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GWS 32 continued from previous page. This is page 11 of 13.
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... Jesse also began to learn Jacob's favorites by heart. I remember him at 4 1/2 "reading" all of the LITTLE FUR FAMILY by Margaret Wise Brown to Jacob, with engaging inflection and proper pauses to ask Jacob little questions.
... Jacob usually seems to grasp the main characters of our books, and so can follow and participate in Jesse's play-acting versions (everything seems to get acted out in our house!) Shared stories have become a cement to their friendship, a vehicle for them to enjoy play together, as they both know and love the common themes of the stories woven through their days ... The years ahead look exciting and rich, and now we're wondering how next summer's baby-to-be #3 will enjoy it all ...
...AND WRITING TOGETHER
And a letter from Suzanne Erion in the same issue:
... My 3 1/2-year-old son Matthew said to me one cold fall morning, "Mommy, I want to learn to write my name." I thoughts "What an opportunity. I got my big lined chart paper and with Matthew on my lap, he watched me print his name. Knowing all his letters, he named the letters in his name one by one. I printed it again two more times. The next time he said, "I want to make the T's," and he did so well, I was surprised how legible and neat. Matthew attempted the "H" along with the two T's next time and finally he included the "W." We printed his name ten times, each time he made the T, H, and W. My 18-month-old son Philip watched eagerly behind my shoulder, tugging on Matthew's shirt indicating he wanted a turn. Matthew said, "OK, Philip, your turn." Philip sat on my lap and he watched me print each letter in his name as I said them. After printing it a couple of times, unexpectedly Philip turned his head, touched my cheek with his little hand and kissed me as if saying "Thanks for taking the time to print my name with me." I could have just melted ...
LETTERS ON COMPUTERS
From Christine Hilston (OH):
... We recently purchased a Texas Instruments TI99/4A home computer and are teaching ourselves programming. We hope to come up with some rather unique programs that may bring in a little income. But for right now we are having fun learning. We bought a couple of educational software cartridges (and a game cartridges too), and it's amazing how well our boys are doing. They not only are learning the material presented, but also how to operate the computer. And they don't look on it as "learning" they say, "We want to play "Early Learning Fun," or "Number Magic," etc.
... It is interesting to observe how Erik (6) and Brent (3) react differently to their computerized learning. Erik seems to want us watching every problem on the screen and giving our approval before he types in the answer and gets the programmed approval. He doesn't want to make a mistake!
... Brent, on the other hand, is happy using the computer by himself and gets very excited over a correct answer. Age may play a part too, since Brent is 3. But he doesn't always want or need to get the answer correct. He sometimes says, "I want to see what happens if I get it wrong..." _____
From Wendy Baruch in Cambridge:
... We have the Commodore VIC-20 computer which comes with 4K of memory. For an extra $100, we bought 16K extra memory. Commodore sells a program called "Vic Typewriter" (word processor) for $12. It's a powerful word processing system for the money. We bought the VIC 1515 printer for $350, so including the $75 for the cassette tape machine, our word processing system cost us $837 (VIC it if s $300). The price of the VIC has gone down a hundred dollars since we bought our model so this package could be bought for $737. [DR: Not including TV.]
Our son Shane (8) is very capable of using this system. For a while he was actively corresponding with my younger sister (10) who lives in Florida...
The point is it's an economical and practical system and I've never run out of memory since we bought the 16K expander. I use the system all the time as I am using it now. There area number of good editing features and a small convenient handbook of instructions.
The VIC-20's 1515 printer is not as efficient as I would like. Occasionally it repeats a word (of its own choosing) and sometimes the print head sticks and needs a push manually. If I had to do it over again, I would have spent a hundred dollars more and bought a different brand, better-quality printer.
... Also, if any home schoolers have the VIC-20, I would highly recommend investing an extra $40 to buy the Turtle Graphics cartridge. This changes the computer language from Basic to Turtle. Turtle uses very simple commands that make the cursor (called the Turtle) crawl across the screen and leave various colored trails. This interesting form of computer art (you can program sound into your picture too) is an excellent introduction to programming ... _____
From Sheryl Schuff (8156 Lieber Rd, Indianapolis IN 46260; 317- 259-4778):
... In GWS #31 you asked for information concerning the cheapest way to run LOGO. I hope the following thoughts will be helpful.
First, the prices you quoted in your article are "manufacturer's suggested list prices." Substantial discounts are available from discount stores (Children's Palace and Service Merchandise are two) and from many mail-order firms. These firms advertise in Byte magazine and The 99'er (published by Texas Instruments computer users).
...You said that you read that you needed a disk drive before you could run LOGO. While this may be the preferred setup, it is not necessary. A portable cassette recorder can be used instead.
The "game" you mentioned in which different size and color objects can be moved about the screen is actually a hardware feature of the TI 99/4A called Sprites. As far as the "limited memory," there is a newer version of LOGO called LOGO II which has twice as much memory available to the user. It also has music capabilities of up to three simultaneous tones which can be played across a five-octave range.
