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Preschool Plans (2012-2013)


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I know that many of you don't do preschool, but thought that there were a few of us that do that could benefit from some ideas.

 

 

Here is what we are doing for preschool (age almost 5)?

 

Reading

The ordinary parent’s guide to teaching reading

I see Sam books set 2

 

Core

Rod & Staff ABC preschool workbooks

Five in a Row Vol. 1 & Cookbook

Saxon K

 

 

 

Writing

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Kindergarten

 

 

Since I can afford only 1 volume of FIAR I'm going to row a book every other week and alternate it with R&S ABC preschool. My daughter is fairly advanced for preschool plus she will be so close to age 5 when we start that I think she will have fun with this set up this year.

 

 

For those that do preschool what are your 2012-2013 plans?

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DD turned 4 in March. We'll be continuing to work through 100 Easy Lessons (we are currently taking a break from it) and Pathway Readers (right now we're mid-way through the First Steps book and workbook). For math I have Horizons Math K to try. Handwriting will be A Reason for Handwriting Book A. History will just be fun library books. I'm looking at focusing on American history mostly. For science we will mostly do nature study. We will check out library books about nature, continue reading Thornton Burgess books, and keep nature journals.

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DD just turned three this month.

 

We're planning on doing Progressive Phonics for reading, plaid phonics books, Singapore Essentials A and Anno's Math Games for math, Science is Simple (appx one experiment a month) and lots of outdoor time (after the hot summer weather has passed :svengo:) for science. We're not doing history at this age. Lots of read-aloud picture books. Probably some fun banging around on the keyboard for music. DH reading Korean books for Korean, maybe a bit of Korean TV.

 

The only things I'm actively doing right now is the progressive phonics and the read-alouds, mostly because that's what DD asks for. All. The. Time. "I want a dod book! I want to read about sid and ham!" I have plans to start in earnest in July. Though by 'earnest', I really only mean adding in about 20 minutes of preschool a week. I'm trying to be really low-key about it, but she does love any school work we've done.

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My ds will do light preschool. He will turn 4 in January. Here's what I plan on using:

 

What Your Preschooler Needs to Know with activity guide

Along the Alphabet Path

Leapfrog dvds

Singapore Math Essentials

Magic School Bus/Sid the Science Kid

 

I also plan on enrolling him in soccer and maybe gymnastics.

 

Eta: I also got a bunch of nature-based story books by Elsa Beskow and Sybille von Olfers that I plan on reading to him.

Edited by RainbowSprinkles
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My 3 year old is currently doing a Cuisenaire Rods Alphabet Book, which he LOVES and asks to do (saying, "I do school all by myself!" :lol:). When he finishes that, I'm not sure what we'll do. He insists on doing school, and he's catching onto everything quickly because he has 2 big brothers (one is teaching him multiplication tables :tongue_smilie:).

 

He also does Reading Eggs and loves that. We're halfway through the program, so that probably won't last the entire year either. We may do R&S ABC series if I ever get around to getting it again. Next year, I'll plan to start Singapore EM K when he's 4, though he could probably do it now. I'm trying to hold him off a little bit and not have things too "academic". ;)

 

Oh, and he'll sit in on Sonlight P4/5 this year.

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I will be using MFW Preschool, Before Five in a Row and Rod & Staff Preschool workbooks. I don't have a planned out schedule and I am not sure I will make one. I think we are just going to use these and see how it goes. (Kind of a go with the flow and see how it goes:) DS is more interested in playtime than schooltime. For him I think things will be much different than when my dd was his age:)

Blessings,

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I'll have 2 PK4ers this year (twins). We plan to do the following:

 

Five in a Row, picking and choosing from vol. 1-3

HWT (finish PK level and start K level at some point)

AAR pre-level 1 (have already started, will finish sometime in the fall)

Phonics Pathways (starting after we finish AAR pre-1)

