Just wondering if anyone has read the recent articles below stating that early learning is harmful. It will be interesting to know how our early learners are faring in school in later years. We make math fun for our 3.5 year olds. Eg. they happily volunteer to divide up food and learn multiplication at the same time. We play with Mortensen blocks. One asks to recite the 12 times table while I pour the milk into his cereal. They love books and read well. They are nowhere near liking workbooks so we barely touch those. I think the articles  confirm that learning at early ages must really be fun otherwise it could backfire. Anyone knows if there are studies showing a clear advantage to early learning?

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201505/early-academic-training-produces-long-term-harm

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201506/how-early-academic-training-retards-intellectual-development

I'll start looking for one. The good microscopes are held on tightly - at Uni, the old ones are handed down and passed around labs for teaching so no chance of getting discarded ones. Companies like Nikon, Olympus sell teaching slides but they could be expensive. May be worth a look when she starts asking for more. Do you remember how your daughter became interested in biology? Was she exposed more to nature/biology topics than her siblings? or was it something more innate?

One of my professors once explained to me that one more person who is sensitive to animal wellbeing is a person who can contribute to the conservation of this planet. I think that conservation issues can best be absorbed gradually as it is too much burden on a child. Simply supporting her love of nature and animals is already a lot. A pair of binoculars and an Audubon manual can go a long way. Salt marshes are full of migratory birds. The bush and the backyard are also great.

My small way of paying it forward and I hope it helps. How were you able to find/buy a good microscope? I'd like to get one for home but store ones are hopeless.

New Scientist is a really great magazine, and usually available at libraries. Maybe a twist to learning about scientists is to read popular science writers or mine their books for stories. They make discoveries very accessible and entertaining. Eg. Jared Diamond, Pinkett, Gould, etc. Oliver Sacks packs in a number of short stories in a volume. Guns, Germs and Steel is a synthesis on human development by Jared Diamond and he puts into perspective the role of microbes. Here is a resource on virtual microscopes: http://ammrf.org.au/myscope/
If you click on Confocal Microscopy, there are tutorials on light microscopy and there is a virtual microscope that interactively teaches how the different microscope parts work. She might also like the virtual scanning electron microscope which has much greater magnifying powers. If you need more specific information or help, please feel free to message me.   

It sounds like she is well on her way. I caught the biology bug around 10 and it has stayed . A few more thoughts. Once she is at the Uni and postgrad level, the topics become more specialized (and some are optional) eg. computational biology, genetics, genomics, cell signalling, proteomics, biochemistry, all which can be adapted to microbiology. You can introduce some concepts early but maybe only to broaden horizons/maintain interest. Or they can be integrated as diagram showing how a cell works - insulin signalling comes to mind (comparing normal and diabetic states). If she eventually chooses biology as a career, it will be very useful to have a strong mathematical background (not essential but useful). Eg. Statistics is very important, and mathematical/physical modelling can be used to predict outcomes. I think that you are doing the right thing in following her interests in animals and microbiology (this is a very specialized topic already). You'll see that her thirst for knowledge will be insatiable.

Some ideas here but up to you to deem age appropriate. Dissections. Anatomy. Evolution. Case studies based on microbiology eg. discovery of penicillin, vaccinations, resistant bacteria. Fun with microscopes -  perform basic sample staining to differentiate between cells. University of Sydney has a microscope department that have annual visits from school kids but this is organised via schools.

 Hi
I am hoping to try out Soft Mozart but while the Demo connection with my piano is working but that is about it. The icons are all frozen. I think the problem could be that Windows 8 does not allow change from 32 bit to 16 bit. Something to do with the desktop window manager needing 32 bit to run and it runs all the time. I wonder if others have overcome this problem. It seems that it will be hard to find a newish system to run on 16 bit even though SoftMozart website states that Windows 8 is compatible. I hope someone can help. Thank you.

