When do you decide to try Barton?

[MistyMountain]

I am considering homeschooling my youngest for the next school year. She is now doing well in math now but reading is such a slog. She failed the Barton screening at 5.5 and we did hear builder this summer. She passes now. I am going to wait a few months to really see if she just needs some more time and because I will get funds from an oversight group once we officially start and Barton is expensive.

 

How did you decide to try Barton? I know about the CTOPP but there is no cheap way to run it here. The tutors charge a lot to run it here.

 

How long does Barton take each day? What about other language arts areas like grammar?

[OneStepAtATime]

How old is your child?  I can't remember from previous posts.  I'm sorry.

 

I don't know about others but I started Barton after I felt we had exhausted a lot of other resources and after I had finally gotten her an evaluation.  Before that we wasted years.  I had been reteaching the material  from her school at home with DD after school for years.  I bought all the material so when she inevitably came home confused and frustrated I could start again and help her at home. While it helped her limp along she was still falling further and further behind compared to same age classmates with regards to core skills.  I also tried multiple tutors, including eventually spending exorbitant amounts of wasted money on a dyslexia "specialist" that honestly was even worse than the standard tutors.  She also managed to further demoralize both of my kids at a pretty rapid rate.  I wish with all my heart I could go back and start it much sooner.  DD was 6th grade by the time I finally did.

 

I did not want to tutor DD with an very intense program that not one person I knew was using.  I resisted even after we got the diagnosis.  I doubt I would have ever even tried it if we hadn't had evaluations.  By the time I finally capitulated and admitted we had to try something else, I felt I didn't have any other options.  I had tried regular and specialized tutoring, there are NO schools for dyslexics anywhere near us (nearest is 4 hours away), the school itself was zero help, and there are no good outsource programs or schools for struggling readers that have genuine LD's here anywhere in our area.  After making DD suffer through years of demoralizing lessons that were a terrible fit for genuinely helping her, I  looked at the evaluations again and finally bit the bullet.  I bought Barton.  Level 1 arrived and I promptly decided to send it back.   :lol:   Thank goodness I didn't.  It looked so simple, basic, stupid I kept thinking surely my 6th grader doesn't need to go THIS far back?!  Surely my money bought more than this?!  I was wrong.  She really did need to go that far back.  And my extremely articulate, highly intelligent son with the large vocabulary needed to go back even further.  He needed LiPS first.

 

DD made more progress with Barton in a year and a half than the progress she made with 7 years of brick and mortar instruction coupled with intense afterschool tutoring along traditional lines coupled with outsourced tutoring, including with a specialist.  For DD Barton was absolutely the way to go and I wish we had started back in at least 1st or 2nd, probably sooner.  

 

DS?  He has different co-morbid issues and strengths.  He has learned.  It has absolutely helped. It just hasn't been as good a fit as for DD.  

 

Bottom line, I think this is a very individual decision.  It is very, very hard to know if something that helps others will actually help your own child.  I certainly tried quite a few different things that were a poor fit before I finally got Barton.  And it was not an immediate great fit.  DD hated it.  She fought me on it.  But once she saw the changes, once she realized how much it really was helping (about mid-Level 3 I think) she was on board.  We have hard days but she frequently is the one to remind me we need to start a lesson.  She knows it has helped her tremendously.  She is now happily reading 500+ page books for fun.  She saw a book on the Mexican American War lying around the other day, was a bit bored, so she picked it up and read it cover to cover...and she hates history.   :lol:   DS?  Nope.  No 500 page books for him.

 

I rambled a bit but hope I answered your question.  Best wishes as you try to decide.  I wish there were a crystal ball to know with certainty that a particular path will work.  I really wish there were.

Edited February 10, 2017 by OneStepAtATime

[MistyMountain]

She is 6 but will be almost 7 at the start of the next school year. My hesitation is how intense it is and what if we do not need that intense or it still does not work. At least the cost factor is defrayed if I officially homeschool although I do not know if they will like ordering 3 expensive levels in a row.

[OneStepAtATime]

Honestly, there is no way to know ahead of time.  There is no guarantee.  You don't have evaluations?  Are you saying you aren't sure why she struggles?  I wish I could remember what you have posted before.  I know it gets frustrating repeating things.  Again, I apologize.

