Congratulations! I can't remember exactly which lesson we are on (the book is downstairs and I'm lazy, LOL) but it's around 69. We're doing ETC 2 at the same time. I'm getting a bit anxious because after 100 EZ Lessons, what do you give them? Another reading curriculum, or real books? What a momentous step, either way....

I ordered the Standards edition because I remember reading that it covers material a bit more thoroughly / provides a few extra exercises for each lesson. :)

DS (age 3 and 1 month, as my dd likes to say, LOL) now knows his alphabet, the sound each letter makes, and a word or two that starts with each letter. Should I buy the ETC primer books for him (Get Ready for the Code, etc.) or should I buy something else? He does not enjoy bookwork though he will do a few pages willingly every now and then (I never force him to do worksheets). I would appreciate your advice! Also, some of you might remember that my earlier thread discussed how this particular child is very energetic! Not ADD or ADHD but definitely one who loves to move. Any specific curriculum suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

Ugh ... I NEVER wanted to put a lot of stock in book-learning! Yech! Is that what I've turned into?!?! :tongue_smilie:

Guess what my 3 year old likes the best? A pair of scissors. No joke! Carried them around with him at both grandparents' houses! :001_rolleyes:

OK, I just checked my other thread and saw where I wrote, "She just doesn't want to work hard sometimes, which irritates me." LOL. So I did say that! I remember now what happened: It was the day with the apples. She kept forgetting to write the numbers in the correct place and I kept making new apple problems for her, trying to get her to do it "right" at least three times in a row. She groaned and put her pencil down. That's why I said she did not want to work hard. I feel a thousand times smarter now. I should have placed the papers on my desk and said, "Let's go play!" Why didn't I?!?! :banghead: ......... :sad:

I thought kindergarteners had to be able to recognize and write numbers to 30, not just count them....

Hmm. Maybe I did not word it correctly in my other thread, if it came across as my saying she doesn't work hard. She does work hard. It's a matter of getting her started - and one day she could not remember all of the steps in a math problem, and I was getting frustrated with her. (Apple on worksheet divided in half, draw seeds on each side, write the number of seeds beneath each side, then add them and write the total. She was just writing the total and forgetting to write the seeds beneath each side. Silly of me to get so worked up over it, I now know, but back then I was so terrified that she would need to know how to do this on the state test and would forget and fail and then the state would make me send her to public schools! :tongue_smilie:) Anyway, she did not give up and she kept on and on doing it. She is not lazy and she is a hard worker; my question in the other thread was how hardI should push her to keep trying something until she gets it perfect - or if I should let it go and come back to it later. Does this make sense? Again, she is not lazy. :) One hard thing about waiting is this: I do not want her to be around other 4.5 year olds who know more than she - not because I am vain, though, but because of fairness. The way I see it is, if other 4.5 year olds are learning things, then why shouldn't she get to? Just because she has a younger brother, she should not learn? That does not seem right. I hope I've clarified myself with regards to my earlier thread....

Yes, she knows how to write the date (e.g. December 25, 2008, not 12/28/08). I'm just worried that if we don't do it every day, she will forget. Saxon Math. Just placed an order for Singapore Earlybird! Could you please explain the games a little more? They sound fun! :) Thanks!

Thank you because I disagree, too! My daughter likes to do workbooks. She asks to do them! But it's sitting down and writing the date every day that drives her nuts. "I already know how to do that!" she argues. I can't blame her. I want to throw the freaking calendar out the window most days because it is the source of her agony. But what if she never learns how to write the date? Also, her math is now saying she needs to memorize 2+2=4, 3+3=6, 4+4=8.... and she is not interested. I can't blame her here, either! I thought about not forcing her to learn these facts. Then I thought, She will be behind if she doesn't! :confused:

Thank you, everyone. I know many people are suggesting I take a year off, but I don't want to do so completely, because my daughter is able to do all of the work - from Reading to Math. If she is mentally ready to learn, then it is unfair not to teach her, don't you think?... Or should I *still* back off? I've looked into the book Peak with Books that someone recommended and it looks great. How is it similar to/ different from FIAR? Thanks!

Also, I forgot to ask: Should I start using Before FIAR with both of my children and just sell my FIAR books?...

Thank you - you might not have intended to have this effect, but you made me realize that I really need to enjoy this age and be as fun and creative as I can! :) Thank you for these wonderful suggestions! Both of my children have Sensory Integration Disorder. Back in February, my ds would stand and stare at a wall when we were in crowded places. (Sensory Overload) I think I mentioned before that we started agressive occupational therapy (at one point he was seeing an OT four times a week and a ST twice a week - 6 appts per week! This is what happens when a mother (me!) is terrified!). The OT joked that one day ds would be on the other end of the spectrum (wild!) and she was right! LOL. So there are times when he is hyper and I have to remind myself that this is a good thing!

