We are starting K in a couple weeks, and I'm so excited. My dd was definitely ready. We have been doing preschool at home (only about 20-30 minutes), and she always wants to do more so I figured we might as well start this summer. That's the great thing about homeschooling, right? We can be on any schedule that we want to. Since we live in AZ, it is not like we can really go outside and enjoy the summer. :glare:

My dd4 loves maps! We have quite a few friends who have recently moved to other states and other countries, and she is constantly asking about them. She can show me on the world map where they all live now. In the fall we are going to be learning about a different country every week. I got a lot of great ideas from http://www.homeschoolcreations.com. Her kids are a little older, but she uses great books and has printables that you can use. I think it is a great idea to teach young children about all of the different cultures around the world, and that not everyone lives the way we do.

I was the same way, until my friend (who had been telling me for a year to read Twilight) bought me the book. Then I felt like I had to read it, and of course I couldn't stop then. Like others said, the writing is not very good but the story is intriguing. If you have extra time or just want some quick light reading, it's a fun series. Or you can do what one of my friends did, and read the synopsis of the books on Wikipedia. She wanted to know what we were talking about without reading a couple thousand pages. :001_smile:

It is great to see how well it is working for people! I just received most of Sonlight Science K last week. I've started looking through it, and it looks perfect for my dd. We are starting at the end of July, when our next school year will start and I am so excited! Thanks for the review. :001_smile:

I did my student teaching in a ps, but then got married and moved so I never ended up having my own class. When I had kids and thought about sending them to school, I knew I couldn't. I even taught in two very good schools in a wealthy community, but it still seemed like very little was actually taught after dealing with discipline issues, etc.

I started Sonlight P3/4 with my dd last summer when she was 3.5. We are just about done, and we have both loved it. I imagine we will be reading these stories for years and years. Luckily, I will get to do it all over again with my ds in a year or so. I haven't used P4/5, but it just doesn't look as good to me. :001_huh:

It's good to hear there has been some improvement. Will keep praying! :grouphug:

I just noticed that Explode the Code books are 25% off on www.barnesandnoble.com. They are $6.22 each. Just thought I would share. :001_smile:

We are using the K4 math this year. I do really like it, but it does get a little repetitive at times. Sometimes I put a couple lessons together if the lesson is basically the same thing 2 days in a row. We also used the ABeka K art, which is great because I can just tear out the page and my dd can pretty much do it by herself. I actually went to an Abeka display this morning because I wanted to check out there 2 and 3 year old items, but they barely had anything. The 3 year old numbers book they did have looked good though!

Thanks Marie! That is exactly what I wanted to know.

Has anyone used these? I really like to see samples before I buy things, but as far as I could tell they didn't have any on the FIAR website...just a description. If anyone knows where I could see a sample, that would be great! I basically just want to know exactly what the nature study provides, and if you think it is worth the money. And maybe which season you liked the best?:001_smile: Thanks, Nicole

I'm planning on using Abeka.

My dd is 4 also, and I've been planning to homeschool for a couple of years now. I already know everything I want to use for next year, and it is hard to wait sometimes! We are doing pre-school for about 15-20 minutes a day right now. She loves it, and if we haven't done anything by 2 or 3 pm she starts asking when we are going to do school. I may start SOTW when she is 5, but we are just going to have fun and see how it's going at the time.

My dd4 really likes Move N Groove Kids. We live in Arizona, and I would not make it through the summer without these kinds of videos. :001_smile: We use the Wii fit too.

We are using Zaner-Bloser Handwriting K. My dd really likes it, and I believe it is a program recommended in The Well-Trained Mind. It is kind of a pain to get because you have to order it from Zaner-Bloser. At least I was not able to find it anywhere else. So far it has been worth it. :001_smile:

I am planning to do math pretty much year round, so we are going to be using Abeka and Singapore. My dd is just in Abeka K right now, but the private school that I went to used Abeka from K to 8th. I have always been very proficient in math (even minored in math in college), which is why I wanted my kids to use it to as well.

Abeka has a good children's version of Pilgrim's Progress. Maybe it was from that version.

I'm using Story of the Orchestra as well. It's nice because we can read about the instrument and then she gets to hear it on the cd. She seems to enjoy it!

I have been looking at Preschool Plus for a few weeks, and I think it looks great. I don't know what is holding me back from buying it, so I need some help. Is anyone using it, and do you like it? Is it worth the money? Thanks!

It was over 100 here yesterday in AZ, and it's horrible! I already wanted to move, and it always gets worse in the fall. I'm thinking Colorado would be nice! Maybe someday...

I haven't done much research on spelling programs since my dd is only 3, but I have done a little. At this point I would buy Abeka, mostly because there are so many programs and I can't decide. I grew up using Abeka, and I have always been a good speller. I hope that helps a little. I don't usually like to comment on curriculum that I haven't used with my dd, but since I used it myself I guess it's ok! Of course, it was quite awhile ago, but it looks just like I remember it.

My dd is 3.5 also, and I am planning on using The Easy French with her. http://www.theeasyfrench.com/ I liked that you can use the program all the way through, which may work well for you since you have an older child also. And compared to some of the other programs out there, it is relatively inexpensive.

I am not, at least not right now, but my best friend is and she is using Better Chinese www.betterchinese.com. I think they are really enjoying it!

I have been using it for a couple of weeks now, and I like everything we have used so far. I only signed up for a month, and I haven't decided if I am going to keep it yet. I may find it more useful when my dd is older, and we would be using the literature and history pockets.

I had never heard of Preschool Plus before, but I think I'm sold. I probably won't use all of it, but I really liked the book lists. I thought all of the questions about the stories were age appropriate, and I have a hard time coming up with questions on my own sometimes. Thanks for the recommendation!