May years ago, my kids learned a fun rhyme at preschool:

Take care of your teeth
And treat them right
Brush them in the morning and night
Then at the dentist you can say
I brush my teeth 2 times a day

It helped my kids visualize the goal and take pride in good brushing habits.

You can make your own content in German using little reader.

I was a late starter too.  My daughter is now 8 yrs old, so it felt like centuries ago.  The formal lesson didn't interest her.  Instead I made playlists of her interests, particularly food.  Then I played into her desire for world domination.  I let her hold the grocery list, read, and cross items off.  It was a big power trip for a toddler/preschooler.  I printed out the lyrics to her favorite songs so she could sing along.  When it was obvious that I wanted her to read, she wouldn't always cooperate.  Reading worked better when it was part of a bigger activity.  I played concentration card games- wrote words on one set of index cards, and pasted the images on another set.  Then she could spread them out faces down and play concentration.  It worked her memory and reading together but she just thought it was her favorite card game.  I used lots of nonfiction concept books from the library.  She thought we were just learning about the world, and reading was just secondary to the goal.  I can't remember how late we started - I think somewhere between 23 months old to 3 1/2 yrs old.  If you search my name. I'm sure some of my old posts would reveal when I started.  I had a very headstrong kid, so we took lots of breaks from reading but somehow she was reading very well before age 4.  She also liked reading recipes to me.  Any activity that made it seem like she was the one in charge was very appealing.  She liked being the boss of the todo list for the day.  I would give it to her and explain I could really use her help keeping me organized while I drove and did errands.  I also wrote the names of all of her plastic action figures on cards.  She liked putting the figures on their respective cards.  We would go on nature walks then get concept books about bugs, trees, and mushrooms, etc.  I would pretend that our nature walks were very important scientific studies so we needed to collect specimens ( leaves, acorns, etc) and learn about them.  Good luck, Lori

I am so happy for you and him!  Very inspiring, keep us posted on his accomplishments.

Lori

I recently stumbled upon some interesting Japanese videos called my first errand (Hajimete no Otsukai) on you tube.  They send preschool kids on complex errands while a camera crew follows along.  The kids don't seem to understand that adults are following and watching out for them.  It is remarkable what these kids accomplish.  My daughter (age 7) is fascinated and inspired to emulate their independence and competence.  This is great because I need to ease up on the helicopter parenting.  It's easier to loosen my grip when the kids are requesting more independence too.

Enjoy, Lori

Thanks for advice.  Sorry I never responded back.  At first I was worried then I decided it doesn't matter.  Actually less homework is a big bonus because my daughter will have more free time for her own intellectual pursuits.  Ironically there was a possibility that she was being assigned to the gifted classroom anyway.  However I called the principal and opted out.  Other parents told me that the second grade gifted room teacher was demanding and emotionally unsupportive.
Thanks again, Lori

I want my kids to play with closed circuits and switches.  I want them to use motors and accessories ( wheels, gears, fans, etc.) however we keep having attachment issues.  I have a few motors but no easy way to attach the wheels and gears.  My wheels and gears are from various closed play toys.  It isn't easy to affix them to the motor shaft without slipping. I searched unsuccessfully online for a hobby shop that sells small dc motors with an array of easy to attach accessories without having to use universal mounting hubs. I feel like I'm not speaking their language because I didn't see any obvious solutions.  I want something easy so my kids do all the work themselves with my guidance.  I don't like linear kits like Littlebits because it doesn't teach closed circuits.  I want my kids to use wires and batteries.  I'm just having issues so far with the attachement of motor shafts to wheels or gears.  I'm sure someone must make what I want.  Does anyone have any ideas?  Also affordable would be helpful?

Thanks, Lori

I send them to school.  My older kid has some special needs and the public school provided him with physical therapy, occupational therapy, language therapy, social skills training, and Wilson Reading Program for dyslexia.  He likes school.  It seems unfair not to send her too.  Also it might be good for my daughter to be with developmentally average kids.  My son is hard to classify or explain.  He looks somewhat like aspergers.  He is 11 so she lets him lead in all play activities which then revolve around his preferred interests.  It is better for her to relationships that have more give and take, and to have more variety in her play.  He benefits from school because exposure to other kids helps him maintain better social skills.  My son isn't classified as aspergers because he doesn't meet the criteria all the time.  There is a wide spectrum of normal behavior and he does a fine balancing act near the edge of aspergers.

My daughter has regressed a bit academically due to school.  She would be further advanced if she was homeschooled.  I'm still working trying to figure out how to squeeze in some after schooling and summer schooling.  She is resistant and my son's challenges consume a lot of my attention.  She takes advantage of my divided attention to slip away and evade me.  I think after schooling is possible but not easy.  I was better at it when they were younger but now there are lots of distractions from the outside world. I'm a stay at home mom so I have the advantage of time.  After schooling while working full time would be very challenging. Maybe you can rope your caregivers into your EL plans too. 

