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Product Review - Seeds Family Worship CD

Krista G. — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:57:32 GMT

I am really excited to review the Seeds Family Worship CD for my blog today. I came across Seeds on another blog and thought it sounded great. Teaching my kids Bible verses is a high priority around here and our experience has been that anything we sing we remember. I was considering it for purchase but the company offered to send me their sampler CD with 6 songs to review. I will definitely be purchasing the 6 CD collection and the great thing about Seeds is that every CD you buy comes with a duplicate extra CD. This allows you to give your extra copy away to a friend or split the cost with a friend. I think it is a win-win either way. I shared my extra CD with my friend Tracy and she has written a review as well which I will post below.

So what do I have to say about the CD we received? It has quickly become a family favorite. All 6 of my children have been singing the songs, which are Bible verses. Does it get any better than that? How powerful it is to sing the Word of God! The music is so good that I actually listened to it while I went running today. Yup, that good. It is somewhat rocky and upbeat music. I like that there are different singers and styles. This keeps each song from being monotonously the same. I looked up each Scripture and printed the words to the songs so we could easily sing along. Seeds definitely makes learning God's Word easy to do while being enjoyable. The songs get stuck in my head forcing me to listen to them again and again. I give the sampler CD 2 thumbs up and so does my family. If I had to chose something I did not like about the music, I would say there is nothing.

While I was getting ready to write this review I went to their website and found out that you can listen to the music online at www.seedsfamilyworship.net. I will definitely listen online until I order the whole collection. You can purchase all 6 of the Seeds CDs for just $59.99 or $12.98 a piece, and remember that comes with an extra CD to giveaway. It is a great investment and such a beautiful thing to be able to learn Scripture so easily. I did not receive any compensation for this review and this is my honest opinion.

Tracy's Review of Seeds Family Worship CD

I was so excited to receive a copy of the Seeds Family Worship Sampler CD last week! We loved it immediately! My son (4yrs) and I popped it in the CD player over lunch one day and, while lunch took way longer than it should (apparently, chewing and listening aren't skills my son can do concurrently), we had an amazing time of worship. From grooving in his seat, to air guitar, to jumping up and down, to mommy joining him "dancing" (term used loosely) and playing air drums, it was a magnificent time! At one point, I looked out the window wondering if anyone was seeing my lack of abandon and realized that it didn't really matter - God was likely dancing with us and what more could you want?! So with tears of joy on my face watching my boy singing God's word, I danced...and made plans to order the full CD set!

Here is a YouTube video of one of the songs from the CD we received.

How to Make Oat Milk

Krista G. — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:58:34 GMT

I thought I would share my recipe for making oat milk here. We have used rice milk, soy milk and almond milk for years since my daughter is sensitive to dairy products. We had never tasted oat milk prior to making i, but I was looking to make my own nondairy milk since we go through quite a bit. I made rice milk and oat milk and her preference is definitely for the oat milk. I am thrilled that she likes and that it is so easy to make at home. I used to buy almond milk, but not anymore. Now we make oat milk at a fraction of the cost and it is healthy. My husband tested it with our pH test kit and it registered somewhere around 7. It has a pleasant taste. It tastes like like oatmeal. I use it in cereal, baking or anything that calls for milk.

Oat Milk Recipe

1 cup of raw oats (I use the old fashioned oats that take 5 minutes to cook.)
4 cups of water (Can be adjusted to your desired level of thickness.)
1 TBSP agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract

   Place all ingredients in the blender and blend for about one minute.

   I use a clean piece of material to strain it.

   You can throw away the oat pulp, or eat it.
My daughter likes to eat some of it.

Voila! Oat milk. It takes minutes to prepare and it's healthy.

Here is my little helper enjoying her oat milk.

I usually make two batches since we go through this rather quickly. Enjoy.

How to Make Oat Milk

Krista G. — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:57:43 GMT

I thought I would share my recipe for making oat milk here. We have used rice milk, soy milk and almond milk for years since my daughter is sensitive to dairy products. We had never tasted oat milk prior to making it, but I was looking to make my own non-dairy milk since we go through quite a bit of milk here. I made rice milk and oat milk and her preference was definitely for the oat milk. I am thrilled that she likes and that it is so easy to make at home. I used to buy almond milk, but not anymore. Now we make oat milk at a fraction of the cost and it is healthy. My husband tested it with our pH test kit and it registered somewhere around 7. It has a pleasant taste. It tastes like oatmeal. I use it in cereal, baking or anything that calls for milk.

