The 2-volume "The Word Machine" DVDs is one of the best investments I have ever made for my children's education.  For under S$40, my children (3 yo and 9 yo) had hours of fun in the car while learning phonics at the same time without even knowing they were doing so.  Of course, my 9 yo already knows phonics, but it didn't stop him getting glued to every episode.

The Signing time series teaches young children and babies the American Sign Language (ASL).  While sign language was traditionally used by people with speech and hearing disability, there is a growing community who use it for children who have difficulty communicating verbally. This includes children with autism, babies and toddlers who could not speak and even children with more serious disability.  Some even claim that teaching signing to babies will lead to earlier reading and boost IQ. 

Even without these intrinsic benefits, this DVD series is easily one of the best production of children's educational DVDs for young children.

Technically speaking, knowledge is but a bunch of answers to a bunch of questions.

A key differentiator of a "gifted" child from a average child is really the level of the child's natural curiosity that leads him to ask a series of questions that facilitates a deeper understanding of subject of his interest.  This enables the child to learn deeper and wider.

Discipline is about far more than responding to misbehavior. Effective discipline - teaching your son (child) character, attitudes, and skills - is something that should happen every hour and every day of your lives together. At its heart, discipline is a powerful expression of your love for your son (child). ~ Cheryl L. Erwin

Reviewed from a book titled  "The Everything Parent's Guide to Raising Boys" by Cheryl L. Erwin, below are some salient points extracted from Chapter 6 - Discipline as Teaching, that particularly interest me...

Connection and Learning

"If you look beyond all the marketing glitz, MindChamps does have something valuable to offer to parents."

MindChamps is probably the best known secret in Singapore right now, amongst parents with children in primary and secondary schools, thanks to its robust marketing engine and army of agents espousing its services.

The Ministry of Education has allowed the use of electronic CL-CL dictionaries during examinations for all levels from PSLE to pre-University starting 2007.  However, only handheld electronic dictionaries that are approved by the Singapore Examinations & Assessment Board (SEAB) will be allowed for use in the CL composition component of national examinations.  Here is a guide to getting one of these e-dictionaries for your child.

Overview

There are only 2 devices available at this point.  The original is a Creative model that was developed in collaboration with MoE, but Besta has recently come up with their own.