Good luck, Lori

Beautiful blog! I didn't use a curriculum, but I do love the way the you are using curriculums with your son.  It makes me wish I had done the same when my kids were toddlers.  It sounds like your son is joyfully learning at his own pace which is great. My kids are older and in school now but I still enjoy reading about early learning and success stories. I did lots of early learning with my youngest but never tried an actual curriculum. He is a lucky kid to have such a dedicated mom.  Very inspiring.  Actually your blog is motivating me to work on our summer plans.  I did get a math curriculum (mammoth math) for my youngest to work on this summer break but we haven't touched it yet.  Our school math program doesn't meet her needs because it is grade level work and she is ahead.  I was hoping to let work ahead over the summer.  However she is headstrong and has already advised me that she plans to skip sections and only do the fun pages.  I picked mammoth math because it is written with instructions directly for the student.  It might suit her independent spirit to be able to do it by herself.  It is always a challenge to get her joyfully on board with my learning plans. At age 7 now, she delights in differentiating herself from me by being contrary.
Thanks for sharing your EL blog, Lori

What a great find!  My kids get art at school.  They study and copy pieces from great artists.  But often the kids don't like the art that they are required to produce, and would like more freedom.  Also I don't see any transfer of skills into their own original artwork at home.  The kids are learning a bit of art history but aren't becoming artists.  I would like my children to feel like artist in their own right - exploring different techniques and mediums.  Artventure might be perfect.  I'm going to try some of the free lessons with my kids to gauge their interest.

Thnaks Kimba.  You always have good ideas, Lori

Great job! Doesn't it feel amazing to see your LO reading!  You can see her looking carefully to pick the right card ie reading them.  I like your enthusiasm.  It looks like you are both having fun.  Joyful learning is the best.  You are doing a good job of connecting the words to experiences - touching her nose, referencing her ball, etc.  She is lucky that you are starting EL with her at such young age.  Keep us posted on her progress, it is inspiring.
Lori

I saw a "Doman Flashcards Math" app that is free.  It is suppose to be 50 lessons based on Glenn Doman's math technique - subitizing red dots. 
Lori

My daughter (age 7 and in first grade) didn't score high enough on the CogAT test to get into our school's gifted and talented program.  I started early learning just before she turned 2 yrs old.  She began sight reading immediately at 23 months old.  When she started kindergarten at age 5, her teacher told me she was reading on a third grade level. She is very self motivated.  For example, last year, she wanted to understand understand multiplication so she played an multiplication iPad app just enough to beat the first level and earn a medal.  Then once she understood multiplication, she was interested in something else so stopped playing the game.  Now I'm not sure if she can multiply anymore.  It is difficult to get her to do as I wish.  She likes to figure things out for herself and hates demonstrating skills for me.  She came across a letter written in script recently and began instantly writing in script without any instruction. She has been a self guided learner since about 3.5 year old.  She has no patience for formal lessons so I just provide her with interesting materials and experiences.  Obviously, I think she is gifted. She scored high on the CogAT (in the 87%) just not in the gifted range.  She is bored at school, and entertains herself by helping a struggling classmate.    Outside of school, she plays with and relates better to older kids including a gifted 11 yr old.  Not sure what I should do?  Our gifted program isn't suppose to be great anyway.  Currently she is in a gifted cluster (an informal grouping of the school's gifted kids that meets sporadically for more challenging work).  But in second grade, the gifted group is formally defined per CogAT test scores and regularly gets more challenging work.  I wish I could afford private education.  Is anyone out there having a similar experience?  I believe the school will view her her as a high achiever but not gifted.  Maybe I shouldn't care and just be grateful for less homework so she will have more time for her own private intellectual pursuits.

Lori

I wrote and illustrated a couple of stories with my daughter as the main character.  She loved reading about herself to anyone who would listen.  Also I got the lyrics to her favorite songs so she could sing them.  Until she memorized the words, she was reading.  I let her read and cross items off of the grocery list while we shopped.  It is a big power trip for a 3 yr old to direct mom around the store.  She also enjoyed being in charge of to do lists.  Later I discovered that she liked email too.  Also kids like to imitate other kids so maybe you should have her watch videos of kids reading.
Good Luck, Lori

okay.  I just started "The Nuture Assumption."  I hope everyone is still interested in discussing it when I'm done.   My first thoughts are about subcultures with strong identities such as "geeks." My kids are geeks.  I'm a geek.  We watch the science channel, the history channel, the discovery channel, and of course The Big Bang Theory.  We listen to NPR on the radio, and read science magazines.  We shop for presents at ThinkGeek and the Marbles store.  Recently we decided that we need a family latin motto.  Star Fleet Academy's motto is "ex astris, scientia" - from the stars, knowledge.  Once our family motto is decided we plan to engrave it on the back of our watches to be worn as a talisman - like the words have power to protect and guide us.  I feel like my influence on my kids' behavior is insidious.   My kids haven't found their own geeky social clique at school yet but they are young.  In meanwhile we do the science fair, tried the chess club and robotics club.  At this pace, shouldn't the geeky clique find them and finish what I have started?  Can't parents influence a kid's social clique?  By the way, my geeky 11 yr old thinks the premise behind this book is very interesting and is trying to devise his own experiments to test out the importance of Nuture.

Good thread.  Thanks PokerDad!

Lori