UK/ USA Exchange

Early Learning Early Learning General Discussions
1

Hello-
I am fairly new to BrillKids and it occurred to me that since there are people from around the world, I may be able to find someone willing to do exchanges of materials from the U.S.A. I am specifically looking for someone from the U.K. My husband and daughter are British citizens, but he is currently teaching at a University in Texas. We were in the U.K at Christmas, and I was able to stock up on a small supply of materials, but certainly not enough to last very long, and it takes me hours of online research to discover new materials and books. We will be home schooling/ online schooling our daughter for as long as we are required to stay here, and the ultimate goal is to make sure she will be prepared to make the transition to UK schools… (almost an impossibility if she were to go to public school. No matter how advanced she is…
So my child I just past 2 years old, but a kiddo of the same age is not a requirement… I am just looking for someone that can help advise me via current UK preschools, maybe Jolly Phonics, popular children’s stories (we LOVE Julia Donaldson!), and children’s music with UK accents as she misses Daddy when he is at work and listening to even BBC in ‘his’ accent seems to help with separation!

It also seems to be virtually impossible to order some materials here in the US, and I know that so many things are much cheaper in the US than in the UK! So if you are willing to trade cross-cultural ideas,
Materials, whatever, please PM me! (on a side note, if can teach me to make a proper Vegetarian Yorkshire Pudding, my family will be forever in your debt!)
Happy Learning!

2

Hi I am not in the UK, but if you need anything from Australia I can help out. I am up to speed on Australian schools and preschool corriculums too.

3

Hi there,

I have many materials from the IAHP that I am not using anymore so PM me if you are interested.

Thanks

Gloria

4

The trick to Yorkshire pudding is a very hot oven, hot fat and cold ingredients.

5 tablespoons oil or shortening ( I use olive but it is not traditional and will give a slightly different taste)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. In a 9x13 pan place 3 TBSP oil and put it in the oven. Don’t leave it there more than 6-7 minutes or it will smoke and potentially catch fire. I think 3-4 minutes is enough.

Working quickly in a bowl beat milk, oil, eggs and salt. Add flour and beat until smooth this will take about 2 minutes with a hand mixer or 3-4 with a whisk if you are a good whisker.

Remove the pan from the oven and carefully pour in the batter and pop it back into the oven. Timing here is important. You want the fat hot so it can’t sit on the counter while you finish mixing ingredients.

Turn oven down to 425 degrees and bake about 20 minutes until brown. Serve immediately.

I prefer mine with beef drippings but this is nearly as good and better if you don’t eat meat.

5

Dear Sonya_post
I seriously can’t thank you enough! I am going to try them tomorrow! Vegetarianism is still looked at as child abuse were we live now, and labels are outrageous! I actually brought back TEN containers of Bisto on the airplane! Talk about a massive Ziploc full of powdered granules! We drive over two hours, one way, just to stock up on Quorn products!
Our only saving grace is that we love Indian food…not that there is a single Indian restaurant within 120 miles of us! We hosted an Indian Grad student and his wife for a year and she crammed as many cooking lessons into that time as possible
I will let you know how they turn out! If I want to expose my child to the food of different cultures whilst here, I have a feeling I will be required to expand my cooking horizons tremendously!
Right now entire family eats vegetarian, although we constantly remind ourselves that our daughter is NOT a vegetarian, but the child of vegetarians! Minute distinction right now, as she is completely dependent upon us for meals :yes:
Thanks again,
Kerileanne99

6

Mandabplus3-
Sounds fantastic…I will have to do a bit more research on the subject, but I really like the idea of introducing her to a wide variety of materials…

7

Hey Kerileanne99,
I though it would make sense to reply to you on here rather than on the planets thread. The planets POI looks great. My printer is out of ink so I’ll have to wait a few days to print them off. Think I’ll have to invest in a laminator so they will last. Are you doing EK with your son?

How long have you been doing YBCR? I’m just starting out with it and my DD does not seem to be that into it. That may be because she is feeling sick though and all she wants is Baby Signing Time repeated over and over!

We LOVE all the Julia Donaldson books too. Have you seen the animated versions of The Gruffalo & The Gruffalo’s Child? They were shown on TV here at Christmas and they’re amazing! We’ve been watching them online since.

Have you tried www.thebookdepository.co.uk? Free delivery all over the world so it might be useful for ordering books.

8

Seastar-
Thanks for the link to the Book Depository! We are constantly looking for ways to get books from th UK over here that are not modified for the US…with a few notable exceptions, the level of writing, for the same age group, is surprisingly more advanced outside of the US. Plus, she seems to be developing her father’s sense of humor, so UK books seem to tickle her a bit more!

