[Short chapter books recommendations - 3-5th grade reading level]

My third grade niece got my kids started on A to Z Mysteries.  Most are written at roughly third grade level, and I feel like they're decently written.  The one nice thing is that there are so many of them; my kids seem to be using them to build fluency, since I've seen their comprehension gradually getting stronger the more they read.  Now to find a "next-size-up" series...  (Others I'm planning to grab from the library are the Flat Stanley books, Boxcar Children, and some American Girl books.  We loved My Father's Dragon as a read-aloud, but the font was small so I couldn't convince them to try the other books on their own.)

[Math challenge for rising 1st grader?]

I have a K-er and a PK4 this year.  Both kids have been working through RS-B, but as the year goes on I'm realizing more and more that it's the perfect pace for DD (PK4) but DS (K) could be moving through it a lot faster.  For example, while DD did exactly as the text expected on all those lessons leading up to adding large numbers on paper (relying on the abacus to develop understanding), DS looked at the first written problem on his whiteboard, solved it in his head, wrote down the answer and his trades, and finally moved beads on the abacus to match his numbers.  I'm thinking of separating them for math after we finish B in another month. 
 

I think for DD-newly-5 I will just continue on to RS-C exactly as written, perhaps with a sprinkling of Miquon, which she finds exciting.  (She's very visual.) 

What would you recommend for DS6 (headed for 1st grade)?  Would you recommend just moving him through RS-C at a bit faster pace, adding something to create challenge, or doing something entirely separate?  For reference, he loves learning and will do almost any task gladly but his ADHD makes everything take longer--partly I love RS for the interaction and light worksheet load.  He's also an intuitive learner.  He's always been annoyed by the abacus and he actively hates the Miquon C-rods except for making patterns and building.  He enjoys the RS card games, but they take him forever because he goes running around the room after each turn or spends 20 minutes explaining each move he makes.  He loves Mind Benders and logic puzzles and spends all his free time building (train tracks indoors, bricks and wood scraps out back) and drawing road maps of imaginary towns.  He's not a mathematical genius or anything, but he seems to pick up the concepts with ease.

[MCT or CAP W&R for 5 & 6 yo?]

This is what I get for starting a reply and then walking away from the computer.  Thanks for all your thoughts, Kerileanne99!  I think you're reinforcing my leaning to wait juuuust a little longer (if nothing else, to wade through the material and decide how to pace it--though I've seen a couple schedules on here that might be handy).

[MCT or CAP W&R for 5 & 6 yo?]

Incognito, thanks for the comparison.  Since I'm so passionate about writing, I'm hoping to use multiple different methods to help refine and stretch what my kids are capable of as they grow.  (This feels specially vital since I feel like strong writing skills make such a positive impression in arenas like higher ed and the workforce.) I just can't imagine utilizing only one way of teaching writing--but maybe that's just because I've turned into a curriculum junkie. :tongue_smilie:

 

Monique, thanks for letting me know what your plans are.  After looking through W&R again, I think I will definitely stave that one off a while longer, probably after MCT like you and Lynnita suggested. 

 

Now to decide whether to use a filler like WWE for a while or continue with another IEW theme book or jump into MCT very slowly when we finish Bible Heroes.  Leaning toward waiting until they are 6 & 7 for MCT, but I'm still debating.  Sometimes I think I go hunting for new curricula just to provide myself more opportunity to agonize...

[Affordable telescope/binoculars]

While I have super limited experience, I was impressed by the reviews and the price (around $50) on this Celestron telescope, so we got it for DS6's birthday.  It has its own tabletop stand, which means you don't have to have a tripod for it, and we've found the spotterscope useful.  (You aim a red laser light at what you'd like to focus on, then look through the actual lens--much simpler than trying to scan the skies and find what you want.)  ...Now excuse me while I look up some of the resources duckens listed...

[MCT or CAP W&R for 5 & 6 yo?]

8FillTheHeart--While I am completely capable of teaching writing sans curriculum, I'm noticing that things don't get done consistently around here unless they're open-and-go.  I had high aspirations for utilizing BFSU and making my own social studies material, but those died a short way into our school year.  :-/  I'm still hoping to resurrect those for the future (we're officially only Kindy, so it's okay, right? And I'd dearly love not to shell out for EVERY subject), but I think it's going to take a lot of pre-planning and effort to get those ready to go, so I don't think I dare add another create-your-own type subject.  I also don't just want to drop writing because a) it's a subject they like and b) I hate to lose what they've learned so far by just dropping the subject.

 

Lynnita, thanks so much for detailing WWE for me.  I'll have to give WWE2 a close look and see if it'll fit.  Perhaps it will work well for us to strengthen the skills we've been learning this year in preparation for something more challenging another year down the line.

 

Kerileanne99, how long do you think it will take your daughter to get through MCT's Island level?  Is there any portion of it you are putting off until later, or one you wish you'd waited on?  I have no problem adjusting programs to meet our needs--either adjusting pacing or substituting activities--but I don't want to get most of the way through and think, "I sure wish I'd waited--they'd have gotten far more out of this in a year or two!"  (Especially at that price...)

[MCT or CAP W&R for 5 & 6 yo?]

Thanks for the responses!  Guess I need to go do more digging.  So far everything I've looked at either seems too basic/repetitive/boring-as-all-get-out or too advanced.

 

Lynnita, what aspect of WWE did you think was particularly helpful?  And what level would you recommend?  I had written off WWE because a) lots of folks have mentioned that it's rather repetitive/boring and b) I had the impression it was simply narration, dictation, and copywork in the early levels.  We've been doing narrations informally for a few years now, did dictation as part of AAS1 and moreso AAS2 (taking a break this spring), and used the first half of Bible Heroes as narration/copywork (while they were developing their spelling, I had them narrate the stories as I wrote, and they copied my writing).  Would WWE have something new to offer?

[MCT or CAP W&R for 5 & 6 yo?]

I have a DS6 (officially K) who is passionate about writing and a DD5 who is determined to do everything her brother does.  This year we're working through IEW's Bible Heroes.  I loved it for the first half of the year--the vocabulary, the gentle introduction to grammar, the scaffolded approach to writing, the occasional games--but right now it's feeling stale.  Perhaps it's because we're in the midst of the 12 weeks on story sequence, where we do the same story for three weeks at a time (first beginning, then middle, then end).  After the first six weeks even DS was complaining.  Even the games are feeling a little stale and repetitive right now, though.  I had purchased ATFF to use once we finish BH, but at the moment I'm thinking we could use a break and a new perspective before doing more IEW. 

 

I've looked at both MCT and CAP W&R and figured they were for older kids, but then I realized that the program we're currently using is supposed to be for 2nd-3rd grade and the kids are having no trouble with any aspect of it, so maybe the other programs wouldn't be such a stretch.  Both DS6 and DD5 are reading solidly (probably late 3rd/early 4th grade level?) and both have the stamina to write at least a paragraph at a time (did two books of Getty-Dubay last spring and are working on generic cursive now at their request). 

 

I love the extent of what's offered in MCT, but I get mixed reviews on whether kids this age could handle it.  It sounds like maybe the grammar and vocab would be fine but perhaps the writing and poetry would not?  And W&R looks like it has a similar concept to IEW--summaries, focus on various strategies to amplify/dress up writing--with a slightly different approach that might be refreshing.  Any thoughts on which would be a better fit at this point?  Or other recommendations?