My dd is 4 this month. We've been working through Phonics Pathways but recently have taken a break. Learning her letter sounds and blending came very easily to her. She has very good phonemic awareness (can hear first sound, last sound, middle sound, rhyming words). She can read most short-vowel words, but is still in the painful sounding out phase, even though we've practiced quite a bit with BOB books and Nora Gaydos readers. I thought some workbooks might help reinforce what she's learned and introduce her to some new content without as much mom involvement (she does like doing workbooks... I think she feels like she's accomplished something). But, she definitely is not forming all of her lowercase letters correctly yet, though she likes to try and "draw" them (we're working through HWT preschool). Could someone explain the differences between the ETC and Plaid Phonics wb's? From the small samples I've seen online, I'm more drawn to the Plaid Phonics ones for some reason. Which do you think requires more writing? Which moves faster through the material (it seems like ETC moves at a snail's pace, but how does Plaid Phonics compare)? Does one seem to be more busy-work-ish than the other?

We were posting at the same time... I would love this! I hope they're able to make it happen!

:iagree: I'm very very sad I didn't get to go. I wish I could hear more about Susan's last talk, but I agree that you need to be sensitive and respectful of her privacy. I'm excited that Jessie will be here for the WA conference in June, though!

You guys have been very helpful... thank you!

What's the difference btwn the Cuisenaire rods and the Math-U-See manipulatives? Also, if I were to get the Activities guide to the AL Abacus, are the worksheets also necessary? And, one more: would I want the connecting Cuisenaire rods?

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. :tongue_smilie:

Yes, actually, a Miquon book is cheaper than the Cuisenaire rods ideas book. Hmmm....

These are the ones I'd recommend as well. I personally did not feel like Levison's books added anything for me, except her own opinions. YMMV

We actually don't have any legos (gasp!). But, I should bring out the cards again... she probably could play war now. And we have done a lot with dominoes too. I'll have to dig around and see if we have any dice (I'm sure we do somewhere).

Yup. Thanks.

I like the inequality idea. And showing numbers in different ways a la RightStart. Would those base ten flats coordinate with the cuisenaire rods? Do they serve a different purpose than the abacus? I guess it's all just different ways of representing the same ideas.

So, would I not need the Abacus guide book if I got the Card Games Kit?

Chris, thanks for these. We've done many of them, but I hadn't thought much about measuring and graphing. Those will be fun to start with.

My dd is going to be 4 next month, and I would like to start doing some math play with her. I don't want lessons. I have my BS in math, and coursework for a teaching cert for secondary math ed, so I don't really need my hand held. But, I'd like something to give me ideas for activities to do. I'm considering: AL Abacus and guide RightStart card games Cuisenaire rods and something like this I also just put Family Math for Young Children and Games for Math on hold from the library, thinking maybe I could get good ideas from them without having to spend the money on the above. What have others done/used/liked? I've heard good things about the RS stuff... has anyone used that Cuisenaire rod idea book?

How about SL P4/5?

You missed this one from Maria/ME. ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Trivium-Mastery-Intersection-Authentic-Classical/dp/1432733281/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239921212&sr=8-7 Sounds like a direct attack on SWB... here's the Amazon description: You may not know it, but you've been robbed. Classical Christian education, your rightful inheritance, has been stolen from you by educational bureaucrats. Generations of well-meaning parents and innocent children never received their intended bequest. However, the "new" method that is being popularized in the homeschooling community looks more like the public school paradigm than the original classical model. In her research, Diane discovered that the primary premise upon which this "neoclassical" method is based has no evidentiary support other than one woman's personal experience. Speculation and hearsay fuel the rumor that has become an urban legend. Countless home school parents labor under this burdensome method when they could be enjoying the simplicity of an authentic classical Christian home education by teaching three simple skill sets to mastery: Language, Critical Thinking, and Communication Exposition of errors, though, is not enough. Home school parents need practical instructions for turning the idea of a classical Christian home education into reality. Diane shows you exactly how to teach these three skills through 12 real-life case studies with children ranging in age from 5 to 17 years old. Using her "must-know" checklists, Diane develops customized strategic semester plans for each child, a to-do list for the parents, and a to-do list for the children. Use these personal "makeovers" as a guide to develop your own strategic plans. National leaders on two continents have been successfully trained by the classical method for over two thousand years. At this critical time in history, the common twelve-year educational paradigm cannot begin to prepare your children for the calling on their lives. Like Diane, you and your family can recover your inheritance. What are you waiting for? Come on! Is her interpretation of the classical model any more "authentic" than WTM??

This is important to read, to understand some of the culture surrounding this idea. I'm sympathetic to the idea, but not to much of that culture.

I highly recommend Musikgarten and The Little Gym for young ones. If you can take Musikgarten classes all the way through their group piano classes (they go up to age 9 or 10), your child will be sight-singing and absolutely ready for any instrument. I don't know if Little Gym programs vary in quality, but my dd's have really awesome teachers. Very research based and purposeful and lots of fun. I love how they provide so many different sensory experiences... it's like OT disguised as gymnastics. :) About gymnastics and competition: After 1 semester in gymnastics classes, my now-almost-four-year-old moved up to their little performance group, which is very low-key, or I wouldn't have moved her up. She has one teacher in particular who is always looking to challenge her, but knows how to do it in a very fun, non-threatening way (my dd is pretty sensitive). She has a blast and is learning incredibly quickly... to the point that she is one of the best in the class and yet the youngest by 1-2 years. It's starting to make me nervous. What do I do if she outgrows this class? There's no where else to go for her age. I really want to wait a few years before I even consider competitive gymnastics for her (which is why I've avoided a competitive gym). Does anyone who has gone this route have any advice?

I just wanted to add that even though I personally believe that the God of the Bible does all that stuff mentioned above, I am leery of providential history curricula. They can become heavy handed and presumptuous, IMO. I don't always agree with author opinions of what God thinks about very complex situations and people (that happened before the author was born, no less).

Me too! I voted that I have taken a self-defense class. What association of TKD schools was yours?

I agree with this. Even if kids play "bad pirates", it's the way they're learning about the world and themselves. How does it feel to be a bad guy? How does it feel when someone treats me badly? What motivates the bad guy to be bad or the good guy to be good? What is good and bad? Childhood play is a safe place to explore these ideas.

Aren't the friendly overtures necessary to find out if you might want to be someone's friend? In the North, how do you get to know someone if you never talk to them? I just moved from TX to the Seattle area, and although people are polite enough, it's rare for people to express any interest in getting to know me at all. :001_unsure:

If you're not already on the mailing list, when can you request one? I only see an "order a 2008 catalog" button on the webpage.

Interesting that she doesn't include motor skills in her lists either, as I thought they were indicators of giftedness as well.