Here is my feedback on the online training with Crewton Ramone's House of Math:

It took me a while to join the video group on google hangouts cause I didn't know Mozzilla asks for plugin, but Google Chrome gets you there in an instant! Thank you, Sonya, you saved me with that tip!

 We had people from USA, Canada and Romania (me).

I loved the experience and I will enjoy every training possible. Actually, for the first time in my life, instead of math nightmares I really had nice dreams with me using the blocks, honestly. It has left me a wonderful feeling of confidence, ease in using and teaching math to my kids and understanding what it is all about and how to do it, how to solve problems, present it to others and guide them to understand and solve while thinking, not just using formulas and numbers. CR gives you the WHY. And you can't forget once you see the WHY and HOW for the first time.

I'd advise you to buy the PT password in case you don't want to miss any of the trainings
TIP: try a live online training too... You can ask questions on the spot and enjoy discussions that may not appear on the website plus, we meet very interesting people worldwide and share our experiences with math where we live. Crewton Ramone is making each training and lesson a time to relax, be a sponge and absorb knowledge and understand math for good and what you and your kids can do with it.

So you know, I am reluctant to praise people without trying myself at first and see what I think. But it's working with me and my kids. And with others too. Just like I believe LMs and SM make my life easier and help me teach kids music very early and enjoy it all their lives, the same is with Math and Crewton Ramone's Math. I need simple things and simple ways to homeschool.

If you still want to Skype for math write here or to Sonya(Mrs.Post). The Skype meetings are really helpful.

[online training on fractions]

In case anyone is interested:
Crewton Ramone's House of Math has an online training on fractions Friday 8am HST (this means today at 8 p.m. my EET time).  It's $20 if I'm not mistaking, but you should ask him details to make sure http://www.crewtonramoneshouseofmath.com/contact.html.  It's done using gmail account. Have to figure it out myself
I'm doing my best to be there.

The main wonderful thing with these software is training the child's ear. You train your child's year and also help her verbalize, speak and sound the notes (which in fact are words, right?). Have fun! You will be a great piano player and music teacher, mom

The musical pieces in Little Musician curriculum are really well picked. We have 2 more days of the Lite Version, but my oldest has already memorized all the pieces they've listened in the 10 days of curriculum. Not to mention the sudden passion they have for cellos (?) and double bass (?)! They have never liked these instruments as much as after starting learning about them in Little Musician. We're hooked  

Hi, Olenka!
My youngest has been able to name, meaning SOUND the notes using Soft Mozart since he was 1 year old And he had access to the keyboard (that has the SM symbols on it) after he was 6, there is even a video of us with him pressing the keys at 8 months.
I would use Soft Mozart just like Little Musician - as early as possible. For the younger kids, babies that is , I would play to them as parent, learning myself, actually that is what I did. We played with the Soft Mozart cards all day long, we had a home made book with the cards, and I allowed each of them to play with Guess Key game. I suspect the youngest knew the notes before he could speak. Cause they were among the first words he spoke at that age (maybe the first words too bwah ha ha).

Seriously, just dare. That's all it takes (beside money to buy the software) - you just do it and set and example, play games and give them a music environment. Both Brillkids and Hellene are right - kids CAN learn very early. Hellene said 2 years old as the earliest age but I think, just like our case shows, that one can use it even much earlier.

It's much easier and more fun when you have older kids playing with stuff, the youngest just soaks in everything.  
You should see a 3 year old playing the keyboard - he stole finger positions from his older brother and his mom and maybe even from the videos he watched over time. When people see our kids they say they are geniuses or gifted. I'm convinced they both have a potential that has been helped to get out to light.

Andrea

Thank you KL, to you and the entire Brillkids team. I've enjoyed your programs for years and Little Musician is like the cherry on the cake for us now  
Adding the videos at the end of each day is a fantastic idea. This day has been the first time they wanted to see the videos for themselves and just picked whatever they wanted to watch and hear. They are hooked on music! Yay!

