all the cards that you need for certain levels are contained in the student packs. the cd isn't necessary, my kids rarely use it. the phonogram cards will be collected as you purchase the student levels, so it's not necessary to purchase them all at once. is that clear? you do need a set of letter tiles though. as far as magnets go, you could pick some magnet sheets up at an office store and cut them up and put them on the back of the letter tiles. BUT the ones from AAS are precut and sticky on 1 side so they are simple to put on the tiles. You only need magnets if you plan on using a magnetic dry erase board.

Mostly children should learn how to write in cursive so they can READ cursive writing. :) That said, there are ppl who write in cursive that even *I* can't read. LOL! Another reason to teach cursive to your children is if they consistently reverse letters. There is NO way to reverse cursive letters. However, I don't require my children to write in cursive except on a few things. When they are fluent in cursive then I have them do their copywork in cursive. If they learn how, then never use it, they will lose it! lol! I think some teachers in public schools teach children HOW to write in cursive, but most (maybe all) don't require students to write anything in cursive unless it's handwriting. I've talked to many middle/high school students who don't use it at all and are not required to use it.

Sounds similar to terry's subtraction method in Right Start. I must add in defense of RS that they show different ways to subtract so that students know that there is more than one way to solve a problem. My children never chose to use this method for subtraction. It can be easy, but sometimes it is actually harder! But it is interesting to know that there are many different ways to do a problem and still get the same answer. Sometimes all those choices confuse kids, tho!

I am using an older version of this program. I have since noticed that SOTW 1 is now used as a supplement. I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to figure out how to schedule SOTW 1 into my older version so that I could use it alongside MOH 1? Thanks!

Many of you might already know, but I just downloaded some free apps. they are called everyday mathematics by mcgraw hill and are free for a few days. they are awesomely fun and very educational games and seem like much more than fluff! I also downloaded spelling drill (which was also free) and you can customize it to your child's spelling level by picking and choosing from dolch word lists. Of course these are for the ipod touch, not sure about any other gadgets! lol!

Each of my 4 children have library cards. They got them when they turned 2! I didn't really use them much, until recently. Now the cards stay in a pocket in my purse, but when they are ready to check out, they each use their own card. Saves me time! They have children's cards which mean they can only check out books or magazines in the children's department and no audio visual items which means, no movies.

I have a Canon i960 printer and I LOVE it b/c it prints well AND the cartridges are about a buck each on ebay! Also instead of only 2 cartridges, there are 6 (one for each color) so when a color is empty, I only have to replace that 1 color, not all of them. Prints great photos too. Now I print just about anything the kids want to b/c it's SOOOOOOOOOOO inexpensive, it's *almost* free. LOL! At $6 to refill ALL the cartridges, i think i can afford to print anything! LOL!

I second the mother daughter devotional by dannah gresh. solid Biblical truths but it also opens the door for mom/daughter bonding time. It also helps to establish the daily habit of spending time in the Word.

AAS hands down!

I've taught AAS to my children. oldest is in level 6 now. However, it is very teacher intensive and even at 15-20 minutes per day per kid, that really adds up especially when you have several other teacher intensive subjects to teach (math, language lessons, reading lessons,e tc.) AND you have 4 kids to teach! Next year I could not imagine being able to continue to teach this, so I have decided to switch my children after level 3 to Phonetic Zoo. Same rules, similar approach, INDEPENDENT (for the most part). I really like AAS and my kids do to...except for the 9yo who can't stand the letter tiles! She doesn't use them...really HATES them. Anyway it is very well written, scripted for you to read from the lesson if you must, and easy for the child to master. The mastery is what is important. I realize that you could start your child early, say age 4 or 5, but I think it's best to start in level 1 when your child is 6 or in first grade, whichever you choose. they progress at an even pace and you won't be bogged down on any steps because they are able to process and understand. Some writing is involved too as they write the words on paper or the white board so there needs to be some fine motor skills already developed in order not to stress them out!

There are 22 lessons and I think the child works through them at his or her own pace. So assuming that some lessons will take 1 week and others will take 2 weeks or longer to complete, I believe it would be appropriate to assume that it could take the entire school year. At least that is my plan. Some weeks there might not be a writing assignment from Ancients theme because I might choose to assign a creative writing lesson.

Could you alternate spelling days with each one? Do 1 spelling lesson with child A on monday and wednesday, then a spelling lesson with child B on tuesday and thursday, friday have a spelling bee or game they can do together. just a thought. I found that ETC and MCP phonics teaches similar rules (not exact, though!) so I have my DC work through those. I purposely get them whichever workbook is a grade level below what they actually are so it is a review and they can complete it independently. Example: DD7yo is in grade 2 so she is working through MCP B (roughly first grade) so she can do it independently. Even so, we have skipped some pages that talk about adding suffixes which we are not to that point yet in AAS.

I remember feeling that way to. i don't think the child is supposed to master it. If you think about it, this is something that will be covered again the next year. So we just played the games. It seemed to work pretty well. It's important, but not enough to stress over! I think the most important thing for the child to remember is that fractions and percents are related, and be able to state that 1/4 as a fraction is 25%. There are some pretty obscure lessons, so don't stress. Just work through them and then reinforce my previous statement with the fractions and percents games. HTH!

Looking through it, it seems like it goes pretty chronologically (I've only browsed, haven't studied!). My plan is to go ahead and start working through it when we start SOTW 1. Likely the lessons will not line up perfectly, but there is enough info in IEW that it will be ok. We always manage to get behind in history somehow, so I'm not expecting it to line up perfectly. Hopefully IEW will be a review for our history, but if not, I'm not that concerned. How far are you into SOTW 1? I would say go ahead and start the IEW ancients theme now, no matter where you are. It will likely be a review for your history. Does that help?

