Thank you so much! I will certainly keep in mind your advice about doing math in one language. Christina

I can't believe that I had never thought about reading selections in English and then having discussions in Spanish. :lol: So simple, thank you for the suggestion. Christina

So, I am thinking a little bit ahead for my young dd, but I was wondering what you did for your bilingual children when teaching subjects. Some background: My dh is from Colombia so he is the spanish speaker while I am the english speaking American. We try to go to Colombia twice a year and have his parents visit once a year so that my dd has the immersion experience. I am slowly expanding my spanish abilities at the same time. Now, what to do when we are playing math games and eventually starting to do history and all that other stuff. Do you alternate the language you instruct in or do you tend to pick a time of the day for each language? Math: should be simple to alternate Language Arts: how do you do schedule this for multiple languages? History: I could do Latin American/Colombian history from books we pick up down there. Science: I already have some books in spanish. I have just started thinking about this and don't know if there is a *better* way. Thanks for any input. Christina

Well, FWIW I think that if your son is not writing down the sums of the ones column and then going to the tens column, then he is fine. Looking at a problem and doing the addition in your head is still mental math in my book. Later on he will be able to remember the problem in his head as well. Christina

I was a biochem major a while ago and this is what I remember. Chemistry: quite a bit of math, especially more advanced level chem classes like analytical and physical chem Biology/Zoology: not so much - basic statistics should suffice for lower level biology, upper level had some more math but still not a whole lot Christina

I believe that I have read somewhere that people need to be exposed to their target language for about 2 hours/day to become fluent. Sitting in a high school spanish class probably does not meet this criteria.

Speaking as a docent...you will get more out of your experience and usually can cover the highlights quicker than if your were to go alone. If you are the only ones in your tour, feel free to let the docent know what you are hoping to get out of the experience. Also, let them know (briefly) what you have and have not covered in your studies. I have found that if I'm aware that the children know alot about the subject then I can throw in the fun facts and expand on their previous knowledge. If I know that they have very little experience, then I do more of an educational tour with them. HTH, Christina

Hi Bill, I just checked out Rainbow Resource and I see that they have different sets of Cuisenaire rods: "normal", connecting, and wooden. Which do you suggest using? Thanks for your help, Christina

Since your children are relatively young, then I would consider skipping the Capitol since it is a relatively long tour with not much interest for little ones and the US Mint is not worth the wait IMO. If you go during a busy time, then you can skip the Washington Monument and see some great views from the tower at the Old Post Office Pavilion. I would personally recommend: 1. The zoo (unless you already visit a great zoo frequently). The zoo is undergoing major renovations, but it still has tons to offer. The tip about getting on and off at different Metro stops is definitely the way to go. 2. Natual history museum - this can be very crowded so figure out what you really want to see. The rock and gem gallery is great and they have a very good insect area. 3. American History Museum - I haven't been after the major renovation (will probably go this spring), but they have such a mix of things that there will be something worth seeing 4. National Archives - this stop is usually left out by most, but it doesn't take long to see our most impressive documents What to skip: Spy museum (interesting for older children), aquarium (even newly renovated it is still bad), Holocaust museum (for older children), Air & Space (unless your dc love rockets and planes), Hirshhorn museum (modern art - good if your children appreciate that), Arlington cemetary (lots of walking, little to see), Newseum What to consider: Botanical gardens (can be combined with walking by the Capitol and the American Indian museum), American Indian museum (can be done quickly and they have interesting food in the cafeteria), National Gallery of Art (this has 2 wings to it so definitely decided what you want to see before you go), Iwo Jima (have the changing of the guard ceremony - I forget which day), FDR memorial, Lincoln memorial, WWII memorial (the Lincoln, WWII, and Jefferson memorials are not super close to metro stops) Eating in the museums can be expensive, but if you go to Metro Center, Old Post Office Pavillion, or even Union Station, then you can find cheaper food. Let me know if you have questions regarding specific attractions. Christina

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been looking at various spanish programs that have been recommended on this board, but I haven't found one that addresses the needs of a native speaker. Most of the programs are for children who have not heard the target language before (make sense?) and that is a little frustrating. matroyshka - Is there any particular order that you introduced the sounds in spanish? I was thinking that we would do the vowels first, but then after that I didn't know if there was a "better" order in which to introduce the consonants. Also, how do you keep up all 3 languages? I have read somewhere that children need to hear a language for about 2 hours every day to retain perfect fluency. Thanks so much, Christina

Hi everyone, I have a little dd who is growing up in a spanish/english household. I am trying to plan ahead for learning to read materials and have a few questions. Hopefully, someone has been through this before because I am clueless. My husband (the native spanish speaker) only has a limited amount of time after work to spend with her so I speak some spanish with her as well. Most likely, I will be doing the majority of reading instruction. 1. Should I introduce learning to read simultaneously in both languages? 2. Is there a program for teaching children to read spansih (like phoncs for spanish)? I am wondering if certain letters/combinations are introduced first. 3. At what point would it be advisable to introduce a third language? I am thinking of doing either Latin or German (family ties). Thanks for any help that you can provide. Christina

I am assuming this is how your experiment went since I have not seen this myself, but have done something similar. You ground up the peas to get rid of the shells. However, the DNA is still incapsulated inside a membrane. Hence, the need for detergent. With the addition of a detergent, you now have "freed" the DNA from the membrane, but the DNA is still in a highly ordered fashion (coiled and wrapped around the histones). At this point you then add an enzyme solution (maybe meat tenderizer) to rid the DNA of these proteins. You can then extract the DNA from a non-aqueous layer. I think your main question is: why can we now see the DNA? Answer: DNA is "ordered" in the nucleus by the histones. The wrapping of the DNA around these proteins allows for a systematic method for the DNA to be packaged and utilized while in the nucleus. The role of histones is quite fascinating, but I will leave that up to you to research. After dislodging these histones and freeing the proteins, the DNA clumps together (which is what would happen in the nucleus without these wonderful proteins) since DNA is not neutral. This phenomenon is not limited to peas. The reason you can easily see the DNA is due to the amount of material that you started with. You could have easily used other vegetables, liver, chicken, etc. It is simply the quantity of genetic material that makes it possible to see these DNA clumps. Note that your experiment pointed out what the length of DNA would be from a single human cell. HTH. Christina