Question About 100 Easy Lessons

I received the following message from one of my regular readers and I thought that I would share my answer just in case anyone else was interested.

Mrs. March,

I was reading your post about your favorite book on teaching children to read. I am currently trying to teach my youngest, B., how to read. I've used Bob Jones curriculum in the past, and I really don't want to invest in them anymore, since they sort of put you in a box, which I find is quite overwhelming. Can you tell me what makes it so fun to use? About how much time a day do you put into it? Is there any prep work you have to do? All the input you have on this would be most helpful.

A.

I prefer curriculum that requires little to no prep work! Homeschool parents need to maximize their time curriculum that requires a lot of time gathering supplies rarely gets my endorsement. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will require you to spend about 20 minutes reading the "How to Use This Book" at the beginning. From that point on you pick up the book sit with your child nearby (the Miss Marches always sat on my lap) and proceed through the lesson. Each lesson takes about fifteen minutes to finish. After completing the book your child will be able to read level 2-3 beginning reader books. You can purchase your own or make the most of the library's supply.

At this point letting your child have access to lots of books they feel comfortable reading and are interested in will develop their confidence that they ARE readers. Over time gently introduce them to longer and more difficult books. Continue to spend time reading together. Even when you have a child who can read college level books you should still enjoy family time reading together.

I can't say that Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is exactly fun. Some of the girls loved it and did not need to be rewarded for their hard work. But for some of my girls knowing that they could spend 15 minutes on http://www.starfall.com/ after they finished a lesson was just the encouragement they needed. Starfall is a free online reading website. It reinforces the lessons your child is learning in 100 Easy Lessons.

I hope this helps. Thank you for taking the time to write me with your questions.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Amy has finished using 100 Easy lessons! At first, I was just thrilled that we were done. Then it hit me. I have had three different copies of this book. This book has been a staple of some one's curriculum for the last four years!

I wish that I had take a picture of my last copy before I threw it away. The front cover was gone, as was the back. There were several stickers, notes, and hand drawn pictures through out the pages.

My first copy of this book has become a world traveler. When visiting Wycliffe's sister program Summer Institute of Linguistics, I had the pleasure of getting to meet several Wycliffe missionary families. Education of their children was a topic I could actively participate in. It was a great pleasure for me to be able to provide information on homeschool curriculum. In the end I gave my copy of this book to a family who is serving the Lord in Thailand.

My second copy sprouted legs and walked off. I'm not sure where. I probably let someone borrow it and forgot who I loaned it to. If it was you, keep it, or pass it on to another family.

My third copy has traveled to Victoria, Yellowstone, and many place between. It has been stepped on, dropped, slept on and read. If it was the velveteen rabbit it would be very close to being real!

If you are looking for a phonics based program to teach your children to read I would give this book five stars! After finishing a lesson I let the Miss Marches enjoy http://www.starfall.com/

Now that all of the March girls are literate, what shall we conquer next?