OK, I've been known to recommend these books. I like them, they work, they're not complicated to work through, and they don't take very long each day even doing a page or two from each section. I do not use these as our main curriculum BUT we do use them throughout the entire calendar year! I know several people who use them over the summer to keep their children fresh on their math and language arts skills.
What books am I talking about?
Flash Kids Complete Curriculum series by Harcourt Family Learning. We use these for our spelling (though we may try something different next year) and usually purchase these at our local Barnes and Noble's or off of Amazon. Yes, you will find some Common Core related items inside of these books. No, they are not completely filled with Common Core concepts and work.
These books work really well to give your children extra practice at a lot of concepts and are age/grade level appropriate. I have yet to find a misprint or objectionable material presented in any of these books.
Another book series we've recently been trying out is...
Brain Quest books (at least the Kindergarten one which is the one I'm most familiar with) aren't set up as neatly as the Flash Kids books. BUT, they're separated by subjects and really engaging for Peanut to work through. I know that we'll continue using these books for a while at the very least. These toss in a bit of science and social studies which the Flash Kids books do not do.
Both of these sets of books work really well for us. Another set of books we are currently looking into for simply over the summer is the Summer Bridge Activities Books these are Common Core aligned, so if you're dead set against using Common Core completely aligned materials these may not be for you. These are broken down into monthly goals and activities for math, reading, science, and social studies. They're meant to be fun to work through and give you something new to check out. I've heard that some schools throughout the country actually recommend their use over the summer. These books are normally around $15 dollars but can be bought for less if they're having a sale, bought directly from the website I linked to, or if you catch a sale at your local book store concerning educational books. (Also, please be aware that if you have an ID stating that you are a homeschool educator or a teacher in a different type of school most book stores will give you a discount for classroom materials.) These books also have physical fitness and more! Right now at their online book shop you can purchase these summer books for just shy of $10 each! (I am NOT affiliated with this product, or any other listed on this page.) Transitions from Pre-K through 7/8 are available and they only sell the most recent editions.
So, these are a few of the workbook series that work for us now and probably will in the future, along with a series that "may" work for us but I've yet to check out.
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A few weeks back, on a trip to the library, I stumbled over a book that really peaked my interest. I've read many books about ADHD over the years and "normally" the titles are boring and fail to interest me. I simply pick them up because I'm hoping to find some guidance and new ideas about how to handle ADHD in my home. This book was different right from the beginning. It was the first time I'd ever seen ADHD described this way in a title. It was also the first time that I have read a book about ADHD that took this point of view and held it the entire way through the book. It also provided a a unique set of activities for not only the child to do, but also for parents to do to help them see ADHD in a new light.
The book The Gift of ADHD (the link goes directly to Amazon and this is the second edition of this book, I read the first edition) was written by Lara Honos-Webb. If you look on Amazon here you will find several books and workbooks by this author all dealing with ADHD being a gift. She does not advocate for either medication or not using medication. It's considered a personal choice and her activities for the child and/or parent to do work whether you use medication or not.
Each chapter of this book builds upon the next. The author never takes on a condescending tone and seems to genuinely want to help us change the way we look at ADHD and show us how to see it as a gift not a deficit.
This book and probably both the workbooks (including the one she has for teens) will be added to my bookshelf soon. A lot of her methods and activities can be applied to children with ADD and possibly many other issues as well. I completely loved this book and if I could afford it I would be giving each of my friends with children who have ADHD or ADD a copy of it for Christmas. I would recommend anyone who has a child with ADHD (or ADD) to buy this book. It's only around $10 and you'll find every penny well spent.
**I was not compensated in any way for this book review. All opinions here are my own. I am also not compensated for using Amazon links, but I absolutely love their services!**
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