rgrin Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 We are a few weeks away from finishing LHTH, but my 4-year-old (5 in May) is nowhere NEAR ready for LHFHG. He's just not as mature as my older son was at this point. His attention span is soooo short, and he's more apt to turn cuddly read-aloud time into a wrestling match! I'm going to move older DS into LHFHG, but I need something for younger DS. I don't want to do LHTH again, but $ is tight and I can't afford to spend much for another year's worth of curriculum. And after teaching for six years in PS before staying home, I really DESPISE making lesson plans, so something that is open-and-go is much appreciated. Any ideas? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Honestly, if he is in pre-K 3 days a week, he is probably getting enough. He can keep doing the R&S alphabet books. My DD4 loves that. It's not free, but I really recommend Miquon Orange for that age and playing with C-rods. We do a lot of phonemic awareness activities with DD4 as well. We try to find as many things that start with a certain sound, etc. (I use the Struggling Reader Phonemic Awareness games). I try to keep it really light. She can do school or not. She tags along with DD5.5 for history and science and picks up a lot. You might want to get some of the SL P3/4 and P4/5 books from the library or secondhand (I bought most of them on this forum for a lower cost). As far as reading aloud, I have found that it really helps my kids to either color or play with something while they listen (cars, trains, silly putty...anything that keeps their hands occupied). I also read to them during lunch and snack. In fact, they had a picnic outside today and were begging me to come read to them. I was trying to do dishes. :lol: Honestly, at this age, I think it is best to keep school really light, especially if the child isn't ready. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on that one! Here are a couple of websites that I print things off of for DD4: Hidden Picture Letter pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Will he sit with you at all for read alouds? What about Before Five in a Row or Peak with Books? You can get the books at the library, do one book a week and some activities to go along with it a few times a week. Or use the SL booklists for P3/4, 4/5, and just do some simple activities to correlate with the readings. I would also use this time for gross motor practice writing letters (writing in a sand or salt tray) and learning letter sounds. Phonics games and basic math games to build number sense. Sorry, that's not really what you asked for. Have you looked at LHFGH? I think many of the art, science, drama, and fine motor activities are really basic. My almost 4yo tags along with us for most of these activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I've had that problem twice. With my DD, I went through LHTH again, using the older bible/devotional and options in the activities and added in some supplementary workbooks. With DS, he is using Animal Play and Fruit for Tender Hearts from Teachmejoy.com this year and part of next to get him ready for LHFHG. They aren't free, but they are very cheap. I got both on currclick on sale for $1.99 a piece! Even full price, they are relatively inexpensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrin Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 With DS, he is using Animal Play and Fruit for Tender Hearts from Teachmejoy.com this year and part of next to get him ready for LHFHG. They aren't free, but they are very cheap. I got both on currclick on sale for $1.99 a piece! Even full price, they are relatively inexpensive. Ooh, I hadn't seen those before! I especially like the Fruit for Tender Hearts. I wonder if it will go on sale again anytime soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I've seen it go on sale several times, although I've only seen it go to the $1.99 once, but I would keep an eye on it on currclick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 A couple of sites you might want to check out: http://letteroftheweek.com/ http://www.cstone.net/~bcp/BCPIntro2.htm http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I wish I'd known about these when I was teaching my little one to read. If you are up to printing here are some oldies but goodies to choose from: https://www.google.com/search?q=phonics&btnG=Search+Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1#q=phonics&hl=en&tbo=1&tbm=bks&source=lnt&tbs=bkv:r&sa=X&ei=UtkIT_XTDInw0gGCssWeAg&ved=0CBoQpwUoAzg8&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=91f960342228ac50&biw=1067&bih=711 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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