My dd is 7 and entering 2nd grade. She loves the Rainbow Fairies books by Daisy Meadows. It is helping with her confidence in reading chapter books.

There is a reptile discovery center in Deland. I went on a field trip with my 7 yo daughter and we got to see them do venom extractions. Here is their website: http://www.reptilediscoverycenter.com

We will be doing spanish as that is what my family speaks so I feel comfortable teaching it and my kids can get practice and a lot of exposure to it. After they are comfortable with it, I want to do french as a family. I have always wanted to learn french and italian and it will be something we can do as a family.

Thanks.

I think you are doing a great thing for your dd. Everything you are doing is "drawing the map". She is taking the reins and doing the work. Helping her is only going to pave the way for her to gain confidence and improve her study skills.

Thanks for sharing. My daughter loves to color. :001_smile:

Thanks for the link. I really like your book list. I have also been looking for human body resources and your blog looks great. Thank you for sharing.

I am new to this too. My kids are 6 and 4 so to start we are focusing on the 3 Rs and then adding history and science. For anything other than the 3Rs, I am asking the kids what they want to learn and focus on that by using unit studies and books from the library. I am also adding documentaries, shows, and movies from Netflix something fits.

I live in Florida and my son is eligible for VPK this year too. I enrolled him in a great program that my niece was in last year. I am also going to work with him by using OPGTR and MEP. I was also considering using the Kumon books for manual dexterity. There are a lot of free sites for handwriting practice. I have been using those with him during the summer. My kids 6 and 4 both love the pbskids website. As far as being bored in ps K, that is a possibility. I would also recommend checking out freehomeschooling101.com. They have great links and they are all free and listed by category.

I like http://www.spellingcity.com. You can make your own lists and generate different worksheets to practice.

I think it is a great idea to use the time in the car. I might just do the same for my 4 yo ds. :001_smile:

:iagree: Thank you so much!

This is our first year officially after-schooling. We have always done workbooks and educational apps with my dd 6 for fun. We are going to work on the 3Rs both with dd6 a rising first grader and ds4 going into pre-K. We are using SM, ,OPGTR + ETC, and lots of library books for read-alouds and independent reading. We have never home schooled. Dd6 is in public school and ds4 will be going to a church pre-school.

I just got the SM 1A textbook and workbook. Once I got them in the mail and looked through the first few lessons, I decided to get the Home Instructor's guide because I feel more comfortable having a guide since it is my first year with after-schooling. I have read that quite a few people just use the textbook and workbook. I think it just depends on your comfort level with teaching the material. As far as the extra practice books, someone wrote on another thread that those are for kids that need practice with the concepts, but they recommended the word problem book. Hope this helps you. :001_smile:

Thanks for sharing. I was thinking about doing something like this to give my daughter some perspective about the US. I was also thinking about adding a world map since we will be traveling in August. I saw maps at Wal MArt for $4.97. I am not sure on the size of the map.

Good Luck! I am also in the exact same place. This is the first time we will be afterschooling. I have a rising 1st grader who is 6 yo and a 4 yo going into VPK.

For human anatomy: http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/science/otters_science/otters_science_main.html There is a very basic for younger children and a more in depth version for older. I downloaded it, but have not started using it. Depending on the section I was going to add books about health. For example add nutrition when talking about the digestive system. Hope this helps.

My dd also has strong interest in art. I would also add looking at careers that incorporate art such as architecture. I think that would also show her that the statement her teacher made is wrong. There are plenty of people who make a living as artist or by using art.

Thank you ladies. I am looking for an effective program that is straightfoward and will get the job done. I really appreciate your perspectives. :)

Thank you. I think I will go with OPGTR then.

Hi all, I am looking for a phonics program for my 4 yo son. He will be starting VPK in the fall but my dh and I feel he will need extra help. I am debating on which program to use or if both would be good together. I am new to all this and would really appreciate the help? Jo-Ann