Nevermind. I figured it out. Feeling like an idiot :huh:

How to I purchase Sound Foundations products. Do I have to order from UK?

sorry - duplicate

Might we be able to start with Apples and Pears and just read the I See Sam books or would we be missing out on a lot by skipping Dancing Bears? Also, is the teacher's manual for A&P Level A needed? Do I need to purchase from the UK or is their a US supplier?

Might we be able to start with Apples and Pears and just read the I See Sam books or would we be missing out on a lot by skipping Dancing Bears? Also, is the teacher's manual for A&P Level A needed? Do I need to purchase from the UK or is their a US supplier?

Good advice again :)

Thank you!

Good advice. I do tend to obsess. But I don't want to make the same mistake I made with the first curriculum choice. I am running out of money to spend on homeschool :) so would dancing bears work with a child using D'nealian cursive like my son or with my daughter if I started her on italics? Couldn't I have them trace my own sandpaper letters instead of the ones in the book? Maybe I could just have them tap the letters? Or trace them with their finger but be learning to write them differently outside of the dancing bears lessons? Or should I just not get dancing bears if I'm not willing to use D'nealian manuscript? I'm i making any sense here?

Wow that's really interesting. I will have a look at that! Thanks.

You guys are too funny! Looks like I forgot to include the link. Here it is: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1598570749?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_5&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER Thanks for your patience

Not sure about the dyslexia part but I can tell you my general favorites. I like the Montessori one that lets the kid build numbers with wooden blocks. I also really like Dreambox.

Several people have said this. I see your point, but why do you think Abecedarian works for so many children with LD's if it is overwhelming in that regard? I looked at the sample extensively, and it seems it's presented in a visually clear way. But then again, I haven't actually tried it with a child.

Is he right or left handed?

I taught my first child cursive first. It made sense to me at the time, because I had a long term goal of him being able to write quickly with minimal fatigue. It seemed cursive fit the bill, and I was afraid to teach manuscript first, due to the muscle memory issue of a child getting used to writing way. I wanted him to be most comfortable with the style of writing I thought would be best for adult writing. But now I keep hearing about this italic option, and now that I have a second and third child to teach, I am considering it. My son seems like he may be mildly dyslexic. He was taught manuscript at preschool, and prefers it. He was pretty mad at me for requiring cursive during lessons. He feels it looks messy. He is warming up to it and his writing looks good, but it's been a bit of a struggle. Sometimes I wonder if he would have learned his letter sounds faster if I hadn't required the cursive. And there certainly would have been less conflict. He has practiced manuscript on his own, and I gave him some assistance when he wanted if I saw something that didn't looks optimal in his letter formation. But anyway, recently I was introduced to italic. Way to add another complicated element!!! I have two other children to teach, and I am considering teaching them italic instead of cursive. I have a few questions for those who have chosen to do that. 1.) Can you teach connected italic (italic cursive) first or must you teach the letters separately first? 2.) Do all the letters start on the baseline like D'Nealian style or modern cursive? I have liked the simplicity of it all starting on the baseline. 3.) Does italic or even connected italic have the same brain connection building effect as cursive? 4.) Which is faster and least tiring to write - modern, simplified cursive or italic cursive? 5.) Finally, will italic really be any less confusing for a dyslexic child than cursive? Italic letters are still different from manuscript and bookface letters? I can't think of a single true OG program that uses italic print. Really only four cursive letters are significantly different than manuscript.

Thank you so much to everyone who took time to respond. This is the first time I've posted anything on the Learning Challenges board, and the warm response was so nice! I was convinced to start cursive first with my oldest. He received some manuscript teaching in preschool and resisted me tooth and nail when I tried to teach him cursive. To him, it looks messy and all blended together. We used LOE, and I focused on the rhythm and individual, separate cursive letters. He is now able to combine the letters without so much frustration. To keep him from absolutely hating me, I have allowed him to print some things. He also works on his printing separately (self-taught). Sometimes I do wonder if printing only would have allowed him to retain the letter sounds better; I'm not sure. At the time, I had never heard of italic. I thought cursive first made the best sense, because I knew I wanted him to be able to write quickly, and I know that it's hard to switch to cursive later due to the muscle memory issue. But now I keep hearing about this italic option, and now that I have a second and third child to teach, I am considering it. But here are my questions about italic: 1.) Can you teach connected italic (italic cursive) first or must you teach the letters separately first? 2.) Do all the letters start on the baseline like D'Nealian style or modern cursive? I have liked the simplicity of it all starting on the baseline. 3.) Does italic or even connected italic have the same brain connection building effect as cursive? 4.) Which is faster and least tiring to write - modern, simplified cursive or italic cursive? 5.) Finally, will italic really be any less confusing for a dyslexic child than cursive? Italic letters are still different from manuscript and bookface letters? I can't think of a single true OG program that uses italic print. Really only four cursive letters are significantly different than manuscript. I'm going to cross post the last few questions on the K-8 board as well.

Thank you. That's very helpful info!

Why is that? Is it considered too overwhelming? That's strange b/c Abecedarian is aimed at people with learning disabilities. It's phonographix, like Reading Reflex.

Now that I mention it, all OG programs have the touch component for multi-sensory, so except for programs that encourage cursive first like LOE, it seems my options will be limited?

I've been thinking of trying Dancing Bears. Since I want to teach my child cursive first, would I skip the tracing exercises? Or have them trace my LOE sandpaper cursive letters instead?

Well now I'm confused because I thought the two I listed are unique in organizing/presenting by sound first, rather than presenting all the phonograms and the sounds they say.

I'm considering buying this book but don't want to spend the money if I can find it in public domain.

Does Singapore have a placement test? Maybe you could do one of the Level 1 supplementary books and start level 2.

I've noticed that most of the curricula targeted toward children with dyslexia teaches print first. Does that mean it is too confusing for a dyslexic child to learn to write cursive while reading print?

Does word mastery do the same job?

Have you tried the suggestion they give for making the fluency sheets more fun, like feeding them to the monster?