Hiya,

Just to confirm - when it says All you have to do is enable iaccess this means buy it? The shop refers to apple only, not android, so just making sure I'm doing the right thing.

Thanks

Thanks Cokers4Life and crunchynerd for your recommendations. I will check these out. I came across Mango Language on another site this week but dismissed as I couldn't get it from a library in the uk - as far as I could tell. But your recommendation has led me to consider buying it.

I think that not only is every child different but also every parent is different. there are things other parents do that I think are so great but they are not things I could implement successfully right away or sometimes ever! I found that setting clear boundaries worked for a while but then confiscating toys worked when she went through a phase of consciously choosing to disobey. It worked a treat at helped her become more conscious of the clock and time as I'd take it away for one hour, two hours or twenty four hours depending. She would be reminded to look at the clock and knew she had to wait for the long hand to be on whatever.

With confiscating toys I found it important to explain reasons or ask why this was happening. At first it was "because you are telling me off" but in time she was able to say "because I didn't listen" or whatever. It was interesting to me that it cannot be assumed that a child gets why a consequence has happened. Sometimes when they trip they may blame the floor not the fact that they were running. When they shouldn't have been. For example

Also, whatever works this month may not work in a couple of months so prepared to be flexible.

It's not about punishing a single behaviour. For me. It's about training a child to do right even when I'm not there. This can only come with discussion or understanding along with whatever methods of child training you use. In my opinion

That is so interesting. Particularly that they love school. My daughter has been asking to go since she was two. I have no idea why. I want to home school so this could be challenging! We watch little casual tv these days but I definitely could make better use of our time.  I don't drive but we do flash cards and reading when we're out and about - or try to!

I think the main hurdle is my own organisation and inconsistent motivation. However I've just assigned Mondays as French days as I notice we do better when we try to do just one or two things on a given day, rather than a bit of everything. I'm sure it will seep into other days and that's great but I think aiming for less and a broader routine will work for us. In fact her French group class is on another day. Exposure is probably paramount at this stage.

Thanks 

Yes. I suppose. Because of the minimal exposure she's had so far the French tutor was really impressed with how she pronounced the words. It also mmamt she was pretty confident entering the classes so that was good.
You're right...
I shall keep plugging :-)

How are you fitting all you do around school??

I am reluctantly thinking about how that (would rather homeschool)

Thank u

Hi ladies, how many of these languages do you speak yourselves?

Anthonymummy, what curricula are you using?

I think it is possible. Aim high. Good for you.

Korrale4kq -    that last bit made me laugh. Each to their own I suppose! 

I keep coming back to this thread to remind myself of the advice! 

MummyRoo, I have heard of but have not tried Muzzy because of mixed reviews. I just bought French Is Fun for about £15 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Serge-Cheeky-Monkey-Salut/dp/056352006X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368718554&sr=8-1&keywords=french+is+fun). It is supposed to have really old graphics too but the reviews were good. I think one said it was better than Muzzy so I thought I would try this first next week. We are also going to take a trip to France at some point too.

I love your idea about the Chinese Saturday school. I thought about it as there is one locally but am nervous about my daughter feeling out of place. I set the idea aside but then a few months ago we heard someone counting to four in lots of different languages and my DD keeps repeating the Chinese so it is on my mind again..... we shall see!

How is all your stuff going?? Have you joined any UK homeschooling groups or met with any people who hope to homeschool? I have had such mixed experiences, I hope we don't end up isolated!

that is really interesting.

I try to tell my DD what time it is when we have to do something or tell her that she has until the long hand is on whatever number to finish her food, or before it is time to change activity etc... so she is increasingly aware of the time. I never thought of representing it on a chart but think that would be useful.

I bought a sequencing game http://www.amazon.co.uk/Galt-Toys-Whats-Next-Puzzles/dp/B002LTGLOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368717669&sr=8-1&keywords=galt+what+next (that she showed zero interest in!). There are several sets of three images that you have to put in the order they occurred in order to help a child understand the passage of time and sequencing of events. I think it is good, and will get it out again soon.

