My oldest child is pretty darned good at a lot of stuff, if I may say so myself.  She’s a top reader, she swims like a fish, and I’m always amazed by what a good big sister she is.

She does struggle with a few things though, like putting her dirty clothes in the hamper and eating the same dinner as the rest of the family.  Oh, and math.  Math is a bit of a challenge for her too.

Kyle is the son of a math teacher, and I’m the daughter of an engineer.  While that might make it sound like math should come naturally to her, it actually means that both of us know what it feels like to have a parent throw up his hands in frustration and say, “What do you MEAN you don’t understand?”  So we really try hard not to do that.

Thing is, sometimes a parent isn’t the best person to help a child grasp mathematical concepts.  DreamBox to the rescue!

DreamBox is a cool new online math learning tool for kids in grades K-2.  It includes more than 350 lessons in the form of adventures that respond dynamically to the child as they “play”.  The lessons conform to the math curriculum standards set by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and they’re intended to develop “conceptual understanding, computational fluency, and problem-solving ability.”

I checked out the DreamBox curriculum page and was gratified to see that in fact the focal points for the first grade curriculum listed there do mirror what I’ve been seeing on Tacy’s math worksheets.  I’m not a teacher myself, obviously (god bless teachers for the job they do - I could never be one), so I don’t have a strong opinion on what sort of techniques are most effective where it comes to introducing math concepts.

However, I do think it’s important that whatever techniques are used, kids need to develop a positive association with math early on.  Math concepts build on each other, and they simply don’t stop.  The difficulties I had in Algebra I, way back in eighth grade, kept compounding all the way through high school and college.  I never did catch up.

Worse, math starts to play a crucial role in other subjects - like chemistry and physics - even as early as high school.  A freshman engineering student like me who never mastered Algebra I is going to be [expletive] when she encounters Fluid Dynamics or Linear Circuits.

But back to first grade, where all this learning begins, and to DreamBox, which helps kids internalize the logic of mathematical concepts.  In some ways, early math seems like a bunch of memorization - 1+1=2 because it just DOES.  Sure, you can count on your fingers, but eventually you’re going to run out of fingers, and besides, it’s just easier to memorize what those answers are.

What DreamBox reinforces, through games that illustrate these concepts, is a means of logically thinking  through the problem to get to the answer.  Think about it: How often in life are we presented with a problem in the form of x+y=z?  Most of the time, we’re figuring out word problems - the exact sort of problems many of us hated because we couldn’t just scribble down our memorized answers.  We actually had to think through those problems, and we hadn’t learned to do that right from the beginning, the way our kids are now.

Furthermore, when I wrote that DreamBox responds dynamically to the child, I didn’t just mean that the program gives her an “Attagirl!” when she answers correctly or a “Try again!” when she makes a mistake.  DreamBox actually adjusts the lesson - the difficulty, the pacing, the information provided to Tacy as she plays - based on her answers and how long she takes to arrive at them, WHILE she is playing.  More personalized even than a personal tutor!

Who knows what Tacy will want to study when she gets to college, or if she’ll even go to college.  Maybe she’ll become a child star and start paying the mortgage. (I can dream, right?) But the important point is that a lack of understanding of math fundamentals won’t keep her from what she wants to pursue.

To learn more about the DreamBox online math learning tool, check out their website and the other Parent Bloggers Network reviews!

It’s a rare DVD that engages (and is appropriate for) all three of my children at once. My Baby A to Z - Come Explore Shapes with Me - is that rare DVD.

CJ was my intended target audience for this DVD; it’s perfect for her. She knows her shapes, can draw them shakily, and can identify them in objects around her. She talks back to programs that ask her questions. And one of the little girls on this DVD is named Catherine. Score!

I figure Oliver would be mildly entertained. Obviously he’s nowhere near grasping the concept of shapes, but he’s a baby and babies dig puppets. Clowns, not so much - but puppets? Oh yeah.

So it was Tacy who was the big surprise. I never expected her to sit down and happily watch, and I really never expected her to get up off the sofa and make round shapes and angular shapes with her body. I didn’t expect CJ to do that either - she never obliges when Dora exhorts her to “Stand up, please!” - but she did.

