Does anyone have developing the early learner on them and a minute to help me out?? My daughter started it today and I can’t figure out the scoring sheet! I’m worried something is off bc I took books 2-4 to the store and cut off the binding and spiral bound them together and I feel like something happened. So book 2 when I start it it has 12 pages for level 1 but the sub skill labeled (left to right, maze, similarities, etc.) doesn’t go in order when I go to score it in the back. So like my first pages ( in book 2) are motor left right 1, visual similarities 1, auditory similarities 1, comprehension association 1, motor hand eye 1, visual memory 1, auditory memory , comprehension sequence 1, motor maze 1visual figure ground 1, auditory rhyming 1, comprehension language 1. But then this is what my scoring paper looks like. It doesn’t list several of those sub skills. Does anyone know what’s wrong!?! this is true abiut all of the books, 1-4 and it is making me so frustrated! There is no website for these books or any way to contact the publisher/author. I would so appreciate some help! The picture is of the book 2 score sheet and the first 12 pages I have to go with that are listed above.

I have 🙂 we used it this year as a supplement to shurley. There are certain things I live about it like it’s lessons on reading beautiful books and good character but other things that didn’t work well for us. It’s not easy to separate a curriculum like that for an advanced reader. We just skipped all the reading and spelling rules pages and I sort of just picked lessons I wanted to do 2-3 times a week. It was truly enjoyable but I downloaded level 3 and I don’t think it’s going to work as my main curriculum. But for kids who are all at one level for LA I think it’s great

I think easy grammar 2 is my top contender if I’m just looking for grammar. But on the other hand, I just watched a 15 minute video of the revised language 3 and I really really liked it. I think I’ve at least decided I’m going to sell the Shurley English and it’s between Abeka language (plus additional writing) or the additional writing and easy grammar. I think I’ve decided not to use the good and the beautiful today. It incorporates so much like art and geography and I just don’t need those things so it’s more pages of my deciding what to print and what to skip. Okay so this is good progress! Definitely using 6 trait writing grade 3. Could either use easy grammar 2 with that or Abeka language 3. I think I lean towards Abeka bc the new version just really incorporated a lot of sentence structure and I just really liked the look of it. I’m likely switching to MCT in another year or two. So I’m just looking for a good foundation here.

I figured with doing some of the Abeka workbook she could continue to do the grammar on her own. She learns very well on her own and she would be able to read the box at the top and then practice with the grammar portion 🤷🏼‍♀️

Hmm. I guess I don’t really know. I know that I don’t want an all in one curriculum that includes all aspects of LA since I’m happy with my reading and spelling. I could go in the direction of Abeka or I could go with a totally different classical/Charlotte mason style. I know I don’t like first language lessons. It looked incredibly easy and not as thoroughbred. I think I’m leaning towards Abeka bc I think she could do it very independently and I could just cross off what I don’t want her to do. I could focus my teaching time with her on writing skills and literature based writing. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

I am paralyzed by this decision 😩😩 My daughter is a rising 2nd Grader but very advanced in areas of LA. Grammar and writing is where I’m struggling. Last year she used Shurley English at co-op and she thrived with it! I have the manual for this year and I HATE it(not doing co-op). It’s written to the teacher to cover an hour long lesson 5 days a week.... that’s not happening. And do I really want to sort through that information every single week to pick out the one or two things I want to teach?? But like I said, my daughter thrived and knows more grammar then I do. So now I’m stuck. Do I stick with Shurley English? I’m also drawn to the new Abeka language 3 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ Cathy Duffy has good things to say about their grammar and I like that my daughter could really do this on her own. OR do I just find a resource for simple grammar and maybe just focus on writing this year since she’s only entering 2nd grade and already has such a strong grammar background? Oddly that thought never occurred to me until right now 🤷🏼‍♀️ Also, at times I feel like maybe I want to use the good and the beautiful level 3. So add that in the mix 😂 I didn’t feel like Shurley touched on writing like I want so I’m thinking of using Evan moor’s daily 6 trait writing this year. For other LA, we are using the sonlight grade4/5 readers this year and I don’t really need anything for reading or phonics. We stopped phonics in Kindergarten and just use AAS now which is working great for us. So at least I’ve made solid decisions in a few areas 😆

I hadn’t thought about how developing the early learner was a different set of skills.... but that’s some good food for thought. I think it’s possible that’s where my daughters actual weaknesses are so that is great to hear. Or it might just be her attention span??? I know she’s so young but she is just so different then my other two kids who love to sit and play with one toy for an insanely long time and will read or look at books forever. She’s more of a tornado 😆😆😆

I have a daughter starting kinder this fall with a late birthday, she’ll be 6 in the Fall. She’s already partway through Abeka k letters and sounds and she’s learning to read well but her attention and critical thinking skills are... special 😆 I’m looking at Developimg the early learner and I like it but a lot of people seem to have negative things to say about it. I have Kumon prek critical thinking skills (it’s a set of 4 books) that we’ve done a little of and I’m planning on finishing it over the summer. They also have a kinder set so that’s an option. The last option I’m looking at is critical thinking company’s building thinking skills and hands on thinking skills. I actually think I have both. I just want to make sure that whatever we do isn’t just a time waster but is really teaching her to listen, stop and think, and follow directions. Any insight or suggestions?

