I have an Amazon.com GC so I'm looking for Kindle books I can buy without having to pay shipping (I'm in Canada). I just bought: Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson And Biblical Home Education by Ruth Beechick BUT I still have room on my card - does anyone else have suggestions I can spend my balance on that are available for Kindle?

I just used the A Beka Handbook for reading. One page/day then one practice story from the matching reader. Works great for kids who are already blending/reading a bit.

I used A Beka's Handbook for Reading and leveled readers with my oldest, but now that there is AAR I'm trying to go with that - wrapping up Pre-1 and have Level 1 ordered up!

I'm too far away from conventions - and the provincial one doesn't let kids in...waah! They have to go to the special children's program for 5+, nursing babies are okay - but what about my 3-yo???

We use Sound Literacy instead of our white board - it doesn't have the syllable tags, so I'm eagerly awaiting their own app. Until then, Sound Literacy is awesome - read about it here and totally worth it. Before that we used cookie sheets, then a magnetic white board, now the iPad!

We like Core A, and we've been working on it for a while ;). Great books, and flexible for a wide range of children IMO - not just Kers. My DD when she was in 2nd totally enjoyed the books as well - even more than she did when she was in K actually!

Hmm, my favorite is Simplex Phonics 1, BUT it doesn't have ENOUGH of the easier words to stretch it out for such a young one :). It moves along pretty quickly in difficulty. Although it is one year of lessons, that year goes from K all the way through 3rd in terms of word/phonetic difficulty IMO. You might find you run out of words that are appropriate for your child fairly quickly. SCGS - Simplex Spelling HD is the sight-word based app that includes high frequency words (but they are taught phonetically), Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 includes phonetically grouped words that are taught phonetically. It's my favorite, but they are both awesome :).

I'd do 4/5 as Kindy. Core A has some more difficult non-fiction choices particularly, it can EASILY be done as 1st. We've been doing A VERY slowly for K AND 1st, I wish we had 4/5 :).

SL is totally open and go for content subjects - I haven't done a multi-subject pack from them though. I teach skills using other programs :). SL is about the ONLY content-based program we've been able to actually get any significant amount done of though - because it IS open and go :).

Works awesome :). We use a Targus stylus, PDFExpert - it lets you pinch out to zoom in before writing :).

It happens ALL the time (ahem) - but I recommend you don't do it :). If it works, if your kids do it, if it gets results - KEEP GOING. Even if it's boring. Sigh. I know it isn't the exciting answer :).

Some children just aren't naturally spellers and need DIRECT instruction. Like my kids :). We use AAS too - works awesome! Teaches spelling explicitly and through phonics - NOT through random lists (which doesn't work as far as I'm concerned). I see my oldest applying what she learns to words we haven't studied directly, and THAT is how I know that teaching spelling conceptually works for her. Maybe for your son too?

The first thing we do is read through story Bibles to get a good, comprehensive flow of the Bible overall. Then we normally do some more devotional-type materials like Leading Little Ones to God. Vos is a good Bible (we've done it twice) - we have actually read quite a few geared to the ages of our children (we have 9, 6, 3, 1 here), but the first place we start is establishing familiarity with the Bible through child-friendly chronologically arranged stories. Then when our children are reading independently, they read the Bible and narrate to us daily as part of their school work - reinforcing, and adding depth to their previous knowledge.

I haven't done it...but some days I wish I had. I keep looking longingly at the new catalog pdf and thinking, man it would be NICE just to do it all, and MAYBE with the LA changes it would actually WORK. :) Too bad my 5-yo is already 1/2 way through Core K right now (without the LA/Bible).

We are using Joy of Handwriting: Cursive with my 3rd grader, it's mostly independent (she's doing the pdf on the iPad) and her cursive is really nice!

Thanks :). I think that does help. I THINK we will try it :).

After you download the reader apps you still need to go and download the e-book content for them. Here is a link to the Kindle app. Here is a link to the Kobo app. You still can't load Kindle Fire Apps to an iPhone/iPod though - you need to load iOS apps from iTunes/App Store onto it. But yes - you can load the Kindle app to it. YES, in Toronto, Kindle books, no problem. I am south of Edmonton, AB and can buy/download free Kindle books to my iPad/iPod no problem :). I don't have a Samsung - I do have a different Android tablet though (and yes, there is a Kindle app for Android) and if you are interested in other educational apps there are far more available for iDevices than there are for Android tablets.

We are coming to the end of AAR Pre-1 and we've really enjoyed it. My almost 6-yo isn't REALLY blending yet, though she has made GREAT strides in phonological awareness using the Pre-1 program. When I taught DD 1 (now 8) to read, blending was always tricky, and we went through quite a few programs while we waited for blending to kick in on its own (basically) and it was all easy (well - relatively) after that. So, folks who've gone through AAR Level 1 - how is blending taught? Is it really seamless and painless for kids? Did it really help to teach blending? We have the A Beka reading materials I used with DD #1 (A Handbook for Reading and the leveled readers) - but those aren't so great unless your kid knows how to blend ;), but we do love everything AALP produces (AAS & AAR) so I'd *LIKE* to buy AAR Level 1. I hope I'm not rambling. :lol: So, AAR Level 1 folks - how is it going in the blending department?

After confident reading is established - 3rd is a great grade to start :).

I've gone round and round the SL/TOG merry go round a few times, but when I always have so many little ones underfoot, I need open and go. Plain and simple. I have TOG Yr 1 first quarter, and it never ever gets done - too many planning decisions. SL actually happens most of the time because it is pre-planned (I also like the warm fuzzies - I admit it).

If you won't to load apps don't get a Kindle Fire - you can get it, but apps are US only. Blackberry = very few apps. If you just want an ereader get a Kobo. My DD (8) likes e-reading on the iPod the best, much lighter than the iPad (cheaper too), you can load the Kobo app, Kindle app etc. all for free and read, well...any ebook on it.

I've been drooling over the downloaded pdf version on my iPad. Hope the print comes soon!

They might need to send you a new license file by email? They've done that for me before - awesome customer service.

Oh, the read alouds and readers are the best parts for me as the mom! We definitely wouldn't DO SL without them!

Can anyone give me some first hand feedback on how the Character Concepts curriculum from the Boyers has worked for you? I've been looking at it for a long time but I can't really wrap my head around how it would actually work/get used on a day by day basis just from reading the descriptions etc. If you've used it, can you let me know what using it actually looks like in your home? Thanks!