Thanks for all the great responses and ideas! It DOES help to know her reaction is not unusual. :tongue_smilie: I'm ready now to tackle the next lesson! :D

I actually dabbled a little in another curriculum (Rocket Phonics), but I ultimately went back to OPG because it is (seems?) much more thorough. At least I am learning all the rules! :tongue_smilie: I like the idea of using the AAS tiles. I'll have to pull those out. I, too, am splitting the lessons up, mainly because she just digs in her heels after a few little sections and I know it's pointless to force her to go further. It's slow (but sure) progress. Thanks for the responses! Keep 'em coming! It helps to know I'm not alone!

I just wanted to comment to say that I think you've all been to MY house. Eeeeeeeeeeeee!

My kindergartener is almost finished with the blends section of OPGTTR (around lesson 50? I don't have the book in front of me). She is doing very well with it, at least as far as I'm concerned. (She is my oldest child and the first child I've taught to read.) However, she cries or whines vociferously just about every time we "do" reading. I've determined that she doesn't like the busy, busy pages (busy with words, not pictures), so I usually write her words and sentences on a white board. Once she gets started, she has very little trouble with even the new stuff. She seems to really get it. She can read some of the Bob books and a few of the Nora Gaydos books fairly easily, but even then, she usually doesn't want to. So what should I do? Should I look for another curriculum that she likes more, or should I just soldier on? I CAN soldier on, but I don't want this to be more painful/difficult/hard for her than necessary.

I don't have any advice or suggestions, but I just wanted to say that this sounds like a ton of fun! I'd love to do this when my girls are a little older (and reading independently :tongue_smilie:)!

Actually, abcteach.com does. I had a trial membership to write up a review for my blog, but I haven't renewed. It was a little unwieldy to use, and the fonts were a little "mechanical" looking (i.e. not smooth, etc.), but it might be worth it if you really want to make your own practice sheets.

There are a lot of great ideas already on this thread, but I wanted to post a few things that I use to TRY to occupy my 4 year old while I'm working with my 5 year old and vice-versa. They don't always work, mind you, but sometimes they do. Wedgits Busy Bugs from Discovery Toys It's a Match from Discovery Toys Mighty Mind puzzles Lots of paper and pencils, crayons, markers, etc. Stacks of books Anything she wants to do that doesn't make (a lot of) noise

We use the wheeled collapsible milkcrate, also. It's SO much better than the huge Lands' End canvas bag we were using. I bought mine on sale at Office Depot.

Thanks for all the responses and advice. I think I will go ahead and purchase the next book, although I do like the idea of possibly repeating the K book. I don't think we have had enough practice, really. However, if the 1st grade book does review a lot, we'll probably be fine. I think my problem is that I can't remember how to make the letters properly myself. :tongue_smilie: I need more practice.

Although so far I haven't detected much tomboyishness in my little girls, they have enjoyed the following read-alouds: My Father's Dragon and its sequels Betsy-Tacy--not exactly tomboyish girls, but certainly playful little girls with very active imaginations The Story of Helen Keller Clementine They listen to the Laura Ingalls Wilder audiobooks over and over again. They are listening to Caddie Woodlawn on audio currently. I review all of our chapter book read-alouds on my blog, which is linked below. You're welcome to browse around. :tongue_smilie:

Thanks, hmsmith! Anyone else?

My dd (5/04) is enjoying K at home this year, and she is doing very well. Handwriting, the subject she enjoyed the least at the beginning, has become less of a struggle. Although I feel ill equipped to really determine how well she's doing at it, she is definitely making progress. She is almost finished with the kindergarten book from Handwriting Without Tears. My question is this: should I proceed to the next book since we've basically only covered how to make the letters and numbers, or should I just come up with my own practices for her and start the next book when she's in first grade? I prefer to have the exercises already prepared (i.e. in a consumable workbook), especially when we're in the formative stages, but I am willing to make my own sheets if the collective wisdom here thinks it best. :D

Bingo--now why didn't I think of that?

My K-er is doing well with OPGTTR, and we are working our way through ending blends. However, I think the pace of one lesson per day is almost too much for her--she gets it, but I think we need to review. She LOVES games, though, and I'd like to make the review more than just "read this word, read that word," etc. Any ideas? I'm open to creating my own games (if they're simple), but I'm out of creativity.

