This is the first in special monthly Smart Baby Kid feature called Your Baby Can Read. I originally reviewed the early learning program created by Dr. Titzer in December and was a huge fan from the start. Since my children are 9 months and 2.5 years, and as a Language Arts educator with a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction, Language and Literacy who is extremely interested in children's literacy, we've committed ourselves to the Your Baby Can Read program to report on our progress at the start of each month here on Smart Baby Kid. This way my readers can decide from our real-life experience if the program is right for their own children.
So how's it going after a month? As I suspected, it is enhancing our learning time, especially with the toddler, in ways we couldn't imagine. Previously having spent most reading time reading aloud to her, now my daughter is actually participating in the process. While the baby is interested in the videos and will sit through them, my 2.5 year old is visibly reaping the benefits of watching the videos and working with the supplemental books daily. Your Baby Can Read recommends watching the video and reading the book, in our case the Starter set, twice each day. As working parents, this is not easy to fit into our daily routine. But here's the schedule we've been able to maintain: video in the morning in the car on the way to the sitter's, video after school, book as a part of the nighttime routine, and flashcards in the diaper bag for when we are on the go. As a result, we aren't always able to make recommended viewings/readings, but it's working!
After one month my daughter can read and recognize many of the starter set words such as "hi," "arms," "dog," "elephant," mouth" and "eyes," "toes" and "gorilla" among others. Our favorite though is the "My First Words" window book, a supplement to the program, and a nifty way to see words, actions and pictures all together. So far so good! And if you know someone thinking of purchasing Your Baby Can Read their Deluxe TV Offer Holiday Special Kit gives a discount if you buy two programs. Check back with us next month as we start Volume And if you are using the program, comment here and let us know how it's going!Smart Giveaway: Enter to win a starter DVD by leaving any comment on this post about the Your Baby Can Read site. Click here to find out how to increase your chances. Include your email address in the post. Contest ended.
With fond memories of Bert, Ernie and the rest of the gang I've finally succeeded recently in getting my daughter into something other than the Wiggles. Though I love the guys from the outback, I was thrilled when she first opened her new K'Nex Sesame Street set and exclaimed, "Burt!" Close enough. Our childhood icons and the innovative folks at K'Nex have teamed up to bring lucky kids everywhere a familiar way to imagine and construct. Big surprise, my engineer husband is a huge fan! If you have a Sesame Street fanatic on your hands and already have Elmos that giggle, sing the pizza song and do just about everything but clean your house (wouldn't that be nice), K'Nex Sesame Street building sets, including our fuzzy red friend, are a great alternative. And while they may not sing about pizzas "up in the air," you also won't have to worry about turning them off beacuse it's always fun to build!
