That is so easy to source, I live 2 miles away from walmart and hate to admit that I practically live there. lol Wonderful! THANK YOU.
This video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtL4eWqH3Zc&list=UURmVmtG7oDEnwMMk0_Vwspw&index=3&feature=plcp It was a Hooked on Phonics workbook, kindergarten level.
Hi TmT!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed update of Lily and Owen’s progress. 
It is always a delight to read what they are up to and the things they have accomplished! So you are moving to Japan next year instead of this year? I know you were planning to enroll Lily in Japanese kindergarten when you get there, but what are your plans for her English education? Are you going to homeschool her in English, and if so, what curricula are you considering?
Thanks again for sharing!
Here is another abacus on the market: http://www.timberdoodle.com/Aba_Conundrums_by_Fat_Brain_Toys_p/391-409.htm
Thank you, TmT and Korrale4kq.
TmT, Some of the resources that you have shared are very new to me like www.MakeMeGenius.com and thanks for sharing. Glad to know that you are going to one of the countries pioneer in EL. Hope you make full use of it including Shichida and share the knowledge with us 
Korrale4kq, Can you tell us about the Draw Write Now curriculum. Can it be used with 3 years old and what are the pre-requisites for it.
“You may notice that I always refer to what Lily is learning rather than Owen. He learns everything twice a fast and I don’t have to worry too much about his curriculum because he’s on par or just behind Lily in some many areas, I only need to keep up with her and he just absorbs everything by being around it.”
Tmt, do you think this may have to do with the age when they started EL?? If I remember correctly, you said you didn’t know about EL until Owen was born, or shortly thereafter. Or is it just the way each of them happens to learn. I am wondering because of several other posts about gifted children and early learning. I didn’t start until my DD was 23 months old and I know she is not learning nearly as quickly as some of the kids. I am very pleased with how much she is learning, just curious if she might really be amazing me if she had started sooner.
(btw, I don’t know how to insert a quote the way other people do. So if someone could please enlighten me… )
Arvi,
Draw Write Now is a series of books that “combine beginning drawing instruction with writing exercises. Each drawing lesson includes a colorful picture and step-by-step instructions, while the writing lesson includes four simple handwritten sentences.”
I have been using them as a supplement to our main art program, and we use it once a week or so. Recommended age is 4-5 years and above, but you can probably start as soon as your child is old enough to follow instructions and has good enough pencil control to form lines, curves, and basic shapes. I only use the drawing part of the lesson as we are doing a separate program for handwriting. Also, she likes to tell her own story about her drawing and I would rather encourage her to use her imagination and creativity rather than simply copying out the sentences in the lesson. Typically, she would tell me what she would like to draw, I find the lesson in the book, and leave her to work independently. She follows the instructions in the lesson and draws with a pencil (and she is such a little perfectionist that she can draw and erase and draw and erase several times before she is satisfied with her work). Then, I will help her to trace her drawing with a black marker and she colors it in. I refrain from correcting her work and only help out with tracing with the marker, because the first time she tried to do it, she messed up her drawing and was pretty inconsolable for the whole morning.
Picture 1 is her work from a couple of weeks ago and Picture 2 is a more recent one. She usually does not follow the lesson exactly and incorporates a lot of her own ideas into her drawing. For example, in the second picture, it was just a simple drawing of a swan in the lesson, but since we have been listening to the Swan Lake audiobook and music and watching the ballet on DVD, she wanted to put the swan in a lake with a crown on her head (she told me that it was the Princess Odette) and she insisted on adding a forest background where the prince was hunting. She also titled it “Arrival of the Prince.” :laugh:
Hope this helps!
Oh she is quite the artist too! Lovely! I can see the perfectionist streak too. Oh boy it’s so much fun dealing with the perfectionist child isn’t it :wacko:
I quite like draw write now too. Tiana likes it to learn how to draw new things. It is very step by step but still allows for individual expression. Plus I find that she can transfer the skills to other drawings also. In the past we have tried some other step by step how to draw books but the kids havent been able to transfer the skills to other drawings later. I think it is perhaps because of the extra time spend on the project overall, with tracing and colouring. Actually I might try Jaykob on it this week…not sure why I havent yet, he is more than ready! I would say give it a go from age 3 up. Early 3’s will need parental support but by 4 it would be self study for most kids.
Ohhh, people you are so inspiring!!! Would you stop ? lol lol lol I had no idea there is so many different programs I will want to try.
I like those Draw write now books. Thanks for posting it.
Beautiful drawing Ella! My daughter says " I want that" I better get my pencils out and copy your birds 
TmT is the Showme Soroban more for parents to know how to teach soroban? Or for children to use it?
I started using the first few draw write now lessons with James. He won’t be 3 until December. What I have done for now though is to use them as tracing exercises. I removed the fist few pages and I put them in a sheet protector, then put them in a binder. I actually do this with every work sheet so he can revisit them again and I have them for a second child. James then traces over the lines of the drawings with dry erase crayons and markers. This way makes the works adaptable for the younger child.
Hi everyone!
If you are interested in trying out the Draw Write Now books, I just received an email from a homeschool blog offering free DWN printables and a giveaway for a whole set of books!
aangeles, thank you for sharing the info about DrawWrite now. Ella’s drawing and handwriting is completely amazing for her age.
Agreed! It’s stunning~! Two thumbs waaay up!
We’re moving next July unless we hear otherwise from my hubby’s job. I have no idea what we’re doing in terms of afterschooling, if any. From other parents I know that have childen enrolled in Japanese schools, their children are held to the same standards and same homework as the local children, and it often results in long homework sessions due to the language barrier. That part makes me hesitate a bit, but not enough not to try.
As far as any curriculum goes…I haven’t thought more than 2 feet in front of me and I’ll let you know when I figure it out. LOL lol
There is an option above the message you want to quote on the right handside that says “quote” (at least I think there is anyway!). If not-- http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=367 Hope that helps!
It’s hard to say. I only started a few months earlier with him, it shouldn’t make THAT much of a difference. But age for age, he is more advanced in most “academic” ways, but less in others (like verbal and fine motor/writing in particular) which have more to do with certain muscle control. Part of it may very well just be their personalities. And let me be clear, he doesn’t learn everything twice as fast as her NOW, but twice as fast if I did an age for age comparison.
Plus, he mimics everything which I think has a lot to do with it as well. It just kills him that Lily has this super cool piano book from Yamaha class with cartoon drawings in it and he doesn’t. Tonight, we did a practice recital with the family and lots of stuffed animals so Lily could practice playing a couple songs for an open house coming up. As soon as she finished, Owen jumped up and said “My Turn!” It wasn’t even on my radar that he might want a turn, but he did so of course we gave him one. I asked what song he wanted to play and suggested two he knew, but he wanted to play the same one as Lily, which he had never played before. So I sang it in solfege and he pecked it out with his index finger and then took a bow when it was all over. lol I think he’s done a mini version of Yamaha class at home just by being around it, participating in some of the practice sessions, and longingly adoring the materials!
Thanks!
hi , the Draw Write Now box set ia available on Zulily for 49.99 usd.
Take a look.
http://www.zulily.com/invite/rrisianova852/p/draw-write-now-paperback-box-set-24019-277202.html?tid=referral_email_product
Thanks for sharing about the offer, lelask.