Thanks! I think both of those look great. :001_smile:

Anyone have one that they just love (or hate)?;)

I wanted to say thank you to all of you for the great suggestions! I'm looking forward to looking through all the options you mentioned. (My internet was down for a week and then my computer crashed:tongue_smilie:, so I couldn't get back on forever, hence the delay!)

We are interested in finding some good collections of stories that teach values/character-building to read during our devotional time. We have Book of Virtues. Would love any suggestions!

ElizabethB, we started doing your phonics lessons this week and have done the first five. I think they will be really good for her. I thought it might be helpful to do something where the instruction wasn't coming from me. It seems to be working thus far. Thank you.

This sounds so simple & obvious. Why haven't I been doing it? Thank you!

Could you tell me what R&S is? I'm not up on all the abbreviations quite yet. :001_smile:

We have four right now and love them. We've been keeping rats for 6 years now and they really are fabulous "pocket pets." We had a 2nd-hand hamster for a while and the only fun things about it were watching it in its wheel & ball. I much prefer rats, and they are much less apt to bite!

Lisa, I think you are right--I don't think she is a visual learner. She is quite good at spelling and drawing, so perhaps a more active/hands-on approach will help. ElizabethB, I will definitely try your game with her. Thank you! And I'll bet the white board would be useful, too. Suzanne115, I really like the idea of using high-interest books with her, I just don't know what those are for her. :tongue_smilie: I think we'll try the game, plus OPG with white board, and I found the Blend Phonics while searching the forum, so I think we'll incorporate that as well. Thanks for your input. I am grateful to have these forums as a resource!

..in case others find this thread later for info. My DD is in book 3 of ETC right now. We did the first 2 books without the teacher's guide but I decided to get it for books 3 & 4. I think it adds quite a lot to the instruction. I wish I'd have gotten the guide for books 1&2. I will when my son is ready.

Hi, I'm new to the forum and have only recently fully committed to the WTM approach. My oldest daughter turns 7 in a couple of weeks and she is still very much a beginning reader. She has trouble remembering and instantly recognizing words she's learned, even if they are simple and she's known them for a long time she still often tries to sound them out. In kindergarten I used the Ordinary Parent's Guide, but she seemed to really dread it, so I stopped that (I'm not opposed to trying it again) and tried just working with books and such. Last fall we started with Explode the Code and that seems to be a pretty good fit (she's in book 3 now) but I am not sure what else will be the most beneficial to better cement the words she learns in her mind. I have her read a reader-type book out loud to me every day. She doesn't seem very motivated to work on her own at reading, and I'd love to find a way to ignite the spark of enthusiasm. I'd really appreciate thoughts and suggestions. I'm considering scaling back on everything else through the summer and just focusing on reading skills, I just need some guidance. Thank you!