So, keep in mind this is just personal experience: we Loved YBCR, but I did it with my daughter starting at 2 months…she finished it at about 1year, and doesn’t really want to watch it at She still likes the next level, YOurChildCanRead, which is much more fast-paced…in fact, she has worn out one of the DVDs. Yesterday I tried to replace it, and was forced the buy all of them in set again. If you are interested in seeing if she likes them better, I would be happy to put the old set in the post to you (free!). The worn out one still plays, just tends to freeze a bit–although it plays fine on the computer, which is how you would have to use them over there anyway due to the different system!

Back to the original point. So I have actually seen several families attempt to use YBCR with slightly older children, and the kids just are not interested…I think if they have watched anything more exciting, like Baby Signing Time, it is just too slow-paced. At that point, they have had much more success with MonkeeSee…
You might play a YouTube clip for her and see how she reacts.

I only just purchased LR and LM and already FASCINATED with all the possibilities…the LR trial was not even close to indicative of all the possibilities!

We bought many Bits from GenteRevolution, but Ihave to modify things to book form…more later, were Potty Training!

9

I used to live in Europe (Greece, Germany and Turkey) and we used the US postal system because we were military. I was wondering if you knew anyone who is military in the UK or who knows and anyone on this site who could help you out with the mail. Just a thought, good luck!

Tracy

10

wow Kerileanne99, that would be amazing! I will pm you my postal address.

I had a bit more luck this afternoon with YBCR as I practically jumped up and down with excitement at every word and she was definitely more into it. I will also check out MonkeeSee.

Do you think the Bits from GR are worth it? They seem pretty expensive

11

Okay, so complete honesty…after purchasing math and knowledge programs from Gentle Revolution, and now LM and LR, my daughter and I both strongly prefer LM/LR. I have only recently been working on both, so maybe my opinion will change , but I doubt it…I think I will primarily use the computer programs and supplement with Doman products when time allows. Here are some of my reasons:

I think that if I had started flashing to her when she was tiny, maybe she would be used to it and like it better…but at 25 months, she is all over the place, wants to ‘see’ them, look at them at her leisure, just about ANYTHING non-conducive to me manipulating a bulky stack of cards, while trying to keep her interested in dots. As for the bits, the pictures are beautiful, and all the work is done…but the POI on the back are supposed to be interesting to the kiddos…so some of it is straightforward information that can and should be presented, but I feel like I am still going to have to spend a fair amount of time modifying them for her…and here, ever more so than with the dots, the bits are gorgeous and intricate…she started screaming when I tried to put them away because she wants to spread them out and ‘read them’.
So the whole point of spending a fair amount of money on bits that were professional and complete went out the window immediately. My solution has been to make them into books of a type, which she loves, but even laminated, these are going to be abused!
Like I said, if she were very little, or even older where she could be managed a bit better with these, I might have found it more helpful…
Two other concerns…as far as I can tell, Gentle Revolution doesn’t even sell all the bits that I would want in a set or collection, even within an individual POI…so you are going to have to end up making your own anyway. Okay, so I am a bit anal-retentive, but I would want to have all cards in a set of bits the same lol
The other thing that might be of consideration to you. If you have to have yours shipped to you from the US, the box was extremely heavy! I was absolutely shocked when it arrived.
I have also been told (thanks everyone!) that you can use LR for your EK programs, and indeed, there are all kinds of folders already made and uploaded by kind and generous fellow EL parents. I am going to do this for many bits, then keep making her little simple books to cart around, for the car, that sort of thing…
Last night I used Splashtop App so that I can access LR and LM from my IPad! We are potty training, and I discovered that I can keep her sitting still on the toilet, (and sneak in a lesson to an entirely captive audience! lol
Also, which Baby Signing Times did you purchase? Someone gave me another copy of Here I Go…
And I don’t know if you have seen it, but Signing Time has a new video out called ‘Potty Time’, that the kiddo loves (insert mental image of bare chubby baby bottom wiggling furiously to …“Listen to your body when it’s Time to go potty! It’s Potty Time!”) Just be prepared that the songs insidiously and irrevocably worm their way into your brain through your ears!

12

Your feedback on the GR POI’s is interesting - you would think that you would be able to get a complete set POI’s with very interesting facts on them. Maybe I will stick to LR and what other parents have generously uploaded for the time being.

I had never heard of the Splashtop app. I have been deliberating between getting a new laptop or an ipad so maybe I should go for the ipad if I can use LR & LM on it - thanks for the tip!