We've been using Soft Mozart on and off (I'm the culprit, not the software) and we've had wonderful results. Both boys have musical ear and perfect pitch. I still consider Soft Mozart being the greatest tool for us to learn to play piano and also train different musical abilities. My oldest, who has a congenital brain malformation has been playing piano due to Soft Mozart. Taking into account he has corpus callossum disorder and a interhemispheric cyst - things which, after my knowledge, would make him a kid usually not being able to play piano with both hands or at least with less chances to do that - I see him as the wonder in our family.

So far I haven't been interested in Little Musician much because we've had Soft Mozart. But I've discovered, just like other BK parents shared from their experience, that these programs are great different tools that complete each other and also complete our customized homeschool curriculum.

Below is a video of my boys watching Little Musician lesson in our 4th day of Lite version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgCPct7gxds

They absolutely love it! And we want to have the software in our family. They're asking the music lessons.
Our boys need different ways for teaching same things. Sometimes they are attracted to one way, sometimes to another. Or it just helps a lot having various tools to use throughout the day. Bringing music into our lives has been one of the greatest things we could have possibly done for our children. My guitar teacher is stunned by our oldest's musical abilities. Nothing would have been the same unless we started using Soft Mozart and whatever we could get our hands on for music education (books on composers, listen to online videos of concerts, etc.).

Always trust your instinct or intuition as a parent. We DO know what is best for our children. And, at least as far as I'm concerned, sometimes we need more courage to stick to what we feel and being more consistent and organized ourselves and believe - believe in us and the kids.

 

Hi, Wolfind!
What I can tell you is that only if you watch free videos of Crewton Math and have at least a set of blocks from Mortensen, EZ, cuisenaire rods or whatever, you can start learning and teaching your kids math.

Here's how our first unscheduled meeting with Sonya went last night
Our blocks arrived from US yesterday and before going to bed I showed kids. Why I waited? I thought I should be there with them when see it and use them, silly me!  As Sonya was very curious to see their reaction I just did and...
I spoke in English mostly (second language). Boys started building things. I showed the oldest how to build ten, took the 10 and under it the addends. Funny thing is he liked to use more blocks so instead of making 10 of addends he made them using many 1s and 2s - the size and color is very appealing plus our EZ ones are smaller than Mortensen and they like working with small objects a lot.
Meantime, I taught my youngest what each block means, this way they learnt by hearing and watching.

During our Skype lessons kids showed to each other what they had (Sonya's kids to our kids and the other way around). If one kid built a computer (with hundreds) we immediately made ones of our own. My youngest kept talking in English and one time he told me in Romanian to let him talk and he continued to try talking in English to Sonya and the kids. Did I mention he talks loud and we could barely hear one other, the rest of us? 

Among other good stuff going on last night, here's one:
I showed my youngest a X square ( a hundred square with no lines). They heard me saying it only in English and only few times last night.
This morning, when I looked at the square, I said it is X. And he corrects me in English: "NO! It's X square!". There you go, a 2 year old and 10 months teaching me math... while it should have been the other way around... 

We are going to meet on Skype 2 times a week. My kids and I are practicing English and we're also playing with math

Welcome RiamP 
I think we, the parents, are going to have at least as much fun as the kids    learning math.

Welcome!

Yes, you can join us Because the idea is to learn from each other, right? And I also need a couple of weeks to get my blocks We start the Skype meetings only after that 

Have a wonderful day!

Andrea

We loved Soft Mozart and it has had success for us at any age, from less that 2 years and up. Any kid that had the chance to test the software at our home liked it very much they asked their parents to buy a keyboard... It's a program and curriculum we can use for generations. You can use it at least 9 years from now on, from early learner to advanced.

This is our thread and my oldest progress http://www.softmozart.com/forum/56-progress-diaries--/6252-alin-4-yrs-old-romania.html. It's not updated, but it gives you a clue of what it can do. People have posted on Soft Mozart here, including me and you may find more information if you are interested. Since we bought it, they made some improvements, like you can just download it and buy the license, no need for shipping now And you have a curriculum made by levels, on age and development http://www.softmozart.com/forum/index.html.

