Who loves Saxon Math? I want to hear from you, please. :bigear:

Most of the classical private schools in my area use Saxon...usually Saxon k in PreK, Saxon 1 in kindergarten and so forth. CC, Veritas, Good Books and most of the other programs (classical mostly) highly recommend Saxon math. When I look at this program, I think of it as a "slow death." I like scripted and some might think, boring programs (TYCR 100 ez lessons, OPGTR ...love it) so I wonder if I just misunderstand this program. I just do not want my preK daughter doing an hour of math....or even when she is in kindergarten. 1. Am I wrong? 2. Do so many homeschool and private school programs use it because it produces better test scores? 3. Or do the organizations just get an amazing price on this....or an amazing commission? 4. If you love Saxon, preach to me the good news of Saxon? I might be a convert.:lol: 5. Can you share with me a range on how far ahead your child is with test scores? 1 year, 1.5 year etc. 6. What makes this program work for your child?

Whichever curriculum you stick to especially for reading:001_smile: -With my son, it was TYCR100Ez lessons -with my daughter, I really LOVE OPGTR with the flash cards, CD and magnetic board. I am not sure if I would like it as much without the extras. For me, a curriculum is boring if I am not enthusiastic about it. I bring in stuffed animals, puppets, writing in shaving cream (salt) and a sense of humor while teaching my kiddos. Sometimes I need a break until I have "an attitude adjustment". I try to remember the last part of the poem "perservere": "The man who travels a mile each day will get around the world at last."

Reading eggs as a supplement after strong phonics instruction

The Child's Book of Virtues The 20th century story book collection Dr. Seus anything The Beatrix Potter Collection Eric Carle anything Richard Scarry anything As you can tell, I have younger kids.

I have the same question. My husband is from Puerto Rico. I would love it if there was a book like TYCR 100 easy lessons or OPGTR in Spanish. Since my husband is spanish speaking, he would not have trouble reading the instructions. Just something open and go...short, sweet lessons.

Thank you for this common sense advice! You just freed me up to make mistakes, succeed and be human:001_smile:

Wow, thank you for this great idea. duuh...:lol:

I would love to buy cursive sandpaper letters...but they are so expensive. I do not trust my craft skills. Buying both upper and lower case can cost over $100 with shipping.

I am so glad to read a REAL homeschool moms opinion on the matter. That makes complete sense to me. I like the idea of cursive first since it is getting the hardest a part "over with" when they are young and can barely rember the pain of the process:lol:...but I do not want to set up my dd for failure. Really what appeals to me is italics....but then the whole, I cannot read grandmas note or original historic documents.

If you taught cursive first, did you have any regrets (patience, developmental readiness, preparation etc)? Do you wish you waited (or started earlier)? When did you start (4,5,6 or 7 years old)? If you had a preK/kindergarten child, how would you start teaching cursive (sandpaper letters, writing in salt or just go for it)? How much time a day would you spend on handwriting for a 4-5 year old (5 minutes)? Any words of caution or advice?

Any favorite kindergarten books you want to add to the list?

Love all of these ideas! Please add more -Jewelers loupe 5x and an extra jewelers loupe to stack to give 10x - Tangoes junior http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Tangoes-USA-JRT001-Jr/dp/B000F6RWW8/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1333544498&sr=1-3

I've "after schooled", but 2012-2013 will be my first year of homeschooling my preK/kindergatener. I would like to start a homeschool supply/ "nice to have" list for new homeschoolers. Please add to this list One of my sweet friends introduced me to the following items: -Crayola Dry Erase Actity Center http://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Dry-Erase-Activity-Center/dp/B00125V99S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333506142&sr=8-1 -Cuisenaire Rods: http://www.amazon.com/CUISENAIRE-RODS-SMALL-GROUP-155/dp/B001AZ6W7E/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1333506260&sr=1-3 -Workboxes for organizing my day to day homeschool

What do you think of having him illustrate a scene from the book under the title and author? It might be a precious keepsake...also a chance to improve comprehension.

This is what I am thinking about. I would love the flip top desk but this will work, I think. I am only homeschooling 1 of 2. We might make it 2 for 2 someday but who knows. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/atq/2927598814.html

I noticed that a lot of the homeschool moms "do school" on kitchen tables, floor, dining room tables etc. While after schooling my son, I do the same. I want to start pre-writing with my daughter and cursive with my son. From the sites that teach good handwriting, I notice that they recommend a child's desk so that the child's feet can be firmly planted on the floor. That their arm is at a 90 degree angle etc. Do you use a school desk for handwriting? Do you have any suggestions? What do you use? I am thinking about buying an old school desk that the chair is attached ( with a lift top). For those that own an old school house desk, do your kids use it? Or is it a complete waste of money? thoughts?

Cycle 1...I am starting with. K4 child. I am planning on going to one of the 1 day practicums to get "up to speed". Have you registered? Spots fill up in some areas really quickly. You may also see if your area CC has a yahoo group that you can join. I signed up so that I can go to some of the social events over the summer to meet some of the moms and learn more before school starts. The items for foundations and essentials are on the site's bookstore for CC. You may also want to purchase the audio CDs to play in the car.

I taught ds to read with TYCR 100 easy lessons. We did hit a wall where my son got upset when I corrected him (very tense). I decided to bring some levity by using his stuffed animal as my teacher assistant ( the one to correct). After that, we went through Webster's syllabary, played Reading Eggs....In private school they are reviewing with A beka (this year). We are skipping through OPGTR to fill in any holes. I 100% agree with one of the posts that suggests sticking with 1 program. We did that with TYCR and now OPGTR (of course with a beka since he is in private school). This year I am teaching my daughter to read with OPGTR. I really enjoy it because it is so gentle with tons of review. I am using a puppet to teach about half the time since she is so young.HTH

I am looking into a workbook set that is "open and go." Deveoping the Early Learner claims that this workbook works on skills that can help raise your child's IQ...which makes me skeptical :glare: It looks like Rod and Staff Preschool ABC is inexpensive, easy for the parent and the kids enjoy it. Any thoughts on both workbooks? Is there any difference in the books except for price? Any other recommendations for a workbook/curriculum that you LOVED?

:) duplicate

When I hit a wall with reading instruction, my son would get upset when I corrected him. I used his stuffed puppy to be my teaching assistant. Puppy would correct mistakes which made everything much less stressful. I guess using a stuffed animal or puppet is similar to AAR pre-level with the Zebra puppet. The magic is not in the puppet but the light hearted manner of teaching. For Math, I am starting Miquon which is more play/ discovery based math. HTH

Thank you

I know on one of the threads (that I cannot find) had a link to an introduction worksheets for cuisenaire rods. I have Miquon, but I want to start with a gentle intro. Please send me the link if you know where it is :) Thank you!

:)