Suburban Reviews

Mike Byster is a math genius. No, seriously, he is. Psychologists say he has ‘one of the fastest mathematical minds in the world’, and after seeing him in action, you can’t help but believe it. The things this man can do without pencil and paper is both amazing and highly entertaining, making you wish he would both teach your children and attend your next dinner party. That mix of talent and charisma makes him a fantastic teacher, and the reason I see his Brainetics program for kids becoming a huge success.

The Brainetics system is a 5 dvd set that focuses on various tricks for doing math mentally as opposed to on paper or with a calculator. The theme of all this is ‘learning out of the box’, and I have to agree- math was never taught like this when I was in school. Learning how to calculate what day of the year someone was born? Magic squares? Card games? I probably wouldn’t be quite so math-stupid myself if we had been taught like this. In fact I found myself getting more and more interested as I watched the dvd’s, and even starting to understand the Fibonacci sequence, sort, after I watched it twice. (I will admit to being terrible at math, so I consider even slightly grasping the concept a step forward.) Still, the kids in the video picked it up pretty quick, so clearly it can be done.

My only real complaint with the program is that the videos move along pretty quickly, causing me to need to back up fairly often to review the concept. For a child’s short attention span that is probably a good thing, but if you are having trouble picking up the lesson being taught, all that rewinding can be a bit discouraging. Additionally, the number of steps to each of these tricks is a bit daunting, and would take a LOT of practice to memorize, which sort of defeats the point of being able to do it mentally. If I have to write down the steps, why not just work it out on paper to begin with?

All in all I think the Brainetics program is great, if a *bit* above the level of my current 4th grader. While all the tricks taught are certainly great for entertainment, the real value comes in the ability gained to look at a problem and figure a solution beyond the typical rote and recitation methods of the past. Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network and Brainetics for a tool I’ll be using with all three of my children for years to come.

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In a world of large classes, school uniforms, and those every-teacher-despises-them standardized tests, the concept of individuality in the classroom is almost a thing of the past. The educational system has become much like an assembly line of ‘get them through and move them out’ on the largest of scales. Not surprising then that Jennifer Fox’s new book “Your Child’s Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them” is being hailed as ‘groundbreaking’ and ‘completely out of the box’. With her approach of focusing less on fixing the problems, and more on using the positive traits to work around them, she encourages parents and teachers to approach their children in a way that flies in the face of everything the current system considers ‘normal’. The Parent Bloggers Network encouraged us to check out this groundbreaking new book, and I have to say it is completely changing the way I look at kids and the educational system in general.

It’s almost funny that as I sit here writing this review, my 9 year old daughter is at school taking a test that will be counted as 20% of her final grade. This is not something the teacher cooked up, but the well-intentioned-failure called No Child Left Behind. Thanks to this reform, schools now spend a third of the school year teaching a test with the weight of the world riding on it. With this kind of mounting pressure on everyone from the principals to the students, its no wonder teachers are forced to pack as much information as possible into as little time as necessary, with little time left to work one on one with their kids. In situations like this, ‘problem children’ really stand out, whether the issues are behavioral or with their learning abilities. These kids take time away from the classroom at large, and its almost understandable the focus then goes to getting these children back in line with the norm, whatever that takes. Unfortunately the ‘what it takes’ puts so much focus on what’s wrong that almost no emphasis is put on what’s right, and the end result can be disastrous for a child’s self esteem and self confidence.

Ms. Fox feels the answer to this is to take a completely different approach, and get to know the child’s strengths in ways that very few of us really do. Through different questionnaires and activities, in addition to general observation, answers can be gotten from the kids that help you understand how they think and how they learn, enabling you to figure out the best way to teach them. I could list a few random examples from her book, but I’d feel almost remiss if I didn’t instead mention a good friend of mine who is living this very idea. Heather has a 7 year old son who is absolutely brilliant, but behaviorally is not like other kids his age. His teacher this year started out by doing everything possible to point out to my friend how ‘wrong’ and how ‘different’ her son was, to the point of making an example of everything he does, including his distaste for fiction books. Apparently at age 7, every child loves fiction, therefor something must be wrong with him. My friend, instead of trying to push these imaginary tales on him in an effort to make him conform, simply asked him why he disliked them. His reply? He doesn’t learn anything from them. Truly, how can you argue that? Instead of possibly damaging his love of reading (non-fiction), she encourages him to develop his imagination in other ways, such as the incredible stories he loves making up. My friend as far as I know has not read this book yet, but she is a living example of it’s principles, and an example to me of truly knowing your child.

