Hi there. Just wondering if anyone can recommend a hands-on resource for teaching a 6 year old the metric system. Many thanks!

Hola. I'm looking for easily-accessible (from US) materials to teach my 5 year old Spanish phonics & beginning reading. I found & have Coquito but am looking for additional materials. Also, any leads on beginning readers? Muchas gracias...

Thanks so much for the additional ideas. I will definitely pull out the card & board games. I will also take out her math manipulatives--good call! Thanks!

Hi there. Next week I'm going back to work (after 6 years!) but my 5 year old's summer vacation isn't quite over--she has 2 weeks left. My Spanish-speaking elderly in-laws are going to watch her at home while my husband & I are at work. Thus far she's had an enriching & active summer but I'm concerned about her being home-bound & bored for 2 weeks. I am therefore asking for ideas with in-house, independent & (somewhat) educational activities a bright & nearly 6 year old girl can reasonably complete during the day. Here are my thoughts so far. My mother-in-law's Spanish will be enriching for my daughter (we're a bilingual family) & I'll leave out Spanish books to read together. I have several new audiobooks for her--she enjoys listening to stories (she'll be introduced to 'Little House' books & pioneer life during these 2 weeks). I also have a couple new movies she can watch & there's also her Ipad. I'll set up a few play dates with the neighbor's kid so she can 'get out' for a bit. I will also rotate some toys to entertain her. We have a craft box from which she can pull some projects & I can get a couple new ones from the craft store. I thought about giving her a worksheet or 2 to complete before my return. I'll also brainstorm with her ways to stay occupied. Any other ideas? While I'm grateful for their help, I am also concerned my in-laws won't have the needed energy to keep up with an active rising 1st grader. Nevertheless it's the childcare we have agreed upon & need to make the best of it. My husband & I will give her attention & take her out in the late afternoons & evenings (we've got a few post-work day activities planned) but I am totally open to additional ideas. Many thanks!

Hi. I'm new to this site & forum but have been reading posts for some time now. I have a young Kinder who is bored stiff of her teacher's readers. My kid is VERY quiet & cautious & she is a people pleaser. The teacher's a veteran, has 24 students & I' m sure she's pretty good at reaching most kids' needs. I'm just concerned she's not fully challenging mine. At home my daughter can read words like 'beautiful, Arctic, eucalyptus, courageous' but is given readers with too simple words (i.e. 'shell, mad, zoo'). Her comprehension is through the roof too. When I give her more challenging readers she has taken to them with gusto & has said 'I like this book b/c its words & ideas make me think'. I have approached the teacher before explaining my daughter's unique characteristics (quiet but bright) but don' t honestly feel heard. As you can probably tell I supplement her schoolwork but believe she should also be challenged there as well. I certainly don't want her to associate reading as mind-numbing--that's my main concern. Look, I'm also a veteran teacher & I get how hard it can be to reach all kids. But now it's my kid we're talking about & I have a vested interest in her outcome. I wonder if it's only fluency the teacher's looking for or perhaps it's the quick but loud kids that garner attention--there already are higher level readers in her class. Maybe she just believes a child nearly 1 year younger than her peers can't possibly rise to the 'lofty Kinder Core Curriculum' (her words, not mine). Ugggghhh!!! What do I do? We still have nearly 1/2 year left of Kinder & I feel I should broach the subject again but don' t want to seem like a 'my kid's a genius' parent. How do you politely yet firmly say' My child needs more challenge?' Any suggestions?

Hi. I'm new to this site & forum but have been reading posts for some time now. I have a young Kinder who is bored stiff of her teacher's readers. My kid is VERY quiet & cautious & she is a people pleaser. The teacher's a veteran, has 24 students & I' m sure she's pretty good at reaching most kids' needs. I'm just concerned she's not fully challenging mine. At home my daughter can read words like 'beautiful, Arctic, eucalyptus, courageous' but is given readers with too simple words (i.e. 'shell, mad, zoo'). Her comprehension is through the roof too. When I give her more challenging readers she has taken to them with gusto & has said 'I like this book b/c its words & ideas make me think'. I have approached the teacher before explaining my daughter's unique characteristics (quiet but bright) but don' t honestly feel heard. As you can probably tell I supplement her schoolwork but believe she should also be challenged there as well. I certainly don't want her to associate reading as mind-numbing--that's my main concern. Look, I'm also a veteran teacher & I get how hard it can be to reach all kids. But now it's my kid we're talking about & I have a vested interest in her outcome. I wonder if it's only fluency the teacher's looking for or perhaps it's the quick but loud kids that garner attention. Maybe she just believes a child nearly 1 year younger than her peers can't possibly rise to the 'lofty Kinder Core Curriculum' (her words, not mine). Ugggghhh!!! What do I do? We still have nearly 1/2 year left of Kinder & I feel I should broach the subject again but don' t want to seem like a 'my kid's a genius' parent. How do you politely yet firmly say' My child needs more challenge?' Any suggestions?