Showing posts with label Your Baby Can Read. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Your Baby Can Read. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Coming Around to Liking Flashcards!
As my readers know, I have been actively trying to interest TJ in flashcards but they just never seemed to be his thing. The more I would pull them out, the more he would throw them across the room, stash them under the couch, or otherwise show his disinterest. Well this morning, I believe he showed me that he is coming around to the flashcards, and will entertain playing with them on his own terms. He got the sliding word card with "nose" on one side and "hi" on the other, I believe from under the kitchen table, and handed it to me and began pointing at the words. I told him what the word said, and he flipped it over and over again until he had his fill. When he was done, he said "No!" and put the card on the seat of his high chair. I would like to be the one to take the lead on the flashcards, like the videos we mostly see of parents, but I am comfortable letting TJ figure out what is fun about them in his own time. I think I will just stack several flashcards within his reach and let him flip through them as he likes, and if he brings me flashcards I will help him practice the words.
A "Your Baby Can Read" Life!
TJ's Dad has been watching the videos with TJ lately in the evening. They invariably put TJ's Dad to sleep within 20 minutes, so take note for those of you who have insomnia!
He's quite the comedian, and has started getting involved by sprinkling Your Baby Can Read style descriptions when TJ asks "Wuss dat?" He says the word once, then the 2nd time with emphasis, uses the word in a sentence, then asks TJ a question about the word. It has gotten to be increasingly silly and hilarious for me, as TJ's Dad will use a slang meaning or idiom of the word to make a sentence, or follow up with a borderline nonsense question. He also refers to Aleka, Johnella, Hayden, and the other kids as if they are kids we actually know.
He's quite the comedian, and has started getting involved by sprinkling Your Baby Can Read style descriptions when TJ asks "Wuss dat?" He says the word once, then the 2nd time with emphasis, uses the word in a sentence, then asks TJ a question about the word. It has gotten to be increasingly silly and hilarious for me, as TJ's Dad will use a slang meaning or idiom of the word to make a sentence, or follow up with a borderline nonsense question. He also refers to Aleka, Johnella, Hayden, and the other kids as if they are kids we actually know.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Good Interview with Dr. Titzer!
Here is a good interview with Dr. Titzer!
It answers quite a few of the questions about the program!
Enjoy!
It answers quite a few of the questions about the program!
Enjoy!
The Debate
I enjoy some of these lively debates I stumble across sometimes.
I've had many online discussions about this program as well. There seems to be 3 camps, and many people cross over or straddle a line within these three groups.
1) People who believe that the program works for its intended purpose, whether they would like to do this program with their children or not.
2) People who do not believe that the program works, meaning children cannot learn to read by using this program and that other methods should be used.
3) People who do not believe that children this age should learn to read at all, and whether the program works is irrelevant.
Further, there are 2 groups that cut across all of these groups: people who have have seen and used the materials, and people who have not. Seeing and using the materials convinced me to make the purchase. We actually did not do the trial, we paid for the full package because I already knew that the package was well worth the money.
I understand the point of view of group 3, although I do not agree. The most nonsense seems to come from group number 2 as they seem to cross over into group number 1 and 3 often, and their response tends to be emotional on some level. Something about this program disturbs their world view, views about themselves, and children. Parents should not bring their personal emotional baggage about their upbringing to the table when making decisions about their children's education.
I've had many online discussions about this program as well. There seems to be 3 camps, and many people cross over or straddle a line within these three groups.
1) People who believe that the program works for its intended purpose, whether they would like to do this program with their children or not.
2) People who do not believe that the program works, meaning children cannot learn to read by using this program and that other methods should be used.
3) People who do not believe that children this age should learn to read at all, and whether the program works is irrelevant.
Further, there are 2 groups that cut across all of these groups: people who have have seen and used the materials, and people who have not. Seeing and using the materials convinced me to make the purchase. We actually did not do the trial, we paid for the full package because I already knew that the package was well worth the money.
I understand the point of view of group 3, although I do not agree. The most nonsense seems to come from group number 2 as they seem to cross over into group number 1 and 3 often, and their response tends to be emotional on some level. Something about this program disturbs their world view, views about themselves, and children. Parents should not bring their personal emotional baggage about their upbringing to the table when making decisions about their children's education.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
E-I-E-I-OOOOOO!!!!
