Stepping Stones Together

One thing I really miss about my kids being in daycare is the preschool aspect.  I work with them at home, but there's just something different when it's in a preschool setting.  Perhaps it's that mommy runs out of ideas...or that my methods are sort of the same a lot of the time.  No matter what it is, I do sometimes wish that my kids, especially Bugsy right now, were getting more of the educational foundations that preschool offers.  I've been scouring the internet.  I've ordered some different curricula and use some of them very regularly.  I try to make sure we learn something every day.  Sometimes, though, I wonder if my ideas and methods are even working!

Last week I was offered the opportunity to try a relatively new "teach your child to read" program.  Stepping Stones Together is a program created by a mom whose child was not learning to read with "traditional" reading education.  Dr. Burton is not only a mom, but an educator as well.  She wanted to create a program that would ensure children had the opportunity to learn to read!

Bugs and I started using this program last week.  It's really neat!  He gets to choose a book to read for 2 days.  There are a whole bunch of books!  We can read them online or we can print them.  We've chosen to print them so far.

  

We answer questions and draw pictures!

 

After we finish a lesson, Bugsy gets to fill in a square on a chart.  He really likes this part!

  

Bugsy's doing great!  He's just 3 1/2...he doesn't "read" yet, but the way the stories are set up, he can repeat the stories after I've read them.  Even the next DAY he can repeat them!  He needs some work on comprehension, but that will come, too.

His fine motor skills are definitely lacking, but we already knew they were a bit "behind."  He'll catch up there eventually, and I really think this program will help!  He draws and writes his name each day with this program.

So far, I can't say enough good things about this program!  Bugsy loves it and I can tell already that it's going to help him a ton!  I can't wait to see where he is a year from now!