Okay. I'll bite...I'm gonna throw another one in this mix. We are part of what would technically be called an "alternative education program", although we don't entirely fit that category either. Ds has weekly "workshops" (currently we attend on Wed only), but most everything is done at home, independently. His workshops this year include art, science and a supplemental math class. It's a great social outlet for ds (and me). He is an only and loves to be with other people. And since it's thru the district it is also free of charge to join. Workshops do have charges per semester, although PE is free. But we have access to district funding to pay for those workshops. So no money out of pocket! Works great for us!

Beware the curriculum addiction as you sift thru your catalogs! :willy_nilly: or you may find yourself (and your dc) running around like this little emoticon! Trust me. I know! Some suggestions for K: lots of books! (We used Sonlight PreK & K books) My favorite book for learning letters & sounds? Dr. Seuss' ABC's It's fabulous! There's also a computer "living book" to go along with it. Very fun! File Folder games (a google search will give you lots of ideas) Treasure Boxes (same size boxes - like ziploc tubs- filled with things for counting, sorting, patterning...could be buttons, colored paper clips, links, tiles....) along with a muffin tin or similar to sort them into Pattern Blocks w/activities Tangrams w/activities Unifix Cubes (for patterning & math activities) Another idea for phonics are things like letter collages (Lakeshore Learning has some nice ones) for example, on the letter A put animal stickers, apple paint prints... We also played scavenger games like, "go to your room and bring back something that starts with t (the sound or the letter). resources: Kumon wkbks Carson-Dellosa Kids Create! Mudworks Scribble Cookies I'll put in another vote for Singapore Early Bird, and physically working thru problems. For example, when learning about 10, we would take 10 pencils or small toys and organize them in different ways to see how many ways we could make 10. It helps make an abstract idea (symbols on paper) more concrete. Science - just explore. This is an age of discovery. SL puts out a series that's pretty good for this called "Science Activities" Now that I think about they may be Usborne books. It's a 3 volume series. For 3rd grade: We also used SL books (they have great reading lists!) Singapore SOTW (we used audio only) LA I've always just piece-mealed - there's so much great stuff out there, I could never decide on just one! but here are some good resources: LLATL Just Write Phonetic Zoo (we just started this for spelling and love it!) I like Getty-Dubay Italic for printing, but use A Reason for Handwriting for cursive (just 'cuz I want ds to learn a more traditional cursive-mainly so he can read it!) Growing with Grammar Things I've used for both levels are History Pockets, Reader Rabbit, JumpStart For Spanish we use Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish Other things you might want to check into would be lapbooks and unit studies. I'm sure I could go on - did I mention that I'm a recovering curriculum junkie? :drool5: I'll let someone else take over for now. Feel free to pm me if you have questions about anything I've mentioned. Welcome to the adventure! :party: BTW, if you haven't figured this out already in all your catalogs...Rainbow Resource is a great place to shop, but their catalog is like 1500 pages (literally) Not the kind you just browse thru. Go online instead...especially if you know what, or about what, you're looking for. They will often have a better price.

Let me tell ya...my ds was not a good speller, also spelled how things sounded. But I didn't put much emphasis on spelling until this year (he's now 9.5). We focused on reading. I read a lot to him and nearly everyday I had him read to me. It might be only a couple words, but eventually it became a couple sentences, then a couple pages. I usually allowed him to choose which book to read from and how much to read aloud. Now he reads on his own all the time (well, when he's not listening to audio books and playing legos!) This year, ds has decided he wants to learn how to spell correctly :laugh: so I jumped on that bandwagon and bought Phonetic Zoo. (Which is nice because it incorporates audio, visual & kinetic learning). He is so excited about it, he even did a lesson on Saturday (we just started last week). I tell you all this just to offer encouragement and let you know that sometimes later is better (I don't always hold to that philosophy- in this case, tho, it worked for us). Encourage ds to read, have him read to you everyday, but give him some control as to what and how much. Praise any efforts and accomplishments. Does he have a favorite subject? Grab some books from the library on that subject to peak his interest. Have you tried something like "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons"? I went thru about 35 of those lessons with ds. He didn't really like it, but it worked and it was enough to get him started. Also, it sounds like your ds may be a kinetic learner, or at least have leanings that direction (just guessing based on what you've said). A great book about different learning styles is "The Way They Learn". An easy read and enlightening. Another book I've found interesting as I try to better understand my "differently wired" ds :tongue_smilie: is "Kids in the Syndrome Mix". Now, please don't take this as me saying there's something "different" about your child. I don't mean that at all. :blush: The running in a circle thing made me think of it along with you talking about how differently he learns from your other dc. But all that can also be totally normal behavior for a 7 yr old active boy! There were several things in that book, tho, that made me think, "ah ha!" So for what it's worth, I thought I'd throw that out there. Feel free to completely ignore me if you feel I'm off-base :D HTH!