I got the 4 Baby Signing Time and series 1 volume 1-13 of Signing Time. I have only looked at the first BST DVD but it is a HUGE hit! I think Here I Go is the second one so we’ll probably look at that in a few days. How long would you show 1 DVD for, or do you just show different ones each time?
I’ll definitely have to check out the Potty Time one - your description sounds so cute! I know what you mean about the songs - after only two days I can’t get the BST theme tune out of my head!

13

iPad, iPad, iPad!,
I cannot say enough good things about it…I have spent a fortune on learning toys and things for my daughter, and wouldn’t have bought half of them if I had gotten an IPad first. There is an app for Everything! And most of the EL programs have apps to accompany them…Including Signing Time…there is also a separate Potty Time app with all the songs and videos…we also have a video ASL dictionary…one thing I am sure you have seen, is that BSL is quite different from ASL, so whenever possible, I try to teach both…although I waited until she had been doing ASL for a year.

I think the IPad is going to revolutionize EL and make people understand…So many of the current teaching materials (mainstream) are workbooks and such that require writing skills…in fact, most teach identification of letters and their sounds, then WRITING, then learning to read by writing and spelling…plus, if kids don’t read or write, how can they learn or even demonstrate what they do know?

The IPad is changing all of that…tiny toddlers an use the touchscreen technology to move letter tiles for spelling, tap the answers, even type out words. A can even sign and type Out her name. And you would think that you would have to show them how to navigate, but they go from one app to another, using the Home buttons, even some basic settings. Worst case, if A gets into a place she doesn’t recognize, she just pushes the button to take her back to the home screen! They are little walking miracles. I think it is more intuitive for them, because unlike adults, they haven’t been corrupted by other technology!

One funny thing she picked up from her IPad use: she learned the word volume, knows that pushing the button can either make her app sound louder or get quiet…we even taught her Mute, because she got upset when she couldn’t get the sound to come on…
So one day, out of desperation at the library, I told her we were going to pretend her bellybutton was the volume control! She thought this was the most hilarious thing ever, especially when mommy demonstrated the different volumes! Her favorite is when I ‘Mute’ her. The idea is that she continues to move her lips like she is talking, but with no sound! This is Mommy’s favorite game in public, for some reason!

A almost alwYs chooses which Signing Time she wants, although I do rotate her choices…I have also noticed that if they are on in the background when she is just playing,she is picking them up…I will swear that she hasn’t glanced at it a single time,yet a few days later she will pop out with a new sign, usually along with the word now for extra clarification…Like hey, mom, just in case you didn’t hear me shouting my request for more milk, I will sign it furiously too just to make sure you understand!

14

OK, you’ve convinced me! I just told my husband that I’m getting an ipad! I’ve been thinking of getting one for ages so now I have an excuse. She loves my husbands iphone and she can quite easily locate her favourite app (a Spanish flashcard one). I know what you mean about the way they take to technology - within a few days she had figured out how to return to the home screen if she made a mistake, it’s incredible. Please let me know of any apps you have found particularly useful as I am new to the app world. Come to think of it, please let me know of any resources you have found useful as I want to go with people’s recommendations rather than trial and error.

Your story about the belly button is so cute - I may just have to steal that trick someday.

We actually use Irish Sign Language here which I’ve been told is more like ASL than BSL for some bizarre reason. I spent the best part of 18 months trying to find ISL resources and making my own, but now I’ve given up and I’m going to use ASL. We had dropped signs as her speech improved but I’ve decided to work on it again as it should be useful for teaching other languages, rather than translating into English.

15

Seastar I just want to make sure you realize that to use LR on the iPad you still need a computer running LR and turned on with in your wireless zone. Splash top only takes control of the computer it doesnt replace it. I have yet to successfully connect mine… Anyway I have an iPad and I love love love it! You will not be disappointed! The LR app on the iPad is great, (it has added new content so make sure you all have updated it in iTunes hint hint!) but it isn’t a complete program yet!