For a good discussion of LOGO and its implementation on various machines, see Byte, 8/82. Some of the information is out of date now ...
Last October, we implemented LOGO on the TI 99/4A with the following equipment:
TI 99/4A with RF modulators; after $100 rebate: $200 LOGO: $90 Peripheral expansion box: $220 32K memory expansion card: $250 Cassette cable: $15
For a monitor, we used a color TV already in our home. For a cassette recorder, we purchased a Sears model on sale at $44 for a total cost of $819.
... We could have used a cassette recorder we already owned (purchased for $25) with an adaptor available for $6 through mail-order.
... Prices for the equipment have come down in the last several months, so the system should now be able to be put together for less: while the $100 rebate is still in effect, for S636 ...
LOGO is used primarily by our 3-year-old daughter. My husband and I also write procedures which are available to her including printing her name, dialing a touch-tone telephone, and building with geometric shapes.
Between the two of us, we have 20 years experience in data processing and are available to consult with homeschoolers ...
MORE ELECTRONIC BARGAINS
In "Bargains In Electronics" (GWS #31 p.14), I said that a good place to shop for cameras and various kinds of electronic equipment was the Thursday New York Times. Since then I have found that an even better place is the second half of the main news section of the Sunday Times, where the same companies tend to run even larger ads.
Thus in a recent ad for 47TH STREET PHOTO (36 E. 19 St., New York NY 10003) we find, among other things, the Olivetti Praxis 35 Electronic Typewriter, an office-sized, daisy wheel typewriter, originally priced at $750 and now sold for $350. The Aiwa HS-JO2 walkman-sized radio and tape recorder I described in GWS #30 is offered for $130. (S & W ELECTRONICS, 187 Ross St., Brooklyn NY 11211, sells it for $120.) At such prices it is a remarkable bargain. 47th St. Photo offers the Timex-Sinclair computer, listed at $100, for $55; the VIC 20, listed at $200, for $140, and so on.
If you are buying a computer for the first time, and if there is a computer store near you where the salespeople are both well informed and helpful, not an easy thing to find according to the computer magazines, it may make sense to buy from them, even if it costs a little more, just so that you can get advice and help when you need it. But if there is no such store near you, or if you have other sources of help you can go to, or if you already know a lot about computers, the Sunday Times, and also the computer magazines themselves, are very good places to shop. - JH
ARTS AND CRAFTS
From Suzanne Alejandre (Ger.):
April '82: .. I once wrote the suggestion [GWS #23] that people buying art supplies should only buy red, blue, yellow, white, and black paint and that they could then mix for all other colors. My old paint cubes were one thing I eliminated in packing when we moved to Germany. So, I took my own advice! Having just the primary colors has been great because in painting with them the boys are discovering what colors they can create. As with most of their discovery experiences I try to keep my mouth shut. They've made some great discoveries. Because Lee tends to mix everything I sometimes leave out black as one of their colors, but otherwise the idea was sound.
... I wrote a while back [GWS #28] about Niko wanting to knit. Since that letter we've had three more sessions. Each time he resumed the work as if he'd never stopped. (I still hold the needles while he works the yarn). Each time we knit he gets progressively faster. Right now we can knit together as fast as I can knit alone!
The fact that Niko didn't forget reminded me of my piano learning experience. When I was teaching myself piano, the things I learned I didn't forget, even though I might have weeks in between playing. I remember thinking at the time how I had often been cold as a child or student that I must do something and continue doing it or I would "forget." I feel we only "forget" what we didn't "learn" in the first place! Once you learn to ride a bike (or roller skate, etc.) you never forget...
Dec. '82: ... Niko is still knitting but the intervals are very long in between - a "knitting teacher" would be very frustrated by now, but because Niko only knits when he really has the urge, we both enjoy it. The other night, Lee (3) said he wanted to knit. I thought, oh, no, I'll never have knitting time to myself. But, as with Niko, it is quite boring for Lee but he enjoys it for the little time he devotes to it ... As with Niko, I worked the needles as he did the yarn. He continually went around wrong and had to try again. He ended up doing five rows before tiring ... It will be interesting to see Lee's retention when we have a second session.
... Niko was looking through all my stuff (I have loads of scraps, patterns, fabric, etc., etc.) and he came across a cross-stitch kit which Rich's brother had given me as a gift. I let him open it and he was intrigued by all the things - thread, needle, grid-canvas. He wanted to try it but the grid was so tiny I told him we'd buy a larger one ... I spent over an hour transferring the drawing, color coding it as Niko looked on ... By the time I was finished he'd lost most of his interest. He did try about 3 stitches - had a terrible time and we put it away. About one month later, he found it and wanted to try again. that time he did a whole row and could do one cross-stitch alone. I hadn't realized that he had even caught on to the concept but he had ...