Oat Milk Recipe

1 cup of raw oats (I use the old fashioned oats that take 5 minutes to cook.)
4 cups of water (Can be adjusted to your desired level of thickness.)
1 TBSP agave nectar (You can add more or less to taste.)
1 tsp vanilla extract

   Place all ingredients in the blender and blend for about one minute.

   I use a clean piece of material to strain it.

   You can throw away the oat pulp, or eat it.
                                                                                 My daughter likes to eat some of it.

Voila! Oat milk. It takes minutes to prepare and it's healthy.

Here is my little helper enjoying her oat milk.

I usually make two batches since we go through this rather quickly. Enjoy.

Review of Speekee -Teach Your Child Spanish Program

Krista G. — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:19:56 GMT

I am really excited about the review today for the Speekee Program. I have been trying to teach my youngest children, ages 5 and 7, some Spanish, so we have been looking for good resources to help us along. We were given a trial to Speekee TV, which consists of 10 episodes to choose from. You can also purchase Speekee on DVD. We have been using Speekee for the last 7 weeks and my children have really enjoyed it. At first glance, Speekee, the main character, may look a little scary or strange, but within a few moments of watching Speekee, you will love her. Speekee is a soft spoken, gentle-natured character that made learning Spanish fun for my children.

The first thing we noticed was that the music is great! The songs are upbeat and very catchy. The first day that we watched Speekee I overheard my 5 year old daughter singing it while she was in the kitchen. That was a sweet and special moment for me. It is really important that children engage the programs we choose, or else they will not be open to learning. I encouraged my kids to repeat what was being said and to answer any questions. This really helped us conversationally. My daughter quickly learned to reply in Spanish when asked her name, among other things.

Speekee is a complete immersion program, but you can choose to keep the subtitles on. We did keep these on and I think it really helped us to understand what was being said and how to say it ourselves. The font on the subtitles is very small, so it is not distracting, but we were able to read what was being said in English and in Spanish. You do have the option of removing the subtitles if you want a complete Spanish immersion experience.

I had read other good reviews of Speekee and am really grateful to use the program. We definitely give it two thumbs up and will recommend this as a great way to learn Spanish. If you want to try Speekee you can visit www.speekee.co.uk and sign up for a free 2 week trial offer to Speekee TV. I recommend you check that out.

I have a bit of video I was able to capture of my kids enjoying Speekee. You can see that below. My daughter really enjoyed singing along, and my older kids, who could hear it playing were singing the songs as well. A CD of the Speekee music would be great to own.

To find out more visit www.Speekee.co.uk.

Our Reading List for April 2012

Krista G. — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:16:12 GMT

Another month of 2012 is gone and with it are all the books we enjoyed together for the month of April. I did not number the list this month, so until I post all the books here, I don't know how many my little girl read. I do know that I am having a hard time keeping up with her voracious appetite for reading. She surprised me the other day and read The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus by herself in one sitting while I was running errands. I could not believe it. I have noticed that she has been reading to herself more and more. It is wonderful. My job is to keep a fresh supply of books on hand for her to indulge in. Today's trip to the library stocked us up for a few days. So, here is April's reading list.

Curious George and the Firefighters
Pooh Goes Visiting
Little Bear and Owl
A Tree is Nice
Silverlicious
Crictor
Baby Beluga
Miss Nelson is Missing
Titch
Where the Wild Things Are
The Cat Club
Madeline at the White House
The Monster Returns
Otto the Book Bear
Merry Christmas to You, Blue Kangaroo
Lola at the Library
Race You to Bed
Extra Yarn
Elephant on My Roof
Another Brother
The House that Jack Built
Madeline's Rescue
Penny and Her Song
A Fly Went By
Duck Tents
Chopsticks
Mama, Why?
A Father's Song
Hey, Rabbit!
Bear Snores On
Bear Feels Scared
One of Each
Come Along, Daisy
Ducky
Peter Pan
Pinkalicious
Goldilicious
Froggy's Day with Dad
Trojan Horse*
Fancy Nancy
If You Give a Pig a Pancake
Lots of Ladybugs
Zinnia and Dot
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?
Katy No-Pocket
I, Crocodile
Laura's Little House
Dance at Grandpa's
There's a Nightmare in My Closet
Martha Doesn't Say Sorry
A Picture for Harold's Room
The Very Best Daddy of All
Dogs
Red Butterfly
Climb the Family Tree, Jesse Bear
Let's Count It Out, Jesse Bear
Happy Birthday, Jesse Bear!
Animal House
The Tallest of Smalls
Tales From the Odyssey*
The Pied Piper
Winnie the Pooh, Make the Best of It
The Best Way to See a Shark
Moths
Duckling Days
Butterfly House
Daisy and the Egg
It's Not Marsha's Birthday
The Little Red Hen
Arthur's TV Trouble
Little House in the Big Woods*
Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek
The Story of Pocahontas
Pilgrim Cat
The Littlest Pilgrim
The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus
Stars
Nine Days to Christmas
The Piano
Little Bear's Friend
Little Bear's Visit

