Thanks for that! I actually do have this on my shelf already... have to go check it out again...

I like that one... AND you can purchase the download for 99cents. Definitely on my *interested* list. Thanks!

We like Go Fish, too (Bible Book Bop :)). When I was searching for songs earlier today, I listened to that 2nd one you linked and *really* liked it....but can't seem to find a way to buy a mp3 download. Their website is a little confusing. :(

There are so many out there!!! :001_huh: I didn't memorize the books of the Bible to a tune, so they all sound confusing and convoluted to me. :p But I was thinking I'd like something to play while we _____ (eat breakfast, transition, etc) and this might be a nice thing to pursue. If your children learned the books of the Bible to a tune/song, what was their favorite or what did you use?

She also adds the short /u/ sound 'uh', as in when you read "a cat" and "a dog". I guess that is the schwa sound???

Looks fun! BTW, totally OT but what kind of camera do you use? Those are great pics. :p

We're looking at picking up School Song Spanish next year (with a K and a 2). I only know very basic words (color words, basic greetings) but I look forward to learning with them! :) :) Do you live in an area w/ many Spanish speakers? Just curious b/c we do and I think it'll be great to expose children to a language that they can use every day (playground, grocery store, etc)

Here's the link to the page that I quoted: http://abcthekey.com/pdf-downloads/ABCVITAResearch.pdf I think I had to go to About > Documents > Research. I think we'll give it a try, especially for my little one. Still interested in hearing if anyone has used this program for any length of time.... :) :)

I'm not familiar with O-G, Spalding or any of it, but here's what the site says: Maybe she's made lots of "adaptations" over those years. :p I am not interested in any of their games, worksheets, etc. Those look like they are developed for a group setting, anyway. I was more interested in the video/teaching portions... Has anyone here used this program?

I'd like to know, also. Since our girls are young, we are currently just doing 1 extra activity: soccer. We go through the YMCA and they give scholarships to low-income families. I would LOVE to do gymnastics for my oldest and art for my youngest. And an instrument for both... But those are just not in the budget right now...

I continue to be slightly curious about the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction .... but admittedly NOT enough to dive in whole-hog. I am currently using R&S phonics 1 with DD, and we like it and are seeing progress. SO.... I know that ABC the Key uses an O-G approach. I am thinking of letting both girls work through the online lessons. Do you O-G people think the lessons are any good? Would it be confusing to do 2 TYPES of phonics instruction (traditional syllabary with me/R&S, O-G with Miss Joness/ABC the Key)? Thanks for your feedback. :) :)

Thanks for sharing! They also have a page with classroom games for each concept...some might be adapted to homeschool. :)

My 2 girls loved this one.

Progressive Phonics ReadingTeacher.com (I see sam) Florida Center for Reading research (FCRR) Spell by color Spelling City

LOL. Next big homeschool purchase: indoor exercise bike. :D

:iagree::iagree:

I've not been a huge fan of my larger Better Binders. My 1" one works fine. The bigger ones.... annoy me.

Well, I don't do a study binder, but I did buy each girl a fancy Trapper Keeper with the idea that it would hold all of their stuff contained if we were to have to do school "on the road." I don't know when we will ever do "school on the road" (LOL) but I had to have the binder. :p (Sorry, no help here. :D) Actually, I do something similar to what you detailed above for my planning binder. I use those Avery brand (I think) tab/dividers that also have a pouch on each side. I label the dividers 1-5 (5 days of school, though #5 is usually empty b/c we mainly school Mon-Thursday). I file work behind each section. Small books and workbooks can usually fit in the binder pouch.

Hmmmm.....most of those don't look very hands-on. Just paper crafts? Well, anyone who has done VP self-paced history: Did you feel there was enough room to add in some hands-on fun stuff, flesh it out (so to speak)? Did you add at all? And those that have done Time Travelers: does it work as a supplement?

I'm thinking of scrapping my current plan-of-attack for history (starting next year) and picking up Veritas Press self-paced history ...or I may wait 2 years so the girls can go through it together. Any-hoo.... DD loves working on the computer, loves learning from anyone but me, is a visual learner. She is not a sit-and-listen-to-mommy-read-about-the-Trojan-war kind of gal. So I think VP self-paced might be a good option (though a bit pricey). Question: does it include any ideas for fun, hands-on history crafts? My girls will be young, and I want to do those fun, let's-make-cuneiform-tablets-and-wrap-mummies activities. Has anyone added anything like Time Travelers to VP? And just picked out the crafts/lapbooks to do? Is that too much?

I'm currently using R&S Grade 1 Phonics with my 1st grader. She did a few of the ABC books for K (C, D, E, G) -- as well as part of MFWK -- but we were very relaxed about it. She's transitioned well to R&S 1st. (I've sequenced things a bit differently for my 2nd-born. I'm doing some of the ABC books this year for 4/PreK, and then we will do CLE Kindergarten II next year for K/5 before moving on to to R&S 1st.) I'm not familiar with Horizons... As far as R&S compared to the ABC series... there is a lot more going on on the pages, but they still have that simple feel. Black & white, lots of repetition, lots of writing letters/circling/drawing lines. No cutting & pasting (unless you get the Reading worksheets). Very well laid-out and progressive; great teacher's guide. R&S Phonics 2 looks just like Phonics 1...but harder. :p Seriously, though...same layout/style. Have you seen the samples? They are pretty representative of the course. ETA: if you have any more specific questions re: R&S1, I'd be glad to go look & find out. :)

I loved that one, too. I agree that it's probably geared toward a younger age group, but it's classic. It went out of print for a while, but I think it's available again.

For my ready-to-go curricula (Singapore, R&S Phonics), I "plan" a week at a time, on Post-Its that I stick in the teacher's guide. For other things that I've put together, I have a rough 36 week outline (our Little House on the Prairie is roughly sketched out for the year; mainly just what activities I want to do with each book, but not nailed down to day/week.) I also do long-term planning (all the way through HS graduation), on a spreadsheet on my computer. I have a basic idea of the progression I want to follow (especially for history, science, art). I change out the curricula every now and then, as I stumble across new things. :p

How about cutting letters out from that rubbery/bumpy shelf liner? Then glue to cardstock. :)

Has she read any of the stories from Robin McKinley? I am not sure if they are age appropriate (I was in high school before I "discovered" McKinley and I still like her work as an adult), but I quite like The Hero & The Crown and The Blue Sword. Then there are her fairy tale retellings: Rose Daughter, Spindle's End, Beauty. I like all of those. I really like Spindle's End. **And I don't recall the verb tense of these.** She also has a book titled Deerskin, but it is for more mature audiences, as are some of her other novels (the vampire one).