My daughter calls everything 'last time' or 'yesterday' regardless of when it happened (even something that happened earlier in the day - especially if she has napped) and I have been thinking about how to help her be more accurate, maybe some form of visual representation might help here. I have been meaning to put up the day of the week and date and month every day for about a year and a half now and have no quite got around to it yet!

I found out that hard water aggravated my daughter's skin when she was a baby - not sure if that would be a consideration where you are. I had to filter water before using it in her bath until she was about one. Also, any products with perfume are a no no for us. I am allergic to most perfumes, and bath products like radox can aggravate my skin, so when the doctors were saying my daughter had eczema I was not convinced. I stopped using Johnsons baby products (they come highly recommended, but are not good IMO) and noticed immediate difference. I also stopped using  any kind of baby bubble bath for her which helped too, and used Simple bath products or sometimes just water. To cream her skin I use now Eperderm cream or E45 (E45 is better for the face or lesser effected areas). I went through a period of using quality olive oil - or mixing it with the Eperderm and know extra virgin organic coconut oil is good too. At first I had to cream her skin several times a day but soon it settled down. Not using baby wipes helped too. Cotton wool and water were much better. All the best, hope you are able to make a difference in the condition.

Oh, I would not use vaseline as it does not really allow the skin to breathe, it does not absorb well into the skin at all, and you'll end up with a shiny, slippery baby!

Jenene, I don't think I would pay children for doing chores. I think these should be done regardless. I might fine them for not doing them though! 

I think re entrepreneurial development this could be modelled by getting them to think about problem solving where possible, also by modelling it even in small ways like not throwing things out but selling on eBay... I dunno. Also teaching them things they can have as a skill and provide as a service. That is top of my list. If before they reach working age they have a sense of earning their own money they should be creative enough and motivated enough to think of ways to take this forward. Plenty of encouragement and support and helping them to deal with set backs should help too

Thank you.
You make a really good point:
"When you think about it, playing violin is not that much different to start practicing swimming, football or ice hockey at young age and most parents are fine with those hobbies."

- very true. We do a few out of the house activities but none she would be happy to miss (gymnastics, violin, French, ballet...) this seems to freak ppl out! I chose to be a stay home mum and but I am just not a stay indoors person and she is really active and interested so why not. We like being busy and I treasure the chats we have on the way to and from these things. Every family is different as you say,. We do what works for us.
 

I am not a fan of Disney Princess stories that I have watched or read because often marriage is seen as the happily ever after and the thing to aspire to. I think that marriage is wonderful etc but should not be the main aspiration of everyone. Too many young women feel like no matter how successful they are in other areas they are less than if they have not married. That is ridiculous - particularly when the pressure is external not a true desire from within. I want my DD to know that she is whole and awesome and that a relationship with a guy can never complete her, but can compliment her if she so chooses. (we'll see how that pans out in time!). Many princess fairly talesthey end with a wedding, like this is the pinnacle of the woman's life. It's ridiculous IMO. It can lead to disappointment.

I stayed away from pink (as far as possibly) and my daughter does not wear many dresses, simply because she enjoys running around and tumbling, jumping in puddles and climbing and generally being active. Trousers and leggings etc are more practical. I believe in modesty and if she plays in dresses or skirts I find myself trying to cover her up and get her to sit like lady when I think she should just be free to be at this age. People ask me if she is a tom-boy. She is not at all. She is just herself. She plays with trains and cars and we often stop at building sites as she likes to see construction happening and has books about diggers etc. I follow her interests as a person, and don't tell her what she should be interested in because of her gender. She has loads of dolls she is only just showing an interest in, but they are babies or children not super-thin women dolls with unrealistically tiny waists, straight hair and make up. She does something that is considered girly despite the fact that (for adults / older children) it is one of the toughest things to do physically (ballet) and loves it. I'm amused that she would rather dress up as a queen than as a princess - because of the queen's jubilee celebrations.

