This is what we bought. I spent forEVER looking for a "perfect" music program and never found it. The Pfeiffer House one is super affordable and looks to be pretty good. They also just started offering a secular version, if that interests you. I think they have samples on their website, but each lesson incorporates crafts and fun things. So it's really age appropriate. I don't think the Kinder level teaches instruments and composers though.

I haven't used Abeka, but I totally agree on what creekmom said about HOP. My son was a very early reader and flew through HOP. But it was SO BORING. Granted, we have the newer set and it sounds like your mom found the older set....I hear the older set is more engaging. HOP gets the job done, but if I had a child who really needed phonics instruction I wouldn't rely just on HOP. For your purposes I don't see where it would hurt at all though, to use it through Spring/Summer. The early levels are so basic I would imagine they'd be in line with most phonics curric anyway. And then when you're ready just switch over to Abeka if you still want to.

No, I'm not familiar with the alert program. We're just starting to wade into all this. (Were in the process of getting an eval/expected Autism diagnosis). I'm basically looking for something that will help me help my son help himself. Ha! Hopefully you know what I mean.

I saw this linked to in another post and I'm curious about it. For anyone who has used it.... (Zones of Regulation) 1. It seems to be targeted more for professionals. Did you find it easy to understand and use as a parent (assuming you're a non-professional in the SN world)? 2. It also seems geared for groups. Did you find it easy to adapt and implement at home? 3. What age children did you use it with? Thanks!

We have the basic kit for Rightstart A and it's plenty. The other few manips aren't needed until the end, and I figure I'll have bought level B by then (which will have those few manips). One suggestion.....if you have an iPad, they have an abacus app (search for alabacus). It's only a few bucks and has come in very handy for the few times I've needed two abacuses. We've done several of the Wee Folk Art programs. They're super sweet and lots of fun!

I have the same version as you....but I don't get that Page Handling area when I click file...print. I'm at a loss. And frustrated. And ready for some chocolate.:tongue_smilie:

Hmm...I click file...print...and I get the print dialog box. Under page sizing and handling there are the size options of fit, actual size, and shrink oversized pages. Nothing else. Maybe we're using different versions of adobe?

I've done all that...except I'm not sure how to set the page scaling to none. Is that the same as selecting "Actual Size" instead of "Fit"?

I just tried borderless....that got it as close as I've been able to get it. Thanks for the suggestion. Miner are off by at least half an inch each time. Kind of frustrating!

I'm trying to work with Math Mammoth Blue Measuring 1. No matter how I print the pages, the printed rulers are not "measuring up" to my real rulers. Which means every measuring exercise is wrong. Is there some secret to get these pages to print with accurate measurements?

Have you seen this series? Basic Skills That one is for grades 1-2 and covers story elements and comprehension. If you look down at the "what other customers bought" it has links to other titles that cover summarizing, cause & effect, etc.

We hit a wall with RightStart Level A and switched to Saxon K. It was a BLAST! Every lesson felt just like playtime....but it was definitely building math awareness. We finished it and have gone back to RightStart and are moving right along. It was a perfect first math for us. But as others said, you definitely need the Teacher's Manual. I stopped using the Meeting book after a month or so because I found it tedious. It's just a calendar...you could use any old calendar, really. But definitely get the Teacher's Manual!

We had this happen one year. It was soo gross. I feel you. We ended up throwing the tree outside. The farm where we got it refunded our money, but we were out a tree for Christmas. The bugs won't hurt you.....but they sure are gross. From what I remember, as the tree dries out the bugs die (they live off the sap). But yeah. No fun at all. And why I'll never have another real tree in my house again :-(

We started RS-A about a year ago, when my son was just turning 4. It went really well for a little bit, but then we hit major walls. I ended up switching to Saxon K and we LOVED it. We actually just finished the last lesson yesterday, and we've had so much fun. It's truly a play-math curric. I brought out RS-A again yesterday (since we'll return to it next week) and now I feel like it will go much better. The concepts he was struggling with last year he now knows, and I really think he just wasn't developmentally ready for it a year ago. As for your specific questions.....Saxon K required no writing. RS-A only had them writing tally marks (at least as far as we got last year, that was all). I wouldn't exactly call Saxon K challenging...well, I guess that depends on each individual child. But it really was a fun preschool level math program. RS was super challenging for us last year...but looking at it now I don't think it will be. (So, it really depends on the readiness level of your child, I'd say). Saxon doesn't use an abacus. RS-A does, obviously....and gets them using it pretty quickly too. Hope that helps!

We just started....but I brought them all out on Monday and we read through them. Then I asked my son to pick one to work on that week. I posted that card on our weekly calendar, and I made sure to "catch him" doing that virtue all week. At the end of the week I brought all the cards out again and we read through them. It seemed to go really well. He was definitely aware of the virtue he chose, and seemed to grasp the meaning.

Cool, thanks! :001_smile: I hope you like them. I think I'll eventually get the poster too, but for right now the cards are enough.

I ordered the flash cards from We Choose Virtues (there were a bunch of threads about them awhile back). They have a secular version, which is what we ordered. They're super cute, and so far so good! My son chose to work on kindness this week and he really has been making an effort! {At the risk of sounding spammy, if you use code "Tiffany" you can get $8 off the cards}

We recently finished the HOP program, and I'd say...go with OPGTR. HOP does the job, in that it gets them reading. But I wasn't impressed at all with how it does that job. I'll keep the readers to use for my DD, but I plan to buy OPGTR when she's ready to learn. So, if I were in your shoes...I'd use OPGTR and supplement with the HOP readers when they seem to match up.

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing this. Sometimes I get caught up in the length and plowing through....but you're right...there really is such a great theme here. Thank you for reminding me of it.

I've been reading it since JANUARY!!!! (And I usually fly through books). I just have to take breaks with this one. I can only take so much, then I have to set it aside for awhile. Overall I'm enjoying it (maybe because of the breaks!) and I find myself laughing out loud. But yes...it definitely gets tedious at times. I know I'll always be annoyed if I don't finish it...so I'll plug away. I'm really really really hoping to be through with it by the end of the year. Having that goal in mind makes it a little easier to get through the slow parts, for me.

Just posted ours! It was a super light week, but we got in a bunch of reading. And we rowed The Little Rabbit..such a sweet book!

So glad you asked this! We've been stuck in the same place (vowels) for a few weeks. My son started groaning when I'd pull out the cards. I went ahead and moved on to Step 2 so I didn't completely lose him (and I'm glad to see confirmation that that was an okay decision! Ha!)!!!!

My son is a lefty, and we use HWOT. No problems here. Their section on grip was SUPER helpful for me, as a righty. I had no clue how to teach him grip until I read that!

We finished our Phonics program awhile ago. A friend gave me a set of readers from a different phonics program, so I've had my son read aloud from those to help with fluency. We also started AAS a week or so ago. I'm going super slow...we spent over a week on Step 1 alone. I make sure to provide books on a variety of reading levels to help build his speed/fluency and still challenge him. I asked a similar question awhile back, and the overwhelming consensus was to start a spelling program!

I'm currently torn between two music programs. Pfeiffer House and Making Music Praying Twice. Pfeiffer House is so affordable...but MMPT is so impressive. I haven't used either though....but maybe I gave you food for thought!