We skipped the drawing lesson in level C. I found them to be overwhelming and it gave us a chance to make up some ground we had lost after having a new baby. I have found level D to be really easy to teach. I get her started and then she completes the worksheet on her own. Every year I consider switching to another math program, but so far we have stayed the course and have been happy with the results.

I love to dress up for church because it is my only time to dress up all week. I don't care what other people wear. We all dress up for Sunday morning, but are more casual at other church functions. Our church is a real mix of dress up and very casual.

We use it at least three times a week. We have a very small backyard, so we have to make it work in doors. We usually spend about 20 minutes on PE, but it could certainly be as much as you wanted. My kids were hesitant at first, but I think everyone really enjoys it. We wish we had more outdoor space for the final activity. I do think it is easier to implement with a larger family and with kids older than 5. I help play the activities with my three kids.

We have loved it at our house. I have two kids in AAR (pre-level and level 1). I am amazed at how well my son can read almost any cvc word he comes across and we are only about half way through AAR 1. As a parent, it is so nice that everything is right there and you don't have to come up with anything on your own. I created my own reading program for my oldest before AAR was out, but this is so much easier.

This is what I assume as well because we carefully sort and only wash like materials. I also hand wash bras, but we seem to get the small holes on most of our t-shirts right at the waist. The friction of the jeans on the thin t-shirts is the only thing we can figure.

Just saw this thread. I tried the free route with my oldest and I was not happy with the results. We found AAR with my next two and it has been worth every cent.

I always recommend a school visit. You can really pick up a lot from visiting classrooms and asking questions. What are the kindergarteners working on in class at this point of the year? What work do you see displayed? What is the climate of the school? I would be really concerned that the average public school could adequately meet the needs of a child working two years ahead. Definitely find out about the gifted program. In my district, it is a pull-out program and the kids are only involved for an hour a day, but every district has different ways of meeting the needs of the gifted. You might also want to consider private school if you don't think that homeschooling is a viable option. In my area many of the private schools are a year ahead of the public schools. Of course, that might not be the case in your area, but I would definitely check into that as well.

We really enjoy Five in a Row at that age. The books are great and you can decide how many of the activities you want to complete.

I was just coming to post the same link. I found them this weekend and have watched several. So glad that they are free.

My 2nd grader has just started AAS 2. I had planned on using AAS to make sure we didn't have any gaps in her phonics. I am wondering if AAR 2 would be a good investment or if it would really be redundant if we are already doing AAS. I looked at the samples of AAR 2 and I am just not sure. I wonder if AAR 2 might be too easy for her. She went through Progressive Phonics and Funnix. Any thoughts?

This is what we are currently working on: AAS 2 Funnix 2 Readers from Reading A-Z FLL 2 WWE 1 HWOT Rightstart C (we also working on Singapore 1st grade) RS4K Biology SOTW Atelier Art Evan Moore Geography Lots of read alouds FIAR with younger siblings

Have you tried searching on Youtube? There are many RS game videos. It has helped me a ton in the past when I couldn't figure out how to play a game. Hope that helps!

History is my 2nd grader's favorite part of our school day. I am pretty sure it is because of the CDs. She just loves them. His voice doesn't bother us at all. I also love it because it is one thing I don't have to read during school. I just sit back and relax. I especially love it because he knows how the pronunce all the names correctly, not sure I would be able to do that.

I use the blank top paper on Donna Young's website. Works great! My daughter loves DWN.

So true. We have the same battle at our house. No words of wisdom, but I do totally understand.

I would go with Level A at that age. We really debated starting B in Kindergarten, but decided to go with Level A. I think it was a great decision. We loved both years and didn't feel that it was too slow.

If your new to RightStart, then I would buy the basic kit. Many of the items are used again at the subsequent levels. The program is so hands-on that I don't think you will feel like something was a waste of your money. I bought the basic kit for A & B then by level C I only bought the TM and worksheets. At that point, I was familiar enough with the program that I knew I could make due with less. You definitely need the RS abacus because it is different than some I have seen from other companies. Hope that helps! It is a great program, worth every penny.

We were invited to a church VBS when I was in elementary school. My family attended the Friday evening service and my mom was impressed enough to take us to the church following Sunday morning. She still attends the church nearly 30 years later. We would have never heard about the church if members had not canvased our neighborhood inviting kids to come. I will always have a special place in my heart for VBS because I saw the huge impact it had in the lives of my family.

I would be careful comparing schedules with children in public school. The system is completely different. When I was a public school teacher I never felt that I had enough time with the kids because we had so much to cover. Looking back I realize how much time is wasted going to specials, recess, waiting in line for the bathroom, etc. The teachers can't cover as much ground in the same time you have because they have so many children of different abilities levels to teach. I would bet that we accomplish more in two hours a day than most children in public school accomplish in seven hours a day. In addition, realize that your child is always the one on the spot at home. In a school classroom, a child can daydream or be off-task without being noticed because the teacher is busy working with other students. I realize sometimes how much more my daughter is having to produce because she is the only student I have to teach. I belive in rigor, but not at the cost of a love for learning. I was part of a system for too long that sucked the wonder and enthusiasm of learning right out of the kids. I hope not to replicate that in my own homeschooling. Finding that balance isn't easy, but it is definitely a worthy goal.

It was with Amazon directly.

In May, I ordered from CBD, Rainbow Resources, and Amazon all on the same day. The CBD and RR orders came so quickly, but my Amazon order didn't come until about three days later. I am thinking that RR is really trying to improve their shipping times. I don't know if I am the only one with this experience, but I thought I would share my latest ordering experience. I was really impressed with CBD and RR.

One of my favorites. When I was teaching I made up a chart to help the kids keep up with the characters and clues. I can't remember what it looked like exactly, but it seemed to help keep up with all the details.

We roughly spend about 2 hours a day four days a week on 1st grade. We will work about two days a week during the summer as well. Here goes: Language Arts (Reading, Writing, Spelling, Handwriting, and Grammar) 1 hour Math 30 minutes History and geography 15 minutes (we alternate these) Science 15 minutes (not daily) Bible 10 minutes

Reading A-Z and their other sites are $10 off until June 8th. Hope that helps someone.

We read it when I was teaching in public school. My kids absolutely loved that book. It has been years since I read it so I can't remember any specifics except for it being really popular with my elementary kiddos.