This book is truly a inspiration, and one every parent and teacher should read. With the current state of the educational system, parents and teachers are more than ever having to make schooling a partnership venture. I think this book is a fabulous way for both sides to help kids reach their fullest potential while not losing their sense of self to the establishment as we know it today.

Kids are a fickle lot- today’s favorite shirt is tomorrow’s floor-warmer, favorite foods are discarded as quickly as they are discovered, and don’t even get me started on the toys that were begged for for months before being played with twice and relegated to the bottom of the toy box. Not many things are able to stand the test of time where these short people are concerned, which is why it is so amazing a personal favorite of mine, Highlights Magazine, is celebrating their 60th anniversary this year. 60 years! Proving you are only as old as you feel, Highlights has launched a brand-new magazine for the 2-5 year old set called High Five. I got to check out the new magazine courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network, and I’ll say already, it has knocked my socks off.

With High Five, Highlights has done an amazing job of taking the best of their regular magazine, and bringing it down to a preschool level. Each issue contains 6-8 short stories that are just the right length for a preschooler’s notoriously short attention span. I was incredibly tickled to see instead of featuring ‘The Timbertoes’ like they do in Highlights, the company has given the Timbertoe dog his own comic series in High Five called ‘The Adventures of Spot’. He always was my favorite character ;)  Remember doing ‘Hidden Pictures’ every month? High Five carries on the tradition with ‘My First Hidden Pictures’. Similarly, each issue also carries age appropriate crafts and activities to do with your little ones. The only thing I could possibly say is missing is the Your Own Pages section which usually has drawings and pictures sent in by readers. I think inviting parents to send in pictures of their kids with crafts they made from the magazine would be an excellent way to encourage participation and reader loyalty, and young children love seeing pictures of other kids their age.

Overall, Highlights has done a truly amazing job of creating a magazine for preschoolers that looks and feels like the classic reading material so many of us grew up with. By including the best features of the older magazine in their newer venture, they create the perfect bridge for kids to transition from High Five to Highlights as they get older, and in doing so encourage us long-time readers to keep subscribing.

Check out the Parent Bloggers Network for information on the blog blast on March 7th to find out how you can win a free subscription to High Five for your own family, a $30 value!  

Having been a nanny to a young boy and then having a couple of my own, I am no stranger to Bob the Builder. With all the trucks and tools and construction going on in each episode, its probably the only preschool-age show on tv that is aimed mostly towards boys. When I was offered an advance copy of Bob the Builder On Site- Roads and Bridges from the Parent Bloggers Network, my two little guys were over the moon excited.

Right up front I have to say this DVD took some getting used to, because it is NOTHING like the tv series. Oh, Bob, Dizzy and Rolley are there, but everyone else seems to be missing in action. Where is Pilchard? Where is Spud? And where oh where is his are-they-or-aren’t-they partner Wendy? Not once is her voice heard in this movie, quite odd since she is a regular on the tv show. While I’m sure plenty of little girls would still watch it without her, it is nice to have a relateable female character, something this episode lacked. On the other hand, the live action mixed with the usual animation proved to be a novelty that kept both boys watching the entire hour.

The best part of this movie was by far the scenes that showed the real trucks. We have a couple of movies about trains and trucks, but this was the first I’ve seen that tells what they are and how they worked, rather than just saying what they do and moving on. Whether due to the content itself, or being stuck inside with 2 sick boys, I was strangely fascinated by the explanation on when you use a large cement mixer and when to use a small one. Who knew they even came in different sizes?