MEP reception and c-rod play inspired by Rosie's videos

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DS is 3 now and we are doing:

Montessori-based math/reading activities

Rod and Staff (and other) preK workbooks

Abeka K math workbook (except the writing)

Phonics review/K4 curriculum from confessionsofahomeschooler

Kinderbach

Lots and lots of reading with mommy

 

 

He will start K4 in January and so far the plan is:

Continue montessori activities

Advance math/reading curriculum as appropriate/interested

Kinderbach

We MAY start Drawing with Children if he is interested, otherwise lots of arts/crafts

Science (my own creation)

Seeds family worship/worksheets for bible/memorization

Even more reading!

He is dying to play violin, we shall see......

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DS1 turned 3 recently and I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to start (slowly) doing some more "formal" type things with him, or else I'm going to have to un-teach him what he is trying to teach himself right now. (Writing mostly, though he is doing his best to try and read...)

 

So for right now our plans are this:

Reading/Phonics etc:

Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading with phonics games and Leap Frog Letter Factory to help cement his knowledge of letter sounds.

Bits and pieces of Confession of a Homeschooler's Letter of the Week program (mainly as something fun to do as well as a bit of an "ease in" to more formal work)

 

Handwriting:

Handwriting Without Tears PreK

 

Math:

Continue with the games (counting, matching, patterns etc) that we do now

MEP Reception

(and probably) Singapore Essentials A

 

In addition I'm planning on adding a bunch of books to our home library this fall so we'll work through those as Read Alouds.

 

I'm also planning on formally implementing some kind of chore system. He is already really good about helping me clean up, but I want to start defining and assigning certain tasks that he is capable of doing.

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I have a delayed 9yo who is working on OPGTTR. My Almost 3yod has been playing on starfall and figuring out how to count and spouting out letters. So, I think I am going to plan something for her daily. It will keep her busy and I might have the two oldest do something with her. They tend to watch cartoons with ether if I ask them to play with her.

 

I might try some form drawing with her. Not sure if she can handle any actual handwriting.

Playing with MUS blocks since I have taught three children with MUS already. I am sure I can teach her the basics with out using worksheets.

I would like to do some more formal Pre-reading instruction. Just some focusing on the alphabet a bit more. Maybe pull out the OPGTTR if she shows interest.

I have some Kumon workbooks around if she is ready for them. Who knows in 6 months.

 

Then the rest of the normal stuff like playing, painting, clay, finding bugs, baking cookies, annoying your brothers.

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I'm still figuring it all out, but we are doing or planning to do or dabbling with:

 

AAR Pre-1 and then AAR 1

BFIAR & FIAR

Life of Fred - Apples

The Verbal Math Lesson

The Reading Lesson or Reading Made Easy

HWOT - Preschool

Story of the World

A Child's Geography

GrapeVine Bible Studies

Raising Rock Stars Preschool and You Can Read (from 1+1+1=1)

Usborne Science books (can't remember the exact name of them)

BOB Books

....and possibly more, but just b/c I like to experiment. :)

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My 4 year old will be doing AAR Pre-Level 1, Singapore Essential Math K Book A, and various Kumon handwriting books/tracing letters stuff. She really doesn't like coloring or writing at all, so I plan on doing more tracing letters in paint and making them out of play-doh type things. We will see how it goes!

 

She will also be "participating" when she wants to with her big sister's RSO: Life lessons - and will probably the one doing the "dirty" work of digging up the bugs and stuff! Her big sister does NOT do dirt or bugs usually (unless it's to get worms for fishing - go figure! :tongue_smilie:)

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DD2 turned 4 in March and wants to do school like her older sister. :) Once I get DD1 going next year I will add DD2 when she asks. I'll have Rod & Staff Spanish (includes handwriting) and SM EB with C-rods to play with. I'll be looking for some free ipad apps for Spanish phonics and simple math games too. We won't start OPGTR until she is 5 or has some basic Spanish reading under her belt if she is still 4.