Hi
Brill kids to  build on vocabulary and sight words. Sing the ABC song in phonics. My twins were 'reading' phonetically by ear very early. eg. if I sounded out the word cat, "Kuh, eh, t", they'll say cat. I'd do this for a few words at a time while reading a book to them. As they approached 2, I'd ask them to read a word from the book every now and then. Looking back, it would have been more effective if I had shown the words printed out in larger print - go through a few vocabulary words before starting the book, as one mum had pointed out. I do it now to increase their vocabulary. One learned faster than the other, and remains a better reader. They were reading a book (early reader) each a day before 3. I rarely interrupt so as not to take away the pleasure of a story.  We borrow books from the library so there are about 30 or more around the house at any one time. They choose some books themselves and at home, these are the ones they would pick up and read on their own. 

The twin who is slower at reading is better at speaking - he talks more and likes to use new words. There are many other differences in terms of their preferences and what they are good at. My humble advice is that there should be no pressure on the academics. It should be fun at this early age. All the best on your journey.

This thread is amazing and I have learned so much. Here's the thing. My 3 year olds are cheeky, cheeky, cheeky. When they were 2.5 and already reading to some extent, both of them would pick out numbers instead of letters and vice versa and laugh at their Montessori teacher when having a session with her. Before they were two, they have been purposely confusing their dad with their identities. I had no sympathy as I could tell them apart from birth.

But now that I am the one being tricked...Recently they have been all over the place with the six times table and simple addition when I know they know some of the answers. I think that they are facing boredom with repetition and here is what I did. I let them come up with the problem eg. One would say he has two cement mixers, then one more joined them and now he has 3. In desperation I made a bribe of handing out roasted chickpeas if I get the correct answer (won't do this again). Lastly, I will introduce short worksheets (online ones and standard sheets are still too much at the moment) so they start getting used to the idea of a more formal math session. I do know that they can learn skip counting quite quickly like within a few days if there is an emotional attachment to the number so I will try to make this association for them for upcoming numbers (7 to 12).

Here are my questions. Mastery of math has been emphasised on this thread. How do I know if they have mastered the basics when I can't get a straight answer?   Or can I simply expect that this will be achieved if we do enough math? My experience seems to be the opposite from what is expected. Eg. I seem to hold their interest more when introducing new concepts eg negative numbers and they do get the math. They are however resistant to repetition and testing so I don't think I can get them to memorise all the addends, for example. It also makes it difficult for me to know how to move forward if I am unsure of what they already know. Robert, did you have to deal with similar problems when David was little? I can imagine you being a strong figure of authority.

I sometimes feel outsmarted and outnumbered. How is this possible? I have three degrees and supervised 4 PhD students to completion. I can tell you now, working with graduate students is 100 times easier..but I wouldn't miss the experiences with my toddlers for the world. I think I might be even a little bit sharper for all the stories and games I had to invent to engage them in math and music. I digress.

I really admire the mums and dads on this forum for what they have been able to achieve and I may have even left it a bit late for memorising facts with my little monkeys. But I am learning and learning from all of you. Here is what we have been doing and what I hope to achieve moving forward.
I the last 6 months,
Mastered the teens
Appreciate place value and count to 1000
Able to perform addition and subtraction up to 10
Introduced addition and subtraction up to 20
Understand negative numbers
Able to solve simple algebraic equations and know the concept of x
Know all square numbers up to 10
Introduced the square root
Able to skip count to 6
Memorised times table up to 6
Practised writing all 10 numbers electronically.
2. I the next 3-6 months
   1. Master addends up to 10 (maybe)
   2. Introduce percentages
   3. Make teens addends and beyond
   4. Solve quadratic equations
   5. Know times table up to 12
   6. Introduce decimals
   7. Practise writing numbers on paper
Saxon math and abacus in the future?

Hi
I have almost 3 year old twin boys. It is an evolving situation. They started off looking at the screen as 9 mo olds, then as they got more active, I used to sit both on my lap. We could get a lot done this way because it was also a bonding time. They still like to sit with me, one on either side as we read (they got too big to sit on my lap and would fight if one brother touched the other!). I know how exasperating it is when they fight. I also read from the screen so they can hear my voice. It was part of a morning routine we had. We read from books a lot maybe up to 10 a day. It was the only thing that captured their attention for long periods. Will let you know if I think of anything else.

