Hi, luckymomr:
We got many parents asking questions like yours, and we meant to write instructions for a while. Now, we finally did it (thanks to you) and it will be posted on our website. But for now, I will post the entirety here for your reference. It is a bit long, but very helpful. Enjoy!
Wennie
www.rightbrainkids.com-------------------------------------
Dear Parents,
Welcome to TweedleWink DVD Learning Series!
Your child is unique and special. This DVD series is designed to give rich audiovisual input information while your child’s mind is in it’s most receptive, absorbent right brain state. We believe that anything given to a child during this time of life —information cards, classical music, world languages, and most importantly, your unconditional love—will create neural connections that are foundational for lifelong intelligence and emotional wellbeing.
Each lesson is carefully designed.
Gentle pace— When we present flashcards, we give them at a rate of about 1 second per card. This rate is gentle to the body—specifically, the heart, brain and central nervous system.
Short and sweet— Each DVD lesson is less than 8 minutes long. These lessons are designed for busy parents who do not have time to make or give physical flashcards with various subjects.
Quick TV exposure— 8 minutes. That’s all. The rest of the day should be full of fun activities and loving interaction with your child. PLEASE NOTE: We do ask that parents use a flat screen television when viewing the DVD lessons. If you have a large screen TV, that is better yet. The larger the screen, the more the images and text will stretch to a size ideal for a child’s developing vision. (Some pictures may be slightly pixilated.)
15,000 cards from start to finish—The complete DVD program contains 48 weeks of flashcard lessons.
Use alone or with the full TweedleWink program—The information contained in these DVDs is enough to create an effective early learning program for your child. They build pathways in the brain vital for lifelong ease in learning. But for parents who want more, they can also be used in conjunction with the other techniques for a larger, fuller program. TweedleWink books and courses are available for stay-at-home moms or daycares and preschools.
We hope that you enjoy and benefit from our program.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some pointers to help you get started…
Q: WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A TWEEDLEWINK DVD LESSON?
We include the following...
• Affirmations—to imprint the message that your child is well-loved
• Visual Tracking—to stimulate eye movement
• Art—to see life creatively through an artist’s perspective
• Science—to absorb basic concepts of biology, chemistry, astronomy, zoology, etc.
• Cultures—to create an awareness and connection to people around the world
• Speed Reading Readiness—to keep the right brain quick intake of text open and active
• Perfect Pitch—to introduce the specific musical frequencies to the brain
• Vocabulary Builders—to expand neurological links in the brain with pictures and words
• Math—to expose a child to math quantities, geometric patterns and equations
• Phonics—to input the basic English sound syllables for reading confidence
• Word Building—to teach children how words are formed
• Whole Words—to encourage early word recognition
• Visual Stimulation—to nourish the eyes with strong color and black-and-white contrast
• Poetry —to enhance the auditory pathway with rich samples of the spoken word
• Alpha Wave Music—to bring the brain into the receptive alpha wave state
Q. HOW DO I SHOW FLASHCARDS TO MY CHILD?
There are two schools of thought with flashcard presentation: Japanese right brain experts believe images only need to be shown 1 time in order for the subconscious right brain to record it. American flashcard pioneer Glenn Doman believes in showing the images 3 times a day, 5 days a week. They are both correct in a sense. The right brain works like a camera and does not need repeated input. However, children need nourishment for both sides of the brain--right and left--and the left brain needs repetition. Our research shows that average 1-3 times is sufficient – it satisfies the right brain, and it also doesn't overly stimulate the left brain.
So, for really busy parents, show one lesson a week, 1-3 times depending on the child, say Monday, Wednesday and Friday when your child is well fed and happy. For parents with more time, show one lesson 1-3 times a day, and start a new lesson the next day. (For that reason, we are putting our energy on getting all of the remaining lesson DVDs out as quickly as we can! :-)
For gentle timing, we counsel parents to watch their child's reactions. Having used both Doman and Japanese programs in our school over the years, we have seen firsthand that children can be over-stimulated. This is a concern for us, as parents and teachers. So we hesitate to set out a predesigned, one-size-fits-all schedule. Every child is unique and has a different threshold for stimulation.
On the back of your DVD, it reads…
View each lesson with your child 1-3 times before going to the next.
How you schedule these lessons depends upon you, your child and your family time.
Q: HOW LONG SHOULD THE OVERALL LESSON BE?
You don’t need a lot of time for lessons.
If you have 10-15 minutes, then play a DVD and follow it up with a fun activity, such as playing classical music or a world language while crawling together (great brain booster).
If you have more time, or want to add variety add any one of the 12 TweedleWink techniques, including teaching sign language, giving an infant massage, playing with phonics cards, reading a book together, singing a learning song, presenting a tuning fork, or any of the activities suggested in our free TweedleWink e-book. (
http://rightbrainkids.com/genius/)
Q: HOW OFTEN SHOULD I GIVE MY CHILD LESSONS?
Daily, weekly, the schedule is up to you— your work schedule, family responsibilities, and other factors. The key is to be flexible. Know that a little bit of early exposure to flashcards can go a long way and enhances the brain more than you know. For best results, follow your child’s reactions and let him/her set the pace.
