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EARLY LEARNING / Teaching Your Child Math / Re: Some Great Soroban videos!
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on: January 25, 2012, 08:56:09 PM
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Thanks for your website. I am also 3 hours away from NYC and we just moved here from Japan.  I have never learned how to use the abacus but know the benefits of soroban. I think it is crucial and regret that it was never a part of my education. I've bought a few books (well, workbooks) for my three-year-old, (Pacchi Soroban) and am aware that one of the most important techniques to learn are the particular finger moves. I can look at a textbook and learn what beads to move and in what order, but I don't know if I can teach my daughter the way to move the beads. Does that make sense? I guess that would be what I want to look for in addition to the things Ayesha Nicole mentions. Oh, and Tom, if you ever need something translated from Japanese to English (or vise versa), let me know.  |
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EARLY LEARNING / Teaching Your Child - Signing, Speaking, Languages / Re: Japanese books
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on: August 16, 2011, 10:16:17 PM
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You'll want to know how to conjugate Japanese verbs, as they can be very confusing! Many of the great children's Japanese books I know have great literature but won't teach you the language. You may not want to, but I suggest that you teach yourself with a textbook first. There are waaaay too many verb conjugations (bet you didn't know there are three separate languages within Japanese.. separate from dialects!) And if you read the storybooks wrong, you'll change the meaning of the story.
(Just so you know, because it's important to remember when learning Japanese, it's specially so if you read with the wrong intonation. For example, 'ame' is written for both rain and candy, but are two different words. "A-me" is rain, "a-ME" is candy. Also, the Japanese language is pitch sensitive and melodious. Speaking or reading it with the wrong vocal patterns is, to a native, like running your fingernails on a chalkboard. Don't mean to scare you or anything.. just so you'll know the traits of the Japanese language so you'll know what to look out for.)
You can also look into bilingual books. The Japanese here are serious about learning English, so there are quite some books out there with both English and Japanese. Those can be helpful for both mommy and baby!
Maybe after you're a bit more familiar with the language, the classic Japanese literature for children will be more useful. That's when I'll suggest you get those books automatically delivered to you every month. Of course, you can have that started now (while you are learning) so you'll already have a collection of books by the time you're ready to properly read them to your baby. (Also while I'm here in Japan to help you through the registration process. We're planning to move to the US in the next few months.) It's generally about 2000 yen each month (for two books, each originally costing roughly 1000 yen) + international shipping. You'll end up getting about a 10 or 20% discount on the books.
As for DVDs, I made a long list of them in a different post, I think the title was something like Looking for French and Japanese DVDs. There are many posts about French, but maybe you'll be able to scroll down to the posts on Japanese.
Hope this helps.
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EARLY LEARNING / Teaching Your Child - Signing, Speaking, Languages / Re: Japanese books
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on: August 16, 2011, 10:26:20 AM
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How familiar are you with Japanese? There are many books good for young children here in Japan. Maybe you can look into amazon.co.jp?
There are even services where they deliver a few age-appropriate classic books to your child (in your child's name, makes it extra special) every month. (Domestic or international.)
Let me know more about you and I'd be able to help you out more.
Amy
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EARLY LEARNING / Teaching Your Child - Signing, Speaking, Languages / Re: pls recommend French & Japanese DVD
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on: June 22, 2011, 10:51:09 PM
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I'm sooo sorry it's taken forever for me to reply. After the 3/11 earthquake we've been so busy doing our part to help.
I understand you're showing you child Inai Inai Ba- and Anpanman. They are both TV shows made into DVDs and socially/culturally educational. Anpanman especially, since the animation aids in the comprehension of the language. Inai Inai Ba- focuses on daily life, songs, etc. The downside to Inai Inai Ba- is that "chairs" are characters, using "-issu" as a word play replacing "-desu." Non only is this grammatically incorrect and hard for your little one to catch the joke, but these chairs have limited 'facial' expressions, and you cannot see their mouths moving to formulate the Japanese words. I think that would make it difficult for your child to learn the language, especially if it isn't her native tongue.
Some other options are:
Okaasannto Issho (おかあさんといっしょ) by NHK - Similar to Inai Inai Ba-, but a little better. At least the performers are professional singers and actors. A classic TV show for kids in Japan.
Shizennto Asobo (しぜんとあそぼ) by NHK - This, I recommend. Very informational, teaches biology, great videography.
Tsukutte Asobo (つくってあそぼ) by NHK - An arts and crafts in Japanese! Very creative and fun! Recommend. There are maybe 6 of these series out there.
