Thank you!

Any other suggestion then?

I think it was my post you where referring too. I am the product of learning to read by sight reading and that is the reason I want my son to learn phonics. I think I would have been better served learning to read with phonics. I am a highly visual learner and I can see big similarities in my son’s learning style and my learning style. I have always been a slower reader and spelling was always one of my worst subjects. I was such a visual learner that in high school, college and professional school, I rarely learned very much during lectures. I don’t absorb information well by just listening to it in class or talking it over. I always had to spend a lot of time reading and looking at my notes processing it. I would even wright things out over and over when I wanted to memorize something. It didn’t stop me from graduating for professional school, but I know I had to put in a lot more hours studying with my notes and books than my peers did. I am already seeing my son learning words though sight, despite having a basic knowledge of phonics. Since, his learning style seems so similar to mine I want him to have the advantage of having a good foundation in phonics. I am hoping by him listening to the sounds of letters and words he will be developing pathways in his brain that will make it easier for him to learn using his auditory sense. In fact we originally, exposed him to the Leap Frog Phonics videos in an effort to improve his pronunciation, which was lagging behind some of his preschool peers. His pronunciation has improved since watching those videos. So, I do think phonics helps him focus more on listening. Hopefully that will help him as he advances to the higher grade levels. I am going back and forth between Headsprout and Explode the Code. And haven't decided which one to pursue yet.

I am still looking at Headsprout, but we let my DS play around on the sample lessons on Explode the Code and he seemed to enjoy that website. And, it is much more reasonably priced. I think I will let him do the trial lessons on Headsprout as well. If Headsprout heads to site words quickly, I think I am leaning toward the Explode the Code. He already seems to be picking new words up by site. I do want him to have a good understanding of phonics.

I want to find a fun program for him to work with. My DS is 4 and loves reading, but we haven't started any formal reading program with him. He has some basics of phonics and knows some site words. He has progressed and can read most 3-4 letter words and books like "Are you my mother" But, he learned the phonics and site words from Leap Frog and Meet the Site Word videos and the Starfall website. I want him to learn to read with phonics and get a good foundation in reading. I learned to read by sight and I have never been a very fast reader and was terrible at spelling in grade school. So, I definately want him to have a good understanding of phonics. I was looking at Exlore the Code, but he isn't really writing yet. So, maybe we should hold off on that. I have also heard good things about the book "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 lessons". But, I think a online more interactive program might hold his interest the best. I will have to check out Click N Read site. This is my first real stab at homeschooling. I don't want him to develop any bad habits, so I want to start a more formal program and I want the learning to be fun.

Anyone use this website? It is expensive but looks like something my DS would like.

My DS just turned 4 and is reading at a early reader level. He will be attending K4 at a Catholic school next year. They don’t really seem to push academics much, which is fine. I don't think they even touch on letter sound until K5. I think the school is the right place for his emotional and spiritual growth. The school goes thought grade 8 and has a good academic reputation. But, I need to keep my DS stimulated; he can already read books with us like “Are You My Motherâ€. My DH and I both work long hours both due to our profession and owning our own business. I never pictured myself homeschooling, but my DS needs more stimulation than I think his school will provide in the next two years. He loves to read. But, our time to work with him is limited. So, we need programs or activities where each of lessons are not too long time-wise or in which the lessons are more child driven like a computer website where I can be nearby do other things and assist him as needed. I am at a loss of where to go next with him. And, I never thought I would be homeschooling him. But, here I am. LOL. My DS is very inquisitive and up until now we have had a pretty laid back approach to his learning. We started each reading to him every night, when he was around 6-9 months old. He had mastered letter recognition, counting and number recognition, all directed by his own interest by age three. At age 3, he had memorized all his daycare friend’s names and could “read†them to us. He would also go around saying things like R is for Robert, J is for Joey, P is for Parker, M is for Mommy. His pronunciation lagged behind his peers, which is in part I believe due to chronic ear infections from 6-12 months old. So, I thought exposing him to phonics would help with his pronunciation and also thought that he was ready for a new challenge. We bought him some Leap Frog DVDs. After one week of watching the first one he knew all his letter sounds. A week or two later he was trying to sound out words. We also bought him some Meet the Sight Word videos, he mastered all those quickly too! His pronunciation has improved, as we had hoped. He likes figuring out how to spell some simple words, like cat, cow, duck. He likes when we quiz him and he quizzes us. I really think he thinks he will trip us up. It is pretty funny. So, that is where we are now. We read with him every night. Sometimes he wants to try to read most of the books, sometimes he is tired and we just read to him. I feel that we need to help fill in the holes for him. He really enjoys reading. He is a very visual learner, just like me. I want him to have a firm grasp on phonics and not just sight reading. The other concern we have with him is his manual dexterity. I believe he lags behind some of his peers in this regard. We have started working with him on the Kumon cutting, tracing and coloring books. And, I just bought him some Crayon Rocks, hoping to improve his grip and strength for writing instruments. I have thought about buying Handwriting without Tears. His daycare’s K4 uses the program, but he will not be going there next year. It looks like a pretty good program. As, you can see I am thoroughly confused and never pictured myself homeschooling my son, but I can’t deny him the chance to keep learning. What programs would be good for him? What books would be appropriate?