Toys for Tots Early Literacy Program

I know that I have posted a lot about BrillKids lately, and I'm about to do it again.  They are such an amazing company and I really love them.  Today I'm going to tell you a bit about their charity arm.

I have been reading some of Glenn Doman's books again, and one of the things that struck me more this time around is how it is largely the middle class that is engaging in these programs.  Why?  Well, largely it is because the rich have a sense of security of knowing that their children will have an excellent education, so they don't think about things like early literacy as much.  The middle class are the ones who can afford to look into these kinds of programs, have the time to devote to it, and a myriad of other factors.

But what about lower income families?  The ones who often don't know where their next meal is coming from?  Sadly, these are the children that often struggle in school, who don't have books in their homes, and are caught in the cycle of poverty.  As I have learned more about early learning, my heart goes out to these children especially.  They have as much potential for greatness as any other group of children, but the opportunities to get the education they need for that is often hindered.  Sometimes the doors of opportunities are completely taken away.

Give a man a fish, and you give a man a meal.  Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime.

For this holiday season, instead of giving a poor child a doll or a toy train, what if you could give a small child the gift of early literacy?  For less than the price of a candy bar, a state-of-the-art reading software program (in my opinion, the very best reading program out there), can go into the home of a small child in need.  Parents of these children will be empowered to give their children so much more, and all they need to do is push play.  Imagine what it could do for one of these children.  Instead of entering school far behind their peers academically, they could start ahead, already knowing how to read.  Imagine how they would embrace life's opportunities if they felt they were good at learning, instead of knowing they were behind and giving up.

I truly think that this is one of the best opportunities I have ever seen to lift a small child up and give them something truly delightful, something that can change their lives.  I have been using this software with my own children, and I can attest that they love it.  So many tantrums have melted into delight when I tell them that it's time for Little Reader.  BrillKids has generously given this charity full rights to distribute the software to the Early Education for Every Child Foundation, who in turn are making a big difference as they distribute this much-needed software to the children who love it most.

PLEDGE TO DONATE HERE


I feel so passionate about this cause that, not only am I donating to it myself, but I am throwing in a little extra incentive for you as well.  If you pledge $10 or more on their donation website, then I will give you a free copy of my "Beginning Rhythm" e-book.


Here is how it works:

1.   Pledge at least $10 to this fantastic charity

2.   Come back here and "purchase" the e-book through my online store.  The product is free, and I'm going through the honor system.  Please be honest and don't abuse the trust I have put in humanity in the name of helping these children out.  I like to think that people are good.  :)  You will need to include your e-mail address.  I don't have a newsletter, I'm not sure why there is a box for that.

3.  In the event that the charity doesn't "tip" (but it will, I'm sure), you can either enjoy a free e-book for your efforts, donate to www.eeecf.org, or donate $10 to a charity of your choice.  Do what feels right to you.

Here is a nice little documentary to tell you more about BrillKid's charity efforts in the United States.

Toys for Tots Early Literacy Program

I know that I have posted a lot about BrillKids lately, and I'm about to do it again.  They are such an amazing company and I really love them.  Today I'm going to tell you a bit about their charity arm.

I have been reading some of Glenn Doman's books again, and one of the things that struck me more this time around is how it is largely the middle class that is engaging in these programs.  Why?  Well, largely it is because the rich have a sense of security of knowing that their children will have an excellent education, so they don't think about things like early literacy as much.  The middle class are the ones who can afford to look into these kinds of programs, have the time to devote to it, and a myriad of other factors.

But what about lower income families?  The ones who often don't know where their next meal is coming from?  Sadly, these are the children that often struggle in school, who don't have books in their homes, and are caught in the cycle of poverty.  As I have learned more about early learning, my heart goes out to these children especially.  They have as much potential for greatness as any other group of children, but the opportunities to get the education they need for that is often hindered.  Sometimes the doors of opportunities are completely taken away.

Give a man a fish, and you give a man a meal.  Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime.

For this holiday season, instead of giving a poor child a doll or a toy train, what if you could give a small child the gift of early literacy?  For less than the price of a candy bar, a state-of-the-art reading software program (in my opinion, the very best reading program out there), can go into the home of a small child in need.  Parents of these children will be empowered to give their children so much more, and all they need to do is push play.  Imagine what it could do for one of these children.  Instead of entering school far behind their peers academically, they could start ahead, already knowing how to read.  Imagine how they would embrace life's opportunities if they felt they were good at learning, instead of knowing they were behind and giving up.

I truly think that this is one of the best opportunities I have ever seen to lift a small child up and give them something truly delightful, something that can change their lives.  I have been using this software with my own children, and I can attest that they love it.  So many tantrums have melted into delight when I tell them that it's time for Little Reader.  BrillKids has generously given this charity full rights to distribute the software to the Early Education for Every Child Foundation, who in turn are making a big difference as they distribute this much-needed software to the children who love it most.