Forgot to add that the teacher's spelling notes are on the website for download. You can also preview them in their entirety on the website. They have suggestions for teaching each lesson in the notes.

i just watched the spelling and the brain dvd that came with the program yesterday. it seems that the reason for the cd's is so the child can learn to be independent in his or her learning. I believe the rule is repeated several times throughout the "lesson" on the cd. At first it may be frustrating for the child as it is a new skill he is learning. but after a few lessons he will speed up and not be frustrated. make sure he knows how to push the pause and play buttons if he needs more time. that is the basics of what the dvd said. I think it's important if you don't purchase the cd's that you are prepared as a parent to dictate the same list of words every day for several days until the child achieves 100% two times in a row. also make sure you dictate the spelling of each word and that the child writes it down even if their paper shows they got the word correct. I think a benefit of the cd's is that the cd doesn't get frustrated at the child for having misspelled the same word 7 days or 10 days or however long it takes for them to master the list. This spelling program is VERY similar to all about spelling--they teach many of the same rules, phonograms, and syllable division rules. I have taught through level 6 of AAS and am comfortable with the way PZ "works" because of this. Levels 4-6 are actually almost the same as PZ in that you introduce the rule and then dictate words to the child until they master them. I would suggest using AAS through level 3 with a child below grade 4, then switching to PZ so the child can learn to work independently successfully. The only reason i am switching from AAS to PZ is because I can't teach 4 lessons of AAS each day next year. My 9yo and 11yo need to learn to work independently. And so I will be freeing up my schedule to teach the younger 2, while they learn to be independent in their learning. IEW does offer a money back guarantee if you decide to try it and are not satisfied with the program. The only thing lacking in PZ is the dictation which is included in AAS, so I will likely add dictation of sentences into their spelling 1 or 2 times per week. All that said, we haven't started using PZ yet. I'm hoping that it will be pleasant for my DC. 9yo is excited (she HATES AAS and the letter tiles, lol!) and 11yo is hesitant. i think it can be positive by focusing on how many words the child knows and got correct as opposed to hounding them for not remembering how to spell that word or how many they got wrong.

The quick answer to your question is yes it does get more challenging. Don't be afraid to speed things up if you need to. You don't want your child getting bored! I find AAS to be very teacher intensive and looking ahead to next year, I will have 4 children in 4 different levels=impossible for me to do! I have found that levels 4 and up (oldest is in level 6 now) seem to take this approach: review work, introduce new spelling rule, write the words on paper, dictation sentences, writing station. Every lesson (mostly) follows this format. It seems there is much less board work, unless the child really needs to visualize a word. By level 4 that hands-on necessity has probably gone by the wayside for many students because they have a good visual memory of the words that has been built since level 1. I have decided that my older two are going to use phonetic zoo (similar in approach) for two reasons: 1--to teach them to be more independent in their learning, and 2--to free me up to focus on those basic spelling skills for the younger two. I am comfortable with the way AAS has been written, that if I need to supplement Phonetic Zoo for the older ones, we can just go to the board and review that bit from AAS. Does that make sense?

Absolutely YES! :) In fact after doing 1 and 2 with my oldest and then starting level 3, i was like "Why did we do 1 and 2?" There's just so much review in level 3. Then with the second oldest, I skipped level 1 and 2 altogether and we have just jumped right in with level 3. She is doing just fine!

Answers for kids by answers in genesis. Looks fabulous! Just received it in the mail & can't wait 2 start it!

I'm not part of a group but I've done a fair amount of research. The biggest con (and the one holding me back!) is the cost involved. It would cost close to $400 per child (I have 4=$1600 total due!)--not including the at home materials I would have to buy (another $100-$150)!--for us to attend the local CC group. I'm unwilling to spend that much (that's more than what I spend on HS curriculum for the entire year!) since I could easily re-create what they do at the group here at my home, on my own, and for much less. The materials seem very well written, useful, and helpful. I'd really like to have all the memory work written down in one place. But the more that I think about it, we are really already memorizing most of the same facts, it's just not set to music and written down all in one place. Another con is that it would take away 1 day of learning our regularly scheduled subjects. We miss enough days of school as it is with 4 children and with various appointments and outside activities. It's time that I'm not willing to part with in order to attend the CC classes. That being said, if money were no object, then i would probably join a group, for the accountability alone. I find myself starting a new "thing" and not following through for the entire school year because of no accountability. CC classes would provide that accountability! I'm not worried about my children socializing with other HS children, we get out plenty...trust me...they have TONS of friends!

Anyone?

I want to hear it all....I've just purchased levels A and B. The main concern I have is that DC will be overwhelmed with the mastery approach, but I can't in all reality teach 4 lessons of AAS next year. I'm drowning while teaching 3 levels of AAS this year. My plan is that 9yo will use level A SLOWLY while 11yo will be able to fairly independent on level B. That would free me up to teach AAS to the 5yo and 7yo.

Anyone have any thoughts on phonetic zoo? Is the mastery required too frustrating? I showed her snippets of it online last night and she seemed excited to try it. it's just a chunk of change to put out there for something that she potentially could be frustrated with. we have tried the workbook approach and it just doesn't help us. spelling workout was a total flop.

i think she doesn't do well with the hands-on aspect. I've tried switching it up so there is no hands-on and I've come to the conclusion that she just doesn't like this program. It is frustrating for her. I'm seriously looking into Phonetic Zoo. It seems based on the same concepts but it is pricey. I think she would do well with the dictated words on the discs as long as it wouldn't frustrate her. But I'm wondering if the mastery required would further frustrate her? any advice? thoughts?

have you considered games as review instead of drill sheets? right start has a whole book of games and a card deck, and i'm sure there are many free ones online. also we use math drills and rocket math on my ipod touch. it's fun and the games are customizable to some extent.