Hmm I really like the idea of Spanish and Piano. Why can't these things be free!? My daughter also still loves to read chapter books with pictures in them and big text as well :-) Harry Potter was very motivating for her though, she was really into it! She is not motivated to read other similar texts, thank goodness. I'm thinking about doing Singapore 2 before I start with BA 2 which is just sort of coming out now... I'm hoping that will help her build up her frustration level. Otherwise I can just shelf that until she is ready. And yes, she also plays with her siblings most of the day, plays with lots of toys, loves to do art, and plays outside a lot. That is the majority of our day!

My daughter is smart but I know there are many way beyond her. I'm curious, what was your kindergartner like? What did you focus on for school? If you could do something different, what would it be? My daughter just turned 6. She usually is reading 3rd grade books but she just recently read Harry Potter 2 and 3 on her own and loved every second of it. She reads several hours a day. She does some Abeka phonics workbooks because I like their emphasis on special sounds for sounding out new words but she probably doesn't need them. We're working through AAS2 and it is very simple but I like how it lays out the rules and takes very little time. I want to start a heavier focus on writing but I'm dragging my feet. I have the first IEW book, first language lessons, and evan moore daily 6 trait writing 1st grade but I just don't know where to start. For math she finished up singapore 1B and I have 2A to start but we're finishing the Intensive Practice for 1B first. It is easy peasy and I think I'm wasting my time. But we bought it and we're doing it. I have heard of kindergartners way ahead of this in math so I'm curious what the range is for others. I've considered starting BA soon, too. She uses mental math to do double digit addition and subtraction (not super fast though) and can tell time to the minute pretty accurately. She says she doesn't like to do math but its just the workbooks, she loves knowing how to do math. She is always counting out money and figuring out how much more she needs to save up for something and other things like that. Her brain is always working over time but she is not begging me for work or anything like that. We do sonlight history and she really enjoys it. We don't do formal science because she reads so much about science and occasionally we'll get really into something and learn a lot about it and then back off for a while. Sometimes I wonder if I should just take a break from phonics/spelling all together and focus on science and writing skills. I wonder why I continue to work on the basics when she's so far ahead and maybe I should just be doing general knowledge stuff with her instead? I don't know! What are your K kids doing?

I would really consider singapore essential math over Abeka K5. My daughter around that age loved it and since it was black and white she could color it at the table after you do the page with her, my daughter loved that. It is also the perfect transition to 1A later on :-)

Oh my goodness, thank you for the laughs (I'm sorry I'm laughing at the expense of your DD!) That just reminds me so much of my daughter with the gas calculations and anthrax scare. My DD5 brought home a book about germs and bacteria and acted in a similar way for a little bit. It has really helped to hear that other people are struggling with this with their children. It is also helpful to hear that they grow out of it a little bit over time. Thanks for the encouragement!

Thank you! I just looked and my library has "Parenting a child who has intense emotions" so I requested it. I'm currently reading "Making children mind without losing yours" and "How to really love your angry child" because she struggles with anger but I think part of it is that we're just not effectively teaching her how to handle all of her emotions. Thanks for the suggestion

I am looking for a community/forum/facebook group where I can go with questions about my young gifted learner. I am incredibly overwhelmed with her emotional intensity. Everything is a 10 and I'm not responding well. She is 5 and starting K in the fall (we were always planning on homeschooling, so that will be fine) but her emotional intensity is kicking my butt. We recently started seeing a counselor and we are getting a full behavioral evaluation in the near future to see if there is anything else we are missing but I suspect it is just giftedness. In case anyone has experience with this here and has tips or encouragement to share I'll share a little about her :-) She's 5 and shes a voracious reader which I think adds to the intensity. She is incredibly focused on justice and very upset when other people do wrong (even though she "does wrong" all the time and is quite selfish). She has to win and have more and get her way (I did not raise her to do this!!), and she is very quick to cheat or lie. She is very smart and can be manipulative. She is so emotionally intense when she doesn't get her way... tonight I had already said goodnight to her and her dad said I was not going to be coming back in and she just cried and yelled for 30 minutes needing him to go back in and handle it... repeating phrases over and over like "If I could only wish for one thing I would wish for my mama" and "I lost the feeling of your kiss and hug and I need it!! I can't get it back, I need it!" It is so overwhelming when she perseverates on something, she seems so irrational but she is so normal at other times and so smart! She is so charming, as well. I'm praying someone can help me or send me to a community that might be able to help. Thank you!

Okay... we're loving teach your monster to read! I started at level 2 because it says there are vowel teams in this one. She seems to be enjoying it! Thank you!

