  9. I respectfully disagree with this statement. There are many programs out there that successfully teach absolute/perfect pitch to young children. I don't expect you to read through or look at every single link below, but the idea that perfect pitch cannot be taught to young children is misinformation. It simply does not help a child's ears to play on an out of tune piano and it is detrimental to them acquiring perfect pitch. I am not trying to hijack this thread, but it is absolutely possible to develop a child's ears in this manner. 1. The Taneda Method out of Germany (marketed as We Hear and Play in the US) has a near 100% success rating their school. A friend of mine recently called over and spoke with their Director personally. This school has been open for several decades now. 2. The Eguchi Method is one of the most highly regarded pitch training programs in the world. They are based out of Japan and have successfully trained thousands of children with the flag/chord method. http://www.washingto...009072602370��� http://www.ichionkai...rfect pitch.htm 3. Shichida Academy schools in Japan, New York, and Hawaii teach it as part of their right brain education enrichment program. Here's a youtube video of one of their music classes. http://youtu.be/UZtgDrctX-0?t=3m12s 4. Brainin Method out of Russia 5. I taught my kids primarily with BrillKids Little Musician. It took them between 8 months and a year to recognize all of the white keys, my daughter has even correctly identified the pitch of a car alarm. My kids did not have absolute pitch when we started. I know this because I would play M & M testing games every other month to see how their ears were developing (they were rewarded simply for trying, not just for correct answers). But for many months, they didn't get a single note correct. 6. Right Brain Kids teaches it with DVD's and the most reputable brand of tuning forks on the market. A mom that I spoke with said it took her daughter just a couple months to develop her ears with tuning forks. http://store.rightbr...mart/Itemid,26/ 7. Musician Bonnie Tevelde in California is unveiling a new program shortly that will be available for at-home learning (video based), but she has already successfully taught Perfect pitch to over 250 kids through her school, including at some preschools, I believe. The TAP program will not be available to the public though until her patents are finalized, which should be any time now. http://www.thetapmethod.com/ 8. Professor Diane Deutsch at the University of California stresses the importance of starting early to be successful. She even says that just putting fun stickers on the keys can be enough for a very small child to pick it up. http://www.wired.com...-perfect-pitch/ 9. Some parents are also reporting success with Soft Mozart piano software Two more supporting articles can be found here: http://www.apa.org/m...eb05/pitch.aspx & http://www.perfectpitch.com/suzuki.htm . The first article addresses two very important facts- 1) all babies have and use absolute pitch during early speech development and 2) Absolute Pitch is far more common in Asian countries that have tonal languages. It is inherently trained as part of learning the rise and fall of spoken words. Keep an open mind! I urge interested parents to slap some stickers on a properly tuned instrument and give it a shot!
  10. I would probably attempt to use it without making permanent changes that would affect resale value. A space heater would help keep it warm, and they are fairly safe now days from what I understand. Foam and a big piece of carpet on the floor, etc.
  11. For children to develop perfect pitch skills, they NEED a piano that is in tune. This is why I went with a basic, older model Clavinova. Digital pianos do not need tuning and it is vital for my children's ears that the piano is constantly, consistently in tune. You can also hook a digital up to headphones or learning software programs. It took about 8 months for my DD to develop perfect pitch and around a year for my son. We did a variety of things, but without a properly tuned piano the idea is hopeless. I also liked the clavinova for the weighted keys and the fact that it's the same kind used at her group piano lessons. I eyed them on craigslist for months, and finally was able to get one for $150 (it even has pedals!) On a regular basis, they were posted for between $300-1000+ depending on the model. We also have a tabletop keyboard (which I ironically paid $200 new at the store) and the unweighted keys feel nothing like the clavinova. They are so flimsy and plastic, but I had no idea until I had something to compare it to. The small keyboard is nice to have when both kids practice at the same time and it's easier for a very young child to learn on, but DD had a bit of a tricky time transitioning to the weighted keys when we got the new one. It took a little time to build the finger strength. I see no reason not to buy on craigslist. People unload pianos that are collecting dust all the time. There are programs that alert you when the item you are searching for is posted on CL based on your keywords (piano, keyboard, clavinova, whatever.) I called around to various piano shops and yamaha clavinova was the same answer I got again and again, and one of the salespeople even told me that if it came down to it, buy higher quality USED than brand new junk. It would serve us better, longer. I am sure one day we will upgrade to something acoustic and much nicer when the kids are in junior high or something, and when we can afford regular tuning, but right now I am very pleased with what we have. ETA: Roland was also recommended several times as a reputable brand.
  12. Go watch The Cartel on netflix to get an eye opening look on where tax payer money goes. I was shocked to see some of the things in that film.
  13. We enrolled DD in Yamaha lessons last June, but supplement at home with software (discussed here- http://forums.welltr...r-younger-kids/). Both of these songs at this link were learned through Soft Mozart, so yes, it does work with young children, and you can see that see does not look at the keys because of it (she is really slouching in this clip, not sure why?). We toyed with Piano Marvel for a bit but I am going to wait until the kids are just a bit older. You will also be able to find more info about beginning piano lessons here: http://forums.welltr...c-music-theory/ A friend of mine used the Suzie's Piano DVD informally with her son. He just started piano lessons about 2 weeks ago and skipped an ENTIRE BOOK because of Suzie's Piano Primer. He was able to just start playing! So cool.
  14. This is obviously an OLD post, but I wanted to ask how things went for your family in learning the Japanese abacus? We are just now getting started with it.
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