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We will continue much of what we started last fall with DD, 4.

 

R&S preschool workbooks

Miquon Math with Cuisenaire rods

LOE phonograms and spelling rules

LOE pre-k ( if released by then) or Phonics Pathways

Cursive- LOE or Abeka

Listening in on history and science with big brothers

start ballet class

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We are working through Sonlight P3/4 and a little bit of OPGTR when she's interested. We pull bits from Answers for Preschoolers (same as Horizons PK). The next main thing I'm waiting on and really excited about is Memorial Press Jr. K!

 

Otherwise....

COAH LOTW with printables from 1+1+1=1 and Homeschool Creations et al

LeapFrog videos

Kumon workbooks

 

About to start The Story for Little Ones preschool curriculum (Bible - Max Lucado and Zondervan).

 

I haven't made my mind up on math... thinking Saxon, but keep hearing Singapore...

 

Would love AAR pre-1 but cannot afford it.

 

We also read a plenty!

Edited by CherryBlossomMJ
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My plan is to work w/ my 2 boys (4 & 3 in Oct) 4 days a week. We'll be using AAR Pre-1 doing the language exercises w/ ds(4) and the letter sheets w/ both. Because both boys are solid in letter and sound identification, we will be moving quickly. I'll start AAR1 with ds(4) in January. I may then go back and do AAR Pre-1 language exercises with ds(3) if he is ready.

Ds(4) will start HWoT Pre-k w/ ds(3) joining in on some of the gross motor/tactile skills (play dough, drawing in shaving cream, rice, etc) if he wants. For math, ds(4) will start RIghtstart A, taking it slowly and stretching it through K as he is interested.

 

Together we're doing BFIAR and FIAR books. I'm planning on monthly "themes" and using books that tie to the theme. I'll pull additional resources for our theme from homeschool Creations, Confession of a Homeschooler, 2 Teaching Mommies, 1+1+1=1 and other sites. "Tot trays" and sensory bins will round out our monthly themes. This time is really the centerpiece of our "preschool time". We have a lot of fun, do lots of play-acting, building (&demolishing), cooking and messy art/crafts. The boys pretty much pick and choose the activities we do.

 

Then we will do some science experiments using Elemental Science Exploring Science.

I also "scheduled" 2 hours of outside play / informal nature walks a day. If it's school, it has to get done, right? (even in the winter).

That sounds like a lot but I plan on limiting language/phonics lessons and math lessons to 10 minutes each. Everything else for as long as they are interested.

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for your preschooler. I can barely add him in to our daily mix right now as the older kids take so much of my focus and time.

 

My two older ones want more stimulation. My 8yr needs more stimulation and patience from me and now this preschooler --eeek. It keeps my day full just to keep him using the potty regularly and not tear up the house and torture his sisters to play with him constantly. My son is a mover and shaker. What is a mover and shaker curriculum?

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Ds3 will be 4 in November. He has started and will continue (as he demands it) PAL reading, McRuffy K math, and Rod & Staff ABC. We have also been doing a theme-of-the-week picture book study for science. He also follows along with his older siblings for Bible, poetry, Latin, and the rest of MFW ECC. He is very much in love with Magic School Bus right now and we try to tie that into our science theme.

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for your preschooler. I can barely add him in to our daily mix right now as the older kids take so much of my focus and time.

 

My two older ones want more stimulation. My 8yr needs more stimulation and patience from me and now this preschooler --eeek. It keeps my day full just to keep him using the potty regularly and not tear up the house and torture his sisters to play with him constantly. My son is a mover and shaker. What is a mover and shaker curriculum?

I kickstart the older kids with independent subjects, and start my day with my preschooler. When she's filled up on momma right off the bat she's not as wiley, which makes it easier to teach the bigger kids. :001_smile:

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DD just turned 4 in may. We have a whole 3 days of school under our belts at this point, lol.

