The Crazy 4 Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I did AAR pre-reading with my 5 year old and don't want to do it again. So I've been looking into Foundations A, but what do I need? It will be for my 4 year old. She knows some letters and cannot write. I've searched treads but found more info for B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 You NEED the textbook and the workbook. ;). And the program does make heavy use of the whiteboard and flash cards. But the flash cards can be made as you go on index cards, if money's tight. And white boards are way cheaper at the dollar store/target/hobby lobby ect. I buy 4 or 5 cheapy mini boards at the dollar store every Fall. Doodling Dragons is cute, if she doesn't know her letters yet. But there are LOTS of books about letters out there. There's really no need to buy another one. The tactile cards are nice for kids who really need that extra step of tracing and feeling with their fingers. But not necessary by any means. If she just adores card games, you could but two sets of the game cards. But honestly, I'd wait until B to start the card games. I've never bothered with the reference charts at all, and I've gone through A-C and part of Essentials. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crazy 4 Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 Thank you😮. Did you find learning all the sounds at once confusing them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VorLady Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Definitely get the phonogram flashcards, they have helpful pronunciation tips and occasional rules on the back. The whiteboard is useful, especially when I got a whole rainbow of markers for my daughter to choose from. I also like the phonogram app for extra drill. I had started with another program so my daughter already knew the short sounds of vowels, etc, but I found going back and learning all the sounds at once was great, we had been running into cases where C said "s" not "k" and it was really throwing her. Going back to the start was key for us. I use the cursive handwriting reference chart all the time, because I don't remember how to make the letters :) . We don't use the tactile cards much and I think we could have made our own phonogram game cards if necessary. You will definitely need the teacher guide and student book both though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarson Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I suggest you get the teacher book and workbook for sure. I have the $1 target whiteboards too. We use the flash cards and tactile cards daily, as well as the game cards when the book recommends a game. You can skip doodling dragons, unless perhaps you can find it used? Learning all the sounds at once was not a problem for us at all. They get reviewed often and it seemingly becomes second nature to say all the sounds for each letter when you see them. The key is not to refer to the letters by their names but by their sounds. This makes a little training for the grown-ups but is easy for the littles. :) My daughter loves doing LOE very day! It's written in a very fun way, breaking up the monotonous (or challenging) parts with fun, active games! Have fun with it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I taught each of my kids their letter sounds at 3 or 4 informally, and then started them on LOE at 5 or 6. So I can't really chime in on learning the sounds all at once. I dont think it would be an issue, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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