I think it is a great point.  I have seen Asian faces but not faces that would be considered "black."  It is good for babies/children to be able to identify with the characters in the software including babies with darker skin.  Also it is good for all babies to see "black faces" in early learning materials to offset any developing prejudice regarding intellect and skin color.  I hate to admit it but this is a big issue in America.  Even if you raise your kids to be color blind to race, at school or on the playground, they will eventually get a subtle message that it is superior to be white.  The world would be a better place if people had equal access to opportunity based on their own merits.  We would have more people in positions of power because of their skill not their connections.  We would have less disenfranchised people; maybe even less war.  People might believe that one little change won't make a difference but "a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."  The accumulation of lots of tiny little changes could cause a cultural shift towards equality.

Lori

Welcome.  First I would advise that you join because I think you will get more support if you post in the section for parents of kids with special needs.  There are a lot of kids with down syndrome in our community.  I post a bit in that section myself because I have an older child with multiple learning issues.  Anyway if you spend some time reading the posts there you will pick up lots of ideas.  Some even have links to their own blogs where they give a more intimate look into their early learnings experiences with their child.  If you can afford it, I really like the Little Reader program.   I started with Your Baby Can Read but then switched over to Little Reader.  It's an easy way to start since the lesons are prepared for you. 

Good Luck, Lori

Anyone doing science fairs?  This is the second science fair for my son (age 11) and the first for my daughter (age 6).  My son originally wanted to determine the effect of positive and negative attention on mold growth.  He was going to talk nice to one mold colony, talk mean to another colony, and ignore the control group.  Then he decided that he couldn't bear being mean.  Next he decided that he would see if magnetism would have any effect on mold growth.  He postulated that most living things have iron, so magnetism should have an effect.  Now of course we are having trouble growing mold.  Also our science fair prohibits experiments using mold but it isn't deterring my son from continuing his project.  Thirdly he is also experimenting with the effects of magnetism on growing bean and radish seeds.  This project is not as interesting but will meet science fair approval.  My daughter wanted to figure out the smallest thing in the universe.  Of course we can't do that so she is settling on "mixing things." So I had her make predictions about which juice would produce the most gas when mixed with baking soda.  Her experiment was too easy so we might think of ways to add another dimension to it before the fair.  Anyone else out there with science fair mania in their home?

Lori

Wow, let's end this topic.  I'm the OP and didn't realize my question would cause such drama.  Fortunately I missed it.  I read the first few replies then still couldn't decide and pointedly avoided this thread while I sorted myself out.  They are both great products.  Thanks for the advice.  I've learned new things about both products.  I'm still deciding I might even include the kid in making the decision since she would be the user.

Thanks everyone, Lori

I really like Little Reader.  You can customize your own playlist by either making your own files with your own pictures and recordings, or by editing the existing library offerings.  Also go look in the Little Reader Library, there are already lots of encyclopedic knowledge files.  I don't know anything about tweedlewink.  I started using Little Reader late.  I started with Your Baby Can Read when my daughter was 23 months.  It was good but limited.  I think we found Little Reader when she was 24 or 25 months old.  It was perfect for us.  We stopped using YBCR and my daughter was very happy.  She would beg to watch her little reader files.  You can have a lot of fun with it.  My daughter was reading single words at 23 months, then sentences by age 3, and her own storybooks by age 3.5.  It was never work and I was even rather inconsistent.  I have an older child that was having learning issues so I was distracted and overwhelmed by his problems.  Yet despite my inconsistency, she thrived and excelled.  According to her school, she entered kindergarten reading on third grade level; and now in first grade, reads on a fourth grade level.  Honestly I think her reading level was and is higher.  Either way, I am very pleased with her progress.  She is a bookworm who learns on her own by reading.  It's great. Good luck, Lori

I started early learning activities late at 23 months because I didn't know better.  If I was to do it again I would start early like you are doing.  I think you can start the flash cards now.  I recall seeing videos with babies as young looking at flash cards.  Go check the video gallery for some inspiration. Also it can't do any harm.  In the babies mind, they are getting lots of interesting attention from mommy.  It's work for us but not for the baby.  The best outcome would be the baby learns more and the worst outcome is that it was just another bonding experience.  All is good for the baby either way.
Good luck and have fun with it, Lori

I'm in the same boat.  My son had been behind in absolutely everything.  Finally we are coming to the conclusion at age 11 that perhaps he is a tiny bit on on the spectrum.  However at the same time, he has been making great strides and is finally catching up to his peers.  Anyway math facts have been particularly difficult.  We did touch math for awhile, but it doesn't lend itself well to multiplication.  Lately we are trying rhymes.  I afterschooling when practical because sometimes regular school homework takes us the whole evening.  Maybe I have to try some of these math card games too. I have expressed my concerns with his teacher. My son is in fourth grade and his teacher is telling me that even the kids without learning disabilities are struggling with their math facts - Yikes!!!!  You are inspiring me to put more effort into these math challenges.
Good Luck, Lori

