We're using Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and it does teach the Schwa. However, we aren't to that lesson yet. But I have taught Dd to sound it out saying A-bout to help her figure it out. But, she has self corrected and no pronounces it as About as we normally say it in everyday speech.

DD (5) only slightly advanced •Finish Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading. She has 80 lessons to go and has surpassed the book in her own reading (reading multisyllable and r-controlled vowel words which we haven't covered yet formally) •Start AAS1 •swim independently. She's got the mechanics down but is terrified to let the teacher let go of her. We also need to potty train DS who is turning 3. He is physically ready but mentally blocked. Says he's scared to pee without a diaper. He's had some success and has excellent bladder control. We also started AAR-Pre level with DS. Going slowly and at his pace.

I got the McGuffeys Readers to go through after we finish our phonics program (Ordinary Parents Guide). I'm not sure if she will go through them or not. My other thought was to use a book list like ambleside online for readalouda and her personal reading

That's good to know! I will make sure to look for that version when I buy it.

Thanks! I have a 6th edition from the library and will start reading it. I plan to buy my own copy used and will start it after we finish OPG in a few months.

So it would work to start Spalding while still finishing up. OPG? Just start teaching the phonograms and how to write them while continuing our other lessons? I do want to focus more on handwriting since she can write, but as a lefty she has some funny formation.

So what would you do for a child who knows the phonograms? OPG has it's sections based mainly on phonograms and similar patterns. I've been also going over the phonograms separately with her. We haven't written them, but she can write fairly well. She knows roughly 60 of the phonograms? I have flashcards that I made based off of the Spalding phonogram list. I have a copy of Spalding from the library and plan to buy my own. So you would do Spalding as the spelling and handwriting?

How long is spalding supposed to take? Would it be possible to do it after OPGTR? I just don't know if I want to quit OPGTR since it's working and Dd is close to finishing

I plan to continue OPGTR until it is finished. I was thinking of adding in spelling and extra work on syllables. OPG is really working well for DD at the moment and I don't want to drop it and start over with Spalding. Would I start Spalding at the beginning? That feels like going backwards a little bit. Did you start the spell to read at the beginning level? I'm just not sure how I would switch. I want her to still progress forward reading wise and don't feel like she's there quite yet to fully drop the program and have her move to another.

I was fairly set on doing ETC books 4-8 for DD to work on syllables. However I am second guessing myself after I looked at Writing Road to Reading. It's so cheap! Dd can read and is about 90 lessons from finishing Ordinary Parents Guide. I plan to finish it but wanted to start spelling soon and hit some parts of handwriting (mainly size and spacing ). How would you do spalding with a reading student? Is it too much? I was originally planning to do AAS and review syllables with ETC4-8

I looked at the speller and it's quite long. How do you utilize it without doing the whole speller? Just do the parts where it gets to multisyllable words?

Ooh I hadn't even thought of explode the code. I may order those when I order our spelling curriculum. How much writing is in them? And do I need the teachers books?

I think I'll try that too. When I tell her how to break apart the word and sound the parts out (like tomatoes) she is able to blend the sounds into the word. It's getting her to recognize the syllables that we need to work on. She's still young and I don't want to push it, but I want her to have some understanding. She's loving Little Bear and the biggest challenge has been those words.

Thanks! These all sounds great and I'll have to look into them all. She can read Little bear and similar but needs help with the trickier multisyllable words.

We're continuing in OPGTR with DD5. If we continue to do our 1 lesson a day, she will finish the book by April. We seem to be going through it quickly right now and yesterday she did 2.5 lessons! But I imagine we will slow down once we hit more complicated multi syllable words. We're adding in AAS 1 in the new year. I'll use this for copywork too and to work on handwriting if she needs. She writes pretty well but could use more practice with sizing and spacing and such. My youngest turns 3 soon and today we started AAR Pre-reading. We just did the chart and the story. He's not into crafts and I need to order a new student materials pack. We will take it slowly. He knows some letter names and sounds,l and can spontaneously rhyme, but I imagine he'll go slower with the phonics activities such as rhyming and such. He will rhyme on his own but not when you ask him to. We shall see. No real plans for him except learning through play.

Thanks! That is really helpful!

DD 5 is at lesson 144 of OPGTR. It starts doing compound words around lemon 175. She can read compound words (something, hotdog, cannot, etc.) pretty well when reading. She's currently reading through The Little Bear Treasury aloud to me. I've looked through the book and there are some more difficult multi syllable words coming up (tomato, potato, etc.) and I am looking for resources to teach multi-syllable words. OPG has some lessons on it and I've looked at them to determine how to tackle them. Any other good free resources to teach syllables? I don't really want another curriculum or book to buy. I'd love a PDF or something printable. I do plan to continue OPGTR at our normal pace, but I need some way to effectively teach syllables as she comes across them in her reading. Thanks!

Yes we normally only do water and milk too. I just offered to buy him juice so I probably will let him have diluted juice tomorrow. That's intense! Dh has helped but he's working over our break. A hotel sounds lovely

So he woke up from nap dry. I was really counting on him going pee during his nap. He's going on 7 hours of being dry....

I'd go with the BJs ones. They're much nicer looking. Unless you plan to stain the IKEA ones

We live in an apartment building with no private yard and it's kinda chilly out. He also refuses to go bottomless. He needs to have something on his bottom. We tried at a friends house and he cried for undies and a diaper. He's an odd boy who doesn't like being naked. I'm hoping once he goes once that it will be easier.

That's what we did with our daughter. He doesn't seem to care. We've had playdated and have let him see his friends pee. He just goes "I know!" He was mad to put a diaper on for nap so hopefully that's a good sign! Went all morning with no pee

I've tried to do this in the past, but didn't make it competitive. I'll see. He's not normally competitive, but I can tell he really has to pee! We shall see. Thanks for the suggestion

Sorry I should clarify. He's not scared of the potty. And I do mean one of the little kid potty chairs. He'll sit on it. I think it's the actual act of going pee on it that makes him nervous. Our toilets have kid seats on them, but he hasn't used those either.

Oh I forgot to mention we are doing bribes. He gets a piece of candy (like an M&M or chocolate covered peanut) if he goes in the potty and he gets a new wooden train once he is potty trained. He's aware of this and talks a lot about the train he's gettingfor going potty. 3.5hours and no pee. Nap is soon and I imagine he'll go during that....