Cute thread! I just asked my 3 1/2 year old what he wants to do when he grows up. His response? "Dump dirt". When further pressed, he said he wants to be a "Dumpster". :confused1: Finally he explained that he wants to "drive a dump truck". Not sure where that came from, other than maybe a construction book we have, but we'll go with it. ;)

Thank you, all! I think I'm going to stick with my plan to begin with RightStart A. I know my little guy will LOVE anything that has games and it sounds like RS fits that bill. I appreciate all your responses!

I'm not speaking from experience, so hopefully someone else can chime in, but I've been researching Rightstart for awhile now. From what I understand, RS flows nicely in to Singapore, and many who have gone through RS C have successfully moved into Singapore 2B or 3A. Hopefully someone else who knows firsthand will respond. I, too, am always looking for as much RS info as possible. :)

I have planned on using Rightstart A with my soon-to-be pre-k'er. Yesterday I was visiting a friend who homeschools with Math-U-See and she let me have a look at Primer. I must say, it looked right on par with where my kiddo is, developmentally speaking. She credits MUS to her second grader having great number and value sense. Unfortunately, all I've seen of Rightstart are online samples (but by those, I think my son would really love the program). Is there anyone who can compare and contrast these two math curricula (specifically Primer and RSA)? Is there one that works better for a certain type of child than another? I appreciate your feedback!

I've always done A. In fact, if I remember correctly, I was told to slightly 'widen' the space between the y and the s, leaving a bit of a larger space for the apostrophe (but y and s were still connected). I can't remember what curriculum was used in my early elementary years, but I went to private school and I'm almost positive they used Abeka. I know I learned cursive in kindy.

Thanks, everybody! Lots of great suggestions for me to look into!

Do you have any fun board games that you'd recommend for the 3-5 year old crowd? Bonus points if they have some educational component. My DS is nearly 4, and I am really tired of memory matching games. ;) We have Sequence for Kids, but he's not *quite* ready for that ye. Don't Spill The Beans is a hit around here, but I'm hoping for something slightly more involved than putting fake beans on jar. I'd love to hear some suggestions. Thanks!

Thank you all so much for your replies! For whatever reason, I feel an intense pressure to 'get it right' from the beginning. Reading your thoughts is an immense help.

I've poured through threads on Rightstart Mathematics because I am wanting some fun, game based math for my pre-k kiddo. It seems that, in general, people like Level A well enough, and many seem to have a love affair with Level B. When it comes to Level C, what I'm reading is more of a mix. Some seem to like it, or parts of it, and others quit Rightstart at this point. If you used Rightstart B, did you choose to continue on with Level C? Why or why not? What mathematics program did you choose to transition into after Rightstart?

This was exactly my thought.

Do you happen to have a link to that article? Or know where it can be found? It sounds like an interesting read!

I've heard this one is good from a homeschooling blog that I adore. It's in my amazon cart, but I haven't clicked 'proceed to checkout' yet. :) http://www.amazon.com/Hear-Me-Read-Bible/dp/0758618891/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440801380&sr=1-1&keywords=hear+me+read+bible&pebp=1440801365618&perid=0NWGJ1ZCTSQZ4TRTBSQN

In my state the cut-off for Kindergarten is 5 years old by July 1st. Therefore she would be in kindy where I live.

Thank you!! This is *exactly* what I needed to know. I really appreciate it!

Out of nowhere yesterday, my 3 1/2 year old just decided to start writing letters....that actually look like letters. He started doing this after watching some LeapFrog DVDs and he's quite excited about it. He's also sounding out some simple CVC words. Anyway, he naturally wants to 'fist' his pencil/marker/crayon, which, of course, I'd expect at his age. But since he's starting to form letters on his own, should I go ahead and try to get him to grip his writing utensil properly? If so, do you have tips on how? I've shown him, and he'll do it for a minute or two, then back to the fist. Any tips? Also...side note: I really intended to start him with cursive before manuscript, but he's apparently taken to writing manuscript all on his own. Should I introduce cursive now? Three and a half is much younger than I anticipated doing that. Thanks! PS - I intend to start LoE Foundations A in his K4 year. He's not ready for that, right? Anything I should do with this interest to read and write? Just checking. I'm new at this!

We've used almost all of the above. Another thing I'll add is cotton balls.

I am curious to hear experiences from those of you who introduced cursive to your children prior to teaching manuscript. I've read all the supposed benefits of beginning with cursive, and the classical school in our area uses SWR with Cursive First (the curriculum) beginning in kindergarten. I'd love to know whether you chose to introduce cursive to your children prior to printing. Why or why not? Also, if you did opt for cursive initially, what was your experience? Positive? Negative? Thanks! ~Monica

I have to chime in and say I very much agree with those who said they wished they'd learned history chronologically. My history knowledge is...um...embarrassing, to say the least. Each year history seemed to be a completely fresh class, wholly independent of what was taught the year (or the semester) prior. I am looking forward to using SOTW with my children, if for nothing else to enhance my own history education!

This is how I'm starting to feel. If I'm being honest, we're all a little foggy headed by read-aloud time! We need to form some new habits. ;)

...and how old are your children? I'm primarily talking about reading for pleasure. Also, if you have really small children, such as toddlers/babies, how do you incorporate a read-aloud time for them? I try to do at least 30 minutes per day, per child, however we do the bulk of it at bedtime. Just curious as to other people's methods. Thanks!

This is a random thought that keeps creeping up in my mind. There is a wonderful Classical Christian school not far from where I Iive. In fact, the author of the Classical Composition series, Jim Selby, is a teacher there. When researching schools in my area for my children, I came upon the the classical method by way of this school. After researching the method, I decided I like it, and that is how I found my way to these forums. :) Anyway, this is a school that my children would potentially (probably) go to if I ever sent them to a B&M school. Because I know this school uses SWR, Shurley English and (most likely) Classical Composition, I wonder if those aren't the programs I should look into most seriously. That being said, I don't really think those are the programs that are most appealing to me personally, or would work best for my family. All that is to ask this: If you knew that your children might one day attend a B&M school - better yet, a CLASSICAL B&M school - would that influence your curriculum choices at all? Not looking for any definitive answers, just curious what your thoughts are!

Hi, there! Does anybody have experience with Wee Folk Art? It looks like a lot more than just a simple arts and crafts curriculum. Would it be appropriate for a 3.5 year old? I'd love to hear your experiences! www.weefolkart.com

Thank you all very much for your welcome and your replies! That makes so much more sense now. Knowing that history is a component of 'social studies' makes much more sense. I definitely differentiated the two - mostly because growing up, my public school seemed to differentiate the two, with 'social studies' seeming to encompass more of a civics/sociology aspect. Appreciate the input!

Hi, everyone. I'm new here, but I've been reading the forums for a little while now. I'm a bit sleep deprived, but hopefully my question below makes sense! I am curious how History and/or Social Studies works in your homeschool? I have two boys, my oldest is only 3, but we've decided that we'll be homeschooling when the time comes. I've been researching my state's homeschooling requirements so I know what to expect, and there is a requirement that so many hours be attributed to "Social Studies". I can't tell by reading the requirements if History (a la SOTW or something similar) would count. I've read these forums long enough to know that History is often introduced in elementary school, per TWTM recommendations (growing up in ps I don't think I got into much world history until junior high). In addition to history, do you also do anything for "Social Studies" in the younger years? If so, what do you use and how do you incorporate it? Thanks in advance for sharing. I've really enjoyed these forums and am amazed at how much insight there is among "the hive"!