Thank you both for the replies. I think I may give it a whirl. :)

Would we go into a K level math program or would some of those go over things she will have learned by then? Any suggestions? I tried Miquon with my sons and didn't like it so I don't want to go that route. Thanks!

I have read lots of mixed reviews on this program and have read through the boards. It seems that it doesn't get the best recommendations but I keep being drawn to it. I think because of the artwork and music. I just don't know. It is a lot of money to spend on something that doesn't seem to be liked by so many people. It may work for us but it is also quite a big $ risk.

Crystal, Thanks so much for taking the time to answer. I have been wanting to do a butterfly garden with her anyway so that is perfect. I think she would like the anthill but she can't stand to see ants out and about. LOL I have the Lauri letter puzzle already. I should get the classical music cd since we only have the Classical Kids cds. I love For the Children's Sake! I haven't read it in years and my copy is long gone. I loaned it out and it was never returned. The Dinosaur book looks great! I think I will try to order this week. Thanks again.

Crystal and Amy, Thanks for the information. I'm reading on the MFW site right now to get more information. I do have a couple of questions that I haven't found answers to yet. 1) In the sample lesson a song is mentioned to learn sounds. Is there a cd for this or is it something we do without music? I don't see a cd mentioned. 2)If your child already knows letter sounds, does it seem boring to them? I would think not because there is a lot more involved in the program but I want to make sure I don't make a mistake again like when I ordered Calvert pre-K. We have the All About Today calendar, my daughter loves it too. I like the idea of the MFW math activities. Is there more to it though? Did you all order the basic or deluxe pack? What do you consider necessities? Thanks so much!

I don't have any answers but I would love to hear more about MFW K. I'm considering that for my daughter. Do they learn to read with MFW K or just learn letters & sounds? My dd knows those and she is almost 4. When you buy MFW K, do you have to add lots of library books, etc? What does your typical day look like? Also, what did you use with your dd to learn to read? Just ETC? Thanks so much for sharing information.

What do you use for K, and even pre-K, that fits with WTM?

Okay, I should have listened. Yikes! We're on lesson 6 (I know it is early) of Calvert pre-k and my daughter is enjoying the little stories but we have good books at home. So far she should have been introduced to red, yellow, right & left, etc. She knows all of those so we can go through a lesson in about 15 minutes. The hands-on things like drawing, modeling clay are good for her but not worth the cost of the box. Ugh, why didn't I listen? Oh well, we will do bits & pieces but push through quickly. Evidently I'm still not a 'box' curriculum person. We are doing the pre-K Handwriting Without Tears book and she is enjoying that.

My sons did Latin. My daughter will do Mandarin Chinese starting at 4.

I've never heard of Dancing Bears reading. How can I find it?

I will have to check into all of those, thanks! I do have a few games on mine for my dd.

I would love to hear more about this. I have an iPhone and am looking for more ways to use it.

I love your description of Calvert K! My dd is going to do Calvert pre-K this year, she is 3.5. I hope it goes well. I look forward to experiencing the things you mentioned when we get to Calvert K.

Really? I didn't know that either. In first grade they learn Calvert script, right? So there really isn't much printing at all before the script?

Thanks, I didn't know that about HWOT. I hadn't gotten that far into checking it out yet. That will be perfect so I will place my order. Good grief!!! I have done some really stupid things today while taking Benadryl. I mailed party invitations with no time on them. ugh! I should have understood what you meant by MFW 2/3 & 3/4. Sorry for sounding so dense. I have never really looked at those levels just the older ones. Thanks again! We may just fly right through pre-K and be ready to move on quickly. I hope it works for us but after reading this I will definitely check it over closely before we begin in case I want to return it.

Thanks for the information. I considered Calvert K but thought that was pushing too much since she is just 3.5. I do think the pre-K has things that she needs even though she knows her letters. I will order the HWOT preschool book to use with it. I may wait a couple of months to start it and see if she is ready for that. She has shown zero interest in writing. Maybe the motor skills are something she has to work up to. Isn't MFW a unit study type? I'm not sure I want to do that with just one child. I pieced together units for my sons for years and I spent so much time planning that we didn't enjoy just doing school and other things. I was always exhausted.

I have ordered this for my 3.5 year old daughter. I have read that it is too easy for 4 year olds so I think starting my daughter now will be fine. She knows several things covered but not all. She does already recognize & know letters and some sounds but she has shown no interest yet in writing. I know Calvert doesn't cover writing in pre-K. Should I buy something separate to use to start teaching her to print letters? Should I wait until pre-k is over since she is only 3.5? Should I get it and bring it out when she shows interest? I'm going to try to get her to at least learn to write her name. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I'm excited to start with my daughter. We're calling it princess preschool! I only have one son still homeschooling and he does all online classes so last year was practically no involvement for me. I'm looking forward to doing something again this year.

I was queen of curriculum jumpers with my sons. I had grand plans of all the unit study type things. The only thing we didn't try was MFW. We tried lots & lots of other things. I am queen of planners when things don't go just right I jumped ship. Now that I am beginning to homeschool my daughter and she won't be doing it with siblings I just don't have it in me to do all the planning, etc. I ordered Calvert pre-K for her and am going to try *really* hard to stick with them as long as it is working. That will still give us time for outside activities, etc. So, the grass isn't always greener. :)

Thanks!

I may seem a bit slow but how do you use this? Is it as simple as listed on the site? Is it a thorough program?

I would love to hear from anyone who has used Simply Phonics. I looked at the site and it looks like something I may enjoy using with my daughter. Is it all oral lessons? How does it work? There isn't a great explanation on the site. Thanks!

Thanks so much for all of the replies. You all have given me great ideas!

What are your best suggestions for preschool math? I was thinking of the M&M Counting book since I have that from when my boys were younger. Anything else you can think of? I'm open to workbooks, games, etc. Thanks!

Thanks for the opinions. I don't think it is too expensive and it does sound like something I would like to use and I don't want to put it together myself. I really appreciate hearing pros/cons.