They have 12 DVDs and teach “right brain” stuff. I’m with the right brain train of thought but only to a point; I really think it’s oversold on the whole.
They don’t show a demo on the site, and I’m not one to lay down that sort of cash just because it’s put out by an organization dubbed Right Brained Kids.
Anything I’m missing? Or, can I go ahead and skip the DVDs while doing other things?
I have 8 DVDs. My son only watched 2 of them, and he didn’t care for the rest. I lent it to my friend. Her daughter didn’t like them either. Maybe it was just us. :biggrin:
I prefer Sparkabilites.
They have sample lesson on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEeLcrv_S8w
I think is depends on the kids, my boy just love it
I’m currently taking the Tweedlewink Online Overview Course and Pamela of Tweedlewink actually says that live sessions (manual flashing of cards) with your child is still the best but for purposes of practicality, they packaged their lessons in DVDs. So if you have the time to make the flashcards or the resources to buy manual flashcards, I think you can opt out of buying the DVDs.
Since the DVDs are a bit pricey, why not try buying just one first and see how your child likes the lessons? Or better yet, check out a sample of their lessons on youtube as posted by happyj. Per my experience, my baby will not sit to watch the Tweedlewink lesson during her active time so what I do is play it before her bedtime or at anytime she is ready to sleep.
We really love it. I feel like Little Reader and Little Math is Glenn Doman’s “How to teach your Baby to Read/Math” done for you, and TweedleWink is the Encyclopedic Knowledge program done for you. You either pay with your money or your time. We have bit cards I made, and we still use them, but I have much less time now, so it’s really nice to have this program. That, and it’s hard to duplicate eye tracking, photo eyeplay with flashcards alone with babies. I wish we had made the investment sooner, when my oldest was a baby. Oh well, he got more just mommy time so it all works out.
You don’t NEED the DVDs to enrich your child’s knowledge. But they are very good and cover so much vocabulary! YouTube has quite a few samples.
Are they worth it… They are so expensive, so I can’t say they are. If they were cheaper yes.
James didn’t watch any until he was almost 3. And he really enjoys them. He loved to hug me at the end like the animation. He doesn’t like the photo eye play. That makes me ill too.
He has learnt vocabulary by watching them over and over.
These responses have all been very helpful. Thank you! Karma to all…
As for EK, I’m just now starting up the EK. Perhaps I can get around to a blog post about how I intend to do this.
There are three main functions to EK, in my view…
You’ll notice the main thing left off my list is actually learning about what you’re learning about. I think it’s the weakest argument for actually doing EK (I don’t think you actually impart “encyclopedic knowledge,” and if you did, I’m not sure as to the benefit)
Having said that, I’m spending A LOT of time right now on this. Poker is on hold until I get the ball rolling…
I agree with your analysis of EK, pokerdad. While I never expected my kids to remember everything I’ve shown them (and they don’t), they do remember a lot of it. While I don’t think I have “imparted encyclopedic knowledge”, it has given them a broad interest in the world around them. I think you can impart a desire for encyclopedic knowledge, and the EK program does that well if you give a variety of subject matter.
I agree. I love building on what I know.
And I can see tht James does too. Over the year he learnt a little about trains. Steam train, diesel train, electric train. Having that foundation made him want to learn more.
And sadly… I was trumped by a 3 year old the other day. We were going for a walk by the railroad tracks. And I started explaining how the tracks were made. I told him that the rails were made of iron, and that the… Was made of wood. (My mind was blanking)… James said “mummy are your talking about the wooden sleepers? They go on top of the rock which is a solid foundation!” .
He had learnt all that from reading a book well above his grade level, simply because he was motivated to read about trains.
This later led into us having a conversation about the making of casting iron. James was attentive and questioning. I love that I am able to have conversations of depth with my 3 year old. And I certainly want to have more. Such quality time with my son.
So having an EK foundation to build upon has been beneficial in several ways for us. Mind you, our conversations aren’t limited to trains. We talk about a plethora of subjects.