 

I will say this, though, it can be used with a neurotypical child. They just move at a much faster rate through the program.  I remember a woman with maybe 10 kids who has a blog.  She has some kids that struggle with reading and several are definitely diagnosed dyslexic and others that aren't.  She used it with all of her children.  Every one.  She just moved at the pace of the individual child.  Her NT kids got a lot out of the program, too.  They just didn't need quite the same detail and could move more quickly.  She edited as needed.

 

I didn't answer your grammar question.  I apologize.  This is a language arts program.  It includes an introduction to light grammar, light writing, vocabulary and focuses heavily on reading and spelling initially.  It is recommended that no other formal writing/grammar program be included until after Level 4 so the child can focus on remediation of basic reading/spelling skills.  You are trying to build up a solid foundation.  There is still grammar and writing included.  Just not at an intense level.  Once you get at least most of the way through Level 4 you are encouraged to include a formal writing program.  We chose IEW coupled with Fix-It Grammar.  The way Barton introduces grammar paired beautifully with Fix-It.  IEW also paired well with this program.

[OneStepAtATime]

I also forgot to address length of time each day.  Lessons often work better for students if they are short.  A professional tutor, by necessity, usually has to tutor for an hour, and preferably at least twice a week when dealing with remediation of weak areas.  Less than twice a week means the child will probably forget before the start of the next session.  Sometimes that is just too much for a child to handle.  Using Barton or another program like it means you can tailor the program to the needs of your child.  If your child can only handle 15 min a day, so be it.  Do 15 min a day.  If you have a good day and are on a roll, keep going.  You and your child are exhausted and cranky and are not doing well.  Pull the plug.  Return to it tomorrow.  

 

DD needed things fairly short.  20-30, sometimes a bit longer, sometimes a bit shorter.  We got into a rhythm.  I could tell which areas were a challenge for her and we would need a break afterwards.

 

I set up a very specific area for Barton.  We only do Barton in that spot.  I keep everything ready to go and I keep it quiet there.  It has helped tremendously with moving effectively through lessons.

 

Pacing is going to change from lesson to lesson and level to level.  Every child is different.  For example, DD took a long time compared to her brother at nearly every level.  DS finished Level 1 in a week and could have finished sooner if I hadn't insisted we only do one lesson a day.  DD took maybe a month.  DS finished Level 2 in maybe 2 weeks.  DD took a couple of months or so.  I don't remember exactly with Level 3 but I know that DD took longer than DS.  DD took for.ev.er. to get through Level 4.  We had to repeat it.  She needed that level badly but it was just plain hard for her brain.  However, we blew through Level 5 in just a few months.  It made sense to her right away.  In other words, pacing will depend on your child and whatever issues/strengths they have and how they respond to each level/lesson.  You can definitely keep lessons short, though, if your child does better that way.

[PeterPan]

Well Barton isn't intense, and you'll actually make it very fun and do it in short bursts, given her age. It does NOT have to be intense. Even the supplemental readers they sell have stories appropriate for younger kids. She'll be fine. 

 

As far as whether it works, well it's a good program. If she's dyslexic with nothing else complicating, you have every reason to think it will work just fine. My ds is wicked complicated. Like he had motor planning problems affecting his ability to connect the sounds to anything, severe behaviors, funky language issues (receptive way behind, etc.), and he STILL has done well with Barton.

 

What else would you use? AAR or AAS? I mean, fine if you want to take the chance that you buy levels and they don't work. It's not nearly as detailed. Barton will be CHEAPER when you sell off the levels than AAS/AAR will be. 

 

I would use this time to figure out what she likes and how she learns well and find multi-sensory methods that fit with that. Like my ds an uber kinesthetic learner. Like he needs to be in motion! So for him, I found activities where you became the letters while saying the sounds, etc. Whole body, large parts of your body, or doing other things in motion while working. And maybe she's more crafty or likes to color or likes princesses or something. Keep your eyes peeled for alphabets you can use to capture that princess interest. Get a tiara and wand and let her use her princess powers to spell the words. Barton is going to start plain, but you can sha-zam it up as much as you need, kwim? And hey if a princess wand and tiara will help her get in the mood to do the work, I'm all for it. :D

 

You won't be asking for so much money, if by some shocking miracle you go through 3 levels in a school year. Is that for three kids or just her? Cuz you realize that would be some SERIOUS but kicking with Barton, right? You might. Just saying you never know. And even if you do, sell the first level and use that money to fund the next level. That way you only need the difference, which will be like maybe $60. They probably won't quibble over that. Just order an extra set of tiles when you buy the levels. That way you have a set to keep and a set in the box you sell.

