marychance Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 DD and I are brand new to homeschooling. I am looking for suggestions on beginning reading and basic handwriting. Right now math is going to consist of counting better. The sheer number of systems out there is mind boggling O_O. I sincerely hope this is the correct place to post this. I've read through some previous posts on the topic but 1) I don't know what all the abbreviations for the curriculums people use or where to find them and 2) 10+ pages of responses is more than intimidating. Thank you for all your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 how old is your DD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marychance Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 She's 3 and I know this would normally fall under preschool but she already knows her alphabet and has started sounding out words on her own. Most preschool stuff focuses on letter recognition but thats old hat for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momaof3 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I just bought Before the Code for my DD3 and she loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 She's 3 and I know this would normally fall under preschool but she already knows her alphabet and has started sounding out words on her own. Most preschool stuff focuses on letter recognition but thats old hat for her. Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading found at Peace Hill Press. I used DonnaYoung.org for handwriting practice at that age but didn't expect more than scribbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I loved Handwriting Without Tears for beginning writers. Neither of my children learned to read in anything like a "normal" manner (one picked it up without instruction and just surprised us one day by reading to us, the other was quite delayed due to special needs) so I don't feel competent to offer suggestions there. I know it's intimidating when you're first starting out, but just hang out here and remember to breathe, and pretty soon it will all be old hat for you. :) Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 What we did at age three: Pigby played on starfall.com. Once he maxed out on the free section, we moved to Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. We had to do a lot on the whiteboard as he thought it was more fun and less boring. He is an amazing reader. A lot of it just came naturally, but when he hit a wall, I put it away for a few days. When we came back, he picked it up right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I second the suggestions for Handwriting without Tears. We used the K book when Ariel was 4, and I think the Pre-K book is good for ages 3-4. I had a hard time finding a reading curriculum that really worked, especially at that age. The Leapfrog Talking Letter (and Word) Factory videos are good, no matter what curriculum you go with. I've heard a lot of parents and children really like All About Reading (AAR), but my DD was past that point when it came out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowstorm84 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 We use A Reason for Handwriting and Draw Write Now, the kids love the latter because they draw animals and practice writing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellalarella Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Welcome. Welcome! :001_smile: For preschool, I like HWT (handwriting without tears) and FIAR (Five in A Row or Before Five In a Row). I also like using PP (Phonics Pathways) as our learn-to-read book when a child turns 4. I read many books to my preschooler and I ask her questions about what we've read. I help her to answer me in complete sentences because I know that is one of the big skills we'll be working on when she actually starts school. She just thinks it is fun. My philosophy on teaching young children was developed in part by reading "The Power of Play" by David Elkind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.Balaban Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 First, welcome! It is very overwhelming at first seeing all the "alphabet soup" in signatures. If you check out this page, here, you'll see a list of common abbreviations for homeschoolers at the bottom. It's quite lengthy. When I started researching curriculum, I wrote a lot of notes about different curriculum, and read a LOT of reviews. One thing you will notice is that homeschooling is not a "One child fits all" situation. So, something that the general consensus on the board loves might not be the right thing for your family.... as you hang around more you will see it! My first suggestion for a preschool curriculum is quality reading time! You are probably already doing this, but you know, throwing it out there. You can find books with booklists that will direct you to quality literature pieces. Some recommendations are "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease and "Honey for a Child's Heart" by Gladys Hunt. Both are invaluable resources, and I am sure others here will list other books. My other recommendations: Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, Handwriting without Tears, and Explode the Code: Get Ready, Get Set, and Go (for the Code). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I just bought Before the Code for my DD3 and she loves it. Pre-ETC was good when kiddo was very little, but also consider Plaid Phonics. The K would be too easy, sounds like, but A or B perhaps? Phonics Pathways starts very simply, and you could pause when it causes frustration. Consider, also, some phonogram flashcards. I used the ones from Spell to Write and Read but if I was starting now, I'd consider the Logic of English cards. When kiddo was very little, before we started memorizing the 6 ways of saying -ough-, I'd show a card like B, have him say it, tell me a word that began with it, and I'd give a word that ended in it. Then he would do both and I'd give on with the sound in the middle, etc, etc. We also did a book where there was space up top to draw a picture, and kiddo would narrate a caption. He'd write the first letter of a word and I'd write the rest as he dictated. Then we'd move to the next word, etc. I, personally, think HWOT has *ugly* script, and if kiddo isn't ready for a more normal font, consider the cut, paste, maze, color etc from Kumon. Very appealing. You can print out a page of copywork from the Zaner-Bloser website free ("free fontsonline") and see if she can do anything reasonable with the K size. Kumon has some early letter writing books, too. HTH, and welcome. Summer must be here, as we are having an influx of about to starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syllieann Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 (edited) Check out all about reading level I for phonics/reading. I just started w/ my 3.5 yo. No writing!!!! Read, speak, cut, paste, put sticker on chart...very easy on the fine motor skills for littles. We're also using