Speaking of angular - and no, I’m not going to make a Sprockets joke - I love that they introduced that concept in this DVD. Angles aren’t a difficult concept in and of themselves, but kids usually learn about angles along with a whole host of other concepts and terminology - right angles, acute angles, obtuse angles - and how they relate to geometry. It’s a lot to take in at once. At least now the concept of angles will be familiar to my kids, thanks to this DVD.

The music is appealing to children, yet not at all childish, and although the visuals are a bit much for a mom who prefers to look at the inside of her eyelids while relaxing, they aren’t over the top. And again, those puppets are darned cute.

Check out the series of PBN reviews of My Baby A to Z - Come Explore Shapes with Me - and use my extra-special coupon code (SWNXHTUR) to get 20% off for yourself when you purchase through the My Baby A to Z site. Whoo!

As far as I’m concerned, one of the coolest kids toys you can possibly have is a good old fashioned dollhouse. I wasn’t yet five when my mother and my grandfather built one for me in the workshop in my grandparents’ basement. My love for balconies - which endures even now - was sparked by that beautiful dollhouse, which had a balcony off the master bedroom. The interior was decorated with wallpaper and carpet remnants, and we regularly added new furniture and accessories, complete with the tiniest of details.

Given my fond memories of my own dollhouse, naturally I was thrilled to get one for my girls. When the Caring Corners Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse arrived, I knew that even if Tacy and CJ didn’t play with it, I certainly would.

I needn’t have worried; both girls fell all over themselves with excitement. CJ and I put it together while Tacy was out, which was a great way for her to get first crack at playing with it without arguments immediately ensuing. By the time Tacy got home, CJ was ready to show her the dollhouse and explain all the details of how it worked.

Look at the proud homeowner!

Yes, it’s a dollhouse, but it’s so much more than that. Mrs. Goodbee is your hostess - a cheerful British lady who’s not quite as spit-spot as Mary Poppins and not quite as granny-ish as Mrs. Doubtfire - and she talks and sings each time you push a button. Ring the doorbell, and she greets you. Rock the baby’s cradle, and she instructs you to get milk from the fridge (and then congratulates you when you open the fridge door). Tap the boom box on the rooftop patio, and she sings about cleaning up - and not in an annoying way reminiscent of that purple dino we all know. We’ve got a lot of talking and singing toys around here, and Mrs. Goodbee is by far the most pleasant of the bunch. I honestly like listening to the girls play with the dollhouse, and not just because it’s nice to hear two sisters enjoying each other’s company.

The dollhouse itself is full of neat details that impressed all of us. CJ was enamored by the sound of the flushing toilet and water running in the sink, as well as the hooting owls and chirping crickets that sounded off when she flipped the window panes to reveal the nighttime scene. Tacy immediately created a plot and dialogue for the dolls, which was augmented well by the input from Mrs. Goodbee as doors were opened and buttons were pushed. We’re still discovering all the ins and outs. Even Oliver was curious enough to take a peek - and then he promptly fell over and bonked his head on the rounded corner of the dollhouse. Caring Corners indeed - thanks for rounding them off and saving me a trip to the ER!

But the really neat part about the dollhouse is how it advocates thoughtfulness and good behavior. Not only do we hear from Mrs. Goodbee herself, but Caring Corners is partnered with Goodwill. A pamphlet that comes inside the dollhouse box suggests asking your child to fill the empty dollhouse box with items for donation - things of hers that she doesn’t use anymore, but that another child might like to have. Then take the box to Goodwill to receive a Certificate of Appreciation. Use the code on the certificate to access more activities at CaringCorners.com.

We’re all having a great time playing with Mrs. Goodbee and her dollhouse. Next month, I’ll be back to post about how we helped another little girl get a chance to become a homeowner too.

Much to my chagrin, Tacy has not inherited my compulsion to always read the directions. Instead, she has taken after her father and his “jump right in and figure it out as I go” approach to just about everything in life.

Granted, reading the directions doesn’t always mean that I do everything right on the first try - because, yes, that is my primary motivation for reading them - but at least it gives me a better shot at it. Fumbling around blindly takes all the fun out of it for me.

So when the V.Smile Cyber Pocket game arrived in the mail, I made both girls wait until I’d finished cleaning up the kitchen before opening it, because - of course - I wanted to read the directions.

