we've been using the little reader and little math for a long time now and it still takes forever to load and it hogs so much memory on the computer - im hoping that the engine to the program can be refined over time to make it less of a hassle to actually use
thanks

i signed up to read the e book and now i can't find the link
what should i do?

thanks for the info by the way
karma

it's really hard to find good information online
sometimes i just go to the library and get a book  on the artist
or talk to someone who works at a art museum
very very time consuming  

 Sarah108

which cards do you have?
because some of them look like drawings and some look like real pictures
how do you feel about the size and the thickness?
by the way i completely agree with you about using drawings for bits with young children
but i am mostly interested in the facts on the cards not the picture, since i'm working with a 3.8 year old i find pictures less important
thanks
tatianna   

i don't know what method the colors are
but it's not the Suzuki method
i've read all Dr Suzuki's book, taken workshops, and my daughters talking classes
and i've never seen or heard anyone using a color coded piano
as for the Suzuki method not working i would have to disagree
my husband was friends with the head of the violin department at Juilliard
who was train with the Suzuki method as a child
and he advised us to start the method with our daughter

go on amazon.co.uk
you can click on look inside to see some of the actual cards
some look better then others for teaching ek
so far i think i like the rocks and minerals and flags of the world
if anyone orders please write a review   

by the way the What Parents Say part is great
it answers that often ask question,"what happens when the kids grow up?"
i hope you continue to add stories as it is most inspiring   

i'm glad to see the institutes marketing their programs
but it doesn't seem like the site has much to offer alot of the parents here on brillkids   
who have already bought the books and cards
we love the institutes and are grateful for all they have given us
but what we really need is more information and more support
online workshops and courses would be very very popular
a lot of parents like myself would love to go to the institutes and attend the better baby course
but are unable to because of lack of resources and childcare 
if you sold tickets to online workshops i think many parents would attend
best of luck
tatianna
 

the big books are really just a few rhymes and stories
like "ten in a bed" etc
there is only one per unit
the earlybird program later turned them into ten little math readers
when i used the first part of earlybird (prek) i didn't know they had them
we used only the books and did just fine
the next year i bought the readers and activity book
i hardly used them
if i had seen them first i don't know if i would have bought them at all
i did like the activity book though
when i start the program with my youngest girl i will most likely only buy the student books
MATH IN FOCUS Grade K Student Book - Parts 1 (A and B) and Parts 2 (A and B) Bundle $25
if i could find the teachers guide at a very good price i would think about those too

along with the books you will need the following manipulatives

counters
unifix cubes 
solid shapes
tangrams
balance scale
coins (plastic or real)
number cubes or number cards
dot cubes or dot cards
spinner


ok i just looked at the virtual sample
and i have a few thoughts to share

1 you really don't need the big books
most every story is already in the student books

2 the student books start writing sooner then the earlybird books did

3 all the instructions are not in the student books
in the early bird books each page had a little teaching notes box
the math in focus books do not

you could probably still use them without the teachers guide
but if this is your first time teaching math you may want them
   
in that case unless you can get a good deal on the guides
you may be better off using earlybird for pre k and kinder
then switching to math in focus starting at first grade 

 

what about the poi already done?
last year i posted the facts for some
can those be used?
also do we post the pics and info on the forum?
 

sounds great
my husband and i would love to volunteer
please let us know how we can be of help

i tried using the book the The Writing Road to Reading
it was soooo dry, so big, and so boring that i resold it within a week 
so i went out and bought the biggest, flashiest, most successful program i could find 
you certainly don't need a big expensive reading kit to teach your child to read
i was just worried because almost 3 years of doman reading cards and brillkids just didn't work with my daughter
but i do think most any phonics book could work as well 

Sing, Spell, Read and Write

we are only 4 weeks into the program (it's should take about a year to complete)
so i will update as we go

what you get in the First Grade kit

manual
2 work books
assessment book
17 readers
a CD
6 tapes
video guide
treasure chest with prizes
5 games
2 charts

don't bother getting the preschool or kindergarten kits
save you money you don't need them
both sets have writing in them so you can't really start them any earlier anyway
when your child is ready to learn to write start with the first grade kit
 
the first book you start with is Off We Go
in it you learn all 26 letters
and manuscript writing
each letter get 4 pages
-coloring
-writing
-cut and paste (auditory discrimination)
-dot to dot (alphabet sequence)
 
we choose not to use all 4 pages as she already knew the phonic sounds
but the writing page is excellent
i love how the book teaches writing
it can be very different from the traditional ball and stick method
but it's worth learning as it help kids avoid confusion and reversals
as well as makes the change to cursive easier

during this stage you play 2 phonics games
and sing the phonics song
i'm not a big fan of the style of music on the cd
it''s a little too 80's for my taste
but my 3.5 year old enjoys it
and the songs themselves are very helpful
the basic abc song starts a a apple, b  b  ball, c c cat and d d doll
while you sing the song you follow along on a big chart
you point to the uppercase A, then the lowercase a, then to the picture of the apple
another important part of the program is they way they teach the sounds of the letters
it's bh bh ball not buh buh ball
s s sun not su su sun
m m (humming), not mu mu monkey

the next book Raceway is the heart of the program
it's split up up onto 36 steps
some steps takes only a few days others as long as 2 weeks to complete
which at the end your child will learn to read,write and spell
it's covers everything
by the end of step 36 you child should be able to read,write and spell almost any word
i think most kids will learn with this program
it's colorful and engaging
the games are fun and the songs are helpful
the prizes are lame so you will need to make a trip to the dollar store if you choose to use them
it's also very multi sensory 
all in all it's a very well thought out program
and you won't have any gaps

i won't recommend it to everyone though for two reasons
1 it's pricing
2 you may not need it
if you have a very good understanding of phonics and have no problem making your own materials and lessons
then save your money you don't need this program

but if you never learned phonics
are disorganized
and hate phonics teaching books then this may be the perfect program for you
i would highly recommend it for any non native English speakers teaching phonics
as the cd helps a lot
 

 
 

well put TmS
i loved reading your response
"meaning books of interest are always available"
never even thought about that side of it 
karma to you

bella

thanks for telling your story
it reminded me a lot of our own learning journey
your children sound like auditory learners
auditory learners don't do very well with flash cards
instead learn best with lots of music, dancing, stories and phonics 
at least my little auditory learner did 

i've been studying charlotte mason for two years now
and love her methods
i don't follow them all completely (we still do reading and math earlier then she recommends)
but i think her philosophy of education is brilliant   
and it changed the way i think of education completely

i would love to learn more about montessori thee part cards
how are they different then Bits?
i like a lot of montessori activities
but the supplies are so expensive
did you buy most of yours or did you make them yourself?

anyway i would love to share resources
best wishes
tatianna