Money is definitely an object, however, I am planning on homeschooling our two younger children in the coming years so anything I buy now will likely be used more than once. My rising kindergartner can read bob style books and my pre-K aged child knows a few sight words. Our 7 year old learned to read pretty much on his own. I did help him but, truthfully, he didn't need it. Unfortunately, my younger children aren't quite as eager to learn and get very frustrated when they don't make the leaps and bounds in progress that their older brother made. This is why I am interested in AAR. I don't know exactly how the system works but I have searched the reviews and most of the reviewers speak of how much their children enjoyed it. I want all of my children to have the love for reading that my husband and I have but I've discovering that my enthusiasm alone isn't enough to motivate our younger children. I probably will skip AAR this year but am thinking about starting it next fall when we start homeschooling our rising kindergartner. Thank you all for your help!
@Kate - I have been hoarding these items in my cart for a few days and was going to make a final decision tonight! I'll get book 4 instead. Perfect timing! Thanks! :)
@strawberryjam - When do you suggest beginning the beyond the code books? If I start with explode the code book 4 should I go ahead and do beyond the code in tandem or should I wait until he is further along?