I only made it to the part where I popped the Smartridge into its slot before Tacy said, “Okay, I know what to do,” and I gave up and handed it to her. My compulsions can only handle so much anxious, high-pitched whining.

Fortunately, the whining ceased as soon as I handed the Cyber Pocket over to her. In fact, all three kids were silently absorbed in the wonders of technology. It was a moment I’ll never forget:

In all seriousness, the Cyber Pocket is a fantastic little gadget. It can go along just about anywhere - trains, planes, and automobiles - and it’s compatible with all the VTech Smartridges. Cross-compatibility is a huge plus for me, even though we actually don’t own any other VTech offerings yet. Knowing that I can use the same Smartridges in different systems is a major incentive for me to buy more of them, so VTech gets two thumbs up from me on that point.

I also like the fact that it uses AA batteries. Yes, it’s a pain to change them and they’re wasteful, but they provide instant gratification. Plus, if you go on a vacation and forget to bring your Nintendo DS charger, then you have to listen to incessant whining from the third row for umpteen thousand miles.

One more point of convenience - the stylus is attached with a string. The DS stylus fits nicely in a little slot, but if a little sister jostles her big sister, and the big sister lets go of the stylus and it falls onto the airplane floor, then everyone has to unfasten their seatbelts to look for it. Which is especially problematic when the plane is on final approach and the FASTEN SEATBELT sign is illuminated.

Tacy did get frustrated a few times with the game (the Cyber Pocket comes with Zayzoo: An Earth Adventure, which I thought was pretty cool). I handed her the booklet of directions, which she flipped open and tossed aside: “Mom, I looked at the PICTURES!” But she got the hang of it. More power to her, I suppose.

I’m not a fan of the licensed characters; they’re just not my bag. So I wish that more of the Smartridges weren’t so character-focused. For Tacy’s part, she doesn’t need to identify with a character in order to be interested in a game either.

But I love how the VLink connects the Cyber Pocket to the computer to let her track her progress. She’s already quite motivated by games that have a serial aspect to them, where successes and earnings accumulate. That’s another big plus for the Cyber Pocket.

And as long as VTech keeps making Smartridges that are cross-compatible, I expect that I’ll buy at least one of their systems for Oliver, and then Tacy can hand the Cyber Pocket down to CJ. Again, it’s a great motivator to me for investing in the systems when I know that all of my kiddos can use them eventually. Good on you, VTech!

Go here to buy your own Cyber Pocket, and for more VTech system reviews, check out PBN!

Two things about kids: 1) They love animals; and 2) They love anything with their name on it.

CJ will point out C’s and J’s anywhere she sees them.  When she sees me at the computer, she hops onto my lap and starts pestering me to type her name.  Never mind that she thinks C-J spells “Mousie”; she’s a big fan of her name in any incarnation.

Likewise, she loves animals.  She’s more fascinated by them than Tacy was at this age.  On one of our trips to the zoo, she and a baby baboon stared at each other through the glass - until the baboon’s mother leaped at CJ, screeching in alarm.  Startled me more than it did her.

So even though I was a little dubious about this blue-haired main character named Billy, I figured a DVD filled with animal facts and several mentions of her name would be right up CJ’s alley.

Billy Blue Hair: Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks? is an award-winning DVD (2006 iParenting Media Award, for one) hosted by Billy Blue Hair himself - an animated character whose blue hair and casual style is intended to appeal to kids.

CJ definitely enjoyed the DVD, but I’m not sure Billy deserves the credit.  I think she really dug all of the animal footage.  Oh, and hearing her name.  Not even Blue’s Clues or Dora address her by name.

For my part, I liked all the animal footage too, as well as the facts and figures.  The style of the script was a bit inconsistent though.  Billy’d be going along just fine, speaking at a kid’s level, and then all of a sudden he’d launch into a description that sounded like it was straight out of Encyclopedia Britannica.  I got the gist of it, but I’m pretty sure it would go right over most kids’ heads.

Even so, I’d rather have her watch something that she might not fully comprehend yet than something that’s completely dumbed down.  With Billy Blue Hair, Tacy can watch and not be bored out of her gourd.  Plus, it’s one of the few items that I can hand down from CJ to Oliver - as long as he doesn’t start thinking that his name is CJ, or that C-J spells “Olliepop”.

