I've been dying to share the method I have devised for teaching Alex, who is barely over 3 years old to read. In the past month, we have gone from knowing all letter names and consonant sounds to reading short sentences.
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I figured it out! I am so excited, I am bursting with enthusiasm to get started. I've been thinking about the issue for four years, and for the first time I think I really get the logistics.

The biggest challenge I am facing has to do with Lily (the little one). I don't want to confuse her; don't want to slow down the development of her English. And I don't have any 1-on-1 time with Alex, so she will be there absorbing what I am doing with him, right as she is trying to sort out how words map onto objects & concepts.

The big advice everyone gives to bilingual families is: one parent, one language. This helps a child associate a language with a context. A single-language child would be going through a process of the form "When I get next to this object, i hear CHAIR. When I point to it, I hear CHAIR. When an adult says, CHAIR, I get placed on this object. Let me try, CHAIR! Aha, everyone is excited and I got on top of that CHAIR-thing. This is good." A bilingual child's process is more like, "When mommy gets me in it, it's CHAIR. When daddy does, it's FOO." and learns a whole context-dependent structure of each language.

Though I didn't choose to do this for a variety of reasons, I still can use the idea of context to prevent confusion.

So, here it is: A RUSSIAN WORDS PUPPET SHOW. I got the idea from Dora the explorer. (Don't laugh. It's not nice. I have to live with it!) They try to teach children Spanish within the show and employ the "This flower speaks Spanish. So, we need to say..." and plop a Spanish word in there.

I acquire a puppet that speaks Russian. The puppet will be the one to teach the Russian words - and mommy will help interact with him, interpret and explain (in English) what it's all about. And though Alex is smart enough to know that mommy is the one doing all the talking, role-playing and in-character dialog is so easy to get into for kids and adults alike.

Now Lily has one-puppet one-language context. Alex has a fun and engaging game that will slowly grow into an active study of the language once he is engaged and motivated. And I have another activity that might win over Dora the Explorer (a never-ending search!)

I have also come up with ways to introduce the necessary basics of the Russian grammar, but that's a story for another day.

I was kicking myself so hard today! After my mom left in July, after staying for 3 mos, Alex was really beginning to speak Russian words. He was motivated to continue learning, and we kept working at it. Then we sort of fell off the wagon. And now it's stale. He missees my mom and loves my dad, so stirring up enthusiasm won't be hard. I just need a plan.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any literature on teaching a foreign language to young children - unless you are planning on a bilingual household. So I have to wing it. I am finding it hard to get my head around teaching the complexities of Russian grammar. Because of declination, the same word takes on a myriad different forms, and it's obviously confusing - so I have to address it.

We play a "Russian words" game, which helps him learn basic vocabulary in a no-pressure setting. He points to things he wants to know and I tell him what they are. Occasionally, we reverse it. And I see him work hard to produce these words when he wants to, like when we hang out with my dad. Sometimes I begin using them in conversation, switching to Russian temporarily and translating into English. This is where the grammar confusion comes in.

There is an additional complicating factor: I've been teaching him to read - with huge success. This is largely what derailed us. I need to find time to do both and sometimes I am the one who finds it hard to split focus...

Still. I want him to be able to talk to his grandparents! I'll be working on a solid plan now.