Sometimes one thing that is overlooked in getting the young child ready is basic information about the family. It is surprising to know the children that can count, color, etc. but don't know the full names of their parents. Mommy or Daddy just isn't enough. Also, they should know the full names of grandparents and any close relatives. If grandparents live out of town, where do they live? Information like that gives the child sense of being part of the bigger world. Think about teaching things about where you shop, and why you go there. Where does Mommy or Daddy work? What kind of work does he or she do? I know it varies in different areas, but here, Kindergarten is part of the required school program and is free. The Pre-kindegarten program is also state supported, but not manditory. Anything earlier than that is considered pre-school. I would not worry about what he is learning. It sounds as if you are 'way ahead of the game. Keep up the good work. Your local YMCA or Library may have children's programs that would allow more socializing. They are usually free or very inexpensive. A lot of churches sponser "Mother's Morning Out" type programs that are not just for the members, but for a nominal fee, allow the child access to being with other children without the mother in attendence.

An emphasis on students finding information for themselves, and focusing on topics that they are interested in, is important throughout school, and I would argue, grows more important as students grow older and are able to make better choices. Here is an article that studied how children retrieve information from a library online catalogue. Without intending to, the author found that students being taught with a more student-centered curriculum (he doesn't use that term) were far better at finding information creatively - the way we all do in life, with no multiple-choice options. It is kind of a long article, but here is an excerpt: "Important contributors to children's information retrieval behavior are their motivation, purpose, and interest in their topics. During the course of this study, it became clear that some students were more involved in the information retrieval process than others. For some, it was an adventure and challenge that carried them to new understanding of the material they were studying. Their products went beyond copying facts from their readings to point out discrepancies and unanswered questions and, thus, to display their critical thinking skills. These children's experiences also led them to develop more advanced information skills, which they needed in order to pursue their interests in depth. For instance, the group of first graders studying planets soon began to share information about their planets and to propose theories that related the characteristics of the planets to their size and distance from the sun. Their written reports contained ideas and questions about such matters as what it would take to allow people to live on presently uninhabited planets. "For others, that spark of interest was missing. These children found the minimal information they needed to satisfy the assignment but contributed little of their own thinking and did not advance their information skills. Their products were simple lists of facts without interpretation or comparison. For instance, when fifth graders were asked to write reports about the states, their assignment sheet contained a list of pieces of information to be included in each report (e.g., population, area, major cities). Not surprisingly, their actual reports provided 'just the facts.'" Here is a link that might be useful: Children and an OPAC

I too got a flyer home from school which Had a well know area University name on it, and mentions of IRD throughout it. I looked at the website mentioned on the flyer, and found some great testimonials, and information. The web site looked like a part of the Universities web site. However, many of the links on the website didn't work... like the home link and links to other areas about the university. I called the number on the flyer, and it was definately not the university. The person on the phone was very nice, and professional, she asked some questions about my daughter, and told me that she could definately benefit from the program. At a couple of points during the conversation it sounded as if she were reading from a script. I wanted information, which I received. But, when the call was about to end she wanted a credit card number so she could enroll my daughter in the class. She explained that this is their heavy enrollment period, and wouldn't want us to loose out because the class was full. At this point there was no way I was giving a number until I could check this out further. For anyone looking to find out more information I would definately recommend The Teachers Corner. I still haven't decided to enroll my daughter in these classes, but I will certainly continue to do research. I have emailed some people in our school system to see if anyone can give me any information.

This year I gave my sister Mark Vieira's book, Into the Dark (Turner Classic Movies): The Hidden World of Film Noir, 1941-1950, and for Mark's birthday, I gave him aKierkegaard anthology, edited by Robert Bretall, which contains the best translations. I had Mark over for brunch week-end before last to give him his late birthday present because I wanted to read part of Either/Or to him to help explain why I was giving him this book, and he wrote me a nice thank you note afterwards. My sister really liked getting Mark's book, partly because I introduced her to him at his studio in Hollywood when she came to visit me one year. Right now I am reading the autobiography of Brenda Lee. I only recently discovered her very early (pre-teen) recordings when I saw her on MeTV on the Danny Thomas Show, during which show Danny Thomas advised her to put off her music career. Anyway, she sang Dynamite on that show, which I had not heard before and had to have. She recorded that song, along with Rock the Bop when she was 12, and they are my two favorite songs of hers - I'm not really a fan of country music, but I do like Rockabilly, which is what she recorded in the beginning. Her autobiography is really interesting and makes me like her even more. She got to meet Elvis when she was 12 and also tried to help the Beatles get a record contract in the '50's but was unsuccessful in that attempt. I seldom read novels any more - most of what I read is non-fiction, but I do read some science-fiction. I have a collection of "UFO, CONTACT from..." books (from Wendelle C. Stevens) that I bought at UFO conventions that I used to go to, and I consider those to be some of the best science-fiction books. I used to go to the UFO conventions with my friend Jimmy to listen to the outrageous (and often funny) stories that people would tell there, but they stopped having the conventions here after the year 2000, when their predictions did not come true.