OPTION A
Weekly: 1 lesson per week
Most working mothers follow this pace. Choose one day a week for lesson time with your child. Present the same lesson each time, unless your child looks disinterested. That’s your cue to go to the next lesson! Children DO HAVE RESULTS with once-a-week exposure to the flashcards. So, if this is all the time you have, please be at peace.
Lesson 1: Wed
Lesson 2: Wed
Lesson 3: Wed
Lesson 4: Wed
…etc.
OPTION B
Daily: 1 lesson per day
If you are an excited, at-home mother, like many of us, you might like to choose one time each day to show flashcards to your child. If you have more time, and see that your baby loves it, then increase the amount of lesson time to 2 times per day.
Lesson 1: Mon
Lesson 2: Tue
Lesson 3: Wed
Lesson 4: Thu
…etc.
OPTION C
Somewhere in-between: 2-3 lessons per week
If daily lessons are too much, and weekly lessons are not satisfying your child, then modify the schedule to your own needs.
Lesson 1: Mon/Wed/Fri
Lesson 2: Mon/Wed/Fri
Lesson 3: Mon/Wed/Fri
Lesson 4: Mon/Wed/Fri
…etc.
or
Lesson 1: Mon/Tue/Wed
Lesson 2: Thu/Fri/Sat
Lesson 3: Mon/Tue/Wed
Lesson 4: Thu/Fri/Sat
…etc.
or
Lesson 1: Mon/Tue
Lesson 2: Wed/Thu
Lesson 3: Fri/Sat
Lesson 4: Mon/Tue
…etc.
Q: CAN I SUPPLEMENT THE DVD WITH PHYSICAL FLASHCARDS?
Definitely! Physical flash cards are wonderful because they can be spontaneously flashed any time, anywhere.
Q. SHOULD I REPEAT WHAT WAS SHOWN IN THE DVD?
If you give supplemental physical flash cards, you don't need to repeat the information. As we mentioned earlier, the right brain works like a camera and it does not need repetition. But if the same information is shown using different pictures to teach it, like the quantity "5" being shown as five apples and then 5 dots and then 5 frogs... then the child will remain interested and cheerful. In this case, it's okay.
Q. HOW DO I USE THE TWEEDLEWINK MULTIPLE LANGUAGE DVD?
This DVD includes basic words in six languages—French, Spanish, German, Russian, Japanese and English. It can be used at any time: as a part of a lesson or by itself. If part of a lesson, then choose just one language. If shown as a stand-alone DVD, then you can present more than one language at a time, depending upon your child’s interest.
When you present this DVD to your child, please begin by presenting your native language. Present all 6 flashcard sets: Numbers 1-10, Fruits/Vegetables, Transportation, Animals, Shapes and Colors. Play the next language as it fits within your lesson schedule.
Q. HOW DO I USE THE TWEEDLEWINK MATH AND PHONICS DVDS? DO THEY CONTAIN THE SAME INFORMATION AS THE LESSON DVDS?
Yes, there is some overlap. The Math and Phonics DVDs were made for a special purpose—to give parents the complete Phonics and Math program while waiting for the production of the complete 48-week TweedleWink DVD series. You see, each DVD takes several months of research and production to complete. At the beginning of 2009, we have produced 6 DVDs, which include weeks 1 to 24. Once the series is finished, we will no longer offer the Math and Phonics DVDs.
To use the Math and Phonics DVDs, once your child has seen TweedleWink DVD 1-6 (Lessons 1-24), please show these two DVDs together as a set during lesson time. This will expose your child to Math and Phonics up to Lesson 48.
Q. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO SUPPLEMENT THE DVD LESSON?
You can also use other tools, such as the matching cards and touch cards to review what the child has learned from the DVD lessons. However, if you are just starting out and learning about early education while navigating the ins and outs of having a new baby, please don’t stress too much over that. At this time, it is more important to provide a rich, loving environment to help the brain make maximum connections.
The TweedleWink program can be short and sweet, or can fill the whole day.
There are different levels of interests and commitments. That is why we have products for children to use, and the training for parents to take.
TweedleWink DVD
~ Some parents do not have time to teach their children, but know it is important during the early years. For them, the DVDs are invaluable. We teach that all stimulation should be based on your child and your unique family lifestyle.
If you want to show your child one lesson per week, one lesson per day, one time a day or three times a day it all depends on you. Our program is not rigid like others -- instead we are based on Dr. Maria Montessori's philosophy which is "follow the child."
Parents are encouraged to tune in to their child's individual needs and daily learning-resting-playing-sleeping-eating-bonding cycles. Every child is unique and different. There is no one program that fits all.
TweedleWink Hands-on Lessons
~ Some parents want to learn more. Our on-line TweedleWink courses are designed to help you master the technical side of TweedleWink, which is relatively easy. There are 12 techniques. In the course, we talk about loving relationships, how to flash cards, when to flash and what to flash, how to play games and what games to play at each stage of your child’s development.
TweedleWink Classes
~ Some parents are so excited that they want to teach other children as well. For parents and teachers who approach us for training, we say “Welcome to the family!” Certification for TweedleWink teachers is a combination of on-line and live classes.
There are many levels of interest in our early education program.
But, please be at ease.
The bottom line is that if you do nothing but expose your child to the DVD lessons, foreign languages, classical music and spend some quality time with your child everyday—just talking, playing and loving him/her—you will have set up a solid foundation for life.
Digg