 

It's going to be fine! Back to princesses. You could take the steps of your Barton lesson (which is really more like a week for little kids) and make sort of a princess map. That way she puts stickers as you complete each lesson and she gets her figure to the tower. Then, when she gets to the tower/castle, she gets a prize! Just because Barton doesn't include the magic doesn't mean you can't make it happen.

 

:)

[Lecka]

Well I am someone who bought Level 1 and then I didn't go on with the program.

 

The videos were very helpful for me, it was great to see the method for me.

 

I thought it was too hard at the time. I think my son (my older son) could pass the screening but then he had a lot of other articulation errors that made it too hard.

 

So it ended up that he went to private speech therapy twice a week for over a year. And, they did work on telling apart consonant sounds in his speech therapy. That was a big thing for him and I think speech therapy was very appropriate and needed, and then insurance paid for it too.

 

Then I didn't want to follow the Barton order (waiting on silent e mainly) bc by then my son had some exposure to silent e and he did well with silent e.

 

His big problems were really learning to sound out words, hearing consonants, and consonant blends. Consonant blends were extremely challenging for him, but silent e was fine for him.

 

He also could distinguish vowels with no trouble.

 

But mainly it became clear that what he needed was not as much a reading program, as it was speech therapy.

 

And then he did need to work on reading too, but I did a lot of things with him piecemeal.

 

Now he is 11, he is a good reader, and his speech is good :)

 

I have Barton Level 1 in my closet and may pull it out for a younger child at some point.

 

My younger son has some similar articulation errors (but not as severe wrt reading!) and he is in speech therapy now, and slowly slowly making progress with a program that focuses on language-y stuff too bc he has a language delay too (expressive and receptive) and so it is not really a hurry to get him decodeing when there wouls not exactly be balance with his language.

 

But I am open to using Barton with him in the future. But believe it or not, even though he has had a lot of instruction I am looking at AAR level 1 for him, bc he is not really solid at that level. But for him it is taken for granted he will take a long time. But slow and steady win the race :)

[MistyMountain]

She struggled with learning letter sounds and basic phonemic awareness like rhyming, hearing the difference in similar sounding sounds, hearing syllables etc. We did hear builder over the summer which was hard for her but there was an improvement in phonemic awareness. Now she is in kindergarten and I have been doing Phonics Pathways and her school does Spalding. She is having a hard time. We did blends and other endings in PP and they started CVC readers at school and even with CVC readers she is making mistakes and doing some guessing. The blends and adding s and stuff like that has been really difficult for her to say in sentences with a few especially. She reverses letters and has poor handwriting so it is hard to tell if she is spelling simple words ok or not. Some she can. She can blend simple words in isolation especially if it is big but sentences are really hard.

 

She does have motor planning challenges. She is delayed in motor skills related to motor planning. Her vision checked out well but she does have eye movements(saccades) and tracking challenges. She likes princesses well enough but she has another character she really loves that I do try to incorporate at times.

Edited February 11, 2017 by MistyMountain

[Lecka]

I feel like -- many kids are developing phonemic awareness over years and then after a lot of time

and development of those skills, they are introduced to blends.

 

And then kids who are later to phonemic awareness and had a harder time with it -- are

also getting asked to do blends.

 

I think it takes time and a lot of practice.

 

I forgot before, my older son also did OT and it did help with tracking. But he was a little older. He is diagnosed with dysgraphia now so that continues.

 

But I hate the rushing with blends and throwing in words with random phonics patterns. It does not make things any easier.

 

Just to share my experience -- in K reading was always frustrating for my son, I didn't realize how bad it was at all. In 1st grade he got a nicer teacher and he was in an intervention reading group so it wasn't frustrating, bc it was at his level.

 

But it was obvious he needed more time spent with him to make more than minimal progress. But I liked what he did in school, it just wasn't enough time, he needed more time.

 

You don't mention math facts -- but some advice is watch out for timed math facts. Talk to the teacher, etc. It was a big problem in 2nd grade, bc memorizing was hard, and then put handwriting on top of that! That was a problem, but his teacher was very responsive to letting him do his orally and untimed. I told her he was crying at home. She had no idea, apparently he came across like he didn't care at school. So I think -- never think the teacher can read minds or know how long things take at home or what your child says at home.

 

I think our public school is really very responsive, and it takes a lot of communication and following up.

