Rod & Staff preschool books

[LauraClark]

How do you use the ABC and GHI series? Do you do some from A, some from B, some from C all on the same day? Do you go through one book and then onto the next? We did part of the A-F series last year and books E and F were too hard (seem to be a good fit now). I'm looking at the GHI series and most of them seem number oriented until book K. Is that correct? So do you do a page of book G and a page of book K? That seems confusing to me since each book is organized by animal habitats-for that reason it seems like it would make more sense to just go straight through a book.

[freesia]

We always just went straight through each book. 

[LauraClark]

16 minutes ago, freesia said:

We always just went straight through each book. 

Do you do something else for letters, then? Because otherwise it looks like ds will just get number stuff for weeks and weeks and then will just get letter stuff.

[freesia]

3 minutes ago, LauraClark said:

Do you do something else for letters, then? Because otherwise it looks like ds will just get number stuff for weeks and weeks and then will just get letter stuff.

No, that didn’t bother me at all. I probably did do some light letter recognition stuff—noticing letters on buildings—and practice writing their name, but nothing else formal for pre-K. We read a lot of books and took a lot of walks. It really isn’t necessary to do academics with a four year old if you have a home with books and conversation and opportunities for play. The Rod and Staff books were a fun introduction to school and learning to follow directions ( and to provide school for younger siblings.)

 

[Brittany1116]

We did them last year. We did Bible every few days, and otherwise worked straight through books in sequential order. They are typically skill-specific and do get progressively more difficult. There were 2 books we didn't love because they were incredibly redundant, but I cannot recall which. One was a lot of cut and paste, which he liked. The second half of the series has little dioramas and things to create.

[Zoo Keeper]

We worked through the books one at a time and in order.  We began them around 4 years old, doing 2 or 3 pages from one book a few times a week when the current 4 year old wanted to do school while older siblings did their school.  Here's a post in which I explain a bit how I used them:

I do begin a regular phonics program (Phonics Pathways) in K and a math program (MEP, R&S first grade math, Miquon) as well.  In K, (at my house) the R&S books become supplementary for reinforcing the phonics and math I am teaching through other books in K. 

[2_girls_mommy]

We went straight through them with the exception of B.  With B, the Bible coloring book and stories, we did it like once or twice a week in addition to the regular ABC workbooks, which ever we were on.  We always started with A, sometime after age 4, as well as doing some sort of Letter of the Week, so we would do LOTW activities one day (either at home or with a co-op,) and reinforce that letter throughout the week.  Other days we would do a page or two of the ABC workbooks.  We averaged only two-three days of doing the workbooks and usually got through the first series only by halfway through K.  Then the 2nd semester of K, we always start the 1st grade reading and phonics.  (At the beginning of K, I add in the R&S 1st grade math daily on top of the ABC workbooks and some BOB book reading.) I think stretch the reading and phonics over the 2nd half of k and 1st grade, and start 2nd grade with the 2nd grade materials for phonics and english and spelling.  With math, it just depends on where they are by then. My current 2nd grader is halfway through the 2nd grade book.  One of mine kept up with the math at a full grade level ahead, and one of mine worked solidly in their grade levels all of the way through. 

I have the other books, a few of the other letter books that come after the initial set.  Those are just for whenever, like if we are busy and don't have time for other things, or for handwriting practice or reinforcement.  My ydd is now in 2nd grade, and just did some of the Rainforest activities from the Hearing and Helping book that we have had sitting around forever because she did an online rainforest class on Zoom, and I found that book had some crafty things she could do alongside the class making it relevant.