I don't have a set time because have a pretty flexible schedule, but if I had to estimate, I'd say we're doing about 30 minutes, 4x a week. DD will be 6 in June. Depending on the amount of reading she's asked to do, this may be split into 2 sessions because my DD is still easily frustrated and fatigued by too much reading (she is just at blending CVC words and it is still laborious.) We use AAR 1 (+ ETC to review on days that I don't feel we're ready to move on to the next lesson), so the time above includes reviewing phonogram/word cards, direct instruction with letter tiles/whiteboard writing, fluency list reading, file folder games played together, reading in BOB book or the AAR reader. So, my 30 min. session is really a bunch of 5-10 min shorter sessions combined. :)

At this age, you could just get one of those sectioned piggy banks (spend/save/donate/invest) and a chore chart. Give her some things she's expected to do as a member of the family (i.e. tidy up toys she brings out) but give her some jobs that you'll pay her to do (bring bathroom trash cans to you when you're gathering for trash day, wipe off baseboards, etc). If you want to go further, show her how to keep record of her accounts. You could do this for her in a cute little notebook. Fun math lessons, too. (Now, if I could only take my own advice and do this... I've been meaning to get started with my oldest, but keep putting it off...)

Has anyone used this book? I like the look of it, but it sure is pricey... and there are no reviews on Amazon. Anyone here try it? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934218227/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_g14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1291SCNA1MY8NXWFCVNG&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846 Seems to be put out by iplaymathgames.com, which has lots of interesting stuff on its site.

I could hear it, but just barely. I'm 31. DD5 looked up from across the room and asked what the sound was.

Thank you!

1st grd. AAR & AAS FLL 1 WWE 1 (I assume FLL & WWE are secular?) Singapore & Miquon Evan Moor Beginning Geography Evan Moor How To Teach Art to Children Science - following WTM recs, animal/human body/plant study

Where are the workbook samples? I have looked all over that site and I can't seem to find them....

When I taught 1st grade, we would (every week or so) play a game that I titled "Is it a WORD?" (I did it all-out game show style, with loud exaggerated reading of the title, etc). It was one of our favorite phonics games and it was for this specific purpose. :) I just used basic onsets and rimes. Onsets: I would just go down the alphabet (b, br, bl, c, ch, cr, cl, d, dr, f, fl, fr, g, gl, gr ...etc). These I put on 1 index card (I added blends/sounds to the lists as we introduced them.) Rimes/word families: Just start with each vowel and tack on different ending consonants/blends. (ad, ag, ap, and, ast, ab, est, ed, en... etc). These I put on a 2nd batch of index cards (different color). Then I have the draw 1 card from each pile, read, then sort into "word" and "not a word" piles. (You could even break it into 3 parts: onset, medial vowel sound, ending consonant/blend, for more advanced blending.) Here are some ready made lists, examples: http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/phonics/nonsensewordtest.pdf http://www.resourceroom.net/readspell/wordlists/default.asp http://www.paec.org/itrk3/files/pdfs/readingPdfs/coolToolsPhonics.pdf http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/pdf/gk-1/p_final_part3.pdf

I tried to "do" a formal calendar time this school year (K). I also thought it felt beyond DD's mental grasp, very abstract. I just dropped it completely. We still talk about days/months in context of events in our lives (When's my birthday? June. When's June? Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun.)

I haven't tried either, but we have WWE lined up for the fall, along with Evan-Moor's Daily 6-Trait writing. (The EM book is me making sure "all my bases are covered" in case this HSing thing doesn't pan out. ;) It seemed more in line with the writing in public schools, but won't take much extra time from us.)

Next year we're using: EM How To Teach Art to Children EM Beginning Geography EM 6-Trait daily writing (supplement to WWE)

Same here. My DD will be 6 in June.

I have one set of the phonogram tiles, which I bought for AAS. However, I have decided to hold off on that for a while and go with AAR. I did not buy another set of tiles, but --at some point-- we may be doing AAR and AAS at the same time. Will I need a 2nd set of letter tiles to be kept separate or can we make do with just the 1 set? (I'll be purchasing AAR2 when it comes out, so it's not a big deal just to add in another set of tiles...I'm just want to make sure I *need* them before I do so.) And the Question: There are 49 (IIRC) lessons in AAR1. Do you do 1 lesson per day? I know with AAS, the consensus seems to be to set a timer and do 15 (or so) minutes and just start back up where you left off for the next lesson. Do we follow this same format for AAR? Or is each lesson meant to be completed in a single sitting?

Try this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=350286&highlight=reading and this: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267572&highlight=reading

I just went and looked at my sets (I'd yet to open AAS2, so I was curious as well!) and they are included in the student materials packet.

Those really do look awesome! Bookmarking that for next year (though with children who will only be 5 & 7 then, I doubt ours will turn out so well! :tongue_smilie:)

Have you seen Harriette Treadwell's readers? They are classic stories (fables, poetry, lit) written at lower reading levels.

Jeaaaaaa-lous!

I was wondering if I could use one with Singapore. I was looking at RS's math games package and it comes with an Abacus.... I didn't know how to use one either (still don't, LOL)...but after reading some of those sites linked above, I think I could manage it now. :D

I emailed them a month or 2 ago, saying that I'd be interested in a world-geography type program from them, to follow Adventures in America. They replied that they had no plans to do that at this time. Don't know if they have any other plans.

Awesome. We're in NC and I'll be keeping my eyes out for this!

Hit order and spent the $4 extra bucks to get it quickly. :D Can't wait!

Thanks for sharing. Yes, a "ton of fun" is exactly what my girl wants. All.the.time. :001_huh: Apparently OPGTR doesn't hit that fun button... Thank you for all that detail. Also glad to hear that 6 and 7 year olds are doing this program and not finding it too "babyish." My DD also has some writing delays, probably just from lack of consistent practice. Too much writing gets overwhelming and results in grumblings galore. I'm leaning toward getting it. She'll probably love having the extra games, too. (*sigh* Just when I thought my CC was safe and I was finished buying curriculum!)

I partially posted this in another recent thread, but I figured I'd start a new thread with AAR in the title line, since I'd like some more input on that program. We did a rather haphazard Kindergarten this year (much to my current chagrin). DD --who will be 6 mid-June-- knows most of her letter names and letter sounds. There are a few sounds she confuses (n and m) and some that she takes a few minutes before remembering how to write them, etc (i.e. "How do I write a capital J again? Oh yeah!") She can read some CVC words but is so pain.stak.ing.ly slooooow on them, even words she has read repeatedly. Even after reading "sat" 30 times, it is still "s-----a------t." We have been attempting OPGTR, but she is bucking it mightily. She is very busy and visual and hands-on. I feel like I could force OPGTR (b/c it looks like a great program) but really, I'm thinking "Why bother if there's something else that she'd enjoy more." Is AAR1: open and go/easy to use structured and sequential engaging with games and fun activities necessary if I have AAS1 Like I said, I have AAS1...could I just use that? DD does NOT enjoy writing and there is more of that in AAS, I believe. We have ETC 1, 1.5, 2, BOB books, Sonlight's FunTales, tons of file folder phonics games. Does AAR bring anything else to the table? Honestly, at this point, I'd pay the money just to have something scheduled out for me. *I* realize most of the problem is ME (and my inconsistency, lack-of-motivation, hesitation to do a program that isn't currently enjoyable for us). Thoughts, please? Is AAR worth it? Should we start at Level 1 or go back to Pre-reading level? (I think she'd call that babyish.)