PLEDGE TO DONATE HERE


I feel so passionate about this cause that, not only am I donating to it myself, but I am throwing in a little extra incentive for you as well.  If you pledge $10 or more on their donation website, then I will give you a free copy of my "Beginning Rhythm" e-book.


Here is how it works:

1.   Pledge at least $10 to this fantastic charity

2.   Come back here and "purchase" the e-book through my online store.  The product is free, and I'm going through the honor system.  Please be honest and don't abuse the trust I have put in humanity in the name of helping these children out.  I like to think that people are good.  :)  You will need to include your e-mail address.  I don't have a newsletter, I'm not sure why there is a box for that.

3.  In the event that the charity doesn't "tip" (but it will, I'm sure), you can either enjoy a free e-book for your efforts, donate to www.eeecf.org, or donate $10 to a charity of your choice.  Do what feels right to you.

Here is a nice little documentary to tell you more about BrillKid's charity efforts in the United States.

Your Baby Can Read update

I really love Your Baby Can Read, as I have blogged in the past.  I was very happy this morning when I found Dr Titzer's letter on facebook. (dated Aug 17th, 2012).  I think it is worth sharing here.  I have been on an emotional roller coaster over the recent lawsuit, and trying to contemplate how this could happen in our country.  There were no outraged customers that wanted a refund, instead there were thousands of happy, even passionately supportive customers that have rallied to Dr. Titzer's defense.  I have been hopeful that they would still be able to sell their products internationally, and this letter confirms those plans.  As a result of the lawsuit, many good, hard working Americans have lost their jobs, and those jobs have essentially gone overseas.  I hope the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood is happy now.  Dr. Titzer is proud to be an American and would have liked to have kept his business on American soil, but Early Literacy is an important message, and he is sharing it only way he legally can.  I will always be grateful to his company and his products for what they have given my children.  Please allow me to share Dr. Titzer's message:

Dear Your Baby Can Read Facebook Fans,

First of all, I want to sincerely and openly thank each and every family who shared success stories here or elsewhere and I thank the customers who defended us while we were not defending ourselves. Some of your words of support came when attacks were coming from many directions and it made this time easier knowing I had the genuine support of so many famili

es who have actually used the products.

I want to thank all of the former employees of Your Baby Can for their years of dedicated service while YBC had the rights to Your Baby Can Read from September of 2007 until August of 2012. These employees were devoted not only to their company, but also to the program. We had many competent, hard-working employees who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. I also want to thank the initial management team who believed they could make the world a better place by helping babies learn. Thank you for spreading the program to so many families who would not have taught their babies to read without your vision.

Finally, I want to thank the people who allowed our tiny company to regain the worldwide rights to the products. We will stand up to the people and organizations who brought down the company because this is much more than a business to me. We believe our programs provide some tools and some ideas that could help children around the world – especially in underprivileged areas.

Your Baby Can Read is probably the most-studied baby video in the world with at least a dozen studies looking at aspects of the program. All of the studies show positive results for babies who have consistently used the program. We will not be silent on issues surrounding early literacy. We will provide studies, explain everything more clearly, and outline the theoretical reasoning behind Your Baby Can Read. We will be creating websites with scientific information where parents and other interested parties can look at all of the data and decide if babies should be learning the written form of language at the same time as other aspects of language.

The Infant Learning Company is a small, family company that flourished from word of mouth sales for more than a decade. Our little company is happy to have the rights back and we remain dedicated to helping individuals advance through early literacy and infant learning.

We are excited about the opportunity to communicate with you more directly! The next few months will be especially busy and we appreciate our customers continuing to help each other with personal comments related to their use of our program. We look forward to having Your Baby Can Read available again soon outside of the US, then eventually in the US as well.

Dr. Bob Titzer

How to make a large colored die.

Here’s how I made my die:

Step One: laminate 6 colored pages of your choice.

Step Two:  Choose a square cardboard box to act as a die.  I found that a grahams crackers box was mostly square, and the perfect size.  I strengthened my box by placing a cardboard “X” in the middle, as shown.  I sized them the height I wanted, and cut slits in the box’s corners to match.

Step Three:  Use a ruler to fold the box at the desired height.  This will help you fold the line straight and avoid unwanted creases.

Step Four:  Tape the edges down to make your basic cube.

Step Five:  Because the cube isn’t perfect, I traced each edge on the prepared colored papers and marked each corresponding edge on the cube.  I then cut the paper out and taped them onto the box with clear packaging tape.  There was a lot of clear-tape overlap, which is great as it makes the cube more durable and water-proof.  This cube can be used for lots of learning activities.  Because each edge is laminated, you can tape anything you want to on the edges for temporary or quasi-permanent use.  Be creative and have fun!