Books: Harry Potter – What Age Should a Child be to Start Reading this Series?

The first thing I ever heard about Harry Potter was how all the kids were crazy about the books and how even the kids who hated reading wanted to read the books. It made me wonder what magic JK Rowling was weaving around her readers to mesmerise them so. To find out, I started reading

Books: Brain Puzzles and Games for Kids

Old-school Brain Puzzles for Kids… Brain Games for Kids Series Get Your Brain into Gear! Power Up Your Brain Book 1 Power Up Your Brain Book 2 Pump Up Your Brain This Brain Games for Kids offers more than 150 puzzles for children ages 8 and older. From children’s book selections in the popular Brain

Introducing the Classics: Chinese Literature

There are four great classical novels in Chinese literature: Journey to the West Romance of the Three Kingdoms Water Margin A Dream of Red Mansions As part of the boys’ education on their own culture and background, we wanted them to be familiar with these texts. Originally written in Chinese, these books have several translations into

How to Introduce New Books to Your Child

When I was in school, our librarian used to bring our attention to a series of books by spending some time to introduce them to us. These were usually good books that were neglected because we did not give them a chance to enter our lives. She would then read one of the books from

Children’s Books by Graeme Base

When I was a child, I really loved two books by Australia Author and Illustrator Graeme Base: Animalia Animalia is picture book which devotes a page to each letter of the alphabet where you will find beautiful illustrations with “things” beginning with the letter featured (except for the page featuring the letter X). There is

Apps: Pop-up Storybooks by StoryToys

I recently discovered a really lovely series of pop-up story book apps by Story Toys and downloaded a few of them to keep Hercules occupied on the plane trip to Brisbane. They are $4.99 each except for Farm 123 which is $2.99 and Sleepy Mole’s Moving Day which is $0.99. Most of the stories are a retelling

Apps: Read Along Story Books for Children

Thanks to BrillKids Little Reader, Hercules’ reading vocabulary has expanded enormously. Whenever we pass random signs, he will read out the words and/or attempt to decipher the pronunciation if the word is unfamiliar. He still likes to pull out his books at home and “read” them but he only ever really reads the books with

Positive Discipline Book List

Right Brain Education and Positive Behaviour Management I have been struggling a long time to correct the boys’ behaviours in a way that is in keeping with Right Brain Education philosophy. It seemed contradictory that I was always talking about love and connection, but was employing harsh methods of discipline – punishment and scolding (read:

Right Brain Education Book List

I can still remember when I first heard about Right Brain Education… Back then there was not a lot of written information available about Right Brain Education. Well, at least, not in English. Now, it’s a lot better. Here’s a book list I’m compiling. Feel free to drop me a line if you know of

Books for Parents: Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen

A problem child is only a problem child because we don’t know how to handle them. The best way to figure them out (if we’re stuck for ideas) is to read widely, get as many other suggestions as possible, then figure it out through trial and error. Hercules has been my problem child. Unlike Aristotle,