I do this too! my daughter is PreK and reading about a 3rd grade level but she chooses 1st/2nd grade books. Nothing is really challenging her but anything higher than that is not interesting to her. We currently have out about 140 books from the library (ha!) and I bought her a little book light and she reads for an hour of quiet time every day and then again at bed time. The booklight is the way to go!! It makes it this cool thing she can do instead of sleep. Also I think that the face that we don't watch a ton of TV helps because she doesn't really have super exciting options. There is no TV or game system or whatever calling her name to compete with reading. When I made a big deal of reading aloud every day she started "hated reading," too so I backed off and the problem fixed itself thank goodness. I do have her read aloud to me regularly but I treat lightly and try to always be okay if she doesn't want to read.

So I'm looking at teach your monster to read and you're right, it says it covers vowel teams in level 2 (fun with words). Are you doing level 3, Champion Reader?

As I'm looking, teach your monster to read looks a little easy (it says it's for the first two years of learning to read and she is pretty solid there) but reading island could be promising. Level 2 covers some good things we haven't explicitly gone over but I'm still looking for something that will cover vowel teams

I'm looking for a phonics iPad app that goes further then something like hooked on phonics. My daughter can read at a second or third grade level but she's sort of taught her self so she's sight reading anything beyond basic phonics. We did AAR level 1 so she has solid phonics, but not when it comes to vowel teams and other special sounds. I don't want to do AAR 2 because she's reading so well but I'd love her to have a fun way to learn some of those sounds. Thanks!

Great ideas, thank you! And no I don't have any nature study ideas.... it was just while I was writing this and I started thinking, "hmm, I should start doing that!" Haha! So I'm open to suggestion!

Okay so I think I'm going to stick with Five in a row for history/geography/science. It provides a good science topic that we can roll with and learn about.... or not! Between that and going to our local science center and maybe doing a few experiments, I think you all convinced me that that is enough. Oh and some nature study! I want to focus more on nature study so if anyone has good ideas there I'd love to hear about it. I'll hold off on sonlight (I already have most of the books anyway) and SOTW. Singapore and Life of Fred for math. I also have miquon and we play with that sometimes too and always use our cuisnaire rods with singapore. LA: lots to consider here. I think I'm ready to walk away from AAR. I'm going to start AAS level 1 and 2. I didn't say it in the OP but she does read aloud to me several times a week she just also reads for about an hour every nap time and then again at bed time and I just casually ask her about those books. I'm going to read through Sonlights level 2 readers with her and all the picture books on the mensa excellence in reading list and then maybe re-evaluate. She can read at a higher level but I'm not at all wanting her to read chapter books so we'll stick with that. HWOT K, a creative writing journal, and copy work from scripture. I haven't even thought about the art, gym, music I'm supposed to show for the portfolio, haha.

I think spelling would be perfect. I have been going back and forth on ditching AAR and I think that would be the best thing to do and just focus on phonics through spelling since she has obviously already learned to sight read. I think I will do that! I also have HWOT and we have started K we just almost never do it. That could definitely be a focus for us... I'd love to get through lowercase letters with her. Now...... sonlight or five in a row... and SCIENCE? Uhhhhhhh. When I don't have something formal I feel like what I do is never good enough or right. I feel like it has to follow some pattern and logical order but it doesn't!

Okay I might sound crazy, but I'm having a lot of anxiety as I try to decide what to do for Kindergarten. My daughter just turned 5 this month and she's very bright. She reads around a 3rd grade level and could do Singapore 1B right now. I've been using some five in a row (which I love), Singapore with manipulatives, and we were using AAR but it is just so tedious since she knows how to read so I just give her time to read every day now and ask her about the books in a fun way. (is that good?? lol) We don't do any real science except maybe from five in a row but we go to the science center a lot and she loves to talk about science and read books about animals and space. Sometimes I think I need a formal program for everything (science, geography, spelling....) and other times I feel she is doing amazing and I just need to let her enjoy this time! But this year we'll have to start documenting more for a portfolio for the state so I'm putting more thought into it. What do you use for an accelerated 5 year old? Math- I'm thinking of adding Life of Fred Reading- Do I keep going? Spelling- should I work on this instead of reading? Writing- Her writing is probably her most age appropriate skill, we don't do much writing, handwriting or creative writing History- Songlight or story of the world? Geography- songlight/SOTW or what about a geogra;phy workbook? Is that a waste? Science- I've been looking at sonlight, elemental science, and real science for kids I've been thinking about switching from five in a row to Sonlight but I don't know.... I hear so many negative things here about sonlight! Someone please come give me all of their veteran homeschool experience.. I will gladly take it! Thank you!

We use Five in a Row and it is the perfect curriculum for her. It's gentle and engaging and you can take it as far as you want to go without school turning into a boring table experience at 4 years old. I love it! We also use the book Give Your Child the World and focus on a different continent each month. It's been a great year!

Where are you in AAR?