Thanks for the wonderful resources. Aangeles, can you recommend some other books that you and Ella enjoy. Also can you recommend some resources in Chinese children classics/poetry/etc translated in English.

ARVI - if you have LR license - once you have the new build  installed - go back online and click on your license key and it imports the content. I couldn't figure it out either.

I can import the pre-made lessons but I want to generate a new course from scratch. I have about 30 categories in a foreign language and I want to create lessons out of those. When I create a course by including all the categories, LR generates the lessons with all the 30 categories in 1 session. But I want only few categories included per day. How can I create a course just like LR's pre-made lessons?

Thanks for the update! How to generate a new course? Are there any tips and tricks?

lzp11, You can buy AAS from Conquest books in UK http://www.conquestbooks.co.uk/christian_books.php?menu_page=229
I bought mine along with IEW' PAL writing  for 56£.

For this reason, I plan on adopting a memory strategy for facts and more advanced vocabulary when the time is right. If you build those two things along with the decoding skill, you will wind up with a child that far surpasses a year's reading placement, IMO. This is maybe the biggest thing (other than math, ha ha) that I plan on doing and cannot wait to implement

PokerDad, you seem to have a great plan. Can you elaborate your plan on facts memory strategy and advanced vocabulary. What tools and resources are you planning to use?

  I guess I was just hoping someone had found a product that would guide me step-by-step through teaching a two year old math... no such luck. 

Wolfwind, I am currently using Miquon with my 2.5 year old DS. I started the program right after he turned 2. Miquon is a very hands-on approach for creative problem solving in maths. You will not believe that my son can solve problems like this on his own with cuisenaire rods:
5+2=3+x
5-4=2-x
x*5=20
3*x=18
and any word problems related to +,-,* in grade 1. Its absolutely brilliant program.

In the beginning, I found it difficult to follow through the Miquon curriculum as it contained multiple booklets like Annotations, first grade diary, orange, red, etc books. But once you get the hang of it, its like sailing in breeze.

I am also using Singapore math as the spine and both the programs complement very well with each other. I am currently perusing the future levels of books in Singapore math where they use bar model for problem solving. Children learning with Cuisenaire rods will find it very easy to transition to this bar model method as both are inter-related.

Thank you Manda, for sharing this picture. In my opinion, it has excellent word problems. If possible, please post a picture of language arts book as well.

Now, after looking at the sample and expecting that grade 1 books would look similar, I am tempted to buy grade 1 maths and language arts. Can you let me know which books I should buy for grade 1? The site lists lots of several materials and I am bit confused. Do you know about the Signpost Mental maths books. What does it basically contain? Are these books available in bookdepository?

Thanks for sharing, Robert. Sonya, you have provided another perspective to that problem. Do you think that the loneliness and laziness problem can be evaded through other means. Can you recommend any resources or books in that subject.

[No Stress Chess]

We are having hours of fun playing board games during weekends. Apart from some of the games listed above, we have
No Stress Chess which my son enjoys a lot. I am also using a book http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/193627731X/ref=pe_217191_31005151_dp_1 to go along with it.

Katamino is another favorite. http://www.amazon.com/Family-Games-8051-Katamino/dp/B0009H9SUC
Dobble is extremely fun. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asmodee-ASMDOBB01EN-Dobble-Card-Game/dp/B0031QBHMA
Logic board http://www.absorbentminds.co.uk/acatalog/info_M_50_11.html

I have just bought 'Rush Hour' and I'm planning to buy Tridio http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Brain-Toys-Tridio-Twist/dp/B0062WYQTQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1350466031&sr=1-1&keywords=tridio

Robert, Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. You're very pragmatic Just one more question. Most of the child prodigies and accelerated learners that I've read about have ended up depressed and being unhappy during adulthood. There are a few exceptions to this list like your son (great indeed). One common thing about the prodigies/accelerated learners who turned out depressed is the fact that they were accelerated in a super fast pace like graduating college at the age of 12 or less. What is your opinion on this? Did you put special efforts to ensure that your son is happy and did you make conscious effort in making him well-rounded or is it because of his personality that he is happy now.

Robert, Maybe I am asking a very controversial question but I want to understand your perspective on this question. I truly appreciate your son's efforts and yours. But I feel that rather than going to college early, if your son had put lots of effort few more years then he could have got entry in Ivy League colleges or the ones like MIT or Stanford. My understanding is that  colleges like those provide so much scope and rigor that would put a student in the top few % of talents which is more beneficial for the student in the long run. I know very little about universities in USA and very little about Houston university, so excuse my ignorance if Houston univ. is also in the top tier.

Some of the picture books that we like are:
Mr. Pusskins series by Sam Lloyd
Meeow and the.. series by Sebastien Braun
Charlie and Lola series by Lauren Child
Our current favourites are Usborne's Classic stories for little children; The singing mermaid by Julia Donaldson and Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann.

Thank you all for your suggestions. After reading the advice that Korrale4q posted, I used iPad as the reward. So, DS has to read a book of his choice and he will get the iPad only after this. He is so much addicted to iPad that he never minds reading books (even long ones) to me.  We're still continuing this practice and he picks a book daily without any prompt from me, finishes the book and goes to pick the iPad. He has progressed from Preschool Prep books to reading Level 3 Usborne beginning readers.

Thank you for sharing Korrale4kq and mybabyian. Great job!

Thank you for re-opening this thread. I have been pondering over some of these questions lately.
eschlem, Since I don't have a Kumon centre in my country, I would like to know how best to replicate their methods at home. Is it possible to attain mastery by just using their Kumon books or do I need to use more worksheets. If so, have you come across any worksheet generating site or online facts site which is similar to Kumon method?