Darla,

Thank you for your message. I did get a chance to consult with Dr. Joan Cotter regarding your inquiries. My response will reflect the answers that she supplied me with.

We do not have a DVD presentation for you to watch but we do have several PowerPoint presentations on website that explain the reasoning behind RightStart. You can access them here: http://www.alabacus.com/pageView.cfm?pageID=279. We also have some of our games demonstrated on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhum). I hope this helps with some of the understanding and philosophy of RightStart.

Dr. Cotter says: "The purpose of the Transition Lessons is to provide a quick overview and explanation of the manuals that a child is skipping. In this go as fast, or slow, as needed. Your son would proceed much quicker than your daughter."

When was the last time you took our Starting Level Questionnaire? I would advise taking it with your children nearby so they feel like part of the plan. It can be accessed here: http://www.alabacus.com/questions/. I feel that using this tool will help guide you to what necessary steps are needed. Level A and Level B are both considered beginning levels, therefore a child who is ready for Level B can begin there and work through the program easily. In addition, doing the Transition Lessons help take your child up to the appropriate level as designated in the Transition Lessons Table of Contents.

Dr. Cotter also emphasizes: "Encourage your children to use the abacus anytime they think they need to count. The only way to get a mental image of the abacus is through extensively using the manipulative. Incidentally, many parents have told us that they have finally learned their math because of teaching their children."

As far as when to play the games, the only rule to follow there is to play the games that are designated in the lesson. We will recommend a particular game to be played, because it reflects what was taught in that day's lesson. However the Math Card Games Book has over 300 games, therefore you will not use all 300 games in just the curriculum. You can skim through there and try some of the games with your children from concepts they are familiar with and see how much they enjoy it. I would also advise to play the games at times other than just school time. This is such a wonderful resource of math application and brain exercise!

I hope this helps, please do not hesitate to contact us with any further questions, we are more than happy to help in any way possible.

Make it a great day,

Cassie
Activities for Learning-RightStart™ Mathematics
Cassie@ALabacus.com
www.ALabacus.com

Our Mission: To help children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics.




Joan