I've chosen not to do it for my dd, and I'm a big fan of letting kids go as far as they can academically, even before K. But CC didn't put things in context enough to suit me, and the previous poster's statement that the author's focus is on preparing for middle school explains a lot.

I bought dd the new level of her piano books in February. I sat down and did "lesson plans", writing the dates on each page as I expected we would finish them. I hoped I wasn't pushing too hard for her to finish the level by August. We're starting the NEXT level of books tomorrow. She finished in 7 weeks instead of 6 months. :svengo:

Great story! I've read so many wonderful things about MCT, but I haven't heard of a 6-year-old doing it before. What did you do with her previously for language arts, FLL or anything like that?

She sounds a lot like my oldest dd at that age. I don't know if my child qualifies as gifted or not, but she's definitely accelerated.

plan for K: Singapore and MEP math FLL AAS Faber piano 1x/week: art lessons using Artistic Pursuits and Drawing with Children ballet class co-op science and Spanish I'm still on the fence about starting the Ambleside Year 1 readings. I'll decide in August.

The author of this blog is a homeschooling Suzuki mom. She has extensive posts about her Suzuki experiences as a student, teacher, and parent. In fact, today she posted video of her 5-year-old's practice session. It would be worth your time to go there and look for the Suzuki Method posts. http://southforte.blogspot.com

Yeah, I know I shouldn't talk about what dd is doing, but I have a hard time keeping quiet. Thankfully I can talk to my parents, who understand completely because they went through it all with me.

I did the videos with my first dd. She memorized some words before age 1. It didn't make her a reader. They're cute videos, gentle, slow-paced, make good "babysitters" and might help with vocabulary building. I wouldn't recommend paying full price for them and I wouldn't recommend using them in the hopes that they'll turn your child into a reader.

Dd4 just finished coloring a math page, dd2 is pushing a Fisher-Price xylophone around, and ds is playing with a cloth book. Muffins are in the oven for morning snack.

What's a good cheap resource for a parent wanting a refresher course of algebra and geometry?

Thank you!

Has anyone ever put together a weekly schedule based on the Core Knowledge series, specifically the Kindergarten book? I'll make one if I have to, but I'd really rather find one already done. :D

I had good luck with 100 EZ Lessons the first time around, but my two daughters are so different in personality, I have no idea if it will work for my second. So I may be here in a couple of years looking for suggestions!

My new strategy is to encourage her to get picture books when we go to the library (keeps her in the easy books and away from the "juvenile" section which has a lot of age-inappropriate books), and then I'll select some more advanced chapter books from books we have at home, that I know are okay. I don't want dd to lose her taste for picture books entirely. I did that because I was always trying to be older and prove I was smart. :(

We took a break from 100 EZ at about lesson 75 and did some easy readers. After a few weeks we came back and finished. The stories in the book didn't seem as long (or as difficult!) by then. By that point we were also skipping the lessons and going straight to the stories, I think, so it didn't take as long.

I'm convinced that "leveling out" is caused by kids not getting challenged in regular school. Their brains get slightly mushy from lack of effort.

:iagree: with everyone else. My daughter will also be officially K, but all her work will be at least 1st. That's why I homeschool, so we can do things like that.

Here's a link to the Concordia Catechetical Academy schedule: http://www.peacesussex.org/PDFs/2009-2010CAPMaterial.pdf

delish (why did you have to inflict that on us, Rachael Ray?) sticking "at" at the end of a question the previously mentioned improper use of "myself" "like", as in "I was like..."

Or maybe they watched "Dinosaur Train" on PBS, and it was easier for the mom just to say "That's not real" than to explain that no, dinosaurs didn't really sing and dance and have train stations.

Winnie-the-Pooh all the Beatrix Potter books Peter Pan Pinocchio Lang's Fairy books James Herriot's Treasury for Children D'Aulaire biographies Check Ambleside Online's site for their year 0 and year 1 lists.

I recommend http://pianoadventures.com

My oldest reads well, but she needs to learn phonics rules. She also wants to learn spelling. So I'm thinking a phonics-based spelling program would be good. There's a lot of hype about AAS, but it's really expensive! The used versions get snapped up before I have time to send a reply message. Is there something else cheaper that would still do the job and be fun?

Has anyone used the music curriculum from BJU Press? It sounds great, but it's really expensive! Just wondering if it's a good program.

I started at 2 because she already knew her letters and sounds. We got to about lesson 4 of 100 EZ Lessons, and stopped because she wasn't ready to put sounds together. I started again as soon as she turned 3. Then she was ready. By 3 1/2 she was reading Little Bear, by 4 she was reading everything.