We really enjoyed Reader Rabbit. Yes, it's "gamey" but lots of learning too. They cover multiple subjects, not just spelling. JumpStart is another good program that covers multiple subjects. Ds has greatly enjoyed both programs over the years, and still plays some of them! He had the PreK version on the other day :001_rolleyes: The kid's in 4th grade - not much learnin' there anymore! ah well. What's a mom to do?

ditto!

I had a hard time finding a font that I really liked. For the most part, we've used A Reason for Handwriting. Their capital Q is a little weird (in the way it's formed), but we just worked around that. The rest of the font is pretty nice and fairly close to what I learned. I like the look of Italic cursive, but I wanted ds to learn traditional, mainly so he could read what others have written. We may go back and do Italic after he's got this one down.

To quote a previous poster, "Some homeschoolers will say, "That's not homeschooling." But for us, this is what works and I consider it the best of both worlds. Ds doesn't have any online classes currently, but we are enrolled in our school district's homeschool support program. What this means is that we have access to district funds and resources, he gets to have workshops with other homeschoolers (and teachers other than "Mom") and I still get to be in control of what's going into his brain. Most of our work is done at home, but for my social "only" this is a great way for him to connect with other people and get out from under my thumb. It's nice for me too!

We used SOTW audio books and History Pockets http://www.evan-moor.com/Series.aspx?CurriculumID=7&SeriesID=64 We also read simple/short picture books about different cultures (a lot of SL books). Ds loved the History Pockets. The information provided is just about right for early grade school and it would be easy to add more books for subjects you wanted to learn more about. It's a fun way to introduce dc to topics they will study more about later on. BTW, History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations goes very well with SOTW v1

Never even heard of KISS Grammar. We have used GwG, tho. It is very much "grab n go". Very straightforward & easy to use. Each wkbk page has built-in review of previous lessons. We really liked it. The only reason I'm not using it this year (or probably next) is because we'll be doing NaNoWriMo again, as well as adding in some IEW work. I want to get settled in those before we throw a separate grammar back in.

Carson-Dellosa has some great stuff! I used their stuff all the time when I was teaching preschool.

As a former preschool teacher, I'd say your 6yo is doing just fine. There really is a wide array of "normal" when they're this young. My ds, for instance, knew all his letter sounds by the time he was 3.5, but was not ready to start putting them together in words until around 5. We worked thru about 35 of the 100 Easy Lessons, and while it worked, he just didn't like it. I put it away and just had him read to me everyday - maybe just a couple words, then a couple sentences, then a couple pages. Somewhere along the line, he figured out how to read just by doing it. He's now in 4th grade and reading at about a 5.5-6 grade level. I tell you this just to encourage you not to worry. He'll read when he's ready...and then he may just surprise you! There is a website I've used that gives good assessments for both math and reading if you really want something tangible to show you his level. We have free access thru the alt ed center, but I'm pretty sure you have to pay for it if you're not going thru the school district. Anyway, it's an online assessment, but at the end it'll give you a report showing what the high points are as well as giving suggestions on areas that need more work. http://www.letsgolearn.com If I remember correctly, the Accelerated Reader program also has an assessment when you first begin using it. Again, we get this free thru our district so I'm not sure how it works otherwise. http://www.renlearn.com/ Afraid I'm not being much help. :001_unsure: Here's a link to a free assessment I've used (probably should have started there!) http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/articles/060899.htm It'll at least give you an idea. But, again, it sounds to me like your dc is doing just fine. I wouldn't worry about anything at this point. Just ooh & aah over what he has already accomplished. That's great motivation to learn more! :thumbup:

This conversation is giving me great ideas for jr high/high school and bringing out the curriculum junkie in me! Whew! :chillpill: Ok. Deep breath. I do not need to buy this now. Ds is in 4th grade! Thanks for the tips. I've already bookmarked the resources mentioned in this thread so I can take a closer look at them. I love this forum! :drool5:

I've got nearly everything set. Just waiting to find out the workshop schedule at our alt ed center so I can figure out how to put it all together in a reasonable weekly schedule! We'll be doing Early American History with no particular curriculum - just a bunch of timelines, tons of books and some activities. I bought IEW US History-themed writing to go along with our history studies. We'll continue in Singapore (4A/B) and Kumon math. For science, he's doing a workshop and whatever else he wants to at home. I'm not scheduling anything extra next year. Having a second science curriculum to go thru got to be a bit much at times. It was fun, but hard to get everything done. :tongue_smilie: For writing, ds wants to do NaNoWriMo again http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ so we'll tackle another novel and take a break in December and June to learn how to write various forms of poetry (can't remember the name of the book "Teaching Ten Fabulous Forms of Poetry" or something like that). We'll probably continue with Phonetic Zoo (unless he ends up doing it all this summer -he's really excited about it right now!) and a little cursive practice as well as brushing up on the typing skills. One of his workshops may be English from the Roots Up. For art he'll have workshops and piano lessons. We'll also have a few short books to read and go thru Meet the Great Composers v2. He participates in Accelerated Reader and is working thru Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish. We'll also work thru a low-key health workbook (Health, Nutrition and PE) and continue swimming. I think that about covers it, except he'll be getting a laptop thru the school district next year so he'll take a Laptop Applications workshop and probably Technology, Tools and Toys. How many hours are there in a week? :willy_nilly: Yikes. Well, we don't do everything everyday so it's not as bad as it sounds and he will be in fifth grade.