There you have it, eighty-one books for April. The * indicates chapter books. I am having a hard time keeping track of the books she reads because she reads and forgets to tell me. Some of these may have been on another month, but I cannot keep track of repeats unless they are in the same month. We are getting a little bored with the choices at the library. I think it is time to look for some new books on Amazon or visit a different library. To all you that enjoy reading to your children, happy reading! Let's make May a great month of reading with our kids.

If you want to know how to encourage of love of reading in your baby or young child, visit www.monkisee.com. Young children can learn to love to read beginning at birth. It's never too early to share a book with your baby.

10,000 Reasons Cover by Davida

Krista G. — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:42:22 GMT

As some of you may know, my four lovely daughters make up the musical group Davida. You can view their music videos on the DavidaBand YouTube Channel.

Today I would like to share a recently uploaded cover of Matt Redman's song 10,000 Reasons. Just click below to watch their version of this wonderful song.

Can Baboons Learn to Read? Why Not Babies?

Krista G. — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:57:37 GMT

Today I am posting a recent article about some experiments that were done with baboons. Scientists tested baboons and found that they can very differentiate between actual written words versus nonsense words. The link to the story is below, but the question of the day is, if baboons can recognize words, and they do not learn to read, why not babies? I think the study is fascinating and look forward to more of the results of the study, but for now we will keep on proclaiming that babies can and do learn to read. If you want to know more about how to teach your baby to read visit www.monkisee.com.

To read the story click here.

Here are a few quotes, if you don't want to read the whole article:
"For the first time,
we have an animal model of a key component of literacy, the recognition
of the visual word form."

ANCIENT BRAIN CIRCUITS
The study was intended less to probe animal
intelligence than to explore how a brain might learn to read. It
suggests that, contrary to prevailing theory, a brain can take the first steps toward reading without having language, since baboons don't.
For the new study,
scientists at Aix-Marseille University in France trained the six baboons
by setting up nine booths, equipped with computers and touch screens,
in two trailers in the monkeys' 80-by-100-foot (25- by-30 meter)
enclosure. The animals wandered in when they felt like it.

Once a baboon was
at the screen, it was shown a string of four letters that was either a
real English word ("them") or a non-word ("telk"). The baboon learned to touch an oval on the screen when it saw a word, and a plus (+) for a
non-word. Every correct response brought a reward of dry wheat.
Once they got the hang of things, it was test time.

Again strings of
four letters appeared on the screen, but now they were never-before-seen strings. If a baboon decided the letters formed a word, it pressed the
oval sign; for non-words (always three consonants and a vowel), it
pressed a plus. In a video released by the scientists, the baboons swat
the screen ("itcs": plus!; "kite": oval!) with the alacrity and
assuredness of a 12-year-old acing a video game.

The baboons were engaging in "orthographic processing," said Aix-Marseille's Jonathan Grainger, who led the study. That term means recognizing letters and their
positions. It has nothing to do with sounding out a word, let alone
understanding it. Still, it is a necessary early step in reading.
"When people learn
words, and when we learn to distinguish words from non-words, we're
doing statistical pattern recognition, too," said Duke's Platt. "The
critical finding is that the baboons were able to transfer this learning to words they had never seen before."

Grainger called the baboons' accuracy remarkable, since the words were so superficially
similar to the non-words (not a "sxjayud" in the bunch).

To be sure, other
animals have learned to recognize letters. In a 1982 experiment, for
instance, pigeons were able to identify all 26 letters of the English
alphabet.
A prime candidate
for those processing abilities lies in a region of the brain that
becomes active when people read. Discovered by Dehaene, it is called the "visual word form area" and is located behind the left ear. It
recognizes strings of letters, and the more active it is in 7-
to-18-year-olds, studies show, the better readers they tend to be.
(T)he study has implications for education. "You might conclude that
phonics doesn't work" as well as teaching children to read by
recognizing the entire word, said Platt. "This study suggests that
reading is all about pattern recognition and not working out phonemes."