Are my children too young for this? If not, how do I use it / what do I do?

DH is gone three days a week all day long, and on the other evenings, my daughter is so excited about him being around that she wants to play with him. :( I really appreciate the advice from all of you! I realized I have not completely described my son's personality, and this is sad: He does *NOT* want to sit down and do work of any kind. I was shocked the other day when he wanted to sit down and paint. To teach his ABCs I have to eventually fuss at him to sit in front of the dry-erase board because he wants to run all around the room. I can tolerate this to a point, until he starts giggling and answering me in strange voices. :001_huh: I know this is working because he now knows all letters except for two (D and W) but he is so wiggly it drives me nuts. :willy_nilly:

Spinning my wheels ... that sounds like exactly what I am doing. You know what else? I was so excited about FIAR but it's not really working for us so far. Why??? It is such a wonderful idea. But a) My daughter does not want to do most of the activities, and b) My son rarely sits still for the book. (There are times when he will sit for 5 or 6 books, but it's hard to get him to do it at FIAR time.) Is something wrong with me?!

He doesn't know how to use a computer mouse. This is an excellent suggestion but when I try to teach him how to use the mouse he refuses to learn. He does like Starfall, though; when I'm on the computer he'll say something like, "Do M, Mommy!" Oh my ... I had not thought of this. Yes, they would be playing together. They play together all the time - and argue with each other! He very well could be missing her companionship. How can I encourage him to play alone?... He used to, back when she was in preschool, but he acted so lonely and I often would find him either lying on the floor in his room or sitting in a chair downstairs, staring sadly at the wall.... :( You asked what he is into: My son loves cars, trucks, and hammers! Oh, don't worry, I am not reading about ADD or ADHD! But my son had over six months of extensive speech therapy and occupational therapy, and his various therapists all agreed that he did not have attention problems. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm not grateful for the advice, because I am, but ... as soon as we sit down to start a short lesson, he starts acting up. And he watches us sometimes while he's doing it. Attention plea?...

Thank you for your advice. There is no way he will sit and work quietly as she works. He does not have ADHD or ADD but he is just wild and so full of energy. I know I shouldn't make a sad face but I am: :( Help!

My daughter would refuse to work - she would want to play with him! :tongue_smilie:

My poor son is driving me nuts. Whenever I try to teach my daughter, my son (the 3 year old) starts getting into trouble. What can I do for him?! I don't want to keep fussing at him. But let me tell you, he is not going to sit silently and listen, or color a sheet of paper, or look at books on his own. Part of it, I think, is that he needs one-on-one time with me, too (besides the 6 minutes or so we spend each day reviewing the alphabet). So, in addition to needing help with him while I teach my daughter, can you offer curriculum ideas for a 3 yo? I'm trying to think of ideas - maybe Little Hands for His Glory? Any other Christian curriculum that's very innocent and fun but would work for a *very* wiggly 3 year old? Thank you!

Which Saxon Math are you using? That might help decide part of it.... :)

Same here - it carries over. I have found that I've had to do some exercises on the dry-erase board to reinforce it ... see below.... If I were you, I would stop with 100 EZ Lessons right now and find a workbook of some kind that would reinforce would your dd is learning - maybe Explode the Code Book 3? It covers open syllables, silent-e, digraphs (sh, th, wh, ch, -ng, -ck, -tch), and simple diphthongs (ee, ea, ai, ay, oa, ow). Work with her on this a little; you could even create your own exercises on a chalkboard, dry-erase board, or simple notebook paper. You could gradually start making sentences with the words. ThenI would return to 100 EZ Lessons. Hope this helps! :)

I have read some about it and it sounds interesting (not for my daughter, of course, LOL! For my niece.). It's actually intended for grades 5-12. I'd love to know what you thought of it! :)

Tiffani and all, We are drudging through Saxon as well, and I only spend about 15 minutes on it each day. My daughter despises mathtime. I am placing an order with Singapore with hopes that she will start to love math! Every morning I say, very cheerfully, "It's time for math!" and she cries, "No, no, no - I already know how to do it!" She gets irritable and even runs and hides. There are times when we get into a lesson that she starts to enjoy it - she truly enjoys worksheets - but other things seem so monotonous to her, like writing the date each day. She gets so tired of doing this, but I'm paranoid that if we don't do it daily, she'll forget how to do it. What's odd is, I don't remember having to know how to write the date until I was in about 7th grade. No joke. Why is it in Saxon Math 1??? So for those of you whose child begs not to do math, how do you get her or him to sit down and do it? Threaten them with no candy/toy/playtime/etc.? Talk lovingly until they come? (this would not work on my daughter, the strong-willed and persistent child)

Was just wondering ... for those using Singapore kindergarten math, do you also use the set of 10 readers?