16

Absolutely! Thanks Mandabplus3 for pointing that out! I just assumed when you said you had done the trial that you had access to a desktop computer already…Slashtop works great for us because we have already have a desktop with LR and LM uploaded onto it. You also must have a wireless router…
Also, just a note of caution if you haven’t read my recent pots! I am JUST getting started with BrillKids, LR and LM! Other than being able to share my experiences here as a fellow newbie, the others here are a veritable fount of wisdom!
That being said, I have had over two years with YBCR, YCCR, Baby Signing Time, and Signing Time. We also use the IPad a lot. A has nearly ten pages of baby/toddler/child apps, both free and paid, with many more that we hated or outgrew, so I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what to avoid, at the very least :laugh:
We have also tried a handful of products, like the synthetic phonics program so popular in the UK, Jolly Phonics, and have gone through a ton of Montessori products.
We have the Righstart mathematics program, have just ordered JonesGenius, as well as the Singapore Math and Science books and we LOVE the MathStart books because anything we can learn while reading is a a bonus in our house! Science seems to be the big theme in our house at the moment. I got A a set of wooden periodic table building blocks for Xmas and we are using an app to explain them to her and have ‘element’ searches around the house…and Daddies ‘lab’! Actually the office next to the lab with a large glass window! Daddy smashed various objects after dipping them in liquid Nitrogen last weekend, and she is hooked!

Anyway, hopefully this gives you an understanding of what we are doing right now…
What does everyone think of a separate App thread? I have no clue what exists for Android, but if It exists for the IPad, I have probably looked at it or tried it…as I am in a wheelchair and seem to have quite a few bad days, we save IPad time and new books for ‘cuddle time’ in mommies bed…I don’t want to say, oh, Mommy isn’t well and has to stay in bed, so right now we pass it off as a special treat…dreading the day that doesn’t work anymore! :wub:

Tlyoung- Thanks for the reminder about military post! I am actually medically retired from the Army, so have kept my ID card…I have friends stationed around the world so this is an excellent money-saving idea!

17

Hi Mandabplus3 - thanks for the info. I did know that about needing a separate laptop but I had been considering buying one specifically for EL instead of using my one that I also need for work.

As a matter of interest, would you guys recommend getting the highest memory on the ipad - I’m researching the options here and I’m not sure what one I should go for.

PS Have you seen the Usborne Beginner Books Series. They are excellent for EK - great info & illustrations. I received ‘Sun, Moon & Stars’ in the post this morning and I am thrilled with it. I am just about to order the ‘Solar System’ one. I also just figured out that when ordering on www.bookdepository.co.uk, you can click ‘biographic data’ to see whether it is the US or UK version.

18

Hello from the UK :smiley:

My son is also 2, so I’ll have some thoughts about things to do and resouces online. Check out the website toucanlearn.com, which is linked to the Uk Early Years guidelines. It is very activity-based, so I’m not sure if its what you’re after.

For books, I would recommend thebookpeople.co.uk (great for really cheap books) but I don’t think they ship abroad. It might be worth looking for next time you’re in the UK, though.

We love the Usborne Phonics Readers (set of 12) and Farmyard Tales (set of 20, I think) - both sets just grab my son’s attention. We also have a set of animal books by Oxford called Wild Reads which are great for EK.

A gorgeous book set teaching basic physics principles (light, sound, motion) is by Geoff Waring and published by Walker books. They are about a curious kitten called Oscar, and are titled Oscar and the… Cricket/Bat/Moth/Frog.

Of course, the classics like Winnie the Pooh and Beatrix Potter should never be overlooked!

If there is anything specific that you’re looking for, let me know!

19

My iPad is the second level of memory the one in the middle. It is only just now telling me memory is getting low and I have pages and pages and pages of apps, literally hundreds! I am a bit of an app junky :slight_smile: i should delete some :slight_smile: my friends all come to me to play on my iPad to find the best educational (free) apps for their kids. So truth out now I think if your computer is half decent you really only need the cheapest iPad and I would buy two cheap ones over one expensive one any day! Buy a bigger memory if you intend to load your videos or DVDs onto it. In theory YBCR and monkey see could be played on iPad… :yes: also I think the 3G option is a total waste of money ( this comment could be relevant to Australia only?) if you get a wireless router or if you have wifi Internet at home you will almost never use the mobile Internet 3g option and if you need it, most places you go have free wifi access. Mc donalds, indoor play centers, shopping centers, basically every where except public transport. I have yet to find an early education app that needs Internet to work ( oh maybe starfall? Not sure). Also I would consider essential a screen protector sticker, and a cover that protects the screen when not in use. Never leave the iPad on the floor!!! Rule number one in our house! O on the floor of the car. Every one I know who has had to buy a new screen had had it trodden on. The covers are much cheaper on eBay and the one that automatically turns off the iPad when the lid closes is awesome :slight_smile:

20

Leapfrog use a lovely english accent with their toys (well that’s how they come in Australia)

Book depository ships world wide for free and you can by a lot of the usbourne books from them.

You can’t over look Enid Blyton not an English childhood with out her in it.

Does the BBC sell any of there children’s programmes and ship to you?