mep reception which does not include handwriting. For handwriting, I just write a few letters with a highlighter and he traces with my help and instruction. He can do 2-3 letters before he says his hand is tired and wants to quit so I'm no help on handwriting curric. We're at least 6 months away from that. I have him do letters/numbers with a big hunk of chalk outside so he can use his whole hand and make the letters a foot tall. Edited July 20, 2012 by Syllieann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Priscila Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 My daughter is 3 years old also (May birthday) and today was day 9 of our 2012-13 preschool year. I started now rather than wait until September because I felt like she was ready to begin learning to read, and I still think I'm right about that. To teach reading we're using The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington (get it here or I actually got mine at Barnes & Noble), and it's going great. Today was lesson 9, The Consonant Ff. It's totally easy peasy so far. For writing, I'm having her trace and write letters and trace and draw small pictures in a regular old composition notebook. I'm just going 1 page per day, and she likes doing it. She has great fine motor skill, though. And even so, she can get tired of tracing for a whole page. I help her sometimes, but she ends up doing it all herself most days. For science, I plan to go over anatomical charts, care for a garden, observe the weather, visit the observatory, teach hygiene and self-care, and observe and identify various different species (at the zoo, at the aquarium, at the aviary, or online); if I think of more as I go along, then I'll add it to this list. So far up until today we've spent the most time looking at the anatomical charts, specifically the digestive system and once in a while wandering to other systems. I have a big book of anatomical charts which is not designed for kids, but it's what I have and it seems to work. It's the most requested lesson in the 9 days that I've officially been in session. I don't think we've skipped a day of looking at that book. I don't plan to test her or quiz her, except verbally. I'm keeping a journal of what she's doing as we go. For math, I decided on RightStart Math because of its basis in Montessori principles. We plan to buy the whole Level A kit as soon as we get the cash, in about month. Additionally, I'm reading a children's classic aloud. We've started with Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. I'm making up this list of classic children's chapter books as I go along. Of course, she gets to pick out whatever she wants to read at the library and we have a collection of kids books that she wants read over and over already at home. I hope that's helpful! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicMom Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I would definately second the Kumon series of books, they are great! You can never read aloud enough! There are so many lists out there but Jim Trelease's book is great as well as Honey for the Child's Heart. I also like the preschool series of workbooks from Rod and Staff. I used them for all five of my children. They have a set for ages 3-4 and a set for 4-5. For handwriting, you can't beat Handwriting without Tears. It is just an awesome way to teach handwriting to little ones and progresses through to cursive when they are ready. I've found the best prices at Rainbow Resource Center. All of the recommendations for phonics that you have received have been good ones. I did like Ordinary Parents Guide for Reading and Phonics Pathways. Ordinary Parents Guide for Reading gives you much more structure. Lots of time for play and exploration are important as are times out and about and field trips. Learning about the world around them builds vocabulary and awareness important for reading and learning to come. Good luck on your adventure! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marychance Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 Thanks everyone. I've heard alot of good things about Handwriting Without Tears. I'm definitely going to check it out. For beginning books I'm looking for something that has a set vocabulary list that we can focus on. Up to this point we have been picking up books at the library, finding one or two words in those books that are used several times, spelling them and looking for them as we read. I'd like to be able to build on a word list that will enable her to read an entire book (less than 10 pages probably) by herself. We usually read one or two stories at a time. She will sit down with her dry erase activity book and do mazes and print for about 15-20 minutes at a time which feels pretty good to us. Is there a list out there of say, the 100 most common words for beginning readers? She loves flash cards. I'm a pretty good googler but at this stage of the game I'm not even sure what it is I'm looking for exactly. Thanks again everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Check out progressivephonics.com. It's free and includes all the Dolch sight words (I think that's what you're looking for.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I just found this link for "Teach a child to read with children's books" on this site elsewhere and am reading it myself: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED437625&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED437625 YDS is 3 as well. He knows most of his letters (uppercase knows 18/26 and lowercase 14/26). He knows his colors and shapes. He is starting to pick up the sounds of the letters. He can count to 9 without help and then forgets what 10 is called. I have been reading to him a lot, watching letter shows like Word World and Super Why, doing letter puzzles with him, trying to get him to remember how to spell his very short name, etc. Just lots of games and fun. :) He likes playing games at these sites as well: http://www.starfall.com http://www.sesamestreet.org http://www.nickjr.com We also do an online Thomas game (I'll have to look for the link to that). And he loves to sit in with his older siblings and do "school" with them as well. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificat Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 We also (as a pp mentioned) had a lot of luck with several of the Kumon workbooks. The maze series as well as the cutting, then cutting and pasting series were favorites here! In my quick scan of the other responses, I don't recall seeing a recommendation for investing in a set of cuisinaire rods. Search the boards for lots of suggestions with this fantastic manipulative. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marychance Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Check out progressivephonics.com. It's free and includes all the Dolch sight words (I think that's what you're looking for.) The Dolch sight words are EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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