Boca Beth Review and Giveaway

Krista G. — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:35:33 GMT

I recently received some products to review from Boca Beth. I had read other reviews and wanted the opportunity to use some of the products with my children because I really want them to have some exposure to Spanish. I realize that I cannot teach them to speak Spanish fluently, but I want to expose them to Spanish so they can learn the basics. I know I can do this for them and we enjoyed practicing our Spanish with Boca Beth.

I received the Boca Beth coloring and activity book, My First Songs in Spanish CD, and the I Like Animals DVD. I used these products with my children ages 5 and 7. Overall, their favorite product was the coloring/activity book. They enjoyed coloring the pictures with Boca and saying the words. They would sit together and each color a page. Below you can watch a short video of them practicing the words they learned in the book.

Our next favorite product was the My First Songs in Spanish. We honestly haven't used the products as often as I would have liked to, but we plan to continue using them for a good long time, at least until we learn all there is to learn from them. The program is bilingual, incorporating both English and Spanish. This was beneficial for us, since we do not speak Spanish, and since my kids are 5 and 7, it helps them to understand what they are learning. You can see some video of them enjoying the CD below.

And the last product to review is the I Like Animals DVD. This is a nice DVD that teaches the names of the animals along with sentences regarding what the animals are doing. It is repeated in English and Spanish, which is nice for us, because I do not have to continually repeat what is being taught. It also has the words and sentences in both languages on the screen. This is great! Since both of my children can read they could read the words in English and attempt to read them in Spanish as well. This helps them to learn to speak and read in Spanish. I am really excited about that. We also love the enthusiasm that Beth Butler brings to the program. She is very passionate and her excitement carries over to her program. You can view some videos of my children enjoying the video.

Okay, so there you have our review of the Boca Beth products. Beth has so generously offered to donate some products to one of my blessed readers. This is my first giveaway, so I am really excited about it. If you would like to win a Boca Beth coloring/activity book, a CD and a DVD, just leave a comment here telling me why you would like to use these products. We will choose a winner on April 30th. Thanks Boca Beth for letting us review your products and helping us along on our journey to learn Spanish.

Cayden Reading at 20 months old

Krista G. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:59:08 GMT

I am so excited to share this video today. I first saw it posted on Brillkids, but instantly recognized Mela Bela as one of our MonkiSee customers. I asked her if she would let me share it here and she consented. She told me she will film him reading the MonkiSee books and share that also. I am really excited about this video and the video to come. Cayden began learning to read using the MonkiSee program when he was 6 months old. According to his mom, it is still one of his favorites. You can see him reading a book here.

To learn more about how you can teach your baby to read with the MonkiSee program visit www.monkisee.com.

Making Butter With Kids - Inspired by Little House Books

Krista G. — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:36:00 GMT

I just started reading Little House in the Big Woods to my 5 year old. I read the books a year or so ago to my son, but he has decided to sit in and listen again. The Little House books are so wonderful. They really give you a picture of what life was like in the pioneer days. The children beg me to read another chapter. I love when that happens. Yesterday they both read ahead on their own, since they were too impatient to wait on me.

Yesterday we read the chapter where they were making butter. I have wanted to do this with my children for some time. After we read the chapter, we watched this video on How to Make Butter. It looks extremely easy, no fancy equipment necessary, just some energetic children to shake the cream.

I bought some organic heavy whipping cream and we made butter last night. It was so easy to do and the good news is that the butter is absolutely delicious. The kids were so funny shaking their containers. They complained a little about being tired, but did not want any help. Within 20 minutes we had separated the buttermilk from the cream, leaving us with creamy, silky butter. We added a little salt, spread it on some bread and enjoyed the efforts of our labor. The children did a taste test between our butter and store bought butter, and they concluded that our butter was tastier and that we should make our own butter from now on. I am not sure about that, but it nice to know we can and that it is simple to do.

I gave each child a container filled about 1/3 full with cream and had them shake it continuously. We checked it after about 15 minutes and poured off the buttermilk and then continued. Here are some pictures of the final results.

Today we are going to make some homemade bread to enjoy with our chilled, homemade butter.

Our Reading List for March 2012

Krista G. — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:09:02 GMT

Well, the months just roll by, but I am glad that we are keeping track of the books my 5 year old is reading. This month she read most of these to herself. She has gotten quite independent and enjoys reading on her own a lot. I love it, because it is a great activity for her. Here is our list books that we read in March 2012.

