Reading...Part I

Guess I'll stick with the basics to start...though "reading" really is rather broad, isn't it? Today, then, I'll just talk about the very basic part...letters and learning to actually put letters together and read words.

So. Let's start at the beginning I suppose. :) Let me start by saying that my approach to teaching reading has been a somewhat hands-off one. From the varied reading I've done on the subject and my own observations and experiences, children learn to read when they're ready. I've tried to follow that and allow my sons to learn at their own pace...so have tended to wait until they asked specifically for instruction before actually "teaching." (This, of course, does not mean that we didn't talk with them about things like letters and words. We've always tried to explain things as we go and view any moment as a potential for education.) In any case, back when Noah started asking to learn to read...

I'm almost embarrassed to say that I don't recall ever sitting down with any of my boys and saying "now let's learn the alphabet" or working on writing letters. Strange but true. ;) Instead, um, I showed them this dvd one day and it was amazing. From that, they learned the letter sounds and what they looked like. It was weirdly fast. I'd help them from time to time if they asked about a specific letter or sound. And that's pretty much what I did about letter recognition (despite the many cool things I'd purchased and collected for that purpose, lol). 

After that, we used things like these to hone the letters and decoding/phonics:

Bob Books. Simple little books that help build confidence as kids learn to read. Mine weren't overly eager to read these but it was nice to have something that we knew they *could* read. There are a number of sets similar to these and we've tried many but still come back to the simplicity of these. 

Maze books. It may sound odd, but I found that having the boys do mazes helped their penmanship. It was all about pencil control...and it was more fun than pages of repeated letters. ;) 

Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. For Noah, reading workbooks were too repetitive. I relented and switched to this book. It's designed to do a short lesson each day and worked great for Noah. We sat together and read this lesson daily, and before long he was learning the "rules" and reading. It didn't work as well for Asher, though, so do keep that in mind. This approach seemed much more suited for a child who doesn't need as much repetition or review.

Explode the Code. These are the workbooks we started on with Noah. Though they didn't click for him, Asher and Micah like them. They have software and online exercises now, but we've always just used the workbooks. They teach the letter sounds and reading "rules" in a straight-forward and fun way. The illustrations are great and not distracting (and not always obvious, which means that the boys can't always just guess based on the pictures). A single lesson is an easily manageable size, and the books are designed to be used from K/1st to 4th.

(They also have pre-K workbooks about letter recognition and practice in writing just letters. We tried these with Micah but they ended up just being busy work, as he would whip through a whole book in one sitting...generally while waiting for his brothers or wanting something to do like his big brothers were doing.)

All About Spelling. This is our most recent find in this area. While it's presented as simply a spelling curriculum, I've found that it covers a number of things in more typical "reading" programs as well. I don't know exactly what it is, but the boys love this program...which means *I* love it! If I had to guess, I'd say it's a combination of how it incorporates all the different ways of learning (saying the sounds, moving the letter tiles, and hearing the dictation) and the fact that they all do it together.

(Yes, Noah is five years older then Micah. This is review for Noah right now. But he can use the review and works better with the confidence this gives him. It's probably a bit more than Micah needs and just about perfect for Asher. Micah, so far, can handle it. And. They're happy.)

Honestly, too, I'm learning spelling/reading rules that I never knew. And it makes explaining spelling and reading soooo much easier when you can tell them a "rule" rather than just saying "just because...just remember it." ;)

Hmmm. I think that's pretty much it for this area. As always, I'd love to hear any of your suggestions as well! I'll cover more soon...

Math

I figured I'd start with one that's fairly straight-forward. :) Here's what we've used for math...

Singapore Math. We've used the Earlybird workbooks and the Primary Standards editions from 1 through 5 so far. I anticipate that we'll continue to use this curriculum. All three of my boys have enjoyed these workbooks, particularly that the exercises are challenging without being repetitive or intimidating. (Each topic is covered in a straight-forward manner without pages and pages of exercises to make the same point. This works well for us, though I can see that it might not be ideal for others.) I like that it encourages mental math, something that I (as an incredibly visual learner) never excelled in. (Right now, each boy has his own workbook and does about six exercises a week.)

Life of Fred. We've just begun using this program. Okay, actually, Noah and I have just finished the first book. So far, I'm pretty happy with it. It presents higher math in a fun and different manner with only a handful of exercises. I'm not sure it would work as a sole curriculum yet, but it definitely provides a framework that I can use and expand on. Noah loves the story...enough that he requests to do a few chapters each week, wanting to know what comes next. ;) I know we won't keep up that pace, but just appreciate this new approach to what can be a stuffy subject.  

Books. We have quite a collection of math-oriented books that we've read with the boys since they were little. In particular, the Math Start books by Stuart J. Murphy and the Sir Cumference books are fabulous. Extra workbooks like Code Breakers also add more problem-solving to our lessons. (Right now, Noah works on a Code Breakers book weekly also.)

Games. Math lends itself superbly to games. We play lots of games. Count Down, Yahtzee, the Prime Card game, Sequence Numbers, Make 7...so very many. Additionally, simply having dice around makes for quick and easy math. Roll two and have your child add/subtract/multiply/divide them. Go a step further and roll two and have your child use graph paper to draw a rectangle using those dimensions. Now find the area. Viola! 

Other. Beyond all of that, we simply talk about math in our lives all the time. And. Money is a huge motivator. Last summer we started giving the boys a weekly allowance and it's made such a big difference. They understand how money works...what taxes are (and, in Noah's case, how to figure them)...the benefits of savings...what things are worth (to them)...how long it takes to save for certain things...and so much more. Seriously, even if you don't want to give your kids a heap of money for an allowance, a small amount regularly is a fantastic math lesson.

So. That's what I can think of right now that we've used for math. Do you have any math products/tricks that you'd be willing to share?