 

She's using Rocket Phonics, playing with c-rods (we haven't started anything more formal yet, but I plan to do Miquon Orange in the fall), and handwriting (just I show her how to write the letter, then she writes it stuff). I have an explode the code workbook and some Draw write now that I'm planning to supplement with for handwriting/phonics once she can form basic letters. I also have a bunch of geoboards and an abacus for her to play with.

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I am doing almost the same as you:) I have an almost 5 and almost 4. We do Saxon K, 100 Easy Lessons for 5 year old, Rod & Staff PK, Literature/nursery pockets, and misc. letter of the week worksheets added in. Neither of mine are ready for formal handwriting. We do end up reading a lot of books (mostly science b/c that is where my 5 year olds interests are. We will be more intentional next year since he will be 5. He is a very young 5 though. He was a premie, he is adopted, and his best/full time playmate (sister) is only 4. :) I am glad to see what others are doing! Maybe it will give me more inspiration!

 

Carly

 

I know that many of you don't do preschool, but thought that there were a few of us that do that could benefit from some ideas.

 

 

Here is what we are doing for preschool (age almost 5)?

 

Reading

The ordinary parent’s guide to teaching reading

I see Sam books set 2

 

Core

Rod & Staff ABC preschool workbooks

Five in a Row Vol. 1 & Cookbook

Saxon K

 

 

 

Writing

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Kindergarten

 

 

Since I can afford only 1 volume of FIAR I'm going to row a book every other week and alternate it with R&S ABC preschool. My daughter is fairly advanced for preschool plus she will be so close to age 5 when we start that I think she will have fun with this set up this year.

 

 

For those that do preschool what are your 2012-2013 plans?

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DD4 is going to finish up the ETC Primers and Essential Math A, then the plan is to move on to AAR 1, Essential Math B and Zaner-Bloser K. I am thinking about adding in Peak With Books or BFIAR, I think she will love the activities and crafts. I just need to sit down and pull a quick plan together or it won't get done!

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Dd is severely speech delayed, so this is the second half of her second year of preK. She'll be officially a K-er from the end of January.

 

Currently we do:

A reading lesson, which consists of the 'I See Sam' books and a bit of extra work with magnetic letters to practice words that will be coming up in the books.

 

The Kumon mazes and cutting books, and a couple of dot to dot books. She'll finish the cutting one this week so I'll have to see if she's ready for the easy craft book.

 

Three categories of read aloud- A 'Little Miss' book per day, some of a chapter book, and I alternate between having her choose from the alphabet book box and the mathsy book box. This week I'll be adding a science book box to the rotation.

 

Usually a puzzle or simple board game.

 

Lots of youtube clips and dvds. If there is such thing as a natural born video based learner, she's it.

 

Because of the language barrier, we had to drop MEP R at lesson 30 a month or two ago and I was at a loose end until Rosie put her c-rod vids up. Now dd is demanding them for entertainment. Not sure if she's learning any maths from it, but hey, I'm not going to interrupt!

 

We do random art stuff when I feel inspired, she really likes to peel vegetables and spends lots of time climbing the washing line.

 

---

In a few weeks we'll finish up the Little Miss books and begin a Nursery Rhyme study instead; and I'm starting to think she might be ready for A Note for Children, which I bought a while back.

 

Rosie

Edited by Rosie_0801
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We're starting our 4yo preschool plans this summer, while dd is still 3. (Hot summer + baby due shortly after her birthday means this is the best time for us to work.) We are not disciplined about this, but rather pull out something from the school cabinet when dd seems bored. I'm not sure if that's the best way to do it, but it works for us right now.

 

Reading

-OPGTR on the white board (followed by free drawing time with the dry erase crayons! best part of the day for my 1yo)

-BOB books

 

Writing

We were doing some HWT readiness activities, but then dd started writing letters daily, and I figured I'd better start giving her the worksheets... so she's doing some homemade D'Nealian worksheets that I made in the style of HWT.