The Moon Might Be Milk
Scorpions
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists - Picasso
Kitten's First Full Moon
Angelina and he Princess
Froggy Gets Dressed
Bark, George
Angelina and the Ice Skates
What a Trip, Amber Brown
I Can! You Puedo
Buenas Noches, Luna
Tu Mama Es Una Llama?
That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown
Fabulous Franki and His Fabulous Toys
Cinderella
The Kiss Box
Tikki Tikki Tembo
The Shy Little Kitten
Bread and Butter Indian *
Make Way For Ducklings
Guess How Much I Love You
In Line at Zog's
Bread and Jam For Frances
The Stone Doll of Sister Brute
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Pigs Make Me Sneeze
The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything
I Broke My Trunk
The Biggest Bear
The Giving Tree
Boo Hoo Bird
Henry and Mudge and the Wild Wind
If You're Hoppy
Nicholas Again*
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Come Along, Daisy
Cinderella and the Lost Mice
Yo Tenia Un Hipopotamo
Let's Eat! A Comer!
Night Lights
To the Rscue
Name That Friend
More From the Store
Asleep At Last
A Day at the Fair
Home Sweet Home
Pigs Can Sleep
Will She Tell?
Frog and Fly
Three Rich Sheep
Yin-Yin's Zoo Home
Hop on the Mop
Tiny's Big Adventure
The Fisherman and His Wife
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Can I Play Too?
The Princess and the Kiss
David and Goliath
Madeline
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Swimmy
A Chair For My Mother
Goodnight Moon
The Snowy Day
The Letter
Freight Train
The Princess and the P.E.
The Clumsy Princess
The Little Mermaid - A Special Song
The Little Mermaid - Dreams Under the Sea
Cinderella - The Missing Ring
Harry the Dirty Dog
I Am a Bunny
DW the Pickey Eater
Goodnight Gorilla
Just Because You're Mine
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Leonardo the Terrible Monster
Maudie and Bear
Princess Pig
Bread and Butter Journey*
Angelina and the Butterfly
Mouse's First Christmas
The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit

Three books marked with *'s are chapter books. We love, love, love the Bread and Butter Indian and Bread and Butter Journey books. They are wonderful. My daughter begged to hear the whole story.

Teaching My Kids Spanish With Boca Beth and Giveaway

Krista G. — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:43:08 GMT

If you read one of my previous posts you will know that I am teaching my kids Spanish. Yes, it is limited, because I am not a native speaker, but with the help of great products, I am sure we can learn quite a bit. We received a package from Boca Beth with a CD called My First Songs in Spanish, a DVD called I Like Animals and a coloring and activity book. We have played the CD and part of the DVD, but we plan to really use it in the weeks to come.

Thanks to Boca Beth, we will be able to host a giveaway and give one of my readers a Sing Along With Boca Beth CD, the I Like Animals DVD and a coloring activity book. Leave a comment here telling me why you want to win. We will choose a winner on April 15th, so hurry up and leave your comment. To earn extra chances to win like Boca Beth on Facebook and then leave a comment here letting me know you did that.

I will posting a review in a few weeks about our experience with the Boca Beth products and reminders about the giveaway.

Using Flash Cards with a 6 month old baby

Krista G. — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:05:07 GMT

Here is a video of 6 month old Scarlett viewing the MonkiSee Flash Cards. It appears as though she is trying to say the words after she hears them.

To learn more about how you can begin an early learning program with the MonkiSee products visit www.monkisee.com.

TV and Babies Under 2

Krista G. — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 22:38:02 GMT

The other day I was on the Brillkids forum and watched some videos saying that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend TV for children under 2 years old. While they strongly urge parents to avoid screen time from 0-2, they do not caution against it past these ages. The video I watched said that kids over 2 years old watch an average of 4 hours of television a day, and this does not include time spent on the computer. As I pondered this I began to wonder if they don't have it all wrong.

I allowed my first child to watch television when she was about 2 months old. I did not know that babies could even watch television, but when my sister-in-law introduced me to Sesame Street and my baby liked it I was thrilled. Being a first time mom, I was a bit overwhelmed. The baby was great as long as I held her, but this was not always possible, especially when I had to prepare dinner for 30-45 minutes each evening. Her screaming was like torture for both of us. When I discovered that by playing Sesame Street I was able to cook and she was content and learning, I realized this was a great discovery. I was completely unaware of warnings by the AAP. I actually let her watch quite a bit of TV, maybe more than she should have, but it was necessary during the first 2 years.

