WWE = Writing With Ease :) It took me awhile to get these down too.

As a mother of two littles, I have not yet seen a child through this stage and reflected back on it, but if it's ok, I'd love to toss in a few of my own "cents". I have huge respect for SWB, JW, their experiences and their philosophies, so please don't consider this recounting of my personal experiences with lectures anything other than that. I'm a second generation home-schooler, one of the "first" really. My mother was questioned, harshly judged and sometimes outright maligned for homeschooling us in a rural southern town the 80's and into the 90's. She used Abeka, and that was about all that was available to her in the format of a curriculum - the Classical movement was in the near future when I graduated and went on to college. Through my high school years I was basically self-sufficient. I read my materials, studied for the GED, SAT, etc. alone. I'm naturally a visual learner, but my musical studies sharpened my ears to subtleties. I didn't "hear" a lecture until I was a college freshman, enrolled with 150 others in an American History course that was basically lecture only. My lack of "training" didn't seem to make a perceptible difference in my abilities to take notes. As the semesters went by I got better, but it was really a matter of learning to organize information gained in a lecture. I graduated Cum Laude and finished my MM studies with a 4.0, for what it's worth. So, as I said, this is only personal experience, but I'm hoping that perhaps it will allow some of you to tell yourself "don't sweat the small stuff :), it's learning to love learning that matters most".

Our first true trial year - I'm hoping to be disciplined enough to handle a 1st grader and a pre-K/Ker as well as a 3/4 load private music studio. Fingers crossed! Here's what I have planned so far: Math: Singapore A/B History: SOTW 1 Grammer: FLL 1/2 (finish 1 move on to 2) HWT: Cursive (she only wants to write if it's cursive:001_unsure:) Writing: WWE 1 Science: Bill Nye, Magic School Bus, Gardening, DK Complete Human Body Spelling: finishing Spelling Workout A now, may go on to B or try AAS Phonics: continue to review the trickier phonograms, read aloud 20 minutes or more a day Literature: Read aloud classic chapter books (E.B. White, Dahl, etc), use What Your ___er Should Know and What To Read When as references. Music: (Piano) Music Tree 3, Masterwork Classics 1/2 then 3, Piano Etudes Book 1 from Frances Clark Library, Composer of the month, etc... Swimming at the Y and Dance (her choice of style) Oh, how I wish I could see into the future to know what fits and what doesn't!

Thanks so much! I was hoping all that is necessary is the HIG. Have any of you switched from Saxon to Singapore? I noticed some forum threads discussing switching from Singapore to Saxon later (at middle school?). Is this generally successful?

Do I really need the "Teacher's Guide"? I find myself balking at the price. :001_smile: DD is wishing for something more "colorful" (her words) than Saxon and Singapore seems promising. I don't know much about it, but want to learn. Comments welcome.

My daughter (who turned six last month) still occasionally reverses letters and numbers. She's also a leftie, and from what I've read, it's particularly common with left handed writers. A few times late last fall (after intensive writing work) she would write an entire (short) sentence as a mirror image. She's suddenly showing a lot of enthusiasm for learning cursive, and since she's started, we haven't had any more reversals. In short, it seems to be normal and I *think* it eventually goes away. :) (think of it this way, how many adults do you see reversing their numbers and letters?)

Along with dozens upon dozens of high quality picture books, since late last summer when my kiddos were 5 and 3 we've read: Story Books: Little House in the Big Woods Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter Winnie the Pooh My Father's Dragon Just So Stories Various "Classics" in other genres: Tales of Virtue Aesop's Fables (for Children) Manners Can Be Fun How to Speak Politely and Why Fairy Tales in their original formats Paddle to the Sea We're currently reading: The Sandburg Treasury Little House on the Prairie The Little Prince

FWIW - We're living in our first home with a formal foyer. We find that a foyer is nice to have. Particularly when someone drops by for a quick whatever because they don't have to come (or get to peek) into your home. That's one of my favorite things about ours. Also, ours opens into three separate spaces - the dining room, library and the stairs feed into our foyer. It's nice to be able to direct traffic rather than having it all flow into the same space. Enjoy building your dream home!

I'm far from expert, but we're on our second round now, so I can say that it was perfectly effective with simply the workbook. We did get the teacher's manual for pre-k and K (they're practically identical) and didn't re-order the teacher's book for 1st-2nd. One benefit of having the teacher's manual is that there's a template for the wood block shapes. I used the template to made paper shapes out of cardstock. We also made our own MatMan (and Mat Ma'am!). The kids had fun with this, but it didn't seem to make a significant difference. It's a great program and, with a reluctant writer who is also a leftie, I'm so glad we used it from the start.

teaching this age group requires various activities per class (as I have no doubt you know!), so perhaps a read-aloud followed by a physical activity that might coordinate with the read aloud (marching to a Mozart march or dancing to a Mozart minuet, acting out the various instruments, clapping rhythms, etc) For the Pre-K and K crowd, these are great read-alouds Play, Mozart, Play! The Maestro Plays Zin! Zin! Zin! http://www.classicsforkids.com/ is a great resource (including some lesson plans) Good luck!

