Hey there. After reading a thread on this site, I learned of Studies Weekly. I am now considering a subscription for 2nd grade math & 2nd grade Spanish science. I'd appreciate any current/past subscribers' opinions on this resource. I'd be using it as part of after-schooling....as a supplement to my child's public school education. Many thanks in advance.

Which Jim Weiss Shakespeare CD do you have? To my knowledge there are 2 & we have both. I have paired A Midsummer Night's Dream With Bruce Coville's picture book (same title name). With The Taming of the Shrew I use Saddleback's Illustrated Classics. I used this same book series with Julius Caesar. I paired Romeo & Juliet with Lois Burdett's book of the same name. My daughter's 6 & appreciates the heavily illustrated versions of these works. Since she's still so young she also likes Usborne's Shakespeare sticker book, a Globe Theater finger puppet theater, & Dover's Great Scenes from Shakespeare's Plays coloring book (along with [perhaps] their Mid-Summer's stained glass coloring book). We are just beginning our journey through Shakespeare's world & my approach is light-hearted & fun. We are lucky to be near DC's Folger's Theater & have participated in their children's programs. She's also seen a crazy-good acrobatic & wordless production of A Mid-Summer. My goal is really just exposure to & a love for.....well....his stories. After all, at age 6, that's mostly what they are to her. At this point, I simply want her to become familiar with his works & appreciate them holistically (if that makes sense). She can mature in her appreciation of the various 'layers' of Shakespeare as she herself grows & moves through childhood. Another way we keep things going is through a Shakespeare Quotes notebook we compile. As we read more works, it gets longer. I ask her which lines 'speak to her' from a play &/or I chose some myself. This way we have a sort of running record of Shakespeare's works & can refer to important lines (discuss them, etc.). While speeding around the house, she's been known to say, ' I go, I go. Look how I go. Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.' Too cute, if you ask me. I love how she memorizes & can transfer these lines to new situations--all through child's play. I got this idea from Ken Ludwig's book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare. He suggested having kids memorize lines & I added the quotes journal aspect. As you can tell, it's been a success thus far. Also, not for nothing & totally as an aside I got her a cute T-shirt that says 'Though she be but little she is fierce' (from Etsy). She wears it proudly, knows the reference, & (although it sums her up quite rightly) leans on this saying to propel her forward when needed. To me, THAT's a darn-tooting killer way to pay homage to & live by Shakespeare's wisdom.

I don't have any suggestions but would like to follow this thread as I have a science-loving youngster who's also fond of audiobooks.

Thanks! The 1st title you mentioned looks promising--something my daughter could really get in to! I'll also check out the other books. Love it!

Yes, we enjoy that version of Charlotte's Web! Thanks for the other title--dragons are a passion around here.

She does read daily & I also read aloud to her (The Secret Zoo is our current one). I agree a 7 year old needs to flex her reading muscles & she does regularly. However, I was asking about her free play time. She enjoys listening to music & stories while she engages in play. Even Classical Kids CDs (i.e., Beethoven Lives Upstairs) are beloved in our house. Since we go through a lot of audiobooks I'm always on the hunt for more to add to our revolving collection.

Howdy. I'm trying to amass a list of engaging audiobooks for my 7 year old. She's recently become enamored with having 'alone' time in her room & that generally means playing while listening to CDs so I figured I'd add a few more titles into the mix. She loves action stories & has recently been interested in mysteries. Any suggestions?

Not to derail this thread but i'd like to hear what helped those with 7 year old beginners to practice between lessons. I'm soon enrolling my daughter in piano lessons & want to head off some resistance by putting a system in place. Anything work for you folks?

Thanks for the ideas! We have a Geo Board--what could she constructively do with it by herself? I'm interested in this option but need ideas on how she could use it independently.

With a new school year quickly approaching, I've come back to this thread for renewed inspiration. I took a lot of other posters' advice & have a decent amount of ideas & activities but I'd still like to add to the list. The sticker book & drawing materials were her favored choices. Also, she liked a scratch pad w/ stylus--where the stylus reveals colors under the black top layer. She has a growing collection of Shopkins so that may be a pre-school day option too. Hmmm, what else?

Honestly, I read aloud novels I believe would strike my adventure-loving daughter's fancy. She loves action so my audience's taste are paramount when selecting titles. 'Classic' children's titles are next on my list--like Charlotte's Web, Pippi, Robin Hood, etc. I also like thematic read alouds & try to align them with what's happening on the calendar--Sleepy Hollow during Halloween, Peter Rabbit at Easter, etc. If I know we'll see a live performance, we read the story beforehand. I also read stories I loved as a child with the aim of cross-generational appreciation & connection. Audiobooks also afford her exposure to works we just cannot get to fast enough or allow her to listen repeatedly to past selections. Although I keep her interests in the forefront, I nonetheless want a balanced diet of read alouds so I aim for a variety of genres. I also am OK with ditching a book if it's just not igniting her fire. On the other hand, I am willing to re-read books when requested. For me, this is a sacred childhood activity & while I'm interested in producing a well-read child, my ultimate goal is creating family intimacy that only books can afford.

