Hi All

Would really appreciate some support and ideas.  I've been diligently teaching my now 29 month old DD since 4 months!  We started with YBCR and then LR and have been through both semesters, which we finished about 4 or 5 months ago.  We've been teaching once or twice a day and usually 4 days per week to fit with my part-time work commitments.  I started fleschcards on powerpoint and run through one set per week, plus we look at the wonderful Starfall (she only likes the alphabet ones - not the stories at the moment).  I've made a few story powerpoints using cartoon characters, which she does enjoy but I don't really have time right now to make lots more as I have a new baby aged 7 weeks, sleep is at a premium and my brain is a bit tired and foggy.  We also watch an episode of your child can read maybe 2-3 times a week.

We also try to do a short segment of a language DVD (little pim or whistlefritz for french and spanish), plus a very very short segment of LM (not equations which she hates!).  We also play with numicon for maths, which is actually going quite well at the moment.

When I read all the amazing progress made by many others on this forum, I do feel a bit (a lot!!) demoralized.  I try really hard to make it fun, we always stop if she wants to and I don't really test.  Many others seem to be reading new words far earlier than this and DD is not at all keen on this - I don't think she can decode, for example with the fleschcards I sometimes ask but she rarely knows (or at least is not willing to divulge) the answer.

We have now run through semester one again to pass the time and are now re-starting semester 2 of LR, just picking out various topics of interest.  We have looked at many other LR files, but she is a bit fussy about which she is interested in now, and seems to prefer ones she has seen before rather than completely new ones.  She has very strong opinions about what she wants to watch!!

I have been teaching for 2 years now and has it achieved anything???!!  I know she does recognise numbers up to 10 and can count to 20 (plus in Spanish and French up to 10), and does know some words by sight but not necessarily in a different context to what she is used to seeing.  She also recognises most of the alphabet.  But what now?  Have I wasted all this time?  I am worried I have bored her and this is worse than not having taught at all?  I really dont know what to do.

Please help 

Thanks glitterusagi 

Hello is it too late to be involved in the testing? I play piano and learned clarinet as a child. Really excited to build musical knowledge with LMs in the same way that we have been learning with LR and LM.

Thanks!

Thanks for this post. It has really inspired me to try this with my 4 week son. I haven't read Doman's book and I have to admit I feel a bit too tired to face any book right now!  Can anyone offer any tips or summarise the program for very young babies?
Thanks!

I agree with taking a slightly vague approach to answering any questions or comments!  After being accused of "hot-housing" by a work colleague when I even briefly mentioned the computer I decided to take a 'less is more' approach to sharing any info about early learning with anyone except my husband and mum (both v supportive). At nursery when they say things like "oh she knows all her letters" I just say "oh that's great!" or "oh yes, she is very interested in numbers...". I find this is much easier than discussing how she learned them!

But it is a very important point to ask them not to test too much. I hadn't thought of this.  I hope they are less likely to test if I don't over-emphasise her progress and they will just 'discover' her knowledge by playing the same games they do with all the other children.

Im really interested in this topic too. My DD is 2 so will be starting school in 2 years. We are based in the uk.  I work part-time and for lots of reasons I don't feel that homeschooling is an option for us. But I do worry about how she will cope if she is ahead in reading (and maybe maths).  The schools closest to our home are also not the best schools in the district which also stresses me.  There aren't any Montessori options here.

Having said that, I was an early reader myself in school (many many moons ago!!).  I think that in the earliest years I did have some extra reading tuition from the nursery school teacher. In those days it was whole word teaching rather than phonics.  But nothing very formal and later it became much more important that my mum encouraged me to read a very wide range of literature so I became quite self-sufficient at learning new words in context. I remember having to follow a set of school readers that seemed far too easy - I was supposed to read them aloud to my parents but I would just read it very quickly and then go back to something more interesting (and challenging).  So I think with our support perhaps we can work alongside the system?

I dont know whether it is better to stress the child's abilities to the school or keep it all a bit more low key.  The main issue is that our children should not lose their love of learning.  It sounds like a major issue if the school is very rigid in it's approach.  I think that our school system may mean that the schools need to demonstrate certain key steps in learning even if these 'hoops' are actually far below the child's stage. Perhaps this shows some of the major negatives in basing learning on too much testing (they teach to the test rather than to the child's needs).

Hi Alwaysok

I'm really sorry to hear that you feel scared and that you don't wish to participate in this forum any more.
It was certainly not my intention for you to feel that way.  There are a lot of very supportive people on this site, so I do hope that you stay as part of the community and continue to get involved.  I don't think you should take my personal reaction as representive of everyone else here - from having followed many different threads, then I have seen quite a range of opinions and ideas how to approach different problems.
Perhaps you could spend some time looking at some of these too.