Kodomo Challenge (こどもちゃれんじ) by Benesse - I think you've heard of these before. There's a Shimajiro (tiger) character, and although I don't see the point in this character, the content is very good for tiny children. About brushing teeth, going to and using the potty, taking a bath, eating properly, crossing the street safely, listening to mommy/daddy, sharing, that kind of stuff! Also has a rhythmic section, an exercise section, a warabeuta (Japanese nursery rhymes) section, story section. I think the only way to get these is to sign up for their monthly package.
Nihonngode Asobo (にほんごであそぼ) by NHK- Japanese exploration for Japanese kids. A little advanced, but creative and very.. well, Japanese. Maybe for kids 3 or 4+.
Basically anything you find in an amazon.co.jp DVD search on Doubutsu (動物/animals) or Aiueo (あいうえお/Japansese phonetic chart) will be a good start!
There are also many cheap DVDs at the local grocery store, but I doubt you'll find the same online. Well, there will be something similar for a higher but still affordable price. There are many kids' documentaries similar to Shizennto Asobo on subjects like vehicles, animals, etc., also old Disney movies recorded in both English and Japanese (with subtitles,too), and traditional fables. The ones at the grocery store are about 370 yen each.
Hmm that's all I can think of right now! If I think of or come across any more, I will let you know!
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EARLY LEARNING / Teaching Your Child Math / Re: The Kumon Method
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on: June 10, 2011, 11:55:53 AM
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i've been enrolled as a kid in Kumon (Japan, where it was originated), and have been employed there also, and I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!!!
shortly put, the only progress i see is this: the kids learn to hate learning.
every 'Kumon' kid i've seen hates it.
it's worksheet after worksheet after worksheet. you're done? oh here's the next work sheet.
children are expected to be silent and complete their worksheets. you got a question? think some more. on your own.
if you really can't figure it out, come ask one question, and we'll give you more worksheets to do.
can't concentrate? stop looking at the time. sit up straight. do your work.
you're not done? well you can't go home until you're done.
THAT, is Kumon.
now their worksheets? they're made well. but the classroom setting is just horrible.
as a child, i had a fever at 3:00 every Monday. that was the time and day i went to Kumon.
other kids got really ornery and disrespectful because of the atmosphere and classroom gloom.
when i was working there, they told me only to mark the kids' worksheets.
being bilingual, and born to a 'foreign' and 'native' mother, I was obviously an expert at reading English.
i also happened to be a professional at teaching kids to read.
and they told me, NOT to instruct the students anything related to English.
the other teacher, who had no English background whatsoever, who could not pronounce a thing right,
THAT was the 'qualified' English teacher.
forget quality. forget education.
that's where you go if you want to destroy your children's will to learn.
these may be strong words, but i'm not exaggerating.
hopefully it's not the same story at the Kumon's in the US.
but as far as i know the Kumons in the US are modeled after the ones here, as well.. Kumon was founded in Japan.
and unfortunately, the situation is pretty much the same at any Kumon classroom here.
so if you're only using their worksheets, good. if you're taking your kids to Kumon and the teachers there seem good, fine.
but it's probably best if you're overseeing the use of the worksheets and ensuring that there is more to a session than just worksheet after worksheet after worksheet.
learning should be intriguing and fun! it should not be centered around boredom!
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EARLY LEARNING / Early Learning - General Discussions / Re: Swimming Lessons for Babies. When did you start?
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on: May 19, 2011, 01:13:09 PM
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Starting in the cold months? No problem. Just make sure you warm your baby after the swimming session (the pool we go to has a hot tub and sauna to warm up).
The pattern I see is that no matter when you start the child, he or she will have a runny nose or a slight fever after the first couple of weeks after starting swimming lessons, and then will be FINE, perfectly fine, afterwards. SO fine that they are almost immune to colds after that first month of slight cold symptoms. The swimming builds their respiratory system and water babies hardly get sick at all!
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EARLY LEARNING / Early Learning - General Discussions / Re: Swimming Lessons for Babies. When did you start?
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on: May 19, 2011, 12:05:35 AM
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I hurried to get my daughter started at 3 months. She was so chubby, I felt she would be behind in her physical education if she didn't have any opportunity in the water—the only place her baby fat would be helpful in movement! :P
The Domans suggest you start the DAY of the child's birth, in the bathtub at home.
Some pools use salt rather than chlorine. None in my area did, so unfortunately I had to take her to the pools with chlorine.
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Local Support Groups / Virginia / Re: Gainesville, VA about 40 miles from DC
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on: April 26, 2011, 11:35:57 AM
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Yes and no. My daughter and I are still in Japan, my husband and his family are in PA, and we all go back and forth between countries. We (my daughter and I) are moving to PA in June.  I know it's confusing, (that's why I simplified all that in saying that 'we live in PA' in an earlier post), but we'll be in the US soon! |
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