You could try engaging him with everyday activities like cooking and cleaning. Cleaning salad leaves, using tongs, sorting, sweeping, brushing (get the childsize brooms, mops, brushes), sifting flour, sewing - putting thimbles on fingers and threading (large holes and thick cords). Start with very easy puzzles and make it a constant - change puzzles every few days. It is great that he likes reading. Set out books with his favourite topics. Similarly, if he likes cars and trains, show him how to make them with legos. At 2.5, he might prefer the larger pieces - duplo. Then pretend play for eg. going to the car wash or car show, or act out his favourite Thomas the tank scene. For my kids, the building sets will all need to have wheels otherwise there is no interest. There are preliterate and prewriting activities such as using scissors (with supervision), hole punching, stamping, play dough - make your own with him. Instead of texta, I found that my kids preferred paints. So, I let them get very messy with paint outside the house using old bedsheets, themselves, paper, tree bark, rocks etc as canvases. One day, I watched in part horror and part amusement as he turned a small table upside down, painted the surface then promptly took of his pants and swivelled his bottom on the paint. It is only recently at 3 yo that there is greater interest in pens and texta. Although they played with trains for a long time, it is only recently that they are showing an interest in building the tracks. So, I think your child is normal and just needs a little more time to grow into his toys. We stopped the tv even for the recommended 30 min because it is easier to deal with no tv expectations than constant requests. I don't think that at this age, they can entertain themselves for very long periods. However, if you know some of his primary interests, you can try to expand the variety and duration of activities around them. What are others' experience here? All the best for your pregnancy. I know it is hard with a toddler when all you want to do is lie down.

Yes, thank you. I am so appreciative of your insight and ideas. I can see that a vocabulary study before the story can be very effective. I am also more sensitive to the fact that one boy prefers to read by himself while the other likes to read to me. I need to give some thought here on how to facilitate both. When reading out loud he sometimes add words that are not in the text (although in a correct way grammatically and contextually) or skip words or switch words around. I let it go sometimes so the reading goes faster. He seems to understand the content - but should I be concerned about the mistakes? I wonder if this is normal in a budding reader and that it will self correct in the future. The boys were very different in how they started reading. One just did it and the other liked guessing the words. He still guesses but they seem mostly correct now  . So I know there is probably variation in how they progress as well. Sneaking dots in is a real gem. I agree that how we teach needs to match the child's interest. If not, they catch on pretty quick that it is more for your benefit and that will be the end of the lesson

I have also noticed that spelling is a very different skill from reading. Are spelling skills considered more left-brained and should this be left until after 4 years old to develop? We are tracing letters Montessori style and playing with the movable alphabets but the pace is very slow. I am wondering what the institute's approach is when it comes to spelling, writing and grammar - all the associative skills of reading or language. I hope I have not side-tracked too much but I think that it is true, reading is easier than speaking and spelling etc. That is why I am trying to bridge some of the gaps early so it will be very interesting to know what the experts do.

Thank you so much for sharing. It is very interesting and informative to someone like me who is learning on the go. I stopped with the flash cards once the kids could read and just let them play and be creative but I will start again with a foreign language. What is the recommended reading practice once the child can read? When I read to them I do it at an accelerated speed but run my finger underneath the words. When they read to me I would point to every word. I could stop the pointing altogether but do I then just sit with them while they read? Can I ask questions later to teach/foster comprehension or is this considered testing? I find it more useful to teach new words separately from reading time. Learning new words is almost instantaneous even long, compound words so I think that they are learning by sight most of the time rather than phonetically.

I am have been relying on the CR training videos for where we are at right now. The kids are aware of what addition and subtraction means and performing simple algebraic equations, and they have made squared blocks. They are skip counting in the 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s and we have built numbers to a thousand using blocks. I'll introduce multiplication and division soon. I need to get the Algebra decimal inserts for the smooth x square- x and x blocks before going any further. PokerDad, what skip counting music/songs does your child listen to? I have one CD which isn't very clear because the voices are singing in a chorus. I am making up songs for them but this is rather slow going.