It is very understandable to feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information and possibilities for early education and this can certainly become stressful.  But it is not always difficult - for the most part I have so much fun learning with my daughter, it is such a great experience for us both - and I hope you are able to find a way to do this too.  I would suggest that if you are interested in this subject that there are lots of simple ways to get started - I'm not an expert - I've only just started myself - and there are many others who are far better qualified to give advice - why not post a thread asking for help with getting started with early education?  I think you would find that people are really keen to help.  Maybe choose just one area that you are intersted in - for example reading or maths - and don't worry too much about doing "everything" (not possible!).

When I feel a bit overwhelmed or stressed out,  I have found that this site has been really wonderful in keeping me going.  I was feeling a bit that way when I started this thread, as I mentioned, it has been a very tough week for many reasons!! 

So streesful ....the kids are only below 3 years and parents start worrying so much on their education ! Those old days....our parents were more relax and kids live more happily!

Your reply seemed to be suggesting that my daughter would be happier if I didn't worry about her education.   Well, I do feel very passionately that is not the case - and It is quite upsetting to hear a suggestion that I'm making my daughter unhappy in some way.  This is something very close to my heart and very important to me.  You can certainly disagree with that - it is just my own opinion after all.  But I would also ask for the right to reply to you with my own viewpoint. 

I do understand how difficult it can be to express yourself in a language that is not your own, so I'm sorry if I misunderstood.  Still, I hope you can see my perspective as well.

I wish you all the best for the future and hope that you don't give up on the forum or early education.

Thanks everyone for all your ideas, they are really helpful.

Alwaysok, I would have to say that I found your post quite unhelpful and rather negative.  I don't really agree with the assumption that "in the old days, kids were happier".  Do you mean because their parents were not thinking about early education?

I disagree with this for several reasons.  Firstly, I don't believe that any parent on this forum does not put their child's happiness and wellbeing first and foremost.  Certainly, that is my main priority, and I don't see how thinking and planning about early education in any way goes against this.  Quite the opposite, I find that spending time teaching and learning with my daughter creates a happy bond that we both value.  And it certainly does not replace time spent doing other enjoyable activities, whether they be creative or physical (we do swimming, tumbletots and a music class once a week), and spend lots of time just playing in the park or the garden, or visitng friends and family just to 'play'.

Secondly, it is not accurate to assume that in 'the old days' no one had in interest in early education.  I was taught to read early myself by my mother using Doman methods and I had a very happy childhood, a great bond with my mother and built a lifelong love of reading and education in general.  I would like to offer that opportunity to my daughter (and a new arrival due in the next few weeks!) as well.

Third, I dont think there is any evidence to back up the assumption that children were happier in past times.  Or to assume that parents were necessarily more relaxed.  They may have had a range of other pressures including financial which are less of an issue today.  Besides, which old times are we talking about?!  There have been many different eras and attitudes towards how best to raise children over the past decades and ultimately we have to make our own decisions about what is best for our child.

I think it is very misleading to confuse the issues of 'happiness' and education.  There is no reason that we cannot achieve both, and I believe that early education, can lead to an increased sense of happiness and self esteem through our children being able to reach their full potential.

As for worrying - I do spend time thinking about the best ways to approach education, and which methods to use and when - one of my main concerns is how to do so in a positive way that my daughter will find enjoyable and stimulating.  For example, I never developed a great realationship with Maths myself - although I did pass all my exams, it always took a lot of effort and I cannot say I have a very mathematical mind (it's like I don't speak the 'language' of maths).  But I also have many friends with young children, who may not be involved with early education but who still worry about all kinds of things that may seem unnecessary or silly to outside observers, so I think it is not really helpful to judge others for that.  Perhaps that is just part of parenthood - we all want the best for our children and worry about how to achieve that.

Perhaps I read a bit too much into your brief post - apologies if I took the wrong meaning and for going off on a bit of a 'rant'.  My tolerance levels are a bit low at the moment, being fairly heavily pregnant and also having had a particularly stressful week, including being almost pushed to the ground by a very unpleasant woman in a car park who refused to wait 2 minutes whilst trying to strap my 2-year old into her car seat!

Hello - I am full of maths questions at the moment - feeling a bit confused by all the options 

Several people have mentioned following the Singapore math curriculum - looking on the website there seem to be several different books (textbook, workbook and essential math)

Do you use them all or just one?  Is the textbook enough on its own?

Thanks very much   

Thanks!  I also have a couple of questions about Singapore math but think I'll post that separately 

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful.
My DD can recognise numbers 1-10 (at least) but she is not really anywhere close to being able to write them.  She prefers to scribble over them!  is it really necessary to be able to write?  I think that would be at the very least 6 months or maybe much longer.