 

Edit: obviously I have felt like there are many positives to public school. I only regret Kindergarten. There have been special times at school too, and my son was recognized at an all-school assembly for improvement in reading even while he was still below grade level, bc his teacher noticed his hard work. So things like that are positives! And he has always done really well with the school math curriculum other than math facts.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Lecka

[PeterPan]

This is a private school or public? She's plenty old enough for you to request evals through the ps and get her diagnosed. The dyslexia sounds pretty obvious, but having the paper trail will be helpful to you. We used it to get our ped to sign the forms for BARD/National Library Service. That service is honestly phenomenal. Like I've spent a lot with audible, and BARD just blows me away. My ds is listening to another book from them right now. They send this quarterly mag with new books and they're good! I'm crazy picky, and we always find 10-20 new books for him. 

 

Well that's just a total aside. Anyways, hmm, it really sounds like she's struggling. I can see why you're wanting to begin intervention! And the school is doing NOTHING for her? 

 

That guessing is a really nasty habit. If that's what she's doing, I would complain royally. That is like MISTAKE NUMBER ONE. Barton warns severely against allowing it. Even if you think her overall placement is good, you really ought to have the right to complain about that.

 

It sounds like her RAN/RAS is low. That's why it's so hard for her to do these skills, even as she gets them. The CTOPP will give you a RAN/RAS score. It's crazy easy to work on and you'll get a noticeable bump pretty quickly.  Just as soon as you get that baseline CTOPP done, I would begin working on RAN/RAS, definitely. Takes just a few minutes a day and it will give you awesome rewards.

 

I think you'd stop a lot of her grief by going to Barton. Barton pays a lot of attention to making sure every step is within reach. Right now she's trying lots of things (Spalding has a blistering pace!) and is having lots of issues. Barton is going to totally change that dynamic to one where the increments are so small, the tasks so tightly defined, that she can get some success. And hopefully that will turn things around for her. It sounds like it would be a really good move. I think a traditional curriculum, even an otherwise good one, is going to be overwhelming to her. Spalding is more aggressive than AAS/AAR, but not that much. It sounds like she'll really do well with the more incremental pacing of Barton.

 

Has she been screened for retained reflexes? With the motor planning plus the jumping at the midline (which my ds does), that's what you want, reflex work. I've finally got a PT helping me with them. We had done some work. It seems to be sort of a process, sigh.

 

I can't remember, did you re-administer the Barton pre-test? How did she do this time? 

[MistyMountain]

She is doing well in math and is ahead of grade level there but timed facts could be a problem. She can solve them by picturing what happens but I never timed her before and if you add in handwriting it could cause issues. She is managing to fill her 100 chart in school in enough time though.

Edited February 11, 2017 by MistyMountain

[MistyMountain]

It is a public school. She passed the Barton screening when I gave it recently. She has an IEP but not related to reading. I am not sure what she sounds like reading at school since it is not her first read through but they said she is not the worse. She is doing retained reflex activities at home but it is slow going. She is slow at rapid naming and I just recently added some rapid naming cards from TPT.

Edited February 11, 2017 by MistyMountain

[Lecka]

I think filling in the hundreds chart is a good sign for her handwriting. No need to borrow trouble :)

[emmaluv+2more]

Well Barton isn't intense, and you'll actually make it very fun and do it in short bursts, given her age. It does NOT have to be intense. Even the supplemental readers they sell have stories appropriate for younger kids. She'll be fine. 

 

As far as whether it works, well it's a good program. If she's dyslexic with nothing else complicating, you have every reason to think it will work just fine. My ds is wicked complicated. Like he had motor planning problems affecting his ability to connect the sounds to anything, severe behaviors, funky language issues (receptive way behind, etc.), and he STILL has done well with Barton.

 

What else would you use? AAR or AAS? I mean, fine if you want to take the chance that you buy levels and they don't work. It's not nearly as detailed. Barton will be CHEAPER when you sell off the levels than AAS/AAR will be. 

