Thanks - just did it, so it's still working for those who haven't signed up yet.

Readers are an absolute must. The readers are created so that the words in the story are ONLY words they have previously learned to decode in past lessons. It's actually one of the reasons I love the program so much (we just finished level 4 last week) - you'll never come across a word they don't have the skills to figure out. As far as the letter cards, they are similar, but include some different ones. On an additional note, the cards are sold with the sident activity book, which I feel is necessary to really drive home the lessons, especially in the lower, beginning reading levels. The beauty of the program (in my opinion) is that It teaches reading in all the learning styles - visual, auditory, and Kinesthetic. In order to get the full benefit of it, I honestly believe you need to at least start by following the program as it was intended. To be honest, by the final book, I just had hr reading out the words in the teachers manual and the readers, and forgoing the other materials, because she was able to decode them immediately, having gone through the previous levels, but in the early levels, using it all really made a difference. Just my 2 cents. It's a GREAT program. We love it. I'm almost sad to be done with it, but thankfully DD2 is getting ready to start the Pre-Reading level, so we can begin again!

Okay, thanks! I was hoping this was the case.

If I'm using the workbooks (specifically looking at the 2nd grade one), do I need the teachers guide, or am I good with just the student book?

My duaghter is doing her 2nd grade work next year, so I'll post on this thread (my signature needs updated...a lot...). We have 6 more lessons to complete in AAR 4, and several chapters of NL Science 1 to finish. I'm sure we will finish AAR in time for our "new year" to start at the beginning of August, but science may drag into the beginning of it. This is my tentative plan (I keep changing it and second guessing myself): Math Mammoth 2 Nancy Larson Science 2 Story of the World: Ancients ELTL 2 (this is one I can't commit to. I keep flipping between this & WWE/FLL) All About Spelling 2/3 (she's about 1/2 way through level 2 right now) We'll also do various art, music, and logic things, as well as our local co-op.

I bought more than this, but if I were to DK it again, I'd just by the student book and the wet dry try small chalkboard.

How do Georgia residents get it? What do I need to do?

Mine is the same way. I figured she already knew the short u sound, so I didn't thing much of it. Actually I didn't even notice until I read your post.

3 for my oldest daughter. My middle child is 2.5 now, and I have a feeling she's going to be reading later than her sister, which is perfectly fine.

As far as a planned out curriculum goes, we have really enjoyed All About Reading with my 4 year old.

Following - I almost posted this same question yesterday

Following. I'd live to know the reading levels, as well. We are about 1/3 of the way into level 2 right now.

Following - we are starting an art co-op this year, too. I'm already a huge fan of Deep Space Sparkle, but I'd love more suggestions!

I'm very intrigued by their history packages. I can't wait to read more reviews as people begin to use them.

Which books do I need to begin WWE? I see The Complete Writer Book, the WWE Workbook 1, and the Student Pages - do I need all of them?

We are on AAR 2, and I honestly don't think it needs supplemented. It does a great job covering everything, and introducing it in a way that would benefit a child, no matter how they learn. The only thing you would want is additional readers, for additional practice.

We are on the first level, and it is teacher intensive, but it only takes us 15 minutes, and it's totally open and go. I have a 2 year old and a 7 month old in addition to my oldest, and I keep them away from their magnets by simply keeping them out of their reach.

We just finished level 1, and we breezed through it. The longest it took for her to learn a word was 2, maybe 3 days. We've ordered the level 2 items, and they have arrived, but I haven't had time to look through them yet, so I can't help with that discussion.

My mom bought one for my oldest to use for school - the bigger sized one, I believe. We've not needed to write too much this past year, so it's mainly just been used for drawing, but it's a neat little thing, and the price is great on them.

Following!

We just bought Intro to Science from Elemental Science and it looks really good. They offer schedules for 2 days a week or 5 days a week, but You could adjust it to however many days suits your needs. It was really cheap ($16ish for the pdf file), more muddies and magnets I got used for about $5, and then I also purchased the usborne first science encyclopedia for $10 (it's optional, but I figured it would be nice to have additional readings - we will pick up other books from the library on the subject to keep in a basket and pull out when we feel like). Hope that helps!

No problem! We have about 5 lessons left in AAR 1, so I just placed an order for AAS 1 and AAR 2. It's a great program!

Just FYI - The company suggests not starting on AAS 1 until you hit AAR 2.

Anyone know if the newest Kingfisher Encyclopedia is any good? The red one is no longer current. The 3rd edition was released in 2012.

Yup - it's definitely in there! I only read the elementary age chapters so far, so I'm glad I saw this and I didn't go ahead and buy the Kingfisher Encyclopedia yet - I have had it sitting in my Amazon cart.