I'm looking for two recommendations, which may be the same, or may be different. First is for my niece. She will be in fourth grade in fall, and goes to public school. They will be starting to learn a second language and she has chosen to learn French. Her mom (my SIL) would really like her to learn German as well. My SIL is from Germany, and spoke mostly German to her children for the first couple years of life. They can speak some German, but I think she would like them to be able to read and write German as well. I'm guessing she is looking for something more self-taught, but I'm not totally sure about that. Next is for my daughter, who will also be in fourth grade in fall, but will be homeschooled. I would like her to learn German as well, as we have a large population of German immigrants where we live. She does not know any German currently, so we would be at square one.

Bracken, My Dog was always a favorite of mine. I'm not sure if you can find it anywhere. Apparently it was published under another name as well, I just don't remember what it was.

I wonder if the key is just waiting until they are ready. If they are ready at age 3, that's great! If they are ready at age 8, that's great too! I think trying to teach them before their brains are ready for it is just going to bring frustration and tears.

Definitely! While CLE isn't the best for my two oldest girls, I would have LOVED it as a child.

My oldest used CLE for Math, Reading, and LA for grades one and two. For grade three this year she is in public school, but when we homeschool again in fall we will be using LLFT. CLE was not too hard, she got the work done, but we were definitely not enjoying the journey. I think LLFT is something that will bring a bit of joy back into our homeschooling. My grade 2 daughter will also be using it, and for her especially I think CLE would be a disaster right now. She is too creative, loving to write and draw, and I think CLE would just kill that. We will still be using CLE for reading.

Indian Captive is a good read aloud or reader for that age.

What sort of curriculum are you trying to use right now? There is so much out there, and some is great, but some really isn't. Also, some kids do better with different types of curriculum. For now, I agree with the previous posters, I would cut the computers and any other devices. Once they show you consistently they can do school work, then they earn it back, a little at a time. Also, grade 2 and K kids still need a lot of teaching. They usually cannot do it all independently.

Singapore Essential Kindergarten Math might fit the bill. Simple worksheets, inexpensive. Each page gives suggestions at the bottom for how to expand the lesson if you like.

I haven't used it yet, but have it waiting for my 4th grader for fall. I would think a timer for 20-30 minutes would be sufficient.

They have changed the format of the schedule again, so it is no longer this way.

The diagramming in grade 2 is super basic. Did you give the diagnostic test? If so, and it said start in third grade, then that is what I would do.

They said they have no plans to stop making the LUs, so I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure if they decide to, you will have time to stock up then.

Have you done the Little House books yet?

They have a downloadable scope and sequence on their website you could look at to see what they would miss. For my kids, I would just have them start where they left off. The program does spiral, but there is constantly new information.

I agree. Anne of Green gables is definitely not the same reading level as Little House. She will probably enjoy them in a couple years though.

What about the books about Laura's daughter, Rose?

Here is their contact page. You could email as well. https://www.clp.org/store/browse/238_homeschool_support. Hope this helps a bit :)

Also, if you call CLE tomorrow I'm sure they could help you. I've heard their customer service is really great.

Are you ordering the lightunits, or doing the study by textbook method? With the LUs there are 9 of them. CLE usually has 16-17 lessons in each LU, though I haven't used this course, so I'm not sure on this one.

Yeah, I think that's normal at 4. My four year old is currently working on her "r" sound. I don't always correct her, but she has come to recognize it often when she says a word wrong. It's so funny listening to her talk sometimes, as she is trying so hard to get the "r" sound. She will get it in half the words, and not the other half, and then turn a "w" sound into "r" because she is trying too hard, lol.

Similar anyways! The books notes in the IG are arranged a bit differently. They are organized by week, by book. So all the notes for one week are together, but organized by book rather than day.

FYI the LA is separate again ;)

Have you looked at Spelling You See? It might be a better fit for you. I'm planning to use it in fall with my 7 and 9 year olds.

With a 4 and 5 year old I would start off with P 4/5. It is a fun core with lots of great books. Then you can choose specific LA/ Reading and math based on your children's abilities. You will likely run out of readers for your older child if he is an eager reader, but if you have a library close by it can be a great help.

She also said she is using red right now, not that she would be using it in fall with a second grader.