What about just reading the Brian P Cleary "Words are Categorical" books (ie, a Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What are Nouns?). Kind of a cute, easy introduction to parts of speech!

I like the Usborne phonetic readers, but I'm going to check out some of the other books mentioned!

Make sure you're getting enough calcium. I think it's around 1000 mgs/day recommended!

DS4 has multiple food allergies, so we eliminated a lot at once. It's very difficult, but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier. Try to keep "easy" staples on-hand. We always have yogurt (we use coconut milk yogurt), gluten free oats, homemade granola cereal (easy and made w gf oats, so safe), lots of fresh fruits, and other things I know everyone will love. We have gf granola cereal, parfaits made w yogurt, fruit, and granola, gf oatmeal w maple syrup, breakfast potatoes and sausage, etc. for breakfast! All very simple ingredients, and the "same" ingredients, but used in different ways.

:bigear:

My Father's World looks cute.

I've always used them (or similar things), as self-directed play. Build, stack, make designs, whatever. My kids use them kind of like blocks at that age, but ev Entually hit upon a math concept through play ("hey, these two are the same lenght as this one!"). As long as my kids are treating the C-Rods nicely and put them away when they're done, I just let them play.

Sonlight's book list?

My DS4 likes playdough. We have "Castle Logix" and "Kanoodle" (by Educational Insights), both of which are frequently used! Magnetic letters and words to copy/identify (DS4 hates it, but DD5 loved it). Kumon "I Can Cut Paper" is always fun for my DS4 (and other Kumon workbooks). Maybe Reading Rods, a Montessori binomial cube, or C- Rods? I've also heard good things about the "Think Fun" games, although I have yet to see which can be played alone. We keep a lot of "learning stuff" on the shelves, and we rotate it out monthly or so (was aiming for weekly, but...). It helps keep both my DS4 and DD2 busy so I can work with DD5. But most of the time when DS4 gets bored he gets... loud. Really loud. We have a small, fenced yard and I can see the whole yard from our dining/school room, so he gets handed a ball or a bucket and told to go outside!

I was diagnosed with CVS as a teenager, but outgrew it by college. I also recommend http://www.cvsaonline.org, as well as searching for information on "abdominal migranes". My experience of CVS was intense nausea, with vomiting every 20-25 minutes for the duration of the cycle (usually 48 hours). The cycles always started in the middle of the night/early morning. Similar to a migrane, any light or noise increased the discomfort. I had 6-8 cycles per year (less than "average"). For me, it was distinct from the flu/other issues in a few ways. First, the intensity of a CVS episode is extreme. Second, the "cycle" of the vomiting is very regular (oddly so). I recommend talking to a doctor if you think it is CVS. Migrane medications can reduce cycles, and anti-emetics can prevent dehydration during a cycle!

I'm using SM Essentials with my DD(just turned 5) and DS(just turned 4). It really doesn't require an additional textbook or a teacher's guide. Honestly, I'm the least mathy person on earth, and even I can manage from the notes on the bottom of each workbook page. I didn't get their math readers, because we already own a ton of math stories - there are a lot on Amazpn. But I do like having some math-themed reading around (my DS is mathy, so he enjoys them). We also have other "fun" math stuff around (Montessori hundred board, Domino Addition, Teddy Bear Math, tanagrams, pattern blocks, C-Rods, whatever manipulatives I get on sale). Essentials is a pretty gentle program. It leaves plenty of time for adding in "fun" supplimental math stuff. I love the idea of working with a hundred board daily!

I certainly lean to the more "child-led" side, but I if my kids WANTED to go back to studying something else, I'd be inclined to respect that. It sounds like they do a lot of work with it (lapbooking and all), and if they like it.... *shrug**. Maybe MFW just isn't a great fit for your family. Or, more accurately, maybe its not as good of a fit for your family as other curriculum. :)

Have you looked at Usborne's "I Can Draw People"?

I haven't used it yet, but I have the WWE teacher's text. It gives full lessons for each year as a "get started" guide, points out various elements to focus on in the copywork/narration, and gives a good guide of how the student should be advancing through the year. I'd guess that if you are comfortable with creating your own copywork/narration, just the teacher's text will work fine.

If you go to http://www.livingmontessorinow.com, check out her June 6, 2011 (can't copy links from my Nook, or I'd link it myself). She highlights some of the best Montessori Continent Boxes on the internet. There are links from tons of blogs (I love the links to Counting Coconuts blog!). An easy resource for Montessori continent materials is Montessori Print Shop. They have printable cards that you can purchase and download for most continents - food, animals, flags/countries, musical instruments, landmarks, etc.

Montessori wooden alphabet?

DS4 is allergic to wheat, eggs, soy, dairy, chocolate, etc. Breakfast: coconut yogurt, fresh fruit, breakfast potatoes, breakfast meat, smoothies, breakfast "rice pudding", puffed rice cereal (just watch for cross-contamination). Snacks are usually fruits (sometimes dipped in coconut yogurt), veggies, or smoothies. Lunch is usually left overs from the night before, quinoa with veggies, quinoa pasta salad, simple stir fry over rice/rice noodles, fried rice without soy sauce, and other simple foods.

Repinning means they saw it on your board and shared it to their board.

If he knows the materials, maybe its a test taking issue? I wonder if learning to stay calm, focus on one question at a time, etc. would help.

Is there a specific age-range you're interested in? http://www.livingmontessorinow.com is a good site to search for specific types of activities (sandpaper letters, numerals and counters, etc). She also features a ton of Godly Play/CGS ideas, if you're into that. Discoverydaysandmontessorimoments.blogspot.com is a younger age-group blog (prek through lower elementary), but she has great posts of "what we did today/this week". If you go to montessoritraining.blogspor.com, you can search for "lower elementary" (6-9) or "upper elementary" (9-12) and sift through for ideas aimed at those age ranges. Chasingcheerios.blogspot has younger girls, but some of her stuff (ie, DIY montessori multiplication board) could easily be applied to older kids.

Wow! Yes, tacky.

I'm sorry. It's hard to deal with allergies. What we've done with DS4 is to remove him for snack times at organized events, then let him go back after the other kids have finished and washed their hands/faces. It's sometimes hard for him to have to eat with mom instead of his friends, but it works. I know how dramatically we had to change our eating habits after he was diagnosed with allergies (wheat, egg, dairy, soy, strawberry, oats, chocolate, etc.). I don't feel like I could ask everyone in our playgroup to eat our "safe foods" because of his allergies, but I also can't risk him reacting to something other people are eating.

OPGTtR? ClicknKids (my 4 and 5 year old HATED 100EZ, but love clicknkids, even though it seems to be a very similar program)?

My 4 and 5 year old are both learning piano.

My thought would be at this age, they need a physical manipulative to be able to "see" the addition. Even bubbles on paper might still be a bit too abstract. Counting chips, a bag of dried beans, blocks, anything they can touch might help. Also, maybe some one-to-one correspondence games?