Talking from Infancy - Free Giveaway!!

Here’s quick the back story:
There was once a guy that crushed the world of education with his early learning strategies and insights. This particular guy devoted his life to early education and he was extremely well versed. His methods consistently produced early talkers and high IQs as though it were a game of go-fish, and unlike Doman’s institute, this guy was an academic (MA from Harvard, PhD from Chicago, Yale professor) with copious citations on his dissertation volumes. He literally wrote a text book on early education. His name was William Fowler.

This last spring, I wanted to learn what his secrets were. His valedictory “how to” book entitled Talking From Infancy could only be purchased out of print and the prices people wanted for it was atrocious. I’ve bought and sold books enough to know that if I went ahead and bought the book, I’d take a complete bath on it. I spent $180 to get the book and corresponding VHS tape. It was worth it though to gain the knowledge to help my newborn son.

Well, not surprisingly, I’ve taken the bath on this. Shortly after trying to sell the set, another person came along and started a price war. I personally took the prevailing price from $120 down to where it is now (around a $35 on average on Amazon). Even with that, there’s no market for this out of print stuff and very few have heard of his work.

But I’m about to change that.

I want his secrets to get out to those of us in the Early Learning Community. I have my reasons. Perhaps you can encourage me to continue the efforts with this. Perhaps you’ll come up with some awesome ideas. Perhaps you’ll inspire others. Perhaps my donation will help a child’s life path…

Plus, with Cub’s recent success (see below), I’m in a great mood…

So here’s how this will work. I have ONE original Talking from Infancy by Dr. William Fowler that I will send to some lucky BK member. If you don’t have a BK membership (free) and you just lurk, I recommend signing up. There might be some countries that won’t be eligible (such as Afghanistan) but by enlarge, you’re more than likely eligible (where the USA is willing to ship something to).

I will make a list of eligible contestants and will choose the winner by random selection (using the random function on my calculator and comparing to the numbered list to determine the winner). I’ll run this through Tuesday November 13th. I’ll announce the winner in this thread on Wed the 14th at some point.

[b]To be eligible, please do two things

  1. Check out my PokerCub update (you should do this anyway!!!)

http://www.pokercub.blogspot.com/2012/11/swimming-update.html

[b]2. Leave me a comment on the blog - if this troubles you, I’ll allow comments in this thread to count

I will be including something special with the book that I cannot mention here. Just know it will be worth your effort.

Your comment can be derisory if you like - or it can be encouraging, or it can spark a discussion if you like. Whatever suits your fancy!

I left a comment! I hope I win

Done and done!

I have been watching your cub swimming in recent posts, Its interesting to watch how relaxed your cub is. I might have to try this with number two child. Will you send to New Zealand?

Well I don’t need the book but I do always read your posts and love them :slight_smile: I can’t post on your blogg, stupid computer never let’s me…mayhave something to do with a forgotten password lol I hope it goes to someone who will use it until it’s dog eared! :slight_smile:

I can’t comment on your blog for some reason either so I’ll post it here instead:

Well done pokerdad and cub, I love to read about what you guys are up to. I think I’ll have to try your method as we haven’t even tried back floating yet.

I would love to see an outline of what you guys do in an day - either here or on brillkids…that way, I can steal even more ideas!

seastar,
I’ll try and document a day sometime soon. Today probably would’ve been good but it was a looooong day and perhaps out of the ordinary. As to back floating - it’s not that the back float is some magical skill or anything. I couldn’t do it until very late into my career when I finally figured out the buoyancy fulcrum and how to stop my legs from torquing down, and when I finally figured this out I had already achieved quite a lot in the water, ha ha. BUT… where the back float is useful in infant swimming is it’s a good way for them to independently get air. Right now we’re working on rotating onto his back, where once he gets there he knows what to do… in fact today I noticed that sometimes he even holds his breath while on his back when/after he transitions to the surface… I’m somewhat impressed that he figured that out!! It’s like teaching Hellen Keller since you can’t talk or communicate verbally really - it’s all by feel & trial and error for him.

Mandaplus3,
are you saying that you don’t want to be on the list for the book? Either way, always glad to read your comments and encouragement… you practically named him PokerCub after all!! You’re like his fairy God Mother :biggrin:

I think my comments in your blog worked. I would love to win the book. I admit that I am struggling to keep up the early learning. Maybe a new book would motivate me?

Fairy god mother! lol lol cool!
Yes. Don’t put me on the list, think my kids are a bit old for it. I would be reading purly for curiosity and another would get more from it than me :yes:
Oh each time I read a post on your blog I am much more impressed with the progress you are making then by my fairy god sons progress, I mean obviously he is awesome ( perhaps I rubbed off on him lol ) but you have overcome many fears to get HIm to this point. It’s pretty gutsy to let a tiny baby go under water, not many parents can actually do it. Knowing rationally it can be done is very different to actually personally doing it! I think you are doing a great job in educating your self :biggrin:

Love the video. Great job! I was thinking how much his baby fat must help him float. He is so buoyant! Of course many a chubby baby cannot float. :wink: Way to go!

I happened to see the book on Amazon for about $20 a few weeks ago and got it. I had it on my wish list and I couldn’t believe how much the price had gone down. My son is almost too old for it but it will still help us and certainly for the next baby.

I really wonder why his work is not well known considering the success he has had. The Hart and Risley study is in almost every book I have read on babies. But, I only read a brief mention of his work in one book and I think it was in the footnotes.

I want his secrets to get out to those of us in the Early Learning Community. I have my reasons. Perhaps you can encourage me to continue the efforts with this. Perhaps you'll come up with some awesome ideas. Perhaps you'll inspire others. Perhaps my donation will help a child's life path....

I started an “Early Learners Playgroup” in my area hoping to get to know other moms who do early learning and to hopefully find some friends for Ian who are up to the same sort of things. There are lots of members with young babies. I am thinking about doing a group on this. It would be interesting to see the results.

Wow! Way to go PockerCub!

Oh, please count me in!
Your post alwas were, and especially now since you have an early learner at home, are very interesting to read. I am sure I will re- read all your posts again once I have another baby. I am sure we are all glad you have a blog!

That video was really wonderful, please count me in too.

Me, too, please :slight_smile:

Commented from my Aim account. I hope it went thru. Anyways… Amazing job you are doing.

Wow - congratulations! Poker Cub is really lucky to have you as parents (and for you to be able to provide this kind of environment…) Please keep the good work up and please keep posting about it…and please count me in for the contest :wink: thanks!

I posted a comment! I’ve been eager to read the book since you suggested it to me when I asked about babies who talk early!

19 weeks that is awesome! Wish we had a hot tub, too…

Thank you for the comments - contest is open for another day, end of day tomorrow

Just wanted to quickly bump the thread and tell a little story. A few minutes ago, Cub and I were winding down a lesson (LM, LMs, LR) and were doing some Starfall letters while he digested his milk and we finished “Z” where you fill in the word “zig zag”… so I usually say the letter sounds as I drag and I do this for the whole word “zig” - but then on zag I stopped. When I pick up the a and start dragging it, he says “a” outloud as it’s dragged… I was shocked. I know there’s a good chance it was coincidence, but I’m not so sure about that - he may know some of his letter sounds already!

:ohmy:

I think my post finally went through. I tried to comment before you even started this thread but it was quite difficult and didn’t seem to stick.