 

Math

-Cuisenaire rod play, with the Discovery Book linked in my sig, as well as with a few homemade puzzles for her to do.

-Tanagrams

-Family Math for Young Children

-Connect-the-dots and informal counting.

-Possibly some MEP Reception... but we likely won't start that till after she's 4.

 

Literature

I set aside a basket of AO Year 0 books... I'd love to go through these deliberately, but right now she still picks out her favorites.

Edited by cottonmama
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Dd 4.5 and ds-almost-3 will be doing Memoria Press Jr. K together. Dd is ready to learn to read, though, so we're going to try The Reading Lesson. I'm also throwing in the Developing the Early Learner books and Singapore Earlybird for dd. She's one of those kids who really likes schoolwork, or I wouldn't bother with all of this.

 

I also have a heavy arsenal of tot activities for the little ones to do while I teach my second grader.

 

All my kids will do Bible and PE together. I'm a natural couch potato, so I bought Family Time Fitness when it was on discount so I can lead them in PE and make sure they get real physical activity.

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DD4 will be 5 at the end of October. Since she misses the cut-off for K by 4 weeks, this coming year will be her Pre-K year. Our plans are mostly in my sig, but I'm thinking of making the following changes:

 

replace Mudpies to Magnets with ES Intro to Science (once a week)

replace Building Thinking Skills with Mind Benders (once a week)

add in MEP Reception math

add in Bible Study Guide for All Ages

add in Meet the Masters (once a week)

gymnastics will be over for the summer and ballet will start

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DS 3 and DS 4 (5 in late summer) are pretty close academically. Their line up includes: ETC primers, c-rods to play with math concepts, and library books. They will also follow along during our morning basket. I may add PP or 100 EZL at some point, but I can't make up my mind.

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For phonics I have used OPGTR, along with the free activities at www.starfall.com

 

HWOT Get Set for School

 

Math games and free number writing and math sheets from www.learningpage.com

 

ES Intro to Science, very loosely

 

Plenty of read alouds from the Ambleside Online and Mater Amabilis lists.

 

www.amblesideonline.org (Year 0)

 

www.materamabilis.org (Prep Level)

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My dd turned four at the end of May. Our plans for the year include:

 

-Phonics Pathways

-ETC when dd wants extra phonics practice

-Making a dent in our big pile of Kumon books

-Saxon K (we skip around in this one, doing the lessons in order was making dd insanely bored)

-I have Elemental Science's Exploring Science curriculum, but I haven't decided if we're going to use it this year or wait until next year and just focus primarily on reading for now

-And tons of read-alouds, of course. Dd is finally getting to the point where she can sit and listen to a book with no or few pictures, which I'm so excited about. :D

-We have FIAR, which we'll probably pull out now and again if dd wants a break from the other stuff.

-And, I'm going to teach dd to knit this year, first with a round loom. Great for her fine motor development.

 

Gosh, that looks like a lot, doesn't it? Lol.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here's what I have:

 

Phonics:

Start OPGTR

ETC

Leapfrog Letter Factory (sigh, he lost my DVD so I may have to replace this cause he loved it so much I think he hid it!)

BOB Books

Other Read alouds

 

Writing:

HWT - Pre-K

 

Math:

MEP: Reception (I'm not sure how he'll do with this, but if it doesn't work then we will just work on number skills from the workbooks listed below)

 

Religion

I don't know. I'm still deciding.

 

Various skills:

Kumon workbooks + other "Preschool" workbooks

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READ.