 

I would use this time to figure out what she likes and how she learns well and find multi-sensory methods that fit with that. Like my ds an uber kinesthetic learner. Like he needs to be in motion! So for him, I found activities where you became the letters while saying the sounds, etc. Whole body, large parts of your body, or doing other things in motion while working. And maybe she's more crafty or likes to color or likes princesses or something. Keep your eyes peeled for alphabets you can use to capture that princess interest. Get a tiara and wand and let her use her princess powers to spell the words. Barton is going to start plain, but you can sha-zam it up as much as you need, kwim? And hey if a princess wand and tiara will help her get in the mood to do the work, I'm all for it. :D

 

You won't be asking for so much money, if by some shocking miracle you go through 3 levels in a school year. Is that for three kids or just her? Cuz you realize that would be some SERIOUS but kicking with Barton, right? You might. Just saying you never know. And even if you do, sell the first level and use that money to fund the next level. That way you only need the difference, which will be like maybe $60. They probably won't quibble over that. Just order an extra set of tiles when you buy the levels. That way you have a set to keep and a set in the box you sell.

 

It's going to be fine! Back to princesses. You could take the steps of your Barton lesson (which is really more like a week for little kids) and make sort of a princess map. That way she puts stickers as you complete each lesson and she gets her figure to the tower. Then, when she gets to the tower/castle, she gets a prize! Just because Barton doesn't include the magic doesn't mean you can't make it happen.

 

:)

 

Not wanting to derail, so feel free to pm me instead, but I'd love to hear what other cute ideas you have for little girls using Barton.  I've ordered, but not yet received, so I haven't looked through the materials or viewed the training videos yet.  Anything you can share would help ease some of the initial feelings of being so incredibly overwhelmed with all of this.

 

Good luck OP.  I decided to go ahead and order Barton while I wait for the results of my DD6's evals.  I'm certain she'll need more extensive help learning to read at this point, no mater the diagnosis, and Barton looks fantastic so I just took the leap.  Fingers crossed!

[PeterPan]

Not wanting to derail, so feel free to pm me instead, but I'd love to hear what other cute ideas you have for little girls using Barton.  I've ordered, but not yet received, so I haven't looked through the materials or viewed the training videos yet.  Anything you can share would help ease some of the initial feelings of being so incredibly overwhelmed with all of this.

 

Good luck OP.  I decided to go ahead and order Barton while I wait for the results of my DD6's evals.  I'm certain she'll need more extensive help learning to read at this point, no mater the diagnosis, and Barton looks fantastic so I just took the leap.  Fingers crossed!

 

Oh mercy, I haven't taught a girl with it, only a boy! Free yourself to make it fun and to bring in things she'll enjoy or find engaging. What does she like? Do you have a Dollar Tree near you? I hit Dollar Tree a lot when I need ideas. They have EVERYTHING, oh my, and it's only $1! :)

 

What does she like? Maybe people can give you ideas? 

 

I would go to Dollar Tree, Walmart, the Disney store, etc. and just look for things that inspire you. If your homeschool group has a used sale, try there or the thrift store. I've done that a lot. Also Toys R US and Target have really nice games these days. Look for things that might make nice:

 

-rewards for finishing a session completely

-rewards for finishing a whole level (this might be kinda big, because it's going to take a month or two or three or four possibly)

-cute things to incentivize within a session (stickers, charts, $1 puzzles where you can earn bags of the pieces and assemble at the end, etc.)

-cute manipulatives to use for spelling--Can you put letter stickers on them? Can they be placeholders? Can they be a character that builds a little story with the words?

-puppets--Honestly, the Ziggy puppet from AAR pre was HUGE here. I still whip him out. You can't go wrong with a good puppet.  

Folkmanis Zebra Stage Puppet Folkmanis is the brand, and they make lots of cute ones. One puppet could go a long way at that age! :D

 

Just see what inspires you. My ds uses parts of things instead of the whole (part of his autism), so for a while there he would take the brain-shaped top off a caboodle game and wear it. And if a tiara or whatever gets them in their power zone, more power to 'em, kwim?

 

Food rewards are good.

 

Sometimes kids are motivated by surprisingly small things. I took a blank page of tagboard and put it in the front slip cover of a notebook that held a bunch of our therapy papers. Then when he did the tasks (RAN/RAS exercises, midline exercises, etc.), he could put a sticker on. They were shiny holographic stickers from Dollar Tree, and we could take about them, making a little story and scene as they built. Language AND rewards, hehe!

 

Just have fun with it. Find little cheap things your dd will enjoy and find ways to use them in your sessions. And maybe she won't need all that. Maybe with her she'll be super compliant, cheerful, and just enjoy one or two things for fun. My ds is pretty challenging to work with, so I kinda went over the top.