It's called Phonetic Zoo. We just started using it this week and so far ds and I both love it! It incorporates auditory, visual and kinetic elements and gives the child some independence. He listens to the words on a cd and writes them, then the cd lists the words again, spelling them this time. Ds writes the words again as they're spelled and then checks his list against the correct spellings and marks how many he got correct. There are rules, tips & jingles, sample words and animals that go with each lesson. For example, lesson 1 covers "ai"/"ay" words and the animals on the card are "caiman" and "manta ray". Dc has a smaller card to be used as a reminder of the rule, a reward and a collectible. You can learn more about it on the website, as well as give dc a free placement test to determine which level to begin with. http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/catalog/spelling-1 FYI: Just noted your dc's age. This program is meant to be used for 3rd grade on up, so it might be too challenging for your 7yr just yet.

Ok. That is too funny! :lol: We also have a "marble jar". Ds has a daily check list with his assignments on it. Certain assignments can earn a marble if done with "good effort, good concentration and good attitude". These are mostly things requiring handwriting which he had issues with at the beginning of the year. I helped him write up a proposition to get "Dad's" approval & signature. I marked the jar in 1/4's (it's probably 1.5-2 qts) and at each level he earns something: first mark earns a small toy (usually something he's collecting); second mark earns him the choice of which subject(s) to study the following Friday; third mark is another small toy; filling the jar can earn him a free day, game day or field trip on the following Friday (depending on what's available). He just finished filling his jar and, to my surprise, chose to forgo his free day in favor of adding to his "Go Go's" collection! Go figure!

Glad to help! Know What I Mean?

For ds, at that age, I just left my keyboard out where he had access to it. He played it whenever he wanted (within reason) and explored the different "voices", etc. I figured it was good exposure and I just left it at that until starting him in lessons at age 8. He's done quite well.

:iagree: He's probably just not "there" yet developmentally. And, like a pp said, young boys tend to be "allergic" to pencils. You said he turned 5 in December so he's still pretty young. In school districts around here, that's pre-kindergarten age, not kindergarten. Those few months can make a huge difference at this age. Believe me, I know. My ds started a little early as well (October birthday). While he was ready academically for 1st grade when we started him at the alt ed program, he was not ready for a lot of writing, etc. Some things just take time to develop. It's hard work to develop those fine motor skills; it takes time to build up the stamina and dexterity. For letter "writing" practice, you might have him draw letters in cornmeal, etc. with his finger. That way he's learning how the letters are formed and building up some dexterity. Or try sidewalk chalk on the porch outside (or whatever is available). Things like this will allow him to progress in the writing, but still allows for his developing fine motor skills. And it's way more fun than sitting down at the table with a pencil. You mentioned that he likes to draw. This is a great way to build up writing skills. Does he like mazes or dot-to-dots? Things like that are great for pre-writing skills (as well as critical thinking). Kumon has some great workbooks that address these things. You might also try file folder games. I used lots of these when I was teaching in a pre-k classroom and again, with my son. A Google search will find you lots of ideas. Playing with playdough is actually a good way to strengthen some of those writing muscles, too. Some great books to have on hand for this age are: Scribble Cookies, Kids Create!, and Mudworks. These list all kinds of recipes (goop, playdough...) and activities that are great for this age. You know your ds better than any of us, but from what you describe, IMHO he's not lazy. He's just not quite ready. HTH!

