I'll keep at it, then. I was really concerned that my boys would figure out a way to circumvent practicing the material they didn't want to do. We'll keep going and hope it sticks. Thanks again!

Thanks for the suggestions. They strike me as programs that allow the child to select what they want to do rather than what they need to work on and improve. Am I correct in this observation? If so, is there something that allows the parent to decide what the child's drills are focused on? Thanks

Hi, I lurk here every once in a while. Based on advice from various sources, I enrolled my two boys (both currently 4th graders) into Kumon Math, and they've been in it since May. I wanted to try it because they are behind the 8-ball and because trolling the internet for worksheets became such a time-consuming event I couldn't sustain. I pay $220 for both just to do math, and they're not getting anywhere. They're still on double digit addition. Should I pull them out? or is it still too early to judge? I came across a similar online program called mindsprinting.com. Any thoughts on that as a replacement? At $100 per year for both boys to do math is a significant savings. Anything thoughts would be really helpful. Thanks.

I'll keep with the Original Parents guide and pick up with material that's new to them. I had thought to work in the newspaper with a hope that the relevancy of the material to life would make reading more interesting. There are so many parts to the Sunday paper. It's not all high level reading. I'll continue with the library trips. I hadn't thought about graphic novels and comic books to0 much, but you're right. Reading is reading. I'll lighten up on that stuff and help the kids pick out age appropriate materials. Thanks for the feedback and your support!

Hi, everyone. I was wondering if I can get some thoughts on whether I should formally afterschool (more like weekend-school) reading. Both of my guys are in the first grade. The kids need to read at a level H (on an A to Z scale) by June; 2nd grade starts at level I. This scale is part of the Scholastic reading program. One of my guys is already reading at level H. The other is reading at level E, so a little behind. A couple of key differences, among other things, that distinguishes level E from H is fluency and being able to recognize the role of the punctuations used. I just received the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. I was flipping through it and wondered whether or not I should be fortifying reading via this formalized method. Or whether I should just encourage practice. One of the things I plan to start soon is reading the Sunday paper together. Since we have so little time to afterschool, I thought I'd address many different subjects all at one time. I can hit on reading, geography, history, world events, art, literature, you get the idea. Do you think this would be enough? Or do you think a formalized approach would be better? I'm concerned about recognizing the need for remedial learning too late. Thoughts? Thank you! Molly.

Rosie, thanks! Lots of great ideas. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening going through the site.

Hi, everyone. I really want to afterschool my boys. They are both first graders. As anyone who has tried to sit down with first grade boys can tell you, it's a monumental task to get them to do their homework. The homework that the school says should take them 15 minutes actually takes them an hour or more. Every mom with a boy in their first grade says that their sons take the same amount of time. The girls seem to be operating more closely to the 15 minute standard. Anyway, I digress.... I really need help on the math front. I started them on Math Whizz, which some here have suggested. It's pretty great but the guys are bored to death with it (after two weeks). They're not paying attention to the lessons and just clicking their way through to do what they have to do to get "credit" to play the silly arcade games at the end. They're completely missing the point. I've tried offering rewards but they're not biting. If I gave them Kumon worksheets, they'd see that as punishment. Any thoughts on how I should re-jigger my approach? Maybe trying to do it afterschool and homework is too much? Thoughts? Suggestions? THank you!

Thanks for your response, Breann. I'm concerned though that weekends only is not enough. In addition, our schedule on the weekends is really erratic, preventing any sense of regularity. I just signed up both of my guys on Mathwhizz. I'm pretty happy with it so far. I'm setting a time limit on it so that they keep wanting to come back for more. Seems to be working so far (knock on wood!). Any thoughts on something similar for reading comprehension? Thanks again to you all!

My MIL helps the kids with their homework now. There's a limit to what she can do so I'd like for some type of PC or internet program that could allow for some level of self-directed afterschooling, especially if they're going to be drills and such like Kumon is. Ideally, I'd like something similar for language arts and other subjects too if you know of any. My guys are both in the first grade. My goal is to build their confidence in doing the work that they'd see in school so that they better absorb the new concepts being taught, rather than spending the learning time trying to understand the fundamentals. Teacher access? Assuming I'm the "teacher" I'd like to see what their progress is, but I'm not that picky at this point. In the meantime, I'm going to research the ones both of you suggest to see what works for us. Thank you for your help! What a stress reliever it is to have your help!

Hello, I am new to this board and to "afterschooling." In fact, I haven't even started yet. Primarily because I'm having trouble finding time to do it. Before school is out. The kids are just not early birds. It would be cruel and unusual punishment. After school is also out; I'm at work. After work is no go because I'm getting dinner ready. After dinner...well, they're toast after that, and frankly, so am I. I want to do Kumon, but I can't justify the cost for what they offer. I read an article in my local paper about a Kumon-like company that uses Enablemath. Has anyone heard of them? It sounds like a computer based Kumon that the kids could do in the afterschool hours before I come home from work. Was wondering if anyone has used them or heard of them and can offer some thoughts on whether they'd work out for my situation. I'm also interested in any type of independent computer-based learning like this for language arts as well, if you can offer any advice. Thanks for the input. PS: If any working parents who afterschool have any tips and advice on how to implement an afterschool plan, I'd love to hear from you.