Oh wow! I really like that. Thank you! 
Dear Mother o Faith,
I see you have many postings. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions.
How do you go about deciding what to take from certain curriculum when you are piecing together one?
How do you determine which web sites to go to or like?
I am overwhelmed with all the surfing and keeping the information staight.
I have two children 2 and 4 and have been homeschooling both.
Well i have worked in the school systems for years creating, modifying curriculum based on the child’s abilities, and capabilities. I pick a theme to begin with then go to my favorite sites to get the materials or i create my own material most of the time to fit my child. If there is something that is on someone’s site that i like i will adapt it into my own work that i have created. i have done a lot of research and web searching to come up with my curriculum. Most of all of my favorite sites are free. I like using www.hubbardscupboard.org for my themes, sometimes i pick a daily devotional bible for children for my theme of the month. i usually find or create monthly themes ahead of time. now i am working on aug, sept, and oct themes. it takes some time but i love it. if you check out my posted web pages here i think you will find what you need. I also have purchased the ABC I believe lessons from www.daniellesplace.com it is okay to begin with for a toddler. i have adapted them into my own though. i will tell you there are some that i dont like so i take what i do like and transform into something that i agree with. it can be overwhelming but when you see your child learning it is well worth it.
i started collecting my resources when i first found out that i was pregnant back 2 yrs ago, so i have tons of monthly themes stacked away waiting to be used.
Since we have been using LR my infant is reading now. my toddler is just now getting the hang of saying some of his ABC’s. Thanks LR!
a tip-once you find a website that you agree with for the resources copy everything to power point or word and save it on a portable device or jump drive or cd for safe keeping.
i hope i answered your questions. i hope to publish my curriculum for free one of these days. you can see some of my work at the websites below my postings.
To Mother of Faith; Super thank you. I just bought LM for my children and am looking forward to using it. I’ve been using my own modified Doman Reading system and it has worked well but, I’ve heard wonderful things about LR.
Thanks…lots
Mother of Faith just hit the nail on the head… what wonderful forethought to have begun preparing when you were pregnant! I wish I had done the same! Now I am left scrammbling to keep up with my daughter’s voracious appetite for learning! Hopefully, I will be able to purchase Little Reader and Math to give me a hand! She is so active, it seems absolutely everything else that needs to be done-- from cleaning, to getting learning materiels prepped, taking care of bills, etc. has to happen during her sleep! Which unfortunately, she seems to have radar to know that I am busy and will wake up and only go back to sleep if I am with her! But I can not complain, I’m sure many of you have similar things to work with and I am blessed to be able to be at home with her. I know that one day I will be crying over the days when she could only sleep if I was near!!!
I had posted this question on the Comparing Homeschooling Unit section.
I have been using modified DM reading system and now am considering for the upcoming school season buying a reading program from a homeschooling supplier. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas as to what would be the best Reading/Phonics program to transition into without much confusion for the children who are 4 and 2.
I am considering BJ, Abeka, ACE.
I was wondering if anyone had any ideas.
I would love to hear what Mother of Faith seems to use.
Thanks
If you want a reading program I don’t know if ACE at Preschool level has phonics? But I do know the Kingdergarten level does. Also you can try Pinnacle? (Don’t remember the site)
You need to introduce the new stuff gradually, mixing the old with the new, go at it slow, recognize any changes in your child’s behavior, attitude, make sure he/she doesn’t get frustrated or confused, or gets distracted with the new content.
Well right now I am using a website called http://www.carlscorner.us.com/ and i also use www.starfall.com and of course LR, and I make my own power point programs for my little one.
Also you might try hooked on phonics? We are using the Spanish version for Preschoolers right now. I found it at a local thrift store for little of nothing.
But with me right now I can’t afford to purchase any reading curriculum, so i am using what is free.
www.dltk.com also has reading activites.
I go for the free stuff. There are also free reading programs that you can download for free. There is a link on here that posted today or yesterday. http://www.educational-freeware.com/
If you click on some of the sites it will take you to more sites. It kind of is time consuming but it will help you.
As far as buying software I have used with other students Jumpstart typing, jumpstart reading, phonics, math, etc. they have Preschool to High School programs. Early Learning Series by Brighter Child aka Jim Hensen Interactives, Arthur’s Thinking Games by Learning Company, Search and Learn Adventures by Creative Wonders Sesame Street, Deluxe Phonics 4 Kids by COSMI, The ones in bold I highly reccomend.
Happy hunting. If there’s anything else you would like to know I will try to help.
When my toddler becomes 5 I am thinking about ACE or Pinnacle.
Mother of faith
Thank you very much for all those links. I only have seen a few and am amazed to see how much information is there and free for us to use. I was delighted with the charts shown in www.carlscorner.us.com.
Nevertheless as Ana3 says how can we organize all that. I try to copy all the interesting places on a document but not sure if I will have enough time to look into all that.
Think I will start a thread only about links with the title and summary.
Thanks again.
This is what I do, purchase writable cd’s or an external hard drive, make folders as specific as possible from each site, then save, save, save, then look, look, look. I always save everything then go back and look. Remember even though you don’t use it now you might later. Make sure to check out the copyright notices though of each site. If not then purchase a laser printer with a toner cartridge that gets 3000 copies per toner of black only, they run aywhere from 70.00 -100.00 here and print, print, print, save 2 copies, one for hard copies, one for use, place in a thick ring binder, be sure to include the website and copyright notice with each book.
Also using Access program works great to start with putting things in Excel then exporting into Access, making a data base. I am still working on mine for 2 years now.
You can also cut and paste links into a word document or Excel.
I am still working on the organization thing, but printing thind and placing them in ring binders with a copy on cd as wll included is how i am doing it for right now.
When making folders be as specific as possible for example:
Carls Corner is main folder then create sub folder; reading, phonics, books, alphabet, numbers, games, coloring pages, etc. You can always drag and drop the items in the subfolders later. Also for craft projects always save a pic of the finished product if one provided, in crafts sub folder create more sub folders like; edible crafts, paper crafts, recycle crafts, etc.
Does this help?
MOF, thanks! I’m really getting excited over all these home schooling material available here.
wow!!! those are really wonderfull idears and the links are so much helpfull. thanks a lot and karma to you mother of faith 