love and learning...again

[andrewsmom]

Hi all!! I hope everyone is well.

I tried to do a search for "love and learning" because I know this topic has been discussed here before. As a matter of fact, I was reading some posts on this last week. But the search keeps telling me it has no results...hmmm...go figure!

So anyway, I was wondering if any of you that have the love and learning could tell me how your child is doing with it. I have read all the responses from parents on the love and learning site but it seems too good to be true..kwim? Has anyone's child learned to read at an earlier age using the love and learning technique? Or has it helped out in the speech area for anyone? I almost ordered it yesterday, but I would like to hear from some of you (people I trust ;D ) before I spend the money on this. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!
-Trisha

[Jessie]

Trisha - I just did a search and had some posts come up, but you really have to expand out the number of days and posts to view. Anyway, I want to tag on a couple of questions here to your question - hope you don't mind - but I didn't want to start another thread on the same subject!

Two questions to tag on to Trisha's. One is, is one program better than the other . . . Earobics, Signing Times or Love and Learning . . . or are they all different enough to get different results? Second, I know the younger the better to start these programs, but for an older, unintelligible speaking child would these still be beneficial? I'm with Trisha as far as being ready to order these programs but want to know if they are worth it and which is best. Thanks.

Jessie

[Emilysmom]

It's interesting that you posted this now, because I was just on the Love and Learning website last night and read the letters by the parents. I was kicking myself because I have wanted to write one of those letters and send in a picture of Emily for YEARS!! The fact that Emily LOVES to read is all because of Love and Learning. We bought the first set when she was around 3, and she picked it up SO fast. She totally loved sitting on our lap and having the books read to her and she was very successful with the alphabet and sight words very early. I think her early success made it fun for her to continue with it and she has continued to enjoy reading. For us, it was worth every cent!!! We bought "Hooked on Phonics" for her older brother and he hated it.............it was a chore to get him to do anything with it.

It is a very SIMPLE and basic program, and focuses on the first sight words that kids encounter in kindergarten and first grade. I think the fact that she learned to read so easily also helped her teachers to see her as a good student and one who they were happy to "include". I highly recommend it.............try the first set!!

Susan

[Valerie]

We have the first kit of Love and Learning. Nicholas really likes it, and he has been able to sight read several words for a few monthes now. (He'll be 3 in April) He also knows his abc's and the sounds they make.

Some of the words he can read is from the Love and Learning, but he can also read a lot from Signing Times (which he LOVES!), because they always show the word on the screen before they sign or say it. So I think both programs are good.

Jessie, obviously I can't help you because I don't have an older child! Sorry! And I don't know anything about the Earobics. First time I heard of it was when it was posted here few days ago. Meant to investigate it and havn't got around to it, yet!

[Valerie]

Also, I was going to tell you about this site. I'm not sure where I got it, it may have been posted here.

www.starfall.com/

Nicholas loves it! In fact, that's why I didn't get to post it in my earlier reply, because Nicholas was standing out my elbow shouting "A! A! A! B! B!" So I had to get on that site and go through the letters with him. So far we've just been doing the ABC one, but like I said, he loves it!

[ethansmammy]

Hi,

Where to start.....

We bought the first two sets of L+L plus the computer game for the first set when Ethan was one. Firstly when it arrived I was disappointed that it didn't look much at all for the money - very amateur. I still had high hopes for 'reading at three' etc. Now I didn't use it religiously, I would use it for a few months - give up hope of a word then try again later.... Ethan just didn't have the results that other parents had reported. He started saying a couple of words at two, then for some reason at three he stopped saying anything Anyway I kept going on and off with L+L thinking well it can't hurt and as his sister reached the age of starting to talk, Ethan showed new interest So I ordered the next set and the DVD (of the first two sets again) for the minivan - trapped audience Well at 4 1/2 Ethan now says most of the words of sets 1, 2 + 3 he can count to ten and knows his alphabet (but does still have trouble with some pronunciations). He doesn't put two words together yet but says alot of single words - maybe 100 or so. I guess what I am trying to say in a long round about way is yes I do believe it works, even if the words aren't coming out the information is going in. It may take much longer than you think - years on our case - to see results. But to me it is worth the money. I couldn't understand why they had put 'polar bear' as one of the words - but it is the first on set 3 - however it was really quite clever as that is what gets their interest, Ethan and Isabel will ask to watch 'polar bear' and when they see it they shout "there he is -polar bear"

Give it a try but be realistic about results - I do hope however that your little one takes to it straight away!

Elaine

[andrewsmom]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm not sure if we'll get it. It sounds like he would really have to watch and focus more on TV before this would benefit him. Maybe we should get it just to have it when that time comes.

Jessie...you can add questions to any of my posts that you want too. Your question was a really good one, I would also like to know which is best... the L&L or earobotics.
I can tell you that we have the first 3 signing times dvd's and they are wonderful. It also comes with a CD with all the music from the DVD's on it. I'm sure we would get even better results from it if I allowed my kids to watch TV more often. Andrew is 22 months old and knows alittle over 30 signs now, which most have come from the signing times. Andrew doesn't like to "watch" tv, but he glances here and there. From the Signing Times, my older kids have all picked up the signing (as well as myself) and THAT"S how Andrew has learned most of his signs. As a matter of fact, my daughter's school is having a talent show and she would like to sign a song from Signing Time because she knows the whole thing from the DVD's! (she is 5 years old.). I think Signing Time is wonderful to learn signing but even though they have the word on the screen before the sign, I don't know how much that would really do for reading. Not sure. Again, maybe if Andrew watched TV alot he would pick up some site words from it, but really not sure. Let me know if you can find someone that has used earobotics and any other info about it.
Thanks!
-Trisha

[meghans_mom]

Im late with my 2 cents here - but here I go anyways.
Meghan started L&L at about a year old? maybe 1 1/2 yrs. She knew her entire alphabet by sight by age 2 and probably wasn't much older when she could recite the entire thing - I'd have to look that up, because she's a kid who doesn't talk much :-)
anyways - I just pulled out the L&L kit #1 books the other day. my mom used to do them with her before she got really sick...Meghan hasn't seen them in a good 6 or 8 months.
I was AMAZED that she could sight-read about half the words in the books...without having seen the books or the tapes for a very long time.
I am back on the L&L kick (we have kits 1 &2) and I've started both kids back up.
Matthew - my 2 1/2 year old, also knew his alphabet by sight and word by age 2 - also due to L&L.
We never do the audio tapes and the rest of it is iffy at most. I think had I been more diligent that no doubt MM would be reading both sets of books with no problem right now.
oh, and I've just sent in index cards w/ the same words on them to MM's teacher. That way they will be working on the same word list we are at home.
good luck w/ your decision, laurie