 

You know, a simpler direction, hmmm... Have you seen the Djeco art kits at Timberdoodle? Or the fuzzy coloring pictures? If your dc doesn't need a lot of supports to get through a session, something like that might be just enough, like a fun thing at the end, boom done. My ds needed more supports, but not everyone does. 

 

Timberdoodle Co - Homeschool Curriculum, Homeschool Resources, Materials & Books This should link to some of the Djeco kits. Amazon has them and there are lots, lots more. I just bought one with sand you sprinkle to decorate fish. They have them with painting and gold leaf and collage and all sorts of things. LOVE. They're nice because the little instruction book has steps. So for my ds, I can say ok we're going to do two pages, and when that works we know next time that's the plan too.

 

Amazon.com: Super Pack of 18 Fuzzy Velvet 8x10 Inch Posters (Artistic Edition): Toys & Games I got these when they were on sale and we really like them. Again, they're nice because they're something you can do for a while as a reward and then stop if you need to. So then one poster might work for a week, kwim? 

 

As far as the actual lesson instruction, I really like the Spelling Success games. You might go ahead and order ones that go with level 1. Ok, I'm looking, and it's more like level 2. Use your judgment. But it will be soon! :)

 

Products - Spelling Success

 

Also, I put all his words into Quizlet to drill. It's not swanky, but it works for us.

 

Everybody is overwhelmed by new things. I remember the first time I read WRTR (Spalding, way back in the day) and I literally THREW IT AT THE WALL! And it just sat there for a while, many months. Then, when things weren't clicking for dd, I was like OK, YOU CAN DO THIS. 

 

So hopefully you won't need to throw it at the wall, but it's normal to be overwhelmed. Lots of new concepts. But you'll get it! The Barton materials are clearly structured. Take your time and you'll be fine. If you are feeling overwhelmed, she probably is too. Just take a deep breath, say Hey I think we need to play a game till we both figure this out, and you'll be fine! :)

SaveSave

Edited February 11, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[PeterPan]

Classroom Magnetic Letters Kit at Lakeshore Learning

 

I got a set of these used at a homeschool sale, and we used, used, used them!!! They have a math set I never bought and wanted to. Probably should have. (He has math SLD and dysgraphia.) They do BOGO deals, so that's why I mention it. But if she likes them, they're worth the splurge.

 

The Board Dudes Magnetic Dry Erase Board 16 x 20 : Target

I have a pile of these 16X20 magnetic whiteboards that I use and LOVE. I like them in all sizes, but this is big enough to do a lot and still fit on the table in front of you. See what you can find at Walmart or wherever, because the Board Dudes one is no longer available. I like the plastic rim, not metal. Must be magnetic, because then it wipes clean better.

 

There, you have my greatest tips in the whole wide world, lol. Feed them, feed yourself, take breaks, play. Smooths over a lot.

 

[emmaluv+2more]

Thank you OhElizabeth!  Having not actually seen the Barton materials, or even having a slight idea what the methods are, it is hard to think creatively about.  I have a feeling that once the box arrives I am likely to just let it sit on the table untouched for several days before even attempting to open it (yes, I'm feeling THAT intimidated by the whole thing!).  Getting ideas ahead of all of this really does help eases my anxiety.  Again, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[OneStepAtATime]

Level 1 is very basic and the TM is VERY well laid out.  It will walk you through each step.  Honestly, Level 1 is not hard to wrap your head around.  Please don't feel intimidated by it.  When you open the box, watch the video and read the TM you will see this is not going to snow you under.  And if you have any questions you can always come here or contact Susan Barton directly.  She is very nice and usually responds within 24 hours.

[MistyMountain]

I really have been wanting a big magnetic whiteboard for the table like that for math. I would be even better if they have a blank side and one with writing lines for spelling. I should do a sticker chart. They do that at school and she really gets excited about earning prizes with that sticker chart.

 

Oh and when I said 3 levels for a school year don't level 1 and 2 go faster then the other levels? So I would need level to get level 1-3 pretty fast right?

[PeterPan]

Kids just vary as far as the speed. You might. You never know. Main thing is to make sure you order the extra set of tiles. That way you can sell off a complete kit and still have a set to move on to the next level. The tiles accumulate over levels.

 

Once stores get back to school stuff, like probably July, you'll find those 16X20-ish whiteboards pretty easily. Just saying if you can't now, they'll be out soon. 

 

Yes, stickers!

 

Hmm, lines, that's an idea. I got little writing strips in the bargain bins at Target that had lines. They're slick, because then you can write some words and rearrange, etc. You also have the option of the app of course.

