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View Full Version : New to WP and need help deciding



HappyMama
07-06-2009, 03:28 PM
Hi all. I am so happy that I found this hsing program. I'm already addicted!

In Sept, I'll have a 5.5 yo dd, a 4 yo son and a 2 yo son w/one on the way in November. For several reasons, we decided to try 1/2 day Kindy at a local Catholic school for my daughter. She'll be in school for 2 1/2 hours a day.

We used the Sonlight P4/5 literative last year and both the older kids really enjoyed the readings. We could have used crafts and activities and I would have appreciated a unit-study or themed approach as well, but overall the level was a good fit for the 2 oldest kids.

My 4 yo is very smart, articulate and knows letters/most sounds/numbers and does basic addition/subtraction. All three of my kids LOVE to read, so I'm not afraid of having too many books at different levels around.

I am looking for a casual program that I can do with my 4 yo son while daughter is in school with crafts and activities that I can do w/both older kids in the afternoon while the baby is napping. I've been toying with getting the Sonlight Read alongs at the Kindy level to provide real literature for my dd and purchasing a WinterPromise Themed program that meets my 4 yo's needs and the craft/activity requirements for both kids. But which one? Are the PreK programs to basic for my son and/or is the Kindy program to advanced? What about the Animal World program?

I hope that this makes sense. I'm very eager to hear your thoughts.

THANKS!

Cindie2dds
07-06-2009, 03:48 PM
Hi! We just completed P4/5 (and P3/4 the year before) with my oldest dd who is just now 5.5. I also have a 3 year old. I was wanting something to combine them, so I came looking here. I wanted to do AW, but since my 3 year old is too little for it, we are going to do JOI/IRL, which is very similar to P3/4 + P4/5. We missed out on the crafts since we did SL for preschool with my oldest, so I am basically using this as a PreK for my youngest and K for my oldest (with LAs and math). Considering the age of your son, you can do either IRL or AW, it just depends on what you think he would enjoy more!

Welcome!

HappyMama
07-06-2009, 04:19 PM
Did you consider Hideaways in History? That appeals to me b/c I think they would enjoy doing the castles/knights and so on. But, I'm concerned that my son isn't ready for the subject matter. What do you think?

Cindie2dds
07-06-2009, 05:26 PM
If my youngest were 4 instead of 3, I would probably start off with HIH or AW. She is also very high energy, so she needs some time to get used to sitting still and being read to. When we did SL P3/4 and P4/5, my youngest was napping. I should have included her more, but hind sight is always 20/20. We are going over P3/4 with her this summer so hopefully she will get a lot more out of JOI/IRL this fall with big sis.

I think HIH is fine for your kids, but I thought a boy would *love* AW. Just my .02.

HTH!

Fluffbunny
07-08-2009, 08:13 AM
If I were you I'd try FIAR for this year and then next year get your Core K from SL. It sounds to me like FIAR would be a great fit for your kids. They have great literature which it sounds like you want and it incorporates LA, Science, History, Math etc into it. www.fiveinarow.com

Good luck!