You're welcome! I'm glad those few years of teaching high school are worth something now. :tongue_smilie:

I second Mysterious Benedict Society! It's great! What about My Side of the Mountain? The protagonist is an older teen, but there's nothing (that I can remember, and I read it fairly recently) that would be inappropriate for a younger child. I primarily review books on my blog; you're welcome to take a peek if you'd like. I have a Juvenile Fiction category.

Way back a long time ago when I was a ps teacher, I gave my high school students an incomplete outline and had them complete it as I "lectured." It wasn't really a lecture since I also had the completed outline on an overhead transparency, but I hope it helped at least a few of them transition to taking their own notes. I think it is very helpful when students have a hard time attending. Kudos to you for figuring out what works for you own dd! :hurray:

Thanks, everyone. I'm feeling better and better about our situation. My girls have an hour rest-time every day during which they listen to an audiobook. They love the Little House on the Prairie series, so that's on frequent rotation, but they've also listened to A Cricket in Times Square; Ginger Pye; a few American Girl books; Ribsy; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; etc. They have free run of a fair amount of art supplies, as well as access to all the books they could possible look at in a day. I try to remind myself that really, at this age, playing and incidental learning are far more important than anything I can teach them. Chin up!:D

I haven't read all of the responses, but I just wanted to give you :grouphug: and tell you that your son sounds like a joy and delight, and I would just try my best to quit listening to all the naysayers. You're doing a great job, and what a blessing homeschooling will be for your gentle, loving son!

Thanks, everyone. I have lots of support--my dh tells me that everything is going fine (and he works in public schools, so he has an idea of how things go there--this is always in the back of my mind since I used to teach ps). My K-er is reading fairly well for her age (I think), and my just- turned-4-year-old is reading, too. I'm trying to look at this year as the year to just focus on reading and basic math. If we make progress in these two things, I think we've accomplished our goal. It's just that I feel sooo YUCKY. Thanks for listening to me whine.:tongue_smilie:

I just keep telling myself that I REALLY need to be consistent since who knows how things will go (as in when we'll get back into the groove) once the baby gets here next summer. I'm kind of perfectionistic, and I tend to have "all or nothing" thinking too much if I'm not careful. Breathe, breathe, breathe. It will be okay.:tongue_smilie:

Thanks for the responses. It helps to know others are rooting for me, as well as to know that obviously others have BTDT. Unfortunately, we're already doing what I consider the minimum for K--OPGTTR for phonics, RightStart math, and HWOT for handwriting. We have a chapter book going at all times, as well as doing other picture book read-alouds, etc. Really, it's more a question of my lack of motivation than anything, even the nausea/sickness. I can grin and bear it through that (it's bad, but not severe), but I can't make myself want to do anything. I keep just trying to tell myself that "this too will pass."

I am approximately 10 weeks pregnant and sick, tired, and unmotivated to do ANYTHING. I have one in K and one in pre-K (?--really just tagging along at just-turned-4 but immensely interested in whatever big sis is doing). I know this year is really "extra" (in a sense), but I have a hard time convincing myself of that, since 'most everybody sends their children to K here where we live. I guess what I'm looking for is advice or commiseration. :confused: I was anxious about homeschooling with a baby/toddler/preschooler (again), but now I'm just trying to make it through the pregnancy without our learning at home fizzling out altogether.

BTDT= been there, done that :D

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you RecumbentHeart, sarahv, and sahamamama for your kind responses and advice/ideas. I think a large part of the problem is that this is the first time DD2 has been separated from DD1. They are 18 months apart in age, and DD2 was quite the surprise, so I think I've always treated them the same. Until now. :tongue_smilie: At this point, I'm not sure that sending her to their room would work, but I like the idea of mat time. I just need to come up with some activities that would actually engage her. She likes to write a lot, so I've had some success with just writing her name and letting her trace it. Paper and pencils/crayons/markers keeps her busier than anything else. Part of the problem (which is a blessing, really, or at least it will be in the future) is that we're all together at one table (one of those kidney-shaped ones from Lakeshore Learning that we bought waaaaaay cheap). If we could ever get our learning room completely set up, I'll try to come up with other places for her to be. What kinds of things do you have in your bins, Sahamamama?