However, since she started nursery they have focussed on gender too much and if you ask her what colour she wants something in she will now often say pink, and she talks about not wanting to play with her cousin because he is a boy, and she wants him to be a girl. She has started asking me whether certain things are for boys or girls depending on the colour or pattern of the unisex item (like a scarf or gloves) - much to my annoyance! She is told that the boys are being naughty because they are boys which is ridiculous, it is because they are being naughty, and their behaviour is being excused because of their gender - even if the boys are being told off, it is a wrong / mixed message to give! I believe gender stereotyping is so unhelpful to children. It bugs me that you can buy pink sparkly 'stories for girls' and blue 'stories for boys' for example (my child is more complex than that), or that the doctors dress up stuff are under toys for boys and girls get to be nurses.

If my DD ends up being super girly I am fine with that. I just want it to come from within her, not from society / TV / whatever.

Back to animations - the selection of Disney Princess stories on CD has been hidden away for now as all ended with a wedding, but I am told Tangled is really good and will watch it one day to see, but I am in no hurry. There is so much more to be getting on with!

This is really interesting and something I have been thinking about. My DD already has an account which I pay money into and hope she will take over but I had not thought about when or how. I never thought about paying her for things, or fining her. BUT, she does get tiny marshmallows for good violin practice and it helped her get over her toilet anxiety too (2 marshmallows for not holding on too long and having an accident)! If she messes up with either of these I eat one or both of the marshmallows  . I guess it would be easy to switch marshmallows for cash! I think if that there would have to be a fine for not doing things, not just payment for doing things.

My daughter is already developing a philosophy about money because if she thinks she has lost something she has started to say "just buy another one mummy" which horrifies me! We all want successful children so I guess we need to teach them to manage any financial benefits this success brings.

Growing up,  financial matters were hidden from us and we did not know how much things should cost or the value of things. I think it is so important to do the opposite with my daughter. I tell her if something she wants is overpriced in one shop and we will get it else where. I get her involved in shopping lists and will (later) introduce her to some aspects of a household budget including bills. I plan to encourage her to start her own business(es) somewhere along the line. I think it is important for her to have skills that she can use anywhere even if she has no passion for it, so I have in mind a couple of things she will learn to do from about 7-10 years old. I met an 18 year old tailor recently who has never worked for anyone and learned to sew at aged 7. She has always made and managed her own money and can see things going that way forever. It was encouraging.

I also want my daughter to have an entrepreneurial mindset not a worker / employee mentality. I guess considering how to foster this cannot really start too early.

Hello - My mum speaks 5 languages including English, my dad speaks 3. My siblings and I have always said how disappointed we were that they did not teach us a second language. When I was pregnant I discussed with my mum about picking one language that is not English and speaking to my child in that language only so that she could be fluent in another language. She has not done it really. My daughter knows two words in Yoruba (my mum's 2nd / 3rd language) - that is all. So then I bought French books to stay at my mum's house and they enjoy looking at them together. Of course when LR French came out I got that and we do that. We walked past a statue of a horse one week and instead of saying "horse", my daughter pointed and said "cheval". I was surprised as she does not really repeat after the LR French when we do it, except to say "multisensoriel" as she finds that amusing! I felt I just had to capitalise on her interest and the ease children learn with at this stage of life. I had been reluctant to add another activity to her schedule but decided it was worth it. I looked into getting a French tutor but £35 an hour 3x a week as they recommended just is not feasible at the moment. So we are doing the much cheaper group lessons for children called La Jolie Ronde (www.lajolieronde.co.uk/‎) and she enjoys it well enough, and is always asking me what things are in French (thank God for Google!)

We occasionally watch some baby dvds which have language options in French and she is finally happy to do this. I am buying more French children's books ("petit ours brun" series and another) to leave at my mum's and harassing her into reading them with my daughter. It only takes 5 mins. I studied French at school and did well on tests but my French is pretty basic, so I don't want to pass my terrible pronunciations on to my child! There are Petit Ours Brun YouTube videos too which I will introduce when I get a minute.

Regardless of what I do I do not see how she will become fluent in French without someone who converses with her regularly and this makes me wonder what the point is of even introducing it at all! What do you think???