Hi, I need to read some books or attend a course/lecture/seminar that can inspire me to become a more patient teacher when I am teaching my kids. Right now, I am checking myself from saying something that will make them feel inadequate, but I am worried that my patience will soon run out and I will end up saying something that I might regret. Any ideas on books/material that will help me in becoming a more patient teacher will be greatly appreciated.

Wow, What a great response ! Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my query. It was definitely enlightening going through all the responses. Based on the responses I got, these are the things I am going to do. 1. Rent Letter factory from netflix. 2. Do sandpaper letters and moveable alphabets (from montessori read and write book). 3. Letter of the week. 4. Read lots of books (I am doing this already). 5. Implement creative ways to teach them the alphabets. 6. Melissa and Doug alphabet puzzles. Thanks again everyone. I really appreciate your ideas and input. -Nan

Chris, Thanks for all the neat ideas below. I really like them. I am going to implement some of them starting this week. Thanks, Nan

Hi, I am going to attempt teaching the alphabets (both lower and upper case) to my almost 3.5 year old twins. I would greatly appreciate recommendations on the following: 1. Flash cards - Is there a particular one that you like ? 2. DVD - I saw great reviews for leapfrog letter factory. However it seemed like it only teaches upper case letters. Is this true ? 3. Would you recommend alpha phonics/Phonics pathways for 3.5 year olds? I think they will definitely be over 3.5 by the time I am done with the alphabets/pre -reading etc. I am also going to do some pre-reading and pre-writing work with them like tracing, mazes and Developing the early learner. Is there anything else that you think might be effective? Thanks so much! -Nan

Thanks to everyone who responded! I greatly appreciate it. -Nan

Many thanks to everyone who responded. We went ahead and bought the telescope from discovery store. Thanks once again. -Nan

Hi all, I was looking at the spectrum math workbooks for 3rd grade and they seem pretty thorough with good drills. Would this be enough for my daughter to do well in 3rd grade math or do I need to get a separate math curriculum for her? Any opinions on the spectrum math workbooks? Thanks, Nan

I am from India and I absolutely love books by R.K Narayanan. One of his books is called Malgudi days and it set in a village called Malgudi. There are also a book of short stories compiled by the same author. You may be able to find these in the library. Depending on the age of your daughter , these may make for read alouds or independant reading. The beauty of these books in my opinion is the simplicity of writing yet effectively conveying the culture . -Nan

Hi all, I am looking to buy a telescope for my 8 year old. I saw this on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-21061-AstroMaster-Refractor-Telescope/dp/B000MLHMAS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Any opinions on the above or any other telescopes that you have been happy with will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Nan

Thanks to everyone for responding to my question! I ordered the flashcards and am thinking of making my daughter make her own set too for practice. -Nan

Hello, I am thinking of buying "English from the roots up". I am wondering if I need to buy the book or if I can just get the flash cards. Also any experience/inputs regarding the book/flash cards is much appreciated. Thanks, Nan

Hi, Thanks to everyone who responded. I just wanted to update and let you know what I finally decided. After posting the question about All About Spelling, I came across some reviews for Apples & Pears and felt that this program may be a better fit for my daughter and for me too to teach her. I was taught spelling/Language arts etc the British way and when I saw the description of the program , I had an "Aha" moment ; I started remembering how I had been taught spelling. Up until that point, I was racking my brains trying to remember if I really studied spelling with so many rules and could not recollect doing so. I want to thank you both again for responding to my post. This is truly a wonderful forum where novices like me can come and learn something new everyday ! -Nan

Hi all, I apologize if this question has been asked here before. I tried searching but it pulls up so many threads; I looked at a few threads but did not have the time to go thru' the rest of them. I was wondering if the Phonogram CD is absolutely necessary to start AAS. Also, how about the Teacher's manual for each level? My daughter is in 3rd grade and I plan to start from level 1 just to reinforce her spelling. Thanks, Nan

Thank you so much for taking the time to post the links. They helped me out in making my decision (which was to buy SOTW). I guess there will be pros and cons to almost every book. Amazon does have more positive reviews than negative. Thanks again! -Nan

Thank you so much for your response. It has helped me a lot in making my decision. Thanks, Nan

Thanks for your response. I will do a search. -Nan

Hi all, Sorry to be hogging the board tonight with my questions! I wanted to buy the "Story of the world" from amazon, but saw some reviews which said that there are quite a few inaccurate statements/facts listed in the book. I am hoping to get some feedback from those who have used the book in this regard . Would you recommend it to others? Thanks, Nan

Hi, I am thinking about buying rosetta stone French Level 1 (non homeschool version) today for my 8 year old. Is this version geared towards kids? Is anybody using the non homeschool version to teach their kids? Thanks, Nan

Thanks! I checked out a copy of Jim Trelease's "Read aloud handbook" and there is a ton of books listed there. I will use as many books as I can from this book along with the wonderful suggestions given in this thread.

Hi, Thanks for your response. My DD's class will start writing book reports by the spring semester of next year. That is the reason I wanted her to get some practice. Thanks for the link to the book report forms. -Nan

Hello, I am currently evaluating "Writing Strands" to see if it would be a good fit for my daughter. I saw that in the FAQ section in their website, they have stated that the program does not involve writing book reports. Is there another writing program that includes practice on writing book reports also? Or could it be that students after completing the Writing strands program have enough knowledge and experience in writing anything including book reports with ease. Thanks, Nan

MBM, Thank you for posting the links to the websites. I will start looking into them . Trina, Thanks for the extensive list of read aloud books. I will start looking for them in the library. After a read aloud, should I be discussing the book with her, doing some reading comprehension etc? Thanks, Nan

Hi, I am new to this board and to afterschooling at home. I would greatly appreciate some suggestions for read alouds for DD who is 8 years old and is going into 3rd grade. Thanks, Nan