I'm finding this an interesting conversation. I just started using IEW Phonetic Zoo (love it so far!) and have in my possession US History themed writing V1. I'm really looking forward to using it. I think it'll be a good foundation for ds' growing writing skills. Like a pp said, it's a good move from copy work into writing things in your own words. I think I might use it differently than most, maybe, because I'm using it as a supplement to our history studies, not our LA studies. Although, maybe the only difference there is attitude because we will be doing the writing exercises, etc. It's late. I don't know what I'm talking about! :001_unsure: Anyway, if I "read" the program right, it'll be a good start to learning correct writing skills and putting things in your own words, making a great jumping off point into other types of writing. Dunno. We'll see how it goes. And speaking of going...I'm off to bed while I'm still somewhat coherent. These forums are addicting! :blink:

If you do decide to drill with first or second grade pages, I would check to be sure they don't actually say first or second grade on the page. And be careful how you refer to the pages. Make it "addition practice" but not "first grade addition". Just considering the psyche of your 10 yr. old boy. Sounds like he's already frustrated by this; no need to add to it. KWIM? Here's something I ran across that may help: http://www.mrsbogucki.com/aemes/resource/apps/madmath/ http://themathworksheetsite.com/ http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/math-drills-minute.html

I bit the bullet and purchased Phonetic Zoo Level A from IEW. We just did the first lesson today and ds loves it! I've felt like the neglectful teacher because up to this point, we have put precious little effort into learning spelling. However, I have been witness to something amazing...ds told me recently that he wants to learn how to spell things the right way (glad I was sitting down!) :lol: Phonetic Zoo has the philosophy that since spelling is sequential, you need to learn to spell sequentially. They make the point that this happens one letter at a time (paraphrasing) rather than by just looking at a whole word. In other words, when you see a word you take in the whole thing all at once and it can get jumbled around in your brain. When you hear/say it one letter at a time, it gets stored in your brain sequentially, making retrieval much easier. I dunno, but ds scored 11/15 his first time thru lesson 1 today! To study, ds reviews the rule/tip, reads a word, then spells it out loud while he's looking at it. Then he uses a cd which reads each word to him while he writes it down. The cd then goes on (different track) to spell the words correctly. Ds writes the words again as they're being spelled. Then he goes back and checks his own work to see which are correct/not. So in the process (about 15-20 minutes) he's getting all kinds of practice with the rule and the spelling words. There are also "Zoo Cards" that are collected by ds as he goes thru the lessons - each with the rule & sample words. It's pretty fun, actually! You can learn more about it on their website. http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/catalog/spelling-1 Also, just noticing your dd is only 7. I wouldn't stress too much about it just yet. Could be she's just not ready to tackle higher spelling yet. You might consider this program, or something similar tho. I don't have too much experience with ADHD, but Phonetic Zoo uses a combination of audio, visual and kinetic learning. It might keep her engaged. HTH!

I actually quit using the books because I bought the audios for ds and he'd have them totally listened to in like 2 days (one volume at a time). :bigear: Jim Weiss is pretty easy to listen to. He's earned his storyteller reputation. As far as the activity books go, we never really used them. I do know there are a lot of coloring pages and some mapping. If memory serves, there are some other activities listed as well, but, like I said, we never really used more than a few pages from them. Had too many other things going on! :tongue_smilie: BTW, I think it's totally cool what you're doing! I love doing a lit-based study with ds because I get to read all these neat books that I never read when I was growing up! :hurray:

It's not a writing program, per say, but you might check into NaNoWriMo ( http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ ) as a way to encourage your little author. My ds participated this year (well, November) and is thrilled with the results. We are currently in the process of editing his novel for "publication" (on http://www.lulu.com ) They have a workbook you can go thru in preparation of your month of novel writing. It goes over all the story elements, dialog, how to dress things up....It was a great experience and ds has hopes of doing it again next year. I will say, he did this with a class so they were able to do "peer reviews" with excerpts from each others work, but I'm sure there are ways to work around that (have trusted friends read and comment on an excerpt with suggestions or improvements). If you don't want something that involved (and it does monopolize the month of November!) you could just give the kid a notebook and tell him to "go for it!" :D

It's not terribly cheap, but I have another suggestion. The Kumon Math & Reading program (not the workbooks, the actual program). They begin with an assessment and place your child in a level that is fairly easy in order to build speed, accuracy and confidence. The program is designed so that the child moves forward at his own pace, setting goals, and doing repetitions as needed. Concepts build on each other so it becomes a steady, logical progression. There are also awards that can be earned. It is designed to be a long term program, however, not just a "summer" thing. It does work, tho! I used to work in a center - learned tons myself- and now ds attends. He's currently 4th grade, doing Singapore 3B and in Kumon has begun adding fractions. I'm happy! It's to be used as a supplement to your math program, not a full program itself. It might be worth checking to see if there's a program near you. I've found it to be worth the $.

We'll be doing Early American History, using (mainly) the Sonlight reading list, as well as some others (but that's history). If looking for just readers, I would still suggest checking out Sonlight. I've used their reading lists all along and have been very happy with the selections. Having seen (but not yet used) Progeny Press lit guides, I can say that they cover quite a bit of material (vocabulary, reading comp...). I plan to use a couple of those next year. I also have a "Reader's Book Log" which I purchased from Lakeshore Learning for doing "book reports". It offers about 4 or 5 different forms to use (story comparisons, draw & write, basic story info...). We've used this periodically over the last few years for the occasional book report. It only cost around $3.