It's so difficult to balance the needs of two and painful when you end up lopsided. Especially when your heart is equally full of love for both. Maybe you simply needed to vent, as many of us do, but if you're looking for possible solutions here's my "two cents": Does he play an instrument? It's a naturally lonely thing to do, but immensely satisfying intellectually. He could focus some time on mastering exercises and new pieces each day as you work with your eldest. "Full disclosure" as they say: I am a musician and professional music teacher, and this sounds (theoretically) like an ideal situation in which a talent could bloom.

For piano, try My First Piano Adventures by Faber and Faber (published by FJH). It comes with a fun CD for the student to play along with and it provides a solid foundation (there are three books in the series, leading up to level 1 of the elementary books). The website also provides lesson video guides. http://pianoadventures.com/myfirst/ Good luck! :)

I second the votes for Music Ace, Music Tree and Faber and Faber books (Try My First Piano Adventures, it comes with a CD to play along with and is lots of fun) if your child likes to move quickly and isn't overstimulated by bright colors. For the more studious, go for Music Tree. Be aware of the different approaches to teaching reading. Music Tree teaches your child to read intervallically (it creates strong, confident readers). Piano Adventures uses an eclectic approach (a combination of middle c position and intervallic reading). In the end, the most important part of learning music is consistent practice and support. I'm a piano teacher by training (Bachelor in Performance and MM in Piano Pedagogy) and use Music Tree for my daughter and recommend it for the most serious (meaning personality, not potential) students. Hope this helps! Here's a link to the schedule I used with my 5yr old for the first book of the Music Tree series. I'll be posting the schedule for Part 1 eventually. If you want to see it, let me know and I'll post it soon. http://www.joyfullynoisy.net

My sister-in-law recommended this book to me in the spring shortly after my daughter turned 5. I had tried to interest her in Alpha-Phonics (because we already had it) and she didn't want to have much to do with it. She was already reading Bob Books (set 2). So I gave in and ordered 100 EZ. We started at lesson 20 or so in 100 EZ and she really enjoyed it. The saving grace was the story and picture at the end of each lesson. It was a reward for the hard work of drilling. After finishing 100 EZ she, of course, had plenty to learn so we completed Alpha Phonics in 4 weeks(!) and now we're working through Phonics Pathways (beginning at page 57 and 145, simultaneously reading a page or two a day from each part). We could skip the drills and stick to stories, but I like to know I'm filling all holes and enjoy the regular drilling. She still misses the stories from 100 EZ. That's our story. It worked well for us primarily because of the silly stories.

http://books.coreknowledge.org/home.php?cat=314 This might work.

I have the What Your Kindergartner (and Preschooler and First grader...) Needs to Know book and really enjoy reading it aloud to my children. Did you know that the "Sequence" that is included in the $199 kit is free on the website? Also offered for free on the website are tons of lesson plans. Since the majority of what is included in the Core Knowledge sequence at this level is general knowledge, I have to say that I think you can get an equal, if not better, education out of weekly visits to the public library (better illustrations, more interest led, etc) for considerably less that $599.00.

For what it's worth: I was wondering the same thing, so we just went on. The 1st grade book picks up where the K book left off, though it moves a little faster so we're going more slowly (just a page a day, vs. 3). I'm supplementing with printed out sheets from the website for any letters she's having difficulty forming.

Thanks for the suggestions! We love Dr. Seuss. :) By Pathways do you mean Phonics Pathways or Reading Pathways or something else?

Hello, all! My dd, 5 is a week away from completing Alpha-Phonics. She completed 100 EZ last month and I'm wondering what to do next. She's reading quite well, but still doesn't seem to feel completely independent, so I'd like to keep up a methodical reading "lesson" a day. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Though I don't know you or your family, in my own experience, part of following Dave's plan requires a bit of pride on your part. Be proud of what you're doing and expect others NOT to understand. Skipping wedding #2 might be part of standing our ground and being proud (in a healthy way) of the way you and your family are choosing to live your life. Also, seeing you stand your ground on an important issue -no matter what others might say about it- is a great example of character for your children to follow. Good luck.

My children love The Funny Little Woman, by Arlene Mosel and Kogi's Mysterious Journey adapted by Elizabeth Partridge.

:iagree: Yes!

As a music teacher myself, I would recommend that you (not in order of importance): 1. Ask for an interview, 2. Be sure to get an official studio policy, 3. Check out any available website before calling (often studio policies and prices are posted on a website), look for professional affiliations (music teacher's national association, etc) and education (at least a BM in music, better yet, a MM in pedagogy or education!) 4. Attend a recital of current students (we're nearing the time for Winter Recitals...) 5. Watch for the way the teacher communicates with your child. 6. Be willing to pay at least a little extra for a well educated teacher. A GOOD teacher spends much more time teaching your child than just the lesson time-slot. He/she will spend time researching repertoire, preparing the lesson plan, reviewing his/her own performance during lessons, etc. 7. Read Developing Talent in Young People Best of luck!

Check out http://www.mtblanco.com. One of my first "jobs" was working for Uncle Joe (his niece is my best friend) and I'll never forget the natural science education I received as a result. He has published several books (I don't know how kid friendly they are, sorry), but it might be worth a look. Good luck!