Oh Elizabeth, yes my signature was old! Yikes, very old! I updated it. This issue if for my now 8 year old. I am doing some of the enrichments, but not all of them. I do think she just needs more exposure to the words. I'm going to take the suggestion and just study the materials more and try to organize myself. I'm feeling overwhelmed with the program, but that may be more my issue than hers. Honestly, I'm just not sure what the issue is, but praying I can get to the bottom of it. She does have a rare but mild issue with her eyes, but I'm not sure the optometrist described as "tricky" and he wasn't sure he found the solution. She has a prescription and doesn't wear her glasses because she claims it doesn't make a difference, but it makes sense to make her wear them especially in light of this issue. She didn't see a developmental optometrist, so that is something to look into also. Thank you for the wonderful ideas and encouragement!

Thanks for that link. Working memory is certainly an area that could use improvement.

She knows all the phonograms pretty well and we do the dictation and analyzing but it doesn't seem to sink in, so it seems to fall back to memorization. A lot of it is my teaching, I'm sure.

My daughter attended 1st grade last year and they used SWR. We are continuing with that this year at home, but nothing seems to be sinking in. She can memorize the lists for a test, but in writing her spelling is atrocious, often missing words she has already learned and quickly forgetting the words from just last week. She is not a natural speller, and I am not handling the teaching side well either. I have level 1 of AAS and am considering switching to that program. Would that be a smooth transition? Any other recommendations?

Wow, Benjamin is getting tons of love! It is a strong classic name, so we don't feel like we can go wrong with that. That's probably where we'll end up with the least amount of bickering. I know Dexter is a serial killer, but I don't worry about that too much because he won't always be. We tend to associate names with different things, but those associations change along the way. I've never seen the show, but DH has and still doesn't mind using the name. Still thinking on that. Hmmm....Hadn't thought of the Cooper rhyming thing.... I didn't realize Emerson was such a girls name! That's something to consider as well. Thanks for all the input!

I am due any date with a boy....and we have little idea on what to name him. I have a list a mile long, and DH has a few names but we can't agree. Here are the 4 names that were on both lists. Can you help us choose? If it matters, our daughter is Ava, son is Harrison and our last name begins with R. Thanks for voting!

Thanks so much! We just ordered it. So many of the episodes will go great for our eclectic science this year (1st grade).

5.5 year old DD doesn't like to read. Lots of complaining and whining takes place at reading time. We are currently using OPGTR, but looking at Spell to Write and Read and Phonics Road for next year. Are those good choices for a reluctant reader? Are they too much work and no fun? Which is more fun?

Consider hiring an live-in au pair! I was an au pair in Spain to a Spanish family. I spoke only English to them, and their English was beautiful! From a very young age, they always had English speaking aupairs in their home to speak English with their children. It worked! The father spoke English (Oxford educated), but I don't know how much they spoke in the house when an au pair wasn't there b/c Mom didn't speak English. I was paid just over $100 a week (10 years ago), and all food was provided. I "worked" just a few hours a day which was mostly play and help with their school tutoring. During my off time, I could take classes, explore the city, etc. I think it was the perfect solution for everyone. Of course, it takes a special family to accept a stranger into their home to welcome as a family member. I really want to hire a Spanish speaking au pair, but we just don't have an extra bedroom for her. If you can arrange it, it can be a great experience!

We are currently using OPGTR, and it's going OK, but I'm thinking of switching to a more in depth phonics program. Do you know how PR compares to Spell to Write and Read? They both seem to be strong fundamentally, but how are they alike and different? I like that OPGTR doesn't require any planning, but I am ready to commit to some planning (not too much!). DD isn't crazy about reading, and while she can blend words well, each word is still ch-u-r-ch. Our lessons are taking a long time in OPGTR b/c I don't think things are sinking in, and tears are present often. :( I am starting to work with a friend who is a reading specialist to help me make things more fun with games, but I also want to be thorough. Thanks for your help and advice!

Right now we are reading right out of the book most of the time, but DD is incredibly bored with phonics/reading so we are looking for some new ideas. I like the white board with colored markers idea. I will often write the sentence out on a paper and have DD read it then draw a picture to match.

So less than an hour a week? I don't love watching videos and have a heard time finding the time without the kids around, so this is a major factor for us. Thanks so much!

I'm just learning about Phonics Road. We'd be doing Year 1. Do I understand right that the parent/teacher watches a video before teaching the material? How often do you watch the videos and how long are they? Thanks!

Lots of good ideas, thanks. We certainly don't plan on writing a few checks and being done with it. I do want a season of giving, so we'll use some of your ideas....regardless of what we decide to do with the gifts.

I agree that giving year round has a greater impact than a one time thing, but we do lots of year round giving and serving and want to do more.If we completely took away all of Christmas with no fun or excitement, I could see that backfiring, but I just don't see how one year of thinking ONLY of others could be a bad thing. I don't think kids need to receive presents on Christmas to imagine what a difference a gift of food can make to a starving child or how much they can bless someone else by giving up something they love. Plus, my kids receive plenty of gifts year-round, and on their birthdays...and I'm sure they'll still receive a gift or two this Christmas. In fact, we still may do one special gift for each of them (from Santa). I feel like God is calling us to a different Christmas, and I'm still working it out how to best do that.