Okay. I can understand that. It sounds like you probably will have to try something along the lines of the Sonday system. I have not heard of these instructional programs some of the other posters are mentioning. They may be excellent, but I would encourage you to try to find someone who has already used them before spending the money. There is a reason that Orton training cost so much. The first level, or basic class, is really the equivalent of a Bachelor's level course condensed into (usually) around two weeks. The advanced class is on the level of a Master's course. It is rigorous. Both require teaching lessons under supervision of a "Master Tutor". All this to say, just choose with your eyes wide open. Realize that what you choose to do may be a perfect fit for you child--but it may not. That is the downside of trying to do it yourself. More tweaking may be in order, and it does not necessarily mean that an Orton approach won't work. I have used the Orton approach for over 10 years now, and have only had 2 children not do well on it. Both had long-term memory problems, and neither had been diagnosed with dyslexia. Their parents just wanted to try it anyway. BTW, I can see why your dyslexic children are having trouble with SWR. I have looked at it and believe that it would move too fast for most children with dyslexia. I hope you are able to figure something out soon! :)

When I was a Special Ed teacher several years ago, I tried to implement the OG approach without the training and found it very difficult. Since then, I have been trained in the approach (not a specific program), and I can say that it was worth every last dime spent. Is it possible that you could spend the money to be trained and then tutor other children to make your money back? I charge $25/hour (which is actually a little on the low side). I do not see any students for less than twice/week. At that rate, it really does not take very long to make it worth the up-front cost. As far as programs go, I recommend training in the approach first, because it just gives you so much more flexibility. If you want to implement an OG based program without training, I have heard excellent reviews of All About Spelling, and it sounds very much in line with the OG approach. However, I have not actually used it, so I must stop short of a full-hearted recommendation. I have seen presentations of the Sonday system, and it looks really good as well. HTH!

We do not have a portable potty seat, so one time when we were hiking we took an old pot. It had a little hole in the handle so we could thread it onto a backpack. She was actually pretty darn cute sitting on that thing with a big grin! :lol:

As an OG tutor for children with dyslexia, I have to say that learning to write in cursive does not make it difficult for children to learn to read print.

Does he use a pacifier? My ds wasn't talking much at his 18 month appointment, and the dr wanted to refer him for speech. We cut his pacifier time way back, and encouraged older sisters to stop talking so much for him. His word count increased dramatically within the next 6 months. He was just barely a preemie, too, and I've been amazed at how that has affected his development. He really was slower until just a few months ago. Now I think he's pretty much on track. Anyway, if you feel in your gut something is wrong, you probably should go with it. You're an experienced mom. I hope it goes well and that you are satisfied with the dr.'s response.

We love MFW too, and used Exploration to 1850 this past school year. I especially love the book basket. We live 30 minutes from the nearest library, but my dh actually works at one 45 minutes away, so this is what I do. During the summer break, I go online and search for every last one of the recommended books. Using a separate word document for each week, I type all of the books I was able to find and include the call #. If it is available through interlibrary loan, or if we have it at home, I note that as well. I * the same ones that Marie *. During the school year, I pull up the list a week ahead, request the ILL books and e-mail the list to my dh, who then brings them home. When he comes back with a huge stack of books, it's like Christmas here. Before MFW, I used Sonlight with my oldest dd, and she loved it as well. She still goes to the bookshelf to reread those books. However, when I am tempted to go back, I remember the book basket. She has read an amazing # of books the past couple of years, and I think we would all really miss the stacks of books that come home. Some are picture books, some easy readers, some chapter books, and I even found one for me (The Count of Monte Cristo)! ;) We save money by purchasing used.

That's how I use Explode the Code.

The teacher's manual is mostly used for pages where there are spelling words to dictate. I have some manuals, but not all. Since there are word lists with each unit, I make my own "answer key" for the manuals I don't have. To me, it doesn't seem like a whole lot of extra work, but the manuals are still nice to have. I just try to buy them used. ;)

My dh also develops websites as a side business. Here are some samples: http://www.climaxdigital.com/glovesmarkerspens.html www.ponderautorepair.com http://webbdentistrytn.com/index.php http://roanmountainriding.com/brinkleyhouse.php Sometimes he will help businesses keep the website cost down by letting them do some of the work themselves, so that may be an option (with him or with another developer). PM me if you would like his contact information.

