Hi,

I am from Townsville, North Queensland and I have a 2.9yr old daughter.

I have used a lot of different educational techniques with my daughter and am happy to share.

Tiger-Lily.   

Hi,

Your son is only young.  Not all children are ready for reading until they go to school.  Sometimes if you push reading onto children they will not grow up to enjoy the experience.

I have seen kids that were not reading or ready to read come into yr 1 with no or little knowledge about literacy and within the 1st term, they were ready and reading. 

When a child learns to read will not determine the success they will have.

Having a positive reading role model and exploring texts together is far more important.

Just enjoy books/literacy and he will enjoy books too.  The reading will come later.

Hi,

I see a lot of people are doing some great work.  I think it really depends if your baby is ready for it or not.  They let you know.

I have had foam letters in the bath since my daughter was about 8 months.  We say: 

"what sound does the letter make"
&
"What is the name of the letter"

eg sound = ef
     name = F

She has been able to do this since she has been about 20 months.  We show her both letter names, but particularly work on the sounds. We are now introducing how to sound the words out.

If you are not doing these things, dont worry, you will know when your baby needs it.  My little girl is very academic and needs to be stimulated every second she is awake. 

Just enjoy the child you have. You will know what is the right thing and when.

Tiger-Lily

Hi all,

My daughter is almost 2 and she absolutely loves the starfall interactive letter/sounds learning site.

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/index/load.htm?f

She now knows all her letter sounds and most letter names.  She can spend almost an hour enjoying this site.

I am wondering if anyone else knows any other simple, yet effective sites?

Love to hear from you,

Thanks

Tiger-Lily

I disagree with everyone here.  I think you should stop the program and focus on

1. you and your families health
2. you and your families happiness.

If you are stressed and rushing the program it is not worth it and your son will not benefit.

Just read to him, point out animals and facts when you are on a walk.  Talk to him and provide him with information.  When he has a bath, make words from letters. 

Your son and yourself will be much better off emotionally and intellectually if he has a mum who shows him that
*learning is fun, not laboured,
*learning is everywhere, not on a flash card
*learning is all the time, not between 5 - 7pm each night

I too, had big ideas about teaching my daughter from an early age.  There were many health issues from her and myself.  The cards went out the window and we just began exploring the world together from a fun perspective.  She has picked up so much more this way than I ever imagined.  She is one and almost knows all the alphabet sounds, can count and loves me reading to her.

Enjoy your child.  They are too precious to be made to read some cards we think are important.

If the time is right down the track, pick it up again.

Good luck and I hope everything works out for you.

Hi All,

I probably should have specified more on sight words.  Most sight words fit into English spelling patterns, but there are a few that do not fit.  It is ok to tell a child that it is an exception when you come to it, but do not just give a heap of "sight" words without any explanation.  It then teaches the child that there is no sense or pattern and will then begin to think there is no pattern anywhere. They are called sight words as they are so frequently used that we know them through sight, rather than spelling them out each time.

Good luck with spelling.  You should check out the THRASS System.  It shows on a chart all the different spelling choices.  It makes so much sense to teach with and for kids to understand.  http://www.thrass.com.au/

Kylie 

Hi,

I have done a lot of research on this matter.  It is really important to teach the sound first.  Letter names are only used for dictionary reference and for spelling out loud.  The sound is the very important part to start with.  This is the guide I believe is best.

1. Simple sounds of the alphabet - a, b, c etc
2. Alternate sounds  - the letter 'c' makes the /c/ and /s/ sound
3. Two or more letters can make one sound /ea/, /ph/, /igh/,
4. Then uncommon spellings which don't usually follow too many rules eg cafe (french word),

As a last note, I don't believe sight words should be taught as sight words.  Break them done into the sounds so you baby/child can see the links to the sounds.

I am very passionate about teaching kids to read, write and spell and think the "Teach your baby to read" DVD's are not the very best way.  I have used the program for my daughter and it was brilliant in enabling her to be able to recognise a lot of animals and actions, but for reading I just see how many problems kids run into when the learn/memorise whole words.

Some kids learn to read pretty much without any help.  Others are taught the wrong way and end up with a lot of problem.

Hope this helps.

Kylie
Yr 1 - 4 teacher

[Socialisation.]

Hi everyone,

I have just been exploring this exact question.  Homeschooling v's traditional schooling. I am a primary teacher and I know I could teach my child better than anyone else.  It would be one on one, I know the curriculum and we could work at our own pace.  My husband is supportive of this and is an engineer so higher order maths and science would be covered. HOWEVER, after much deliberation, we have decided to send our daughter to a private school for the following reasons:

1.  Socialisation. To make real connections with other children and build relationships is just as important as academics.  To learn to tolerate people we don't necessarily like is important to our teenage and adulthood years.

2.  Feeling accomplished.  I want our daughter to be proud of her achievements and accept awards at assembly or be able to be the best in the class at whatever her special skill is.

3.  Independence.   I know our children grow up way too quickly and we want them with us all the time, but I think it allows the child to develop their own sense of being when they are exposed to different people and different situations. 

BUT

In saying I will send my daughter off to school but this will not stop me from being a part of her schooling.  I expect the teacher to keep me up to date with what the children are learning, so we can extend on these topics further at home.  As my daughter is so hungry for information and she learns so quickly, I would expect a program to be put in place for her.  If she is reading by the time she is at school, then it is the teachers obligation to ensure my daughter has a challenging curriculum, just like the other students.  I will be monitoring this and ensuring my daughter gets what she needs.

I think as a teacher the biggest misconception from parents is that they can not play a part in the schooling. 
- Volunteer in the class for reading/spelling/science etc
- have regular meetings with the teacher
- communicate on a regular basis
- have your child show you what they have been doing in the classroom in the mornings/afternoons when you drop them off
- have projects that are on the same/similar topic that you can do at home, but your child can then share with the class

I feel better knowing that we are sending our daughter to a very well disciplined school and know that I am there to support and back her up the whole way.  She will have the best of both worlds.

Hi All,

I think my daughter (17 months) will be a lefty.  She eats with only her left hand using her fingers or fork.  She also picks items up using her left and predominantly using that hand for leggo.  My husband's brother and my brother are both lefties.

Things are easy to buy for a left handed person these days so I am not worried.

Tiger-Lily