Hi all

My daughter turned 2 in April and I am still uncertain about when she'll be ready to move onto a maths programme.  I'm thinking about either Jones Geniuses or probably Rightstart maths (touchmath seems a bit outside our budget).

i feel like I really need some kind of curriculum.  After finishing Little Math a few months ago, it feels like we are kind of drifting and not making much progress. But I'm not sure she is ready to follow either of these courses yet if they need a lot of concentration or even cooperation!  She is a very fun and active girl who really enjoys learning but doesn't respond well to too much structure or needing to demonstrate what she knows. She gets quite frustrated if I'm too directive and I try to follow her lead in play as much as possible.  This makes worksheets a tough ask - I haven't dared try any yet!  It's also why I know that she would not be ready for something like Soft Mozart either. 

We currently do most of our early learning (mainly LR, Starfall, Peter weatherall DVDs and some language DVDs and powerpoints) during mealtimes which helps her to keep focussed, otherwise she's much more interested in exploring, playing and running around (which I think is very positive and natural for a toddler).  I don't want to get into any battles or make learning something that's no longer fun for us both.  We also do lots of physical activity - swimming class, tumbletots and a weekly 'sing and signing' class which involves lots of dance.

With a new baby due in a couple of months, I'm also wondering if it's better for us both to get established with anything new now well before we lose a bit of concentration with the new arrival!  Or maybe it's better to just wait until afterwards....?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated!

Hi Kizudo

I must admit that even as I was writing the post I was thinking I should give more details, but I was in a bit of a hurry, and feeling tired, so I didn't quite manage all the details - so thanks for the prompt 

The hand drum DVD that we've been using is called Gentle Djembe for beginners - you can see more details here (although I bought mine cheaper on Amazon) http://www.dancinghands.com/gentle_djembe.html

It is not aimed at children at all, so it lacks a little bit of the 'fun factor', but I find it very straightforward and easy to use.  It is broken down into seven lessons, each focussing on a different rhythm, so it is easy to do a short 5-10 minute lesson before DD loses concentration.  I like the way it shows what you are doing with your hands first of all, and then you carry on playing the rhythm with a group of other drummers on the DVD, a bit like being part of a drum circle.  I find the rhythms on this DVD quite easy and have no problem picking them up almost straight away.  As I mentioned in the previous post, DD does not at the moment want to try to follow the rhythms herself, but I hope that it is still very good for her to hear different patterns of sound and listen as I join in the group.  We enjoy this and I would definitely consider buying the next two level DVDs.

In the same series, there is a book called 'Slap Happy' which is aimed at children - teaching rhythm and tapping games to play with your hands - but this seemed a little too advanced for us at the  moment, but could be great for slightly older children.

If anyone else can recommend any other hand drum teaching DVDs that would also be great.  I could get quite hooked myself!  I don't really want to move onto more complex drum kits at the moment although I think we may have to invest in better drums eventually (probably small to medium sized djembes) - the one we are using is not really designed for this type of drumming, but it is still a good enough start to see if it's something we will continue.

Finally, the Stomp DVD I mentioned is just stage show, but is fun to watch sometimes and shows lots of ways to tap out rhythms using pans, brooms, and all kinds of other household implements.  It's not for teaching but is fun to watch clips. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stomp-Live-DVD/dp/B001NGGBAS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306095356&sr=8-1

HTH 

I thought it was important to try to teach rhythm, but I don't know much about drums.  I bought a simple (and relatively cheap) hand-drum and we are using a DVD to teach some simple rhythms.  We both have a hand drum (DD's is more of a 'drumborine') and if she continues to enjoy it then I might invest in a few more DVDs and some better drums.  The djembes are pretty cool.  And it is something that is fun to play together.  At the moment, she tends to just bash away but I'm hoping she's learning while listening to me playing along with the DVD.
We also sometimes watch the Stomp DVD, which is a great stage show with lots of different rhythms using a whole range of different and unusual percussion instruments (using brooms on the floor, clapping, tapping etc).

Keeli - thanks for that helpful information.  I've ordered from Amazon and looking forward to giving it a try.

For info, the other DVD I tried was called French for kids: Simple words and Shapes and numbers.  (Link here:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Kids-DVD-Set-2011/dp/190807907X/ref=pd_cp_d_h__3)

It had nearly all 5* reviews on amazon, so I was very hopeful.  One teacher reviewed and said her class had learned a huge amount of French from it.... I could not believe it when I started to play and the woman just spoke English most of the time (with a French accent  ) and then said only very occasional words in French.  Others may disagree with my view but I was sooo disappointed

I am also from the UK and we also LOVE Something Special.  It would be fantastic to have something similar in French (and for us Spanish as well would be great!).  I agree that there is a big problem with cartoons and not being able to see how the mouth moves differently for different languages.

How are people finding the babybit DVDs?  They look good but are expensive - do they teach the language or is it more about reading indvidiual words?