What I did notice was that my daughter was learning a lot from Sesame Street. She learned to count and she learned her ABC's. She was extremely bright for her age and I know this was due to watching educational programming AND my talking to her and reading to her a lot. I was intrigued by how much she loved TV and began searching for more programs to expose her to. She really enjoyed watching television and she seemed able to learn anything from it.

This was over 16 years ago. My daughter does not suffer any attention disorders and television is not even a part of her life today, nor has it been for many years. As a family we watch a few movies on the weekend, but there is not regular TV viewing in our home. We were actually considering canceling our cable since we never watch television.

This is what I was pondering after reading and viewing the information regarding babies and tv. I began to wonder if we should not be worried that we don't want to let our babies watch TV, but our kids over 2 are zombies in front of the television. Is this how it should be? Should we not be engaging our over 2's in more activities instead of mind numbing television?

All 6 of my babies watched TV, beginning at around 2 months old. I welcomed them being able to view it, because while I would have liked to hold and play with my babies all day, this was not always possible. As a matter of fact, the amount of things you can do to entertain a child under 2 are kind of limited, so TV became a welcome guest in my home. The funny thing to me is, that once they are around 2, they are able to do so much more that we don't need to watch tv anymore. They are now able to help me when I cook and clean. They are able to sit and look at books without ripping them and eating them. They no longer need to be distracted, entertained or educated by the television, they can now assume responsibilities around the house and participate more.

For my family, the AAP has it upside down. We embrace all the educational content available for television to use until the children are 2 years old. They all learn an astounding number of things that we could not have easily learned without the TV, and once they turn 2, we shut the box off and we engage in other forms of play that were not possible during the earlier months. This has worked well in our home.

What about you? What are your thoughts on television and babies under 2? Please leave your comments below.

We liked the idea of all the things that our little ones could learn in the early years so much that we created the MonkiSee DVDs to teach babies to read and recognize hundreds of words and objects. Find out more at www.monkisee.com.

Book Review - The Bilingual Edge

Krista G. — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:50:34 GMT

I just finished reading the book The Bilingual Edge. I really enjoyed it and it definitely got me motivated to do what I can to teach my youngest children a second language. Interestingly, I spoke a lot of Spanish to my now 7 year old son before he was 2 years old. I only know basic Spanish, but I did my best to give him exposure. I did not do this with my 5 year old daughter. Now that we are attempting to learn some Spanish, I can see how quickly my son picks it up. He is definitely getting it faster than my daughter. Anyway, I will write some reviews soon on the products we are using and what we like, but for today I want to discuss The Bilingual Edge.

I learned many things from this book. Most importantly, they debunk ten common myths in the second chapter. They are listed below. These are excerpts taken from The Bilingual Edge.

10 Myths About Learning a Second Language

Only bilingual parents can raise bilingual children (and bilingual parents always raise bilingual children).
You have to start very early for second language learning or you will miss the boat.
Only native speakers and teachers can teach second languages.
Children who are raised in the same family will have the same language skills as one another.
It's important to correct errors as soon as they appear in grammar and vocabulary (to prevent forming bad habits).
Exposing my child to two languages means she will be a late talker.
Mixing language is a sign of confusion, and languages must stay separate (one-parent-one-language parenting is the best way).
Television, DVDs, and edutainment, like talking toys, are great ways to pick up some languages.
Bilingual education programs are for non-English speakers.
Two languages are the most a very young child should be exposed to.

I also learned that the amount of interaction a child has with the second, third and more languages will determine how much they will speak that language. Hearing another language and not having the opportunity to speak it will limit the child's ability to speak the language well. They may understand it, but not speak it. It is critical, if you want your child to speak a second language, to provide opportunities for them to use the language and not just hear the language. I highly recommend The Bilingual Edge for parents who are interested in introducing a second or third language. It was very informative and I really learned a lot.

The Real Deal on the Top Ten Myths About Second Language Learning

Any parent can raise a child who knows more than one language, even if that parent is monolingual (all children can learn a second language even if their parents don't know that language).
It is never too late and younger is not always better in every way.
Rich, dynamic and meaningful interaction is critical and more important than having a perfect native-speaker model.
For lots of different reasons, children reared within the same home can end up with very different language skills from one another.
Constantly correcting errors can do more harm than good.
Learning two languages is not a cause of language delay.
Most children go through a period of language mixing (it's normal!). Strict separation of languages is generally not realistic and not necessary.
Children don't learn much language through television or other edutainment items - these should be thought of as supplemental.
Bilingual education programs can be beneficial for all children.
The more the merrier - learning three languages (or more) is possible!