Volume 2 was a delight for us. Like I said before, it introduces a lot of new words at a faster pace. There's less explanation and repetition. TJ enjoyed trying to new words out (tig=pig!). He's always loved the song "Old MacDonald" and went around saying nothing but "E-I-E-I-O!" for about a week a month or so ago. And revisiting the Itsy Bitsy Spider was fun. He can do all of the motions except the finger part, which he does try to do but with only one hand. It's too cute for words. He watched nearly the whole thing with interest, and I tried to reinforce the body part words, like chin, fingers, foot, and leg. Oh, and the best of all, bellybutton.
The body part words and action words are the good part of the program. I will be purchasing a video called Kid 20/20 which introduces the 220 Dolch sight words that early readers need to transition to fluency. We will also be doing Leapfrog Letter Factory, which is supposed to be the gold standard introduction to phonics along with Starfall.com. We are still working on Dr. Titzer's first milestone. I figure when TJ's talking catches up, and he is becoming more verbally communicative every day, it will be much easier to get an accurate assessment of whether my baby can read.
The body part words and action words are the good part of the program. I will be purchasing a video called Kid 20/20 which introduces the 220 Dolch sight words that early readers need to transition to fluency. We will also be doing Leapfrog Letter Factory, which is supposed to be the gold standard introduction to phonics along with Starfall.com. We are still working on Dr. Titzer's first milestone. I figure when TJ's talking catches up, and he is becoming more verbally communicative every day, it will be much easier to get an accurate assessment of whether my baby can read.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Your Baby Can Read -- A Glowing Review from a Top Parenting Blogger
Bellyitch has a review of the Your Baby Can Read Program. She has two children, 18 months and 4 years and they are picking up sight words from the Your Baby Can Read DVDs and flashcards.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Another Post Celebrating the Small Things!
Not to get all braggy, but the sweetums was watching Your Baby Can Read Volume 1 DVD yesterday, and he has learned something new.
The song "If You're Happy" goes:
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands (clap! clap!)
TJ has learned to not clap until the clapping happens in the song. I noticed this yesterday. Tonight, he clapped only twice, to the rhythm and timing of the song. This must have been his source of frustration previously with this particular song. I wrote in a previous post how we had returned to the Starter DVD because he would have a full tantrum whenever this song was played on the DVD before. He thoroughly enjoys it now. I have the makings of a little perfectionist!
The song "If You're Happy" goes:
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands (clap! clap!)
TJ has learned to not clap until the clapping happens in the song. I noticed this yesterday. Tonight, he clapped only twice, to the rhythm and timing of the song. This must have been his source of frustration previously with this particular song. I wrote in a previous post how we had returned to the Starter DVD because he would have a full tantrum whenever this song was played on the DVD before. He thoroughly enjoys it now. I have the makings of a little perfectionist!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Implementing Strategy
So, Dr. Titzer's blog gives many more practical insights into the use of the system. Yes, he probably wrote this somewhere in the Parent Guide, but I guess I am in need of a refresher.
"It is helpful to repeat a subset of the words more frequently than the other words. In the DVDs we repeat the words “clap,” “wave,” “mouth,” and “nose” more than we repeat other words. Please repeat these four words more than other words when your child has just started our program. Use our books, sliding word cards, and our other word cards. Also, show the child these words in other contexts on paper, whiteboards, signs, etc
Eventually your child will remember how the words look in addition to understanding what the words mean. The first word is probably the most difficult word to learn, so repeat a few words many times in the initial months."
So, as I've said in previous posts, I have tried a few flashcard games with TJ. They were mostly random words that I thought he liked, I would show him 2 or more cards and ask him to bring me the card that said a particular word. This apparently may not be the best way to do this. I am going to take the 4 words he's suggested here and review them several times a day with TJ. He knows each of these words, the meaning, and can point to the body parts, clap, and wave. I say several times, but I should probably set the number of times, so I will say once in the morning and once at night. Let's give this routine a week or two, and see if as Dr. Titzer says TJ begins to recognize these 4 words on sight. If he does, I promise my blog readers I will make a video!