Despite missing the regular supporting characters, the video was a hit here all the way around, and one I’m sure will be getting plenty of play time with my two wanna-be builders

We’ve all heard the news reports- kids who are taught a second language at a very early age pick it up faster and more thoroughly than those who wait until middle school, and those who learn a second language in general are more creative and better at problem solving. However, the majority of adults are not bilingual, so giving our kids those benefits seems more like an ideal than a real possibility. Aside from the occasional ‘taco’ and fajita’, the most exposure to a foreign language my kids get is via Dora the Explorer. (I have my doubts about Dora’s morals, she goes on wayyyy too much about ‘playing with the magic stick’ if ya know what I mean!)

What’s a single-language parent to do? This parent got a copy of the Kids Love Spanish dvd set from the Parent Bloggers Network and gave it a try.

I have to say, I was unimpressed with this company before I ever got the dvd’s. Mainly because I never got them. Twice we were told they were sent out, and I have yet to see a package from the company. I double-checked the address PBN has on file, so I know the problem is not on this end. As far as I know I was the only reviewer on this campaign to have this problem, so I’m writing this off as a fluke, but I would be remiss if I didn’t give my full experience. Luckily a fellow reviewer came to my rescue and loaned me her copy(which arrived quickly and without issue!), so here we are.

The dvds are at first glance rather cheesy looking. I could barely keep a straight face as the creators of the video, sisters Julie and Krisse Brock, started singing and dancing against an amateurishly done background. When they started introducing to the words, I was this-close to turning the movie off. The words are repeated over, and over, and over, and over. My 4 year old gave a disgusted look and turned back to his video game. Then I looked at my 2 1/2 year old and listened as he repeated the words. Toddlers thrive on order and repetition, and in that, the Brock sisters have nailed it. What they lack in production knowledge, they make up for in their understanding of small children. My youngest son sat there laughing at the videos, oohing and ahhhing over the pictures, and practicing the words along with the children on the video. Even as his interest in sitting still during the movies waned, I could hear him behind the couch playing with his cars and saying the words along with the video.

For all the repetition, they still manage to pack a surprising amount of material into each 30 minute dvd. I didn’t count, but I would estimate each episode covered between 20-30 words. I like how each disc covers a particular category of words, and the topics range from colors to numbers to animals to alphabets to family words, moving on to simple phrases in disc 7.  Such a broad base of words will  give your kids an excellent  base vocabulary to build on as they continue to learn.

Despite the rocky start, I would very highly recommend these videos to those looking to teach their 4 and under kids a second language. (Over 4 and I’m not sure the cheesiness will be quite as appealing.) The movies are packed with words and the repetition along with the incredibly cute videos will captivate your little one’s attention, and unlike Dora, there are no naked monkeys or magic sticks to be found.

What’s better than free? Educational and free! And so begins the beginning of a new addiction in our house- Word World, a new educational program aimed at preschoolers on PBS.

We love PBS here. I grew up on Sesame Street and have introduced it to my own children, and the hubby and I enjoyed watching the Frontier House and Pioneer House series.  They are such a great resource for educational tv, and in a time where Barney and Spongebob rules for the under-5 set, a channel I don’t feel guilty about letting the kids watch.

Word World is a new show focusing on teaching children letters and how they are put together to make words. Every character and many of their surroundings are made up of letters. Yes, everything is spelled with letters, but visually, they really are made up of letters. Confused? Check this out-

I swear they are not nearly as creepy as they look. Far from it, they are very warm and inviting thanks to some of the best voice acting to come along in a PBS show in quite some time. The storylines are simple but engaging, and the episodes are just short enough to keep the kids from getting bored. The letters are repeated subtly to help encourage recognition, and words are spelled out to help emphasize the relationship between the letters and using them to build words.

Best of all? This enchanting series is available to everyone, free of charge on your local PBS station. The show was developed as part of the Ready to Learn initiative and funded by the Department of Education to help lower income children with reading readiness. That’s right, quality educational programs with no dvd’s to buy!