Our Reading List for February 2012

Krista G. — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:36:18 GMT

As mentioned in a precious post, we are keeping track of all the books I read to my 5 year old daughter, or that she reads to me. I went to the library today and she has hardly stopped reading since I got home. I think she has read at least 10 books to herself. She is reading silently now, and she is reading books that are very wordy and even some short chapter books to herself. These are all big improvements that I welcome. As I type this post my husband is reading books in Spanish to my 5 and 7 year old. This is so wonderful, since I just recently committed to teaching them as much Spanish as I can being an English speaking mom. He is bilingual, so anytime he participates, I am thrilled.

Here is a list of the books we read during the month of February, While I am not trying to reach a certain number of books read by the end of the year, it is nice to keep a list and actually know how much or how little we are reading.

Stone Soup
The Little Read Hen
Ancient Greek Myths and Legends *
Little Blue Truck
Carrot Soup
Love, Ruby Valentine
Nicholas *
George Washington's Cows
Apples to Oregon
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Rapunzel
The Emperor's New Clothes
The Camel's Nose
Goodnight, Goodnight
Caps for Sale
But No Elephants
One Cent, Two Cent, Old Cent, New Cent
Why Do You Love Me
Olivia and the Missing Toy
Circus Caps for Sale
Olivia
Ellen's Lion
Johnny Appleseed
The Fisherman and His Wife
The Hundred Dresses *
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
Fancy Nancy Loves Loves Loves
The Nutcracker
The Fairy Princess
Cinderella
Millions of Cats
Ariel's Beginning
Ten Red Apples
Froggy Se Viste #
Barbie Mariposa
The G iant Hug
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean
Rain Makes Applesauce
The Trouble With Elephants
The Lonely Moose
I Am a Whale
Un Gato y Un Perro #
A Baby Sister for Francis
Hansel and Gretel
Is Your Mama a Llama?
Noah's Ark
The Tale of Three Trees
What Floats? What Sinks?
The Elves and the Shoemaker
The Emperor's New Clothes
Fifteen Animals
The Dot
Hugs From Pearl
Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep
Angelina and Henry
Henry's Freedom Box

The *'s stand for books that were chapter books and much longer. The #'s stand for books we read in Spanish. Some favorites from here are the Olivia books, Love, Ruby Valentine, Hugs From Pearl, and The Dot.

My daughter was taught to read at a very young age with the MonkiSee Baby Reading Program. To find out how to share a passion for reading with your baby or small child, visit www.monkisee.com.

Book Reading Challenge for 2012

Krista G. — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:16:23 GMT

Some of the parents over on the BrillKids forum posted a challenge to read 1000 books to their children during 2012. You can view the post here. Although I have mixed feelings about this challenge, I did decide to keep a list of the books we read this year. I thought I would post the books we have read each month on my blog. It is a nice record of what we read this year.

I would like to state that I am not trying to read 1000 books to my 5 year old this year. I think the pressure of having a set goal can steal the joy we share when we read together. It can keep us from re-reading our favorites because of a list. It can prevent us from reading meatier books that take more time because we want to reach a number. So please understand, I am not striving to read a certain amount of books to my children this year. If anything, I would like to have a goal of a certain amount of time that I read to my children each day. I do believe that intelligence is directly affected by how much a child reads or is read to. Do you not agree that a child that reads for 3 hours a day would most likely be more intelligent than a child that watches TV for 3 hours a day? Anyway, not to get off point here. I love to read, my kids love to read and we know it is not only fun but good for us. So here is the list of books we read during January 2012. These are books that I read to my 5 year old, and sometimes my 7 year old when he is not reading to himself, or that my 5 year old read to me. She does like to read to me too.