Count backwards (& then backwards by 2s, etc.). Count negative numbers. Talk about even/odd #s. Compare #s (which is greater,etc.). Teach tally marks (& possibly Roman numerals). Count up/down from a random # (i.e., 75). Teach # palindromes. Talk about how many digits a # has (& possibly what they represent--tens, ones, etc.). I.D. #s on flashcards--how fast can you identify 5 random number cards?; put these 5 random # cards in ascending/descending order. Teach the number line. Connect the dots (& modify new ones by connecting by 5s, etc.). Play # Bingo. Count, group, & compare objects. Have a #s 'seek & find' with the weekly supermarket flyer (or even in the grocer's). Fill in missing #s in a sequence (i.e., 21, 22, ....., 24). Have an estimation jar (under 10 objects is an appropriate starting point). When my daughter was that age, she was enamored with numbers & constantly asked ?s about them so I had to fuel her curiosity with all these aforementioned activities (& countless others I've since forgotten). Pinterest was helpful for additional ideas. While rote counting is important, I think the more important thing is becoming comfortable with numbers & learning to manipulate them. Since #s are everywhere, get creative & have fun!

Someone asked to give input regarding plans & what's actually taken place. Well, for us the travel's about to come to an end & I'm glad for the experiences it's afforded us. Although it's been a month of foreign experiences I've still managed to read aloud an entire novel--score!!--which was a summer goal (& hopefully sets the stage for future abundant read alouds). My daughter's heard & spoken tons more French but I've yet to make progress with her French literacy. Also, I haven't made any head way with arithmetic fluency. Soooo...those'll be my 2 areas of focus in August, for the remaining 3 weeks of break. Between that, swim & science it should prove an enriching 2nd half of summer break. Here's to setting goals....& hopefully reaching them!

I am raising my daughter with Spanish too. As someone 'in the trenches' I'd suggest to just start speaking to your kids in Spanish as much as possible. We balance our time between Spanish & French (English too--sigh--too much so, in my opinion) & need to be cognizant of giving each language (semi-) equal voice in our house. I'm not going to lie--it's a juggling act (that's yet to be mastered). However, I try to be quasi-organized about it & have designated times when a language is spoken. Bath time, read alouds, iPad apps, DVDs, & car CDs are examples that are all 'minority' language times. My 6 year old has a penchant for English (no surprise there) & so we oftentimes communicate with bilingual conversations (me = Spanish/French; her = English). Her comprehension is excellent & she does produce in the minority language. However, I'd love to see her burst out & just start speaking fluently in Spanish & French one day but I'm not sure that'll ever happen. What I DO know is that 1) I'm more 'stubborn' than her & can persevere (in my quest for a trilingual child) & 2) kids change as they grow so what is (partial) resistance today may turn into a lifelong passion for languages later. The latter's not possible without the former--commitment on our part is crucial to seeing things through her childhood. So, I guess this is my long-winded way of saying 'Go for it!' because your kids will ALWAYS be able to linguistically build on what you provide them today.

I love the Wiz Of Oz read by Brooke Shields. She did a great job with the various voices!

Thanks for these ideas. Writing with my rising 2nd grader is on my 'to-do' list this upcoming school year & reminders of using graphic organizers is quite helpful.

Thanks so much for this info! Good to know!

Hmm, continuing to think about this....& wonder if there's a non-fiction (type) subscription box I can get....full of resources on a theme--readings, activities, etc. Hmmmm....

I'm re-visiting this thread to remind myself of the great ideas it contains. Also, why not verbal analogies (A is to B as C is to D)? Or trying to figure out how 2-3 things are related. Me likey....

I really like the math rule game you mentioned. I'll try it tomorrow on our next outing & see how it goes. Thanks!

I'm familiar with this series of books & used to read them earlier in her chilhood so I'd know what to anticipate. I haven't read one in quite a while so it just may be time to brush up on my child development knowledge. Good idea!

Hmm, I never even thought of pulling in some 'sanctioned' arguments & logic topics. That just might help. Thanks!

Thanks so much. I'll check it out now....

Yup, we have started the self-selection of library books. It's funny because she oftentimes gravitates towards already read titles--hee hee! But you're right, her picks have led to going down some interesting rabbit holes. I guess I'm looking for topics she wouldn't necessarily think of herself (or that wouldn't be prominently displayed on a book cover)--things that'd blow a (nearly) 7 year old's mind. Just ideas to further expand her horizons., know what I mean? Hmmm....

Cool, good ideas. What's 'Coursera' though? Is it a DVD series or online or what? I'm curious....