 

If you really really want lines on a big whiteboard (not just the $1 jobs at Dollar Tree or the $3 kind at Walmart), you could put them on with a permanent marker. I don't know why I didn't. Guess I just have a romance going with these boards and didn't have the heart, lol.

[PeterPan]

Chocolate helps anxiety too. I'm sure it does. I wish donuts didn't. I think they do, but I'm still testing it.  :drool5:

 

And yes, I have to work out to get this stuff off!  You can really gain a lot eating stress, mercy. What a rabbit trail. Now I use the steam room and steam away my stress. And there's this thing called a slam ball, and you SLAM it down so hard it bounces. I sorta curse the existence of whatever professional person I'm really frustrated with at the moment, and after 20 of those slams I'm calm. 

 

So after your donuts and chocolate, go to the gym.   :lol:

[caedmyn]

For us, I decided (very reluctantly) to use Barton after it became apparent that the Abecedarian reading program I was using for my 2nd grader wasn't going to help him get any further.  I looked at every.single program I could find for dyslexia, and finally decided to go with Barton because, from everything I read, it was the one program that works for *almost* everyone.  I didn't want to spend more time on yet another program and find that it didn't help or wasn't enough.

 

I'm now using it with my K'er too, because it looks like he has dyslexia also.  It's going to be slow going with him, because he has no foundation in reading and because he has a short attention span--like 10 minutes a day is all we're getting through.  

 

The 2nd grader does 25-30 minutes a day (we started at 15 minutes), and we're getting through a lesson a week in level 3.  The first couple of weeks were rough for both of us...I bribed him with chocolate chips for every 2 words he read correctly.  It has gotten easier.  The K'er gets chocolate chips too for every session, because he may decide not to cooperate, or to whine a great deal, otherwise.  

[OneStepAtATime]

I really have been wanting a big magnetic whiteboard for the table like that for math. I would be even better if they have a blank side and one with writing lines for spelling. I should do a sticker chart. They do that at school and she really gets excited about earning prizes with that sticker chart.

 

Oh and when I said 3 levels for a school year don't level 1 and 2 go faster then the other levels? So I would need level to get level 1-3 pretty fast right?

In all likelihood you will actually need to buy Level 1 & 2 and then eventually Level 3 in one year.  Not a guarantee, though.  Some move more slowly than others.  You are correct, though, that the first two levels are significantly shorter than the other levels.  Level 3 is quite a bit longer than Level 1 or 2 so plan on that one taking quite a bit more time.

 

If you are tight on funds you can sell the level you have just finished to help fund the next level, as OhElizabeth stated.  You do need to purchase a second set of tiles for all the levels after Level 1 if you plan to do this but honestly you can do without the Level 1 tiles after Level 1.  It is easier if you have them but not necessary at all.  Therefore you could sell Level 1 with the one set of tiles to help cover the second level.

 

The other option would be to do Level 1 and Level 2 then just practice what was learned in Level 2 for a bit while you save up money for Level 3.  There are extra practice pages and word games available and you could get the Spelling Success card game, etc.  You might consider repeating Level 2 as well, especially if the child doesn't seem super 100% solid.  Then when you do have the money, buy Level 3 and move on.  Level 3 will probably take several months (although again not always).

 

Level 4 is usually the one that takes the longest.  For some it can take a LOT longer, like a year or more (although some complete it in 6 months or less).  When you hit Level 4 you probably won't need to buy another level for quite a while.

 

One thing I did want to mention, in case you weren't aware, is that if a student gets through Level 1 very, very quickly it can be exchanged for Level 2 at no additional cost (except maybe shipping?).  Check the website for the exact rules.  Because of this I STRONGLY urge you not to wait too long to open the box and try the lessons.  Don't rush your child through Barton or start lessons when you are not yet prepared.  I'm not saying that.  I am saying don't wait weeks to start because you feel intimidated because you may find out your child can blow through this level and you lost a chance to save some money by not starting right away. 

[PeterPan]

The first couple of weeks were rough for both of us...I bribed him with chocolate chips for every 2 words he read correctly.  It has gotten easier.  The K'er gets chocolate chips too for every session, because he may decide not to cooperate, or to whine a great deal, otherwise.  

 

Sounds good to me!  :)  And just think, the chocolate has *just a little* caffeine, meaning you might actually be getting a little calmness from the caffeine there too. Bonus. :)