Hi there, I am a Mom in Phoenix, AZ, and I was wondering if there were any resources out there to find the best preschools (what I mean by that are pre-schools that emphasize nurturing AND literacy/counting etc). I went to sites like greatschools.com but they are not really helpful when it comes to pre-schools. I am interested in private (Jewish) as well as public schools

thanks!

Hi Nadia,

I think that at this stage and considering your child's age, the best approach to having your little one learn French would be intensive exposure to one or more native speakers, like a child care giver, a play group (you can contact the French Alliance in your area), or an international school (they often have summer sessions). I don't think that trying to teach from a book that is meant to actually teach the language to foreigners (i.e. translates) will work to any significant extent. I am French by birth and live in the US. I speak French to my baby, and read to him in French too (Babar, which I ordered directly from Amazon France). So if your French is good enough, you could do that. When he turns 3, I will put him at a local international school so he hears and read French from sources other than myself, which I understand is important in the long run. Of course, when the French add on pack comes out for LR, I will buy that as well! I stayed away from YBCR foreign language material, even though I use the program, precisely because it translated everything.

Great...can't wait for the French pack!

Bonjour Hypatia,

non, mais le multizone DVD player est une tres bonne idee! Je ne savais pas que ca existait..Merci!

Hi Lappy,

thanks for the nice response. We look forward to more brillkids products. Is there a release date for the French add on pack? I am raising my son bilingual.

Bonjour tout le monde,

je suis francaise et vivant aux US. Je voudrais acheter des DVDs en Francais (comme Babar par example, parce que on a deja beaucoup de livres) mais Amazon France n'a que le format zone 2 pour l'europe pour les DVDs en Francais et j'ai besoin de zone 1 ou multizone. Est ce que vous connaissez une resource en France qui vendrait ca sur l'internet?

Merci d'avance!

to the Brillkids Staff,

while it is true that the kit description mentions 8 categories, the exact significance of these 8 categories is unknown until one receives the kit and read the extensive instructions. The reality is that there are many more than 8 categories, this fact should be prominently advertised to potential buyers who are about to spend over $200 for this product. I am not saying that LRbasic is anything less than an excellent program, I am saying that parents should clearly know what they are buying (versus what they will ultimately need) to complete the curriculum when they spend the extra cash for the deluxe version. You should see my criticism as a business opportunity, as I am sure that I am not the only working parent who doesn't have to print thousands of cards. If I did, I would probably use the Doman books instead of your program.

Hi Ann,

yes, Kinko's does get quite costly (I know because I used them to print flashcards before, and it was a pretty penny). I understand the importance of using paper rather than just electronic means to teach these things. However, considering the large difference in cost (over $100) between the regular version and the deluxe version, I think I would have liked to know that so many cards would not be included and have an opportunity to comparison shop (with Kinko's). The binder set itself is worth $30, but again, this is something that is nice but can easily be home made for much cheaper.

Hi everyone,

we got our LR Deluxe kit this week-end, and I am realizing that the binder set does not include all the flashcards that are necessary to do the entire year-long curriculum. I realize that I can print them myself using the LR program, but I seriously do not have the time or an adequate printer to do this (except at work, but this wouldn't really be appropriate), so I am wondering if anyone knew of a commercial source for these?? Am I missing something here? This is an expensive product, and I am disappointed by this discovery.

Thanks in advance!

I want to thank you all for these different and quite interesting perspectives. I am planning to buy Amy's book, for no other reason than to gain some insight into another person's experiences with raising children at the intersection of several cultures. Being French and Jewish (and raising my son in the U.S. with an American spouse), I struggle every day with these questions. So far, I think I am striking a healthy balance between (if you have seen 'Meet the parents',) 'Fockerizing' and 'Ferberizing' my child... but what will happen once grades come in and reality, whatever that might be, sets in. I will definitely call tutors for grades below 'As", and pressure, cuddle, guilt, whatever it takes, but not insult in the way Amy did her daughthers. Jewish mothers are definitly into pressuring their childrent , but in a different way than the Amy from the article. Anyway, keep these comments coming!

Hello, I came accross this interesting and perhaps controversial article. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read#articleTabs%3Darticle

I am raising my son in the U.S. but being from Europe, I am not as squeamish with tough love as many American parents. Still, I expect my own approach to be a little less strict. Anyway, I am not passing judgement one way or the other, but I am very interested to hear from Asian parents regarding whether what the author describes can truly be considered typical in their culture.

Thanks!

Hi Lori,

did you try to speak to her teachers about it? They might be a great resource in identifying the source of your daughter's discomfort, and they can also be helpful by paying her more attention for a while, both to identify the source of the problem and to help find a solution.

If you little one is too advanced for her group, you could try to have her go into kindergarten a year early. This will take some convincing and testing from a child psychoiogist (some specialize in school readiness testing). I am looking into this myself for later because my son is a December baby.

I will definitely vaccinate my child when he is old enough (6 months), and we both got vaccinated for the new H1N1 influenza before he was born. My area of professional expertise is infectious diseases and not vaccinating (unless there is a specific allergy to the vaccine components) is unconcionable in my opinion. Vaccination is one of the safest, most effective ways to prevent diseases in individuals AND to reduce circulation of the infectious organism in the general population. I am not sure what this new paranoia about vaccination is all about (if it is about autism, this has been repeatedly debunked). People forget the devastation caused by diseases like polio and so many others. Influenza is a life threatening disease in small children and it is extremely contagious...