Getting ready to do anything around here is difficult. It’s like that KPMG commercial where the ranchers are herding cats, except I have less than a quarter-acre and three cats - only two of whom are mobile.

Bedtime isn’t bad - no whining or crying - but it does tend to drag out.

Mornings are really rough though. Yesterday morning, for example, we all woke up about 20 minutes before Tacy had to leave for school. But even when we wake up with plenty of time to spare, all the cats children like to lounge around in their jammies, hoping for waffles.

Naturally, the new books from the ParentSmart/KidHappy series - Ready for Bed and Ready for the Day - are a great fit for us. Not only do they discuss topics that we need to work on, they do it in a way that helps kids understand what needs to be done and why. Parents aren’t trying to squash the fun; there’s just a time and place for it: after you’ve changed your underwear. Heh.

Both of my mobile cats children love these two books. CJ has recently re-acquired a love of being read to, and these books lend themselves well to animated reading (different voices, lots of expression) and to asking her questions about the story and relating it back to our own morning and bedtime routines.

Tacy is expected to read to us each night, and these books are a great fit for her reading level. In fact, she read Ready for the Day out loud to Kyle last night and noted it on her school reading log.

As for me, I’m really picky about children’s books. I cling to my old favorites - Frances and Harry and Corduroy, among many others - and it’s tough for newcomers to win me over. But I really liked these books. First, I love the illustrations. In children’s books, illustrations are key - they tell more of the story than the words do. They’re clear and realistic without being photographic or posed.

The dialogue is better than most children’s books. I’m always critical of dialogue - does that really sound like an actual conversation? - and it’s rare to find realistic dialogue in children’s books. While some of it seemed forced, the large majority of it seemed quite natural.

The sequence of events was important to me. That’s something I try to emphasize to my own cats children - we have to do A before we can do B, so that then we can do C - and it’s helpful to have books that demonstrate that concept so well. I especially liked how, in Ready for the Day, the father told the daughter that because they’d taken care of everything they needed to do, they had ten extra minutes to play before they had to leave. Delayed gratification - it’s a great motivator!

Of course, I loved that one book featured a mother and son and the other book featured a father and daughter, and that families of color were included in both. No need to point out the diversity to my cats children - the idea is that for them, diversity will be integral to their lives and not something to marvel about.

Finally, I love that the books are hardcover. Soft cover books don’t fare well around here, thanks to all of the use they get. Not that I’m complaining that my cats children like to read.

For more blogger reviews of Ready for Bed and Ready for the Day, check out PBN!

While CJ is still in speech therapy, we’ve seen her progress by leaps and bounds this summer.  Not only is she speaking in complete sentences, she’s acquired a newfound love of reading.  Well, she loves it when we read to her, that is.

But she’s also starting to consistently recognize and identify letters, and while she can’t yet put any of those letters together - except for C and J, which she insists spells “Mousie” - she’s on her way.  So it’s really important for me to encourage her, even when it means dropping everything to respond and reinforce.

Not surprisingly, I was really hoping there’d be a spot left for me in the latest PBN DVD campaign, featuring “Meet the Sight Words”.  I’m not usually a fan of kids’ DVDs - give me a Pixar movie instead, please - so that’s a testimonial to the appeal of “Meet the Sight Words” right there.

I actually haven’t watched the DVD with her, but Kyle has.  The two of them sat down to watch together while I kept tapping away at my laptop and listened in.

Not only did both of them sit still through the entire thing, repeating back the words to the screen, but CJ sat through a repeat screening immediately.  She’s asked to see the DVD again since then, and she’s also started talking specifically about “words”.

Kyle said that he really liked the animation, which is no faint compliment.  I cracked up to myself listening to the two of them repeat the words over and over with different inflections.  We’ve all been going around the house doing the same thing ever since.

Which may not be the objective of the DVD, but it’s definitely made an impression on all of us.  And if it’s helping to encourage CJ’s interest in letters and words, then it’s worth popping “Meet the Sight Words” into the player.

If you haven’t already figured this out from reading my personal blog, I’m a fairly laid-back parent where it comes to my children’s development.  Even when it became obvious that CJ would need a little extra help in the language department, I figured it would just take time for her to catch up.

Likewise, my approach to choosing a day-care-slash-preschool for my kids was also pretty basic.  My top priorities were their safety and comfort.  Academics were secondary.