I have only used MFW ECC, so I cannot compare the 2 programs. We loved ECC. However, the "book basket" is an integral part of the program. Do you have access to a good library, or do you have a way to put together a really good bunch of books? If not, you can do ECC without it, but it just isn't as effective, and you may want to consider a different curriculum.

Print is much harder than cursive to make neat. Think about it. You have to lift your pencil off the paper and put it down in all sorts of different places. You use lots of straight lines, and straight lines are hard to draw. You have to remember to put spaces between words that are larger than the spaces between the letters. Therefore, I do not think you need to perfect print first. (Actually, I teach cursive first!) ;)

I had a similar situation to yours, and we settled on MFW's Exploration to 1850. Only my dd(9) did it, though. The MFW Adventures program would probably be more appropriate in your situation. I've never used WP, although I sure have drooled over it a few times, LOL! I don't think it's the end of the world if you take some time to study American History.

My dh & I recently went through FPU and loved it. I think the main advantage of the class is that there is accountability. My dh & I talked about working a budget for years, but he wasn't motivated to really do it until he had to face the members of our small group. We plan to actually go through it again in a few months, just to keep us on track. I have heard that fees can be waived for those who really can't afford it, but I do not know if that is true or not.

Another vote for nursing homes here. :) I know some families play instruments or sing for the residents, but we're taking a more intimate approach. We have "adopted" a few residents, and we often take them little treats or leave them with pictures the dc drew. The activities director tries to match us with residents who do not have family nearby, and who enjoy children. It's been a really good experience for all of us.

We're using Explorations to 1850, and we alternate between Science & Social Studies.

Don't be discouraged! Different math curriculums cover skills at different times. If you used Singapore, you might come across skills in later books that your daughter has already covered. BTW, we use Singapore, Key to Fractions and Key to Geometry with my dd. She likes it better than Math U See, but I can't say that she is crazy about math. She has not been able to memorize basic addition & subtraction facts, and that really bogs her down on the higher level problems. We had her tested just yesterday, and she had very low scores on the timed calculation portion, but was still able to score at a 5th grade level for overall math. I took that as a sign that we're on the right track.

As a tutor of children who have dyslexia, I am a big advocate of teaching cursive first. Here is a good article explaining why: www.alphaphonics.com/cursive.htm. A good book you could use is Cursive Writing Skills by Diana Hanbury King. Whatever you use, instruction will be easier if all of the lowercase letters begin on the bottom line.

If she's artistic, Zaner-Bloser will probably be fun for her. Children who have difficulty with all the loops usually learn better with D'Nealian.

At 4, reversals are normal--even when they're not the ones people usually see. You could probably completely eradicate them by teaching him cursive. I always teach cursive first, even to children in Kindergarten. What you are describing does not really sound like dyslexia to me, although he would need a thorough evaluation to know for sure. As others said, dyslexic children can learn to read with proper instruction, but it sounds like his only issues at this point are these reversals, and he is well within the normal range for making them. Most 4 yr olds are just barely copying a few letters! I think I would be more concerned about the 8yr old. He really should be past reversals by now, although cursive may help him with that as well.

We are using Exploration this year, but we did the science backwards. She did botany first and has only 2 weeks worth of animal science left. My dd is in 4th grade, loves science (especially zoology) and is an excellent reader. I think she actually read The World of Animals before we even started! For her, the botany was enough but the animal studies were not. We've supplemented with lapbooks and dissections at a museum. Since we've not used Apologia's general science, I do not know how well it prepares students for that. I just know that my dd needed more to satisfy her curiosity. ;)

Is he doing this with reading, writing, or both?

My dd(9) loves the book basket and willingly reads much more than 30 minutes whenever she has the opportunity. My dh works at a library and brings the books home for us. It's like Christmas every time! :D Every now and then, I'll choose a book from the book basket to study more in depth and use a Progeny Press guide for a few weeks, but we're not currently using anything more than that. (We're using Exploration to 1850).

This is exactly what I did with my dd(9), and it has worked out really well.