thanks for the input - will have to ponder. the rising 4th picked up all of the basics on the first lesson of each and doesn't need 45 lessons of each; however, the rising 2nd does need the repetition! lol.

jumping in with a long-time lurker question... thoughts on Rod & Staff vs First Language Lessons for grammer? for 2nd & 4th grades.

just a newbie chiming in... i have a science and math background and one of the biggest things that helped me through school was learning simply the first 17 elements to the tune of.. "H He LiBeB CNOF NeNa MgAl SiPS Chlorine" read like ... h he le-bib kah-noff nina mcgal sips chlorine.... this was one of those super easy jingles (was originally taught to an older generation in bio type classes) that often sticks... for what it's worth! :)