If you have a child 2 or younger, what is their sleep schedule?  When do they go to bed, get up, and take naps?  Also, how long are their naps?  My dd tends to only sleep for 30 minutes to an hour and I have heard other little ones sleep 2 hours or more.  My dd also wakes up about once in the middle of the night every night.  Any suggestions on how I can help her sleep better? 

There was a man called Fred
'Rise and Shine' said he, and got off the bed.

Fred never complains, he is always happy
He smiled and would make his hands clap, clap, clappy

He lives all alone and yet,
There isn't a person he hasn't met!

Oh I never would have thought of a Dr. Suess theme!  How creative!  I have been thinking of what I want to do for our next child and this will be on my potentials list.  Thanks!

Ha!  That's the one of the silliest things I've heard when it comes to studies.  Of course, as stated above, the question is HOW are pigeons supposed smarter.  If the case is indeed that they are simply better at self-recognition, I dare say that this is a very poor definition of smart.  As for other measures of intelligence, I bet my daughter could beat a pigeon any day! 

I haven't yet been very educated on the Doman Program, but just wanted to say that I would have already placed things in the same order you did: physical, reading, math, encyclopedic knowledge.  It just seems to make sense since kids obviously have a need to move and they learn so much from play and motion.  Of course you can't do much with the other areas if reading doesn't happen, so that makes sense too. 

I found this website interesting with TONS of ideas: http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/roomdecor.html
That same site has this link to making an educational playroom: http://www.ehow.com/how_11001_decorate-preschoolers-playroom.html

Both seem to have some good tips, but it's also a bit overwhelming to see all the ideas!  My first thoughts would be to go with something the child loves, so that it interests them and makes them feel calm and happy, even inspired!  Then get creative and add in little details and special touches that match the theme but also encourage learning.  Even small things like having a chalkboard or drawing space, or a nice open spot on the floor to spread out a project, or a bookshelf that displays lots of inviting books, all are likely to be stimulating and encouraging of creativity.  You're probably looking for something more specific, but I hope this helps at least a little bit.  Good luck!  I'm interested in hearing more of what you come up with and decide to go with. 

Okay, I'm very new to all of this, so my opinion doesn't really hold a lot of weight on this topic.  Nonetheless, I felt compelled to reply simply to say that I believe in a balanced approach of providing opportunity, encouraging interests, and engaging little minds in whatever ways works for them.  I don't think that exposure to learning at an early age is detrimental at all, unless it's taken to an extreme perhaps.  Again, I'm not well versed on the topic, so this is just my humble view thus far.  I'm excited to learn more, so that my child can too!

Always happy to get more information about stuff like this.  It's still a ways off for my baby girl, but I'd rather know ahead of time what my options are so I can plan for the future.  I find the comment about teaching little ones to read and write and that math will come by itself intriguing and worthy of more thought and research on my part.  Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for the links and the book name.  It feels good to have a place to start.  But I feel like I'm so far behind!  Like I should have known about all of this stuff sooner.     I know it's not a big deal and that my daughter is still very young, but I feel as though there is so much I could have already done for her, had I been aware of it.  I guess that just means there's no time to lose and I should just get things rolling, eh?  I'll have to keep in mind not to rush anything, to take it easy, and let my dd help guide the way.  I don't want to overwhelm or push her, know what I mean? 

rixu, your daughter is very close in age to my own and it's very exciting to hear that she is doing so well!  when did you start using the cards?  also, are they cards you have made yourself, or ones you've printed or purchased? 

Thank you for the link.  It's good to hear the lacing beads are helpful.  I just bought some for dd for a Christmas gift.  Yay!  I haven't heard of the lacing cards, so that will be something to look into.  My dd is only 16 months right now, so we'll hold off on the scissors for a bit, and the same goes for gluing... I'll probably wait a couple of months or so.  However, using finger paints and doing something with homemade play dough (and eventually clay) sounds like they're worth a shot.  I have been interested in trying out pottery myself, so I can't wait until dd is old enough to share in that with me, if she so chooses.  

Ah yes, makes sense.  Thank you.  Yes, you have all been more than generous with the trials and extensions.  I missed the part about new members for the trial... but it's very understandable.  Again, thank you for the response.

I'm a firm believer in keeping a careful watch on what my daughter is exposed to, but do believe that there are limits even for this.  Meaning that I think you can't protect your children forever and I think the more you restrict a child, the more likely a situation could get out of control when they do get access to that which you've tried so hard to keep from them.  I think curiosity coupled with uncertainty on how to handle something can end up with potentially hazardous consequences!  For example, as a child my mom never wanted us to have sweets... so on my way to school every day I would stop at the store and buy candy with my lunch money.  She also didn't want us to watch the Simpsons or Married With Children, no matter how old we became.  So what did we do?  We took every chance we got to watch those shows... even though we didn't even really like them... just because we could.  I'm not saying that means that one should allow their child access to anything and everything just because they might eventually want it.  Not at all.  I am saying that things can go to far and I think education and guidance that leads to proper choices trump total restriction and limits any day.  Of course, I don't think this applies to really young ones who don't have the capacity to process things yet.  My daughter does not watch TV, and has a limited exposure to videos and media.  I am a new mom though, so I try to keep an open mind.  I can only hope that I'm doing the right thing.

What are everyone's thoughts on using art and crafts to encourage learning? 

Are there any particular art or craft projects that you have found really interesting or helpful? 

So I'm starting to read and see that there is a "window of opportunity" in which it is apparently best to teach your child using some of the methods I've noticed mentioned on the forums here.  Is that true?  If so, what age range?  Thanks so much for putting up with my questions- I know they might be silly or repetitive!  I try to look up the answer on the forums first, but there's so many posts to sort through and I am active duty military, so I don't have a lot of time.  Again, thank you!