Jan. '83: I wrote once about having a lot of leftover art supplies from college. In among them were two pen holders with a large assortment of tips... Niko found a feather one day and started telling me that "old time pens" were made from feathers (who knows where he learned that). So I bought some ink, Rich trimmed the feather end, and Niko had a quill pen. He was so intrigued that I waited over a week before I got out the other pens. Actually it worked out well because Lee had been too rough on his feather - the pen suited him better. We've all had great fun - Lee and I each use a holder and share the tips while Niko uses his feather pen ...
An article by Marion Pears in the Australian home-schooling newsletter, Otherways:
...Music just happened in our family. Or, rather, it grew, I had no musical training myself, but once Arnold could walk we played rhythmic music for him on our cheap record player, and he loved to dance to it. Later, we gave that record player to the children, along with a collection of their own records to use when they liked. Classical music appealed to me, emotionally, and I used to listen to it on the ABC radio stations, as I worked. Arnold listened, too. It was just there, in the environment. When Arnold was about five I decided to try to teach myself to play the recorder. I'd always wanted to play an instrument, and the recorder seemed the most realistic and approachable instrument. So I bought one, and a "how to" book, and got started. Arnold wanted to learn to play, too. So I bought him a recorder, and together we made slow progress. At the same time I bought a collection of percussion instruments; we had Bryn as well, by this time, and we used to have wonderful times together just experimenting with sound, making "cat music," or "train music," or imitating birds.
At this time we became interested in the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, largely because there was a G & S Company formed in Melbourne, and it was producing several a year. We started going down for the productions, bought full length recordings, and librettos. At one stage Arnold knew most of the G&S operettas by heart from start to finish. He could sing you every aria, knew each piece of dialogue, memorized and sang the patter songs with great delight.
The two families whom we were very close to when we lived in Bendigo were very musical. Both the fathers of these families were music teachers, and all their children played instruments. Arnold badly wanted to learn to play the violin. Nevertheless, this wasn't possible until a few years later, when we came to Melbourne, and were lucky enough to find a wonderful, gentle, understanding teacher. After one year of Arnold learning, Bryn wanted to learn the violin, too, and so he also started.
By this time we were involved with Malvern Community School, which had an old piano. I loved to experiment around with it, so bought myself a beginner's book and started trying to teach myself a few things. Before long, Bryn, Omi and I were arriving at school early each morning so that we could do our "piano lessons" before school started. Bryn never became good at the piano, but still loves to pick out tunes. For Omi, it became her great love and the instrument she eventually learned to play the best. Both Bryn and Omi had learned the recorder from me, too. (I'd eventually become reasonably competent.) I got a proper teacher for Omi, and bought a piano.
Bryn and Arnold were at this time playing in a small chamber group run by their music teacher. It started to become obvious that Bryn had a good ear. He would whistle the cello part from "Ein Klein Nachtmusick," and could play lots of things by ear on violin and piano. He wanted to learn the trumpet. Wendy, the music teacher at ERA, agreed to help him, and so we bought a cheap trumpet. Every instrument you learn makes each new instrument easier to play. He could already read music, so with the aid of some "how to" books, a tape, and a few lessons from Wendy, he largely taught himself to play.
Omi was starting to become interested in the guitar, at this time, too, and has had lessons off and on.
While all this was happening, our knowledge of music was broadening, our finances improving, our record collection growing. We became interested in opera, and bought season tickets for one season. It was wonderful, and well worthwhile. We still try to go to one opera each season. We bought a hi-fi, and good recordings of our favorite operas.
People started developing a special interest in a special piece of music. I think Arnold must have played "Ein Klein Nachtmusick" a thousand times, and Bryn must have played the New World Symphony the same. In self-defense we bought earphones.
Arnold became interested in medieval music, bought recordings, and we went to hear the Ars Nova group play a number of times. Finally, he built the Celtic harp, and is planning to make further instruments himself.
Meanwhile, we had discovered that we had all become good enough to play together. Wendy arranged several pieces for us of a classical nature, and we play together as a bush band with the boys on their violins, and Omi and I on our recorders. Omi and I can play duets on our recorders. We can all play simple duets on the piano; Arnold and Bryn can play violin duets; and we can play together as a quartet - two violins, piano and recorder.
...Bryn is becoming interested in jazz trumpet ... Omi is playing Pavarotti's Greatest Hits...
Looking back, it all seems to have happened so simply and naturally, and this is true.
It's also true that music was passionately interesting to me, and was therefore available in the environment all the time. There was the example of our competent musical friends who could play beautifully, and of me, happily messing around teaching myself to play things.
There was the fact that what they were interested in, I encouraged. There was the fact that they believed they could teach themselves these things (which helps a lot). You don't always need "experts" to teach you, though they may be helpful.
And most of all, there was the fact that we have always had a lot of fun with music, and we explored it together ...
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