My daughter ( age 6) takes piano lessons.  I've been wanting to add something like piano wizard or soft Mozart to the mix.  I want something that would give immediate feedback and let her progress at her own pace.  She is already reading music on the grand staff so I am afraid that soft Mozart might not be the best choice.  Is anyone else using both software and piano lessons together? She only has a 30 minute lesson once per week.  She loves learning new songs but hardly ever does the warm exercises.  I thought that one of those programs or another could give her more practice and enjoyment at the same time.  Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

thanks, Lori

Thank you for taking the time to post all of those videos.  They were very helpful.  I won't worry about posture, relaxed muscles, or curved hands anymore.  My daughter wasn't having it anyway.  She didn't want to be bothered with little details.  She just wants play piano and get more challenging pieces each week.  it does seem silly to slow her down when she is having fun learning.  That same neighbor (who was endorsing old traditional russian methods) teaches her own granddaughter and that child is not enjoying it and equates learning with hard work.  In our house learning is fun.
thanks,  Lori

We listen to NPR in the car and it tends to be less sensational.  I don't like to watch the regular news channels on tv because it is depressing, sensational, and gives a skewed view of the world as violent and dangerous. Even with NPR we do have to turn it off in mid sentence sporadically.  But usually NPR does a lot of coverage regarding the politics and reasons for conflicts without emphasis on carnage.  Often it's okay for my kids to hear.  It gives them some awareness that there are conflicts but concerned people and governments are trying to apply pressure to defuse and stabilize the situation. However my daughter (age 6) is too young to be interested.  I think she daydreams when we listen to Talk Radio.  On the other hand, my son (age 11 ) is addicted.  He sometimes stays in the car once we reach our destination to finish listening to NPR.  His favorites programs are "All Things Considered" which covers a lot of world news and global issues, and "Radio Lab"  which covers a lot of interesting and quirky science, and of course "Car Talk."

Update on News-O-Matic:  The thrill is already gone.  Originally they were fighting over it because it doesn't work on first generation iPads so they had to share it on the one newer iPad.  Now no one seems to be reading it at all.    I paid for a 1 year subscription but I already canceled the automatic renewal.  News-O-Matic is a great idea in theory but my kids aren't taking the bait. We have it for a year so maybe they will take to it again in the future.  In the meanwhile, I may try stimulating their interest by reading and mentioning the articles.  My own form of advertising. 

Lori

For older kids, we are enjoying News-O-Matic.  It is a newspaper subscription designed for kids ages 7-11.  We get 5 news stories a day.  One is usually a some current event / world news.  I love that they are able to read about world issues written in a child friendly format.  All of the stories are approved by a child psychologist before publication.  We have had it for less than a week.  However I must warn that it has already been a bit glitchy and it wasn't working for a day once already.  Also one story is always sports related and my kids really aren't interested in sports.  Otherwise it is interesting.  It also has a map feature that labels where the story happened and how far away it is from your home. My kids have read pieces about the conflict in Syria, President Obama's State of the Union Address, and the lost cruise ship Lybuvo Orlova. The piece about Syria focused on the good news that women, children, and elderly are being allowed to leave Syria.  In a small caption it explained that the conflict has been ongoing for 3 years.  It is just enough but not too much information.

Lori

Wow your son is amazing.  Maybe you could sign him up for scratch to start learning computer coding too.  Normally I would think he is way too young but he might be able to do it.  It's free.  Go to scratch.mit.edu to check it out.  Also why not start regular piano lessons? You could do it yourself at home with a propram like Soft Mozart or find a find a flesh and blood teacher.

Good Luck, Lori

I just finished looking at your blog.  Nice job.  Keep it up.  I would love to watch your blog grow.  Anyway perhaps you could do an article on how to pick out books to improve print recognition - large print, words on blank page with illustrations on the adjoining page, etc.  I love the geography section. I have a funny story. My daughter (now age 6) played stack the countries on the iPad.   She had most of the countries in South America and Europe memorized.  Then one day she overheard a conversation about europe.  She was confused about why were discussing her game, because she thought the info was make believe and  game specific.  She didn't understand the concept of country.  She stopped playing that game about a year ago and may have forgotten the info.  Her school hardly teaches geography, so I will need to teach it myself.  Thanks for the map idea.  Good Luck, Lori

Adorable.  She is amazing.  She is reading and answering questions that most kindergarten kids couldn't do independently.  Also she is using the computer independently.  Great job, Lori

Dense article.  I keep getting confused when I try to read.  Maybe I need to skip to the conclusion.  Has it changed the way you flash cards?  My kid are older so I haven't used flash cards lately.  I used them a long time ago while my kids were lerning to read.  Now I'm considering them again to memorize math facts.  I understand that the study indicates that it is better to include known and unknown cards together.  Were you able to garner some recommendations from the article that you could share? 
Thanks, Lori