But I’ve always loved reading, and I couldn’t help twitching a bit every time the girls would put down a book and stare raptly up at the TV.  I wanted them to love reading, but I didn’t want to push them into a love for reading.

The LeapFrog Tag Reader has been a great resource in helping them enjoy reading, especially CJ.  Tacy can already read on her own, but CJ is still learning her letters.  She’s not yet sight-reading any words (except her own name), but with this magic pen - the Tag Reader - she’s well on her way.

She runs the electronic pen over the pages of the LeapFrog Tag books (including Olivia, one of her very favorites), and the stories are read TO her - word by word.  She can go back and explore the words on the page at her leisure, which is especially cool and prolongs the reading experience.  It won’t be long before she’s starting to sight-read on her own.

LeapFrog is the first sponsor of the Savvy Source sidebar widget, which links to a quiz on the Savvy Source site that assesses the developmental stages of your child, based on your answers to a series of questions in a dozen different skill categories.

If you haven’t already heard of Savvy Source, you must not read blogs - or you’ve been hiding under a rock.  Several prominent parent bloggers (including a few PBN bloggers) post regularly for Savvy Source about family activities in their respective cities - their Being Savvy initiative.  Beyond that, Savvy Source is a fantastic reference for preschool research, particularly in big cities where preschool selection is an Event with a capital E.

The Savvy Quiz generates personalized recommendations for your child - toys and games and activities - based on their developmental stage.  Any parent of more than one child knows how vastly different they can be in terms of their personal skills, even when they’re the same age.  For example, Tacy was always highly verbal, whereas CJ is extremely physical and artistically inclined.  The same toys, games, and activities that interested Tacy when she was three aren’t necessarily what CJ enjoys now that she’s three.  The Savvy Quiz provides guidance for choosing what’s appropriate for a child’s developmental stage, not just their age.

Finally, the sidebar widget (over there, look to the left), is a revenue generator (whoo!) that bloggers can install on their blogs (main sites and review blogs) to guide their readers over to the Savvy Quiz while earning a few extra bucks.  Right now the widget is invitation-only, but all the PBN bloggers who are participating in this campaign have invitations to dole out - so start sucking up!

Long before we had children, Kyle and I knew that we wanted to give them every opportunity to succeed in whatever areas they chose. We weren’t set on particular schools or activities or athletics; instead, our goal was simply to support them in whatever manner best suited each child. But we didn’t consider how we would accomplish that goal, other than by observing and listening to our children, and then offering them opportunities in accordance with their interests and talents.

Turns out, it’s a little more involved than that. The exhaustion of everyday life gets in the way of those observations, and it becomes difficult to sort out the salient points from all the endless chatter. While we’re doing our best to be mindful of our kids’ feedback, we could use a little help making sense of it.

Jenifer Fox’s book “Your Child’s Strengths” is going to provide that help - now and for years to come. Fox helps parents (and teachers too) identify children’s strengths by observing their actions and behaviors, and then use those strengths (and help children learn to use them too) to improve their learning and their relationships.

I have to admit that I flipped directly to the final section of the book - the strengths workbook. Even though my children are still quite young, I’m ready to start educating myself. I want to know how I can turn my everyday observations into opportunities to help my children (and in turn, help myself). Fortunately, although the workbook is geared toward somewhat older children, Fox has included boxes titled “For Young Children” that give suggestions as to how to modify the exercises accordingly.

The workbook starts with Activity Strengths. An activity strength is “something that makes a person feel good while he or she is doing it.” My kids are big bundles of activity, and they often play together despite their age difference, but I do notice which activities they prefer. Tacy loves to create and experiment, putting together old things in new ways. Disorder doesn’t bother her in the least. Meanwhile, CJ prefers routine and order, being able to predict what will happen. Although Tacy is more likely to agree to clean up, CJ actually seems to enjoy doing it - on her terms.

One exercise in the Activity Strengths section that I will try with the girls involves giving them a choice of three chores to complete, then noting which one is chosen and how easily it’s accomplished. I’m already a fan of choices - although lately I’ve been too exhausted to offer choices and have been giving orders instead - and I expect this exercise to be both interesting and telling. I also hope it will help me assign chores that will be done more cheerfully and with less nagging, which I know the whole family will appreciate.