Check your guide and set your Tivo’s, this is one show you don’t have to feel guilty about letting your kids watch! Thanks so much to Parent Bloggers Network for introducing us to this new favorite, and  Word World for giving us something the kids will turn off Spongebob for. Really, my sanity thanks you.

In this day and age of Baby Einstein videos and educational toys, one thing is clear- we all want our children to reach their fullest potential. We start our children listening to classical music before they enter the world, we make sure our crib mobiles are black and white so our 3 day old infants can see them properly, and we start reading to them within weeks, all in the name of “smarter babies”. It’s not surprising then that there are actually videos on the market claiming to be able to teach these babies to read. Yes, you heard me, to read. The Infant learning Company, Inc is making such a claim with it’s Your Baby Can Read dvd series, and as part of the Parent Bloggers Network, I got to put them to the test.

Each Your Baby Can Read dvd comes with the dvd and a set of pull-out flash cards. The disk itself consists of sections for both parents and children. The parents portion explains how to use the video with the cards. I admit I was a little taken back when I viewed this section, as it’s creator suggests that to get the full effect, the video should be played 1-2x per day, and no other tv should be watched. At this point I started to laugh; the guy is obviously a first-time father.

(We all had those no-tv-and-only-educational-when-it-is ambitions with our firsts. By the third child, Dora rules the roost.)

I put the dvd in the first time not expecting a lot. After viewing the parent’s portion is seemed like it would be just a lot of words on the screen. Boy was I wrong! Instead I was shown videos that dare I say it, put the Baby Einstein series to shame. The words are there, shown first before the delightfully engaging clip of the animal, object, or action. We especially loved the animal ones; ‘pig’ is a very easy word to pick up, and the shot of the baby pigs nursing made my boys giggle uncontrollably. In between the narrators ask questions such as “Do you know what color the baby ducks are?” to keep the children interested. For my 4 and 2 year olds, I have to say this was the most truly interactive video, ever. It kept them watching and participating through the entire 30 minutes, no easy feat for a 4 and 2 year old!

The flash cards were also enjoyed, but admittedly not as much as the video. They liked the pictures, and didn’t mind sitting still for short sessions of reading the word and then viewing the picture. The way they are put together is a problem though. They are very durable, but one of them stuck for us, and I still do not know what the horse looks like, as we’ve not been able to open at that card at all. Other cards had minor sticking that we were able to open without breaking, and overall I thought they were well-made.

My 4 year old is I *think* starting to pick up a few words, but is very hit or miss. Sometimes he seems to recognize them, sometimes not. My 2 year old is not picking up any at all yet, but we’ve not been able to manage the twice a day viewing either, so it may just take longer when you are doing it a few times a week.

That’s not to say we got nothing out of it. In fact we had a very surprising outcome, in that they have turned out to be a wonderful speech therapy tool! My 4 year old has verbal apraxia, and has been in speech therapy for nearly two years. It has become second nature for us to incorporate sounding out words and having him repeat things in our day to day life, and this has become a wonderful supplement to that. When the narrator reads a word on the screen, my son will immediately repeat it back, and with him, repetition is key. In addition, my 2 year old would repeat everything his brother would say, so it ended up being great vocabulary practice for both of them.

I am not one to push educational toys and reading to your child the minute they are expelled from the womb, but as far as these things go, the Your Baby Can Read dvd sets actually have some value. Some kids will start recognizing words right away, some like mine may benefit more from the verbal vocabulary building parts, and still others may enjoy this as just a truly entertaining and worthwhile educational video. As long as you can take the instructions with a grain of salt, I would recommend these to anyone with small children. They really were a delightful find, and I thank Parent Bloggers Network for allowing us to be a part of this one, because I will be purchasing more of the dvd sets in the future.

Interested parents can find Your Baby Can read dvds and books on the Infant Learning Company website. Each dvd can be purchased for $14.95, or special muti-disk set prices are also listed. Either way they are well worth it!