I'm nervous that I won't be able to teach her effectively. Sounds like the LiPS part of the progress can take a while.. that's actually what I was thinking, considering how bad her discrimination abilities are at this point. We're just going to go slowly but steadily... she'll get there. :)

Not great. We thought "regular school" might be an answer, but essentially nothing was done and we lost a year.

It's the answer I needed, I think.... :) I get eager to move on to the next stage. I need to give her time and realize that we'll catch up when we catch up.

Or, pieces of it, anyway. I'm going to make my own colored square magnets and letter magnets using the information in the book. I ordered the guide, the mouth magnets, and the magnetic whiteboard (DD loves anything magnetic, and we have such a tiny house that it seemed worthwhile). I'm.. nervous? Anxious to get started with her. Any idea how long I should plan on LiPS for?

that's an idea... couldn't I just add magnets to the cards?

I own the Miquon stuff (all of it; the workbooks, the first-grade diary, the annotations..) and I can't possibly fathom how to use it. Like the idea of the Education Unboxed, though.. that might work for my little one, too. :)

I called Barton when I decided what curricula I am using with DD6 (who is starting Barton either after or at the same time as LiPS in a few weeks - still figuring that out). They walked me through exactly what to leave out, what to leave in. Basically, because they don't want them to doing any outside reading or phonics, by the time we were done, it ended up being Barton + handwriting. I'm unsure about oral narration - but, honestly, if you're going to use Barton, call them. They're crazy helpful; the woman I talked to even sent me a follow-up email just to make sure I had everything written down correctly. They have great service, and if that's the direction you are going in, I'd call them. PS, off-topic, but why Math-U-See?

I avoid my family for just this reason. :) I have a brother with a daughter the same age as my daughter. We see them once a year, if that (they live within 20 minutes). It's awful. Just awful. Their little girl is sweet, smart, and adorable. I have no idea why they feel any need to compare. It's just ridiculous. Good luck, mama. Try not to let it get to you.

what about the colored magnets? I can make them myself, but I don't know what colors they are?

Do I buy the whole $450 package? Not thinking I'll need to reuse it; with the rare exception that I can use it to help some pronunciation issues with DS (but that's honestly not a consideration). I don't have a ton of time to create manipulatives if they are complex; so as easy as possible without going overboard. Thoughts/experience?

I own two levels, but it's too time/labor intensive and way too slow for my natural spellers/readers. They were bored to tears.

Suggestions for a fun, interactive summer science? DVD based, experiments, we're open to suggestions. We have a great local library system, so we can get books to go with almost anything. It's HOT here, so a lot of time outdoors isn't a good option. Thanks, Meg

This. Yes.

Florida is awful in the push for early academics. They have these huge billboards that "School doesn't start in Kindergarten anymore", and if you don't enroll your kids in the free preschool, you're given a very hard time by doctors. :( It's awful. Granted, my four year old could (intellectually) handle preschool... but i'd rather her be creative and play than sit at a desk all day.

Old signature. I just updated it (or tried). I have an 8 year old, a 7 year old, a 6 year old (who is struggling), and a 4 year old. Seems like "just do your best" is the best answer?

I ordered one for DH's mentor's birthday last year. Picked it up, dropped it off at his work. It was, obviously, not as much fruit for the price as I could have gotten at, say, the farmer's market. But it was adorable and I felt like it was worth the price for the special occasion. :)

Browse Timberdoodle's PreK and K curriculum. We're pulling materials from both for next year - I love their programs for littles, because they tend to keep them engaged by making learning fun and games. :)

As I curriculum plan for next year, I'm struggling with how to balance the needs of my sweet 6 year old (dyslexia, suspected auditory processing, articulation disorder, etc) with my other three kids. Obviously, a preschooler, 2nd grader, and 3rd grader cannot be independent, nor have I found independent materials that I feel are the "best fit" for them (for example, we looked at Teaching Textbooks, but neither older child liked the way it was taught). How do you balance your time? We're going to be using LiPS, then Barton, those dyscalculia books, etc. with my 6 year old - all things that take up a lot of time, planning, and energy. What's the secret?

We couldn't get into an neuropsych for over a year, but a good eval by an SLP gave us somewhere to start!

I'm sorry. That's very frustrating.

I am honestly spending more on my 6 year old with difficulties than on my other three children combined. :)

I think I can drop PDFs onto our Kindle Fires if we connect is to the computer via USB. Haven't tried, but I am pretty sure we can.... I can't imagine she'll be able to handle I See Sam, though - I don't think she'll be able to hear the sounds correctly. My three year old, OTOH, might be ready for them..

DD8 and DS7: - A trip to Orlando (probably not the big theme parks) with my parents for a week. - Two weeks in California with my Mother-in-Law (bless her sweet, sweet heart. it's a rare mother-in-law who will take all four of ones kids for two weeks!) - Tin Man Press logic/thinking skills type books - Logic books - MCT Island level - Fun writing (I have a few of the books that were recommended on this site) - Learning cursive (handwriting is a weak area... what can I say?) - Challenging Word Problems, whatever other math we find - Continue Spanish - Continue reading/literature