"It is helpful to repeat a subset of the words more frequently than the other words. In the DVDs we repeat the words “clap,” “wave,” “mouth,” and “nose” more than we repeat other words. Please repeat these four words more than other words when your child has just started our program. Use our books, sliding word cards, and our other word cards. Also, show the child these words in other contexts on paper, whiteboards, signs, etc
Eventually your child will remember how the words look in addition to understanding what the words mean. The first word is probably the most difficult word to learn, so repeat a few words many times in the initial months."
So, as I've said in previous posts, I have tried a few flashcard games with TJ. They were mostly random words that I thought he liked, I would show him 2 or more cards and ask him to bring me the card that said a particular word. This apparently may not be the best way to do this. I am going to take the 4 words he's suggested here and review them several times a day with TJ. He knows each of these words, the meaning, and can point to the body parts, clap, and wave. I say several times, but I should probably set the number of times, so I will say once in the morning and once at night. Let's give this routine a week or two, and see if as Dr. Titzer says TJ begins to recognize these 4 words on sight. If he does, I promise my blog readers I will make a video!
The Real Coupon Code
I found a coupon code that works for the Your Baby Can Read system. If you are interested in buying items other than the deluxe kit with the trial, you can go to www.yourbabycan.com and put in coupon code AFF-08 and receive a 10% discount. We of course have the deluxe kit, it is by far the best deal, but I could imagine needing some replacement items if I have a second child. I will probably, after a while, be trying out some of the Spanish language DVDs as well. I am still on the fence about whether to introduce Latin or Spanish. Spanish is so practical, when we take TJ to the park there are lots of other little ones speaking Spanish. Latin is so important to understand the roots of other languages. I still have plenty of time, I want to start with a 2nd language after we get our phonics program off the ground.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
A Milestone? Or Breakthrough? Maybe?
We went out of town this weekend for a good old-fashioned family reunion. We weren't going far, but decided to stay in a hotel for 2 nights, and we did not worry about TJ seeing the videos. When we returned home, I did play the Starter video for him before bedtime. What happened next had me grinning from ear to ear. TJ attempted to repeat nearly every word in the starter video, including gorilla and elephant. He was so enthusiastic, I think he honestly needed that 2 day break! I think it gave him a chance to clear his mind, concentrate on other things, and I really think he is preparing for the so-called "word explosion" that happens when young babies like him begin to learn several new words every day.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Dr. Titzer's Milestones For Learning to Read
Milestones of Learning to Read as a Baby/Toddler
• Learning that the shape of the word is the most important factor
• Baby recognizes her/his first words
• Parent notices the baby understands a written word
• Learning to read the first 50 words
• Learning to read around 200 words
• Learning to read two- and three-word phrases
• Learning to read phonetically
• Learning to read sentences from left-to-right
• Reading a book from cover-to-cover
• Learning to read quickly
• Reading a book the child has never seen from cover-to-cover
Dr. Titzer posted these milestones on his blog, where he emphasizes that the child must first learn that the shape of the word is the most important factor (rather than the color, texture, font, etc.) I have no idea if TJ has reached this milestone, and can't really see how one would test for such a thing, but I am glad to have this guide of how things could possibly unfold in terms of learning to read while using this system.
• Learning that the shape of the word is the most important factor
• Baby recognizes her/his first words
• Parent notices the baby understands a written word
• Learning to read the first 50 words
• Learning to read around 200 words
• Learning to read two- and three-word phrases
• Learning to read phonetically
• Learning to read sentences from left-to-right
• Reading a book from cover-to-cover
• Learning to read quickly
• Reading a book the child has never seen from cover-to-cover
Dr. Titzer posted these milestones on his blog, where he emphasizes that the child must first learn that the shape of the word is the most important factor (rather than the color, texture, font, etc.) I have no idea if TJ has reached this milestone, and can't really see how one would test for such a thing, but I am glad to have this guide of how things could possibly unfold in terms of learning to read while using this system.
Animal Kingdom
I have watched all of the DVDs and the emphasis on animals is a bit much. The vocabulary lists include a lot of zoo animals, pets, and farm animals. I guess he chose these because the images hold the children's attention better, but TJ does not respond to any of these words, and I am worried it actually makes it more boring for him. Even if it doesn't for him, it makes it more boring for me! I would think dog, cat, and maybe horse or bird would have been more than enough! I may try to contact the Your Baby Can Read! people to try and find out how they decided on the word lists.
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