Our Reading List for January 2012

Biscuit
Who Hops
Kate and the Beanstalk
Spotlight on South America
Is There Really a Human Race?
By the Light of the Moon
Up
One Duck Stuck
It looked Like Spilt Milk
Library Lion
Maisy Goes Camping
Thump, Quack, Moo
Jamberry
Climb the Family Tree, Jessie Bear
Stone Soup
Sleepytime Rhyme
Why I Will Never Ever Ever Have Enough Time to Read This Book
I Like Me!
First Ballet
Seven Spunky Monkeys
A Picture for Harold's Room
Arthur's Chicken Pox
Fancy Nancy - Poet Extraordinaire
Maisy Cleans Up
Five Little Monkeys Play Hide & Seek
Don't Wake Up Mama!
Chanticleer and the Fox
Good Dog, Carl
Let's Count It Out, Jessie Bear
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Happy Birthday, Jessie Bear
Once a Mouse...
The Adventures of Bert
The Ugly Duckling
Goosey Goose
Tea for Ruby
I Can Fly
Air is All Around You
Airmail to the Moon
Where the Wild Things Are
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Truck that Drove All Night
Babar Learns to Cook
Each Peach Pear Plumb
The Popcorn Book
Makeup Mess
The Egg
The Trumpet of the Swan*
Barbie and the Diamond Castle*
The Grouchy Ladybug
Spots, Feather, and Curly Tails
I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato

The books with a * are chapter books. There are other books we were reading in January that we never finished until February. The Barbie and the Diamond Castle book is the first chapter book my daughter read on her own. So hooray for that. We loved The Trumpet of the Swan, Library Lion, Stone Soup, Each Peach Pear Plumb, Airmail to the Moon, The Velveteen Rabbit, Harold and the Purple Crayon and It Looked Like Spilt Milk. Some are completely unmemorable. If you have a favorite or many favorites that are not listed here, please share!

To find out more about how you can actually teach your baby or young child to read visit www.monkisee.com.

How to Start Teaching Your Baby to Read Using the Whole Word Method

Krista G. — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:52:41 GMT

You can watch this short video below to learn how to teach your baby to read using the whole word method. You will also discover how you can immediately begin teaching your baby to read upon completion of this video as well as how to print out 40 free labels/flash card of items around the house. It is very informative.

For more information on how to teach your baby to read visit www.monkisee.com.

Ella Watching MonkiSee Action Words

Krista G. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:42:22 GMT

This video is hilarious. Two year old Ella is moving along with the "We Run" song on the MonkiSee Action Words DVD. Have a look. Who ever said learning is not fun? Whoever said it, please don't tell Ella. I think she would be crushed. As far as she knows, learning to read as a baby is a blast.

To learn more about how you can teach your baby to read with the MonkiSee program visit www.monkisee.com.

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Teacher Says Students Are Dumber Every Year

Krista G. — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:25:50 GMT

I just had a meeting with my accountant. I asked him how his wife is doing - recalling that she is a school teacher. He casually mentioned that she is retiring this year. He said - and I quote - "My wife is not a moron. She has been teacher of the year before, but she has had enough. The kids are getting dumber every year and she cannot even control the students in her Christian school. They enter fourth grade not only unable to multiply, but also unable to read, so she has decided to retire. She has been doing this for a long time and she feels she is done."

Wow, does this bother you? I have to say that the state of the educational system in this country is failing badly. Parents, wake up! If you do not prepare your child before they enter school you are playing Russian Roulette with their futures. If they enter school unprepared, they will struggle, and students that struggle rarely catch up. They feel dumb, drop out of school, and have low self-esteems. Is this what we want for our precious children? Do we not want them to have every success in their lives? Do we not want them to surpass our accomplishments? How do we prepare our children for a successful future? It all begins at home. We are their first teachers. We cannot expect to do nothing with our children for the first 5 years of their life and then expect school to turn them into smart and wonderful citizens. It is our duty to give them the tools they need to learn. We need to talk to our children, read to our children, discipline our children, and teach our children.

Teaching children is not tiresome and tedious. It is done throughout the day through conversations and interactions. Colors can be taught as they are being dressed. Shapes can be pointed out with toys and objects around the house. Language is learned through simply talking to the child and reading to the child. Responsibility is taught when they are allowed to work alongside their parents. Sharing is taught through family interactions.

I ignorantly thought that not all parents were aware of their babies ability to learn a vast amount of skills before they turn 5 - such as reading, multiple languages and math skills. I thought that every parent would be excited at the possibilities that exist for their child. I soon realized that not all parents share this enthusiasm to teach their children and some outright oppose it. How this saddens me! What a wasted opportunity to set a firm foundation for all learning in our children's lives.

If you are like I am and want to give your child every opportunity toward success, that you can and you want to teach them to read at an early age, visit www.monkisee.com to learn how you can begin teaching your baby to read. With an investment of as little as 90 seconds a day, you can teach your baby or young child to read before they even enter school. Now ask yourself this question, who will struggle when they enter school, the child that can read or the child that can't? Throughout my life I have learned some painful lessons, and I have realized that I would rather be over prepared than under prepared. How about you? What will you choose for your child?