The next section (to be completed AFTER the Activity Strengths section) is Relationship Strengths - “innate strengths to contribute to our relationships to make them more effective and rewarding.” This area is of great interest to me, as I know from experience that a large part of a child’s enjoyment of school is the social aspect of it. That is, even if they excel at schoolwork, recess can be hell. This section looks like it will be helpful in identifying why we pursue relationships, why we keep some and relinquish others, and what characteristics attract us to other people (and vice versa).The exercise in the Relationship Strengths section that caught my eye was one in which the child chooses a famous person - real or fictional - and brainstorms reasons why she “likes” that person. I think that’s a fantastic way for a child to begin understanding what characteristics attract them to a potential friend, as well as for them to consider which characteristics they’d like to emulate themselves.

The final section (to be completed after the first two - sequence is essential) is Learning Strengths, which are “the ways in which we prefer to learn and the mode in which we learn best.” This section was actually the easiest for me in which to see my kids. I immediately focused on the three modes of learning - kinesthetic, visual, and auditory. Kinesthetic learners learn best through movement and manipulation, visual learners learn by watching, and auditory learners learn by listening.

Tacy is definitely a visual learner, but she has kinesthetic leanings. That is, she is extremely observant regarding the world around her and remembers details of what she sees (such as what I was wearing on a particular day when we were engaged in a particular activity). But she’s also extremely interested in how things work - she’s not content to merely observe.

Conversely, CJ is definitely a kinesthetic learner, but I believe she has auditory leanings. She is very active - loves building and doing puzzles and touching absolutely everything. While I have to tell her “no touch!” more often than I’d like, I realize that’s how she prefers to explore. But I’ve been surprised by how closely she pays attention to what we say, given her speech delays. She understands quite well, and she’s beginning to verbalize the connections that she’s made.

Considering how different my girls are (and how different I’m sure their younger brother will be too), I’m especially glad to have “Your Child’s Strengths” as a resource to help me identify and address their individual strengths. Even though they’re still young, I’m excited to begin exploring the exercises in the workbook.

I would recommend this book to any parent of a child still living at home. It’s never too early to begin doing your homework, and it’s never too late to begin helping your child learn how to help himself by using his own unique strengths.

To get your own copy of “Your Child’s Strengths”, click here. To learn more about Jenifer Fox, check out her website.

Some of you may be familiar with my friend Jenn’s gaming blog, Aggroqueen. Basically, Jenn’s whole family was heavily involved in the online game World of Warcraft, and since she couldn’t beat them, she joined them.

My husband is also a WoW disciple, and now that my older daughter is reading, he has introduced her to the cult community. I’ve joked about how if she had a gaming blog like Jenn’s, it would be called Aggrotot. But while I like it that she can follow the game and understands the concepts of completing quests and exchanging currency for goods, I’m still a little put off by some of the adult themes (read: violence) in the game.

So when one of my fellow PBN bloggers was unable to try out the new Knowledge Adventure game - JumpStart World - because it’s unfortunately not Mac-compatible, I have to admit I was excited to become her stand-in. She mailed her CD to me, I received it yesterday, and it went directly from mailbox to CD-ROM drive. Other than a brief overnight respite, my daughter has been glued to the PC, and instead of killing mythical creatures, she’s completing learning games and missions. She LOVES this game.

Even more impressive, the version we received is the second grade one (she’s in kindergarten), and while she’s run into a few hurdles she couldn’t quite leap on her own, she’s (forgive the expression) kicking ass and taking names - which makes her feel like a real big shot. I honestly can’t even tell you how far she’s progressed because she won’t stop playing long enough to let me check out the game for myself, but she and my husband have already told me that we need to subscribe so that she can get more adventure packs*.

While I love that she’s taking a break from WoW, I’m even happier that she’s showing such excitement for learning. She loves going to school and loves asking me millions of questions on every topic from human anatomy to world history. We’re thrilled to encourage her natural curiosity outside the context of formal education, and JumpStart World is one more great way to do that. It’s going to be a perfect diversion for her over the upcoming holiday break, which makes it an ideal holiday gift too.

*The CD and first two adventure packs are $19.95, available for grades K-2. But if you’d rather give it a test whirl before buying, check out the free trial option instead. I’m betting you and your child will be hooked.