What can I do to preserve the foreign (or native) language in my kids memory?


Did you learn French in high school? Did you speak your mother tongue as a child? Do you remember anything?

Many parents are really worrying how to preserve the language knowledge in their kids, who seem to go completely oblivious to it as soon as they start school. Still, I know families who succeed despite all the external pressure, so here are a few tips:


Get Rid of Diapers!


Nobody likes changing a diaper. But some people dread the horrors of potty training even more then the diaper changing duties. To each his own, since there are methods for everyone.

I am personally familiar only with Elimination Communication methods: I started listening to my baby’s signals right from birth based on my intuition, eventually picking up a book to guide through up and down days we were going through. Good luck with whatever method you’ll chose and remember – nobody is walking in diapers on their wedding day – eventually everyone will get through it!

Infants: Elimination Communication methods
12 months and up:

Elimination Communication method

Definition of Elimination Communication

This is the wikipedia definition:

(EC) is a process by which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant’s excretive needs, partially or completely avoiding the use of diapers. Diapers can be used but usually tend to become extraneous and unnecessary after a point. The emphasis of EC is placed on communication. When one practices EC, they are in essence trying to communicate as much as possible with their child about the elimination process, helping the child to become aware of their own body. The term “elimination communication” was inspired by traditional practices of diaper-less baby care in less industrialized countries and hunter-gatherer cultures. EC can begin at birth and is usually started before six months of age, although it can be practiced at any age. If started in the later months or after age one, babies are more likely to be “diaper trained,” and may be less aware of and/or able to communicate their elimination needs. The term “late starter” refers to a baby who starts EC after six months or after age one.

I also really liked the little insight that Monica Waggoner shared in Positive Discipline group:

One of the main principles behind EC: babies have an instinct that you’re not supposed to pee or poop in your clothes or on your parents, and if you give them opportunities to pee and poop elsewhere, they never become diaper-trained and therefore never have to be “potty-trained.”

But if you missed this opportunity, you can still use EC principles of tuning into your child to train at an older age.

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“How To” – EC resources

You can find additional information on EC here:

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Products helping with EC

(clothing, potties, other things a diaper free baby needs):

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Traditional Method: waiting until your kid is ready

I have no personal experience with this method. But I am a big fan of kind and sensitive to the child’s need books by Elizabeth Pantley, so if were to “wait until my kid is ready”, I’d definitely read her book:

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Teach Your Child to read… in Russian


In russian there is as much different systems available as it is in English. Pick the system that is closer to your heart.

Doman Method (PowerPoint presenations, FAQ, summary)
Alhabet/Bukvar’ PowerPoint Presentations
Combinations PowerPoint Presentations
Treasure Hunts
Syllables
Other Methods (Elena Danilova, Zayzev, etc)

  1. Doman whole word approach
  2. Traditional Alphabet-Bukvar’ approach.

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron


I think this book contains everything: a list of food groups for a baby and for a toddler; nutritional information of different foods – vegetables, grains, etc.; lots of wonderful, healthy and easy recipes for babies and toddlers – mashed, solid foods, main entres and sancks; entire diet plan; recipes for home made cleaners, bubbles, diper cream, etc.; information on when and what to add to babies diet + information on how to prepare it; information on how to store different foods and how to save time freezing it, how to prepare it for freezing, how to prepare it for eating it again… I love that book and it is the most highly recomended resource that I've seen. I keep using it as a guideline and as a source of recipes up to this day.


How do I use computer presentations – tips on showing and printing our materials



Encyclopedic Knowledge – Animals



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How do I use these books?

English PowerPoint Presentations
Russian PowerPoint Presentations
Spanish PowerPoint Presentations
German PowerPoint Presentations
Presentations in other languages*/ ?>

Other Resources for learning Zoology – books, toys, and our own units of study for this topic.

Note: files marked with M include Magnitudes of data – fact listing about each Intelligence Bit. Files marked with V include links to videos. Files marked with With Sound include sound effects.

 

Presentations in English

Insects - book (English)
Insects (book)
(enhanced Insects Thank you Anna Shevyakova and her team)
Sea Creatures with Cat in a Hat
Sea Creatures with Cat in a Hat
(names in English, Spanish and Russian;
some intelligence bits – facts – included); animations and pieces of “Wish for a fish” poem.
Dog Breeds 1 (English)
Dog Breeds 1
Primates
Primates

Things to do for Baby while still pregnant


 

ПОЗДРАВЛЯЮ! Маленькое счастье в животике (или в кроватке) – это просто НЕСУСВЕТНО ОГРОМНОЕ СЧАСТЬЕ для всех учавствующих! Я просто безумно за вас рада и страшно хочу чем-то помочь!!!

Тут ты найдешь огромный список нужностей, которые могут тебе оказаться полезными и безполезными, а также литературы, которая просто необходима и прочих источников информации, которые могут тебе прийтись по душе (или нет). На первый взгляд – это просто ошеломляющее колличество информации. Поэтому я решила сделать маленькое вступление: что тебе нужно срочно.


Baby needs: the beginning


Are you pregnant? Did you just have a baby? Congratulations! That’s a great news!!!

I think that becoming a mother (or a father) immediately places you in some kind of sainthood. It’s extraordinary…

But let’s get down to business.

It turned out that we were among the first to have a baby in our circle of friends. So as soon as our newborn son has got company, we were bombarded with questions. I remember how terrified I felt myself! If not for my older sister’s advise, I’d probably would go crazy right in the middle of the baby store, or back at home later on… I still nearly did go crazy on my first day from the hospital, but being a control freak that I am, it was not an easy day. And still, I keep thinking “If I new that THEN!!!”

So I put in a document together. By the time it grew up to 14 pages, I realized I need to break it up into something more meaningful. For my pregnant younger sister, I wrote a plan: once you are 3 months pregnant, you should be reading the following thousands books, preparing the following thousands flash cards, and don’t even think of poking your nose into the baby store yet!!! No need to say, that my baby sister was terrified. I am not even sure she, hardworking as she is, had ever the patience to read the entire plan I put together for her. Moreover, I would love not to post this 14 horror thing in here. But until I have the time to translate it… You can find the link above. I belive in you.

I’ll try my best to break it up and make it more readable. Except I still have my precious firstborn on my hands (and not in college – another 18 years to that), so my time is limmited. And, the document is mostly in Russian. So I’ll do my best to translate and edit it at any nap-time… I mean free time I have.

And the most importantly…

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY!!!


Encyclopedic Knowledge – Transportation



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How do I use these books?

English PowerPoint Presentations
Russian PowerPoint Presentations
Spanish PowerPoint Presentations
German PowerPoint Presentations
Presentations in other languages
Other methods/materials for teaching about transportation*/ ?>

Note: files marked with M include Magnitudes of data – fact listing about each Intelligence Bit. Files marked with V include links to videos. Files marked with With Sound include sound effects.

 

Transportation Presentations in English

Tractors-English
Tractors
(enhanced Трактора Thank you Anna Shevyakova and her team)
Bulldozers - English
Bulldozers
(enhanced Бульдозеры, Thank you Anna Shevyakova and her team)
Wheel Barrows - English
Wheel Loaders
(enhanced Экскаваторы, Thank you Anna Shevyakova and her team)
Cars
Cars
With Sound (enhanced and translated Машины Thank you Olga Ivanova)