 

That is seriously my only goal for my 4 year old. I had all these big elaborate plans & already have my hands on a whole lot of curriculum that I want to use, but this year my goal is READ. We will use Explode the Code every week day & he will have the option to work on Singapore 1A if he wants to. He actually enjoys doing math work so I just wait for him to ask before we move on. He's FOUR. ;)

 

I am teaching the kindergarten class at co-op HWOT this fall so I am excited about that but I will not require much from him on writing until 1st grade when we will start giving narrations. SOMETIMES when he is in on my oldest's botany lesson or activity, he will dictate a short narration that I copy for him & then he draws & colors me a picture to go with it. I honestly don't WANT him writing his letters until he completely understands how to correctly write each letter (which he will get explicit instruction & supervision for) and they simply do not have the physical ability/strength, in my experience, to properly write their letters/numbers before first grade. We just got into a REAL PICKLE with my 11 yo because he went to ps in K & 1st & evidently no one noticed (INCLUDING MYSELF) that he was writing EVERY SINGLE ONE of his letters incorrectly. I think it is a HUGE reason his handwriting is messy & I hope to avoid it with my next two by any means necessary!

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We aren't doing much formally. DD 3 has started Before the Code, Leapfrog videos, and a little of BFIAR. I am thinking of adding HWOT Preschool but since BTC has writing I may wait and see how it goes first. I want to eventually start OPGTTR, since I already have it, once she has all the letter sounds. She is taking gymnastics and also jumping in on her brother's lessons.

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In order to save my sanity next year, my preschool crew is getting to a year of one of those preschool programs that gets mailed to the house each month. DD will do some of it with them as part of her kindergarten but mainly it will be to help me not plan for my preschoolers. In addition they will go through AAR pre-level 1 with her and then go right back to the start instead of moving on to level 1 with dd. Of course listening to the stories from sonlight P3/4 and I am having a music teacher come in and do weekly lessons for my preschoolers and dd in K.

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Our preschool plans are in my siggy. I'm not sure whether we'll continue to do FIAR or not. He does listen in with everything dd does (SOTW, ES, read alouds, etc), so I'm not feeling especially motivated to add in FIAR. I may just set aside another time in our day to work on a simple craft together. He can't get enough of crafts!

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DD insists on doing school when she is here and DS is doing it. She also insists on doing it during the weekends. So for DD 3 right now we are doing:

 

Get Ready for the Code and some OPGTR, random preschool math workbooks (she is going to be ready for something more advanced soon, so may move her up to Singapore 1A after DS is done with it, and take it slow), she listens in on DS' science and history, and I'm getting her HWOT Kindergarten since I am doing it with DS. I only do school with her when she asks, which is daily.

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We are doing Letter of The Week with my 3 yr old and lots of playing. I expect him to pick up a lot listening to his brother's lessons. He already knows much of the new timeline song from CC from listening to it in the car. At 3, I just let him do what he wants for school.

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DS4:

 

OPGTR

Explode the Code (finished primers, just started book 1)

Bob Books and Progressive Phonics readers

 

Kitchen Table Math

Cuisinaire Rod Activity Book

Activities for Al Abacus

 

Mom-made preschool read aloud list

 

Lollipop Logic (tried to wait on this, but he found it)

 

I'm also managing to get daily art and sensory play in, despite the fact that indoor messes are not my thing. :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: He's playing soccer this fall, too.

Edited by BarbecueMom
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DD4 is going to finish up the ETC Primers and Essential Math A, then the plan is to move on to AAR 1, Essential Math B and Zaner-Bloser K. I am thinking about adding in Peak With Books or BFIAR, I think she will love the activities and crafts. I just need to sit down and pull a quick plan together or it won't get done!

 

Change of plans! We will be using OPGTR instead of AAR 1. I am using OPGTR sucessfully with my older two, so will do the same with my youngest. I like AAR but I don't want to spend so much money for it when one $20 book will work just as well. We also are going to sort of move sideways in math and use Earlybird Math A instead of going on to Essential Math B. She isn't quite ready for Essential Math B yet. We will still start Z-B K after we finish the ETC primers. For some fun I am going to make a booklist and do a couple of activities or crafts for each book, she loves stuff like that!

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