A very close friend of mine in Romania has been using the software much more than I did, the entire family is practicing with it like crazy    http://www.softmozart.com/forum/64-progress-diaries---2013-2014/13612-maia-5-years-old-and-camelia.html

McPherson,

Welcome on board! 
Thanks for the great ideas and sharing! My boys love trains and tunnels!

Andrea

FLKL
I'll PM you my id too. In few weeks we can start.

[WHAT do I want my kids to do with math? WHY do I want math for them?]

I've been watching this thread for a while. I'd love to join you on Skype

My kids prefer SchoolHouse Rock and Times to Remember. They have shorter text than the rest and for them, as non-native English speakers, these songs are very attractive and easier to remember. They're singing them daily to me ) We started looking at Peter Weatherall videos on youtube too. Funny thing is that the youngest is looking at a book we have in Romanian about colors and he's singing Times to Remember songs 

Unlike Sonya, who knows firsthand different math methods parents talk here on BK forum or elsewhere, I only read about them in some posts. My experience is with the beginning Montessori lessons only. I've watched amazing Ella and other kids doing very good at math. Yet my kids are different, at least one of them that I'm particularly interested for his homeschooling. After reading studies and books on Montessori Method I understand better Mortensen Math and agree with its practicality. What's more, they use the senses and it's so attractive that they completely forget about computer and iPad.

The question that I had to ask after reading about more than one method and watching other was: WHAT do I want my kids to do with math? WHY do I want math for them? The answer became clear mainly after watching some of Crewton Ramone's videos. I want them to understand math. I didn't understand it myself in my studies, even though it's been one of my favorite subjects (apart from foreign languages). I had great teachers all the time. And I got lost on the way when algebra and trigonometry proved to be too much for me. I loved statistics in college - that's the moment I realized I need math in life and I'd better do something to fill the gaps I've had over time. Have to say it's the first time I'm relieved that I can really fill these gaps and pretty fast too.

Attached you see my handmade manipulatives. They are made of cardstock. Which means are not good for stacking. And kids stop pretty soon when they discover they can't be stacked. I need the plastic manipulatives.  Not just for the kids, but for myself! Thank God I have great friends in USA 

Today we had the 3rd lesson and the last one I cut very fast 9 circles made of the same colored cardstock as the blocks. And we put them next to the blocks, in order. The little one, 2 years and 8 months, has a thing for the orange block (2) and recognizes few others too. They were in love from the first lesson. As I said, I need to help them stack. If I made them from cardboard they'd had been much more useful. I don't have the time to make them again. We'll play with what we have for a while.

Have to admit, in the first lesson I told them 'NO' three times    This is a habit I'm working on. Crewton Ramone has tons, really tons of sample lesson, advice in each lesson, and he has  A LOT OF PATIENCE and HUMOUR. I don't have his patience and humour, really I don't. He's set to making kids have fun while playing math.
Ever since Sonya told me about Crewton Ramone House of Math I've been watching videos, looking at how fast kids understand and how happy they are when they are playing. And he is right: that's what kids do all day, PLAY.

I have a special needs kid, one that uses more perception than logic. He touches manipulatives, looks at them, sees the color, the length etc. and that's how he is learning. Show him first and foremost the abstract and he'd rather learn a foreign language than that! I like this method - from concrete to abstract, from using your senses to working with symbols only. I suspect this is what works most with special needs kids. Crewton Ramone had succes with such kids and I'm not surprised cause he has the tools and is a great teacher.

Yes, I'm caught in this cause I believe it can work for my kids . And I have a tight budget so I want to invest only in what I know would really work for my kids and for quite a long time. I'd also prefer a single method and or curriculum, not more.

When my husband (who is currently in China) was very impressed with the boys' first lesson, he said: "You raised them in a healthy environment, they are curious to learn." He had to trust me for the last 6 years  so my heart melted and I am so happy he told me that. Their education has been mostly on my shoulders all this time (he's been busy with work and studies, we barely see him... next year we have him back for good, yay!) and I've done my best to do what we both wanted. If he likes what I've been doing and how they develop it means I'm really on the right track. And his feedback is the  I need to move on. 

  You're welcome!