Kids' Playlist

Years ago, I read a book about creating "Mommy and Daddy tapes" for kids, where the parents take turns reciting things they want the child to learn, like their ABC's, Bible verses, etc. (I'm going to ask a couple of people who might know the book's title. I'll post it, if I find out.)

We tried that once or twice when Malachi was a toddler, but it was a lot of work to put together, and what we wanted to include kept changing, so it kind of fizzled.

When iTunes came out, though, I ended up doing the next best thing: I imported songs from a bunch of our CD's and bought a few to create playlists of songs that I wanted our kids to know/be familiar with at different ages. They've evolved a little but are basically set at this point, so I thought I'd share them.

Some of the songs/versions of songs are rather obscure, most would be available on iTunes, but primarily, this is just to give an idea of something to do.

Baby Playlist

1. Barocha – Michael Card
2. As the Deer – Marnatha! Music Praise Strings
3. Love You Eternally – Michael W. Smith
4. Sleepytime Suite I – Carl Marsh
5. ‘Tis So Sweet – Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey
6. Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring – Johann Sebastian Bach
7. Even the Darkness is Light to Him – Michael Card
8. Sleepytime Suite II – Carl Marsh
9. He’ll Take Care of You – Kim Hill
10. ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus – Hymnworks
11. He’ll Wipe Away Your Tears – Michael Card
12. The Four Seasons, Concerto 1: Spring – Vivaldi
13. Jesus Let Us Come to Know You – Michael Card
14. Sleepytime Suite III – Carl Marsh
15. Oh What Dreams – Chris Rice
16. Minuet I & II in G Major/Minor – Walter Heinz Bernstein
17. Peace Be Still – Sandi Patty
18. Sleepytime Suite IV – Carl Marsh

Toddler Playlist

1. This Little Light of Mine – Wee Sing Bible Songs
2. Deep and Wide - Wee Sing Bible Songs
3. This Train is Bound for Glory – Everybody Sing
4. The B-I-B-L-E – Wee Sing Bible Songs
5. If I Were a Butterfly – Everybody Sing
6. Who Did Swallow Jonah? - Wee Sing Bible Songs
7. Johnny Appleseed – Everybody Sing
8. Zacchaeus - Wee Sing Bible Songs
9. ABC (The Alphabet Song) – Dora the Explorer
10. Who Built the Ark - Wee Sing Bible Songs
11. Praise Him, Praise Him - Wee Sing Bible Songs
12. Are You Sleeping? – Twin Sisters Productions
13. He’s Got the Whole World - Wee Sing Bible Songs
14. I Just Wanna Be a Sheep – Everybody Sing
15. Oh, How I Love Jesus - Wee Sing Bible Songs
16. Rise and Shine - Wee Sing Bible Songs
17. Down in My Heart - Wee Sing Bible Songs
18. Jesus Loves Me – J. M. Gulley

Preschool Playlist

1. Ephesians 4:32 & Matthew 6:14 – Scripture Memory Songs
2. He’s Got the Whole World – Kids Sing Hymns 1
3. The Twelve Disciples – Wee Sing Bible Songs
4. Praise Him, Praise Him – Kids Sing Hymns 1
5. I’m in the Lord’s Army - Wee Sing Bible Songs
6. Onward, Christian Soldiers – Kids Sing Hymns 1
7. If We Confess Our Sin – God’s Grace
8. Rejoice in the Lord Always - Wee Sing Bible Songs
9. Oh, How I Love Jesus – Kids Sing Hymns 1
10. Praise the Lord Together - Wee Sing Bible Songs
11. Humble Yourselves – God’s Grace
12. This is My Commandment - Wee Sing Bible Songs
13. Jesus, Name Above All Names – ACC Worship Team
14. Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus – Kids Sing Hymns 1
15. Love, Love - Wee Sing Bible Songs
16. God is So Good – Kids Sing Hymns 2
17. Books of the Old Testament - Wee Sing Bible Songs
18. Matthew 5: 3-11 – God’s Promises
19. Every Move I Make – David Ruis
20. Books of the New Testament - Wee Sing Bible Songs
21. I Have Decided to Follow Jesus – Kids Sing Hymns 2
22. My God is So Great - Wee Sing Bible Songs
23. To God be the Glory – Kids Sing Hymns 1
24. Jesus Loves Me – Kids Sing Hymns 2
25. In Everything Give Thanks – Power of Thanksgiving

First Worship/Classic Hymns

1. Ode to Joy – Sister Act 2
2. Holy, Holy, Holy – Praise Baby Collection
3. Everything That Has Breath – Hillsong
4. How Great Thou Art – Steve Green
5. As the Deer – Maranatha Singers
6. Doxology – Passion Worship Band
7. Great is Thy Faithfulness – Steve Green
8. He Knows My Name – iWorship
9. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Michael W. Smith
10. How Deep the Father’s Love – Phillips, Craig & Dean
11. ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus – Carman
12. The Lord is My Shepherd – Jesus, I Love You
13. Amazing Grace – Steve Green
14. Awesome God – Michael W. Smith
15. Take My Life and Let it Be – Vineyard Music
16. How Great Thou Art – Passion Worship Band
17. Joyful, Joyful, We Adore The – Praise Baby Collection
18. Agnus Dei – Michael W. Smith

First Worship

1. Offering – Third Day
2. One Hundred Three – ACC Worship Team
3. Days of Elijah – Robin Mark
4. He Knows My Name – iWorship
5. Creed – Petra
6. I Believe in Jesus – Ryan Delmore
7. King of Glory – Third Day
8. All That I Need – Vineyard UK
9. Holy Visitation – Rita Springer
10. Creed – Third Day
11. My Redeemer Lives – iWorship
12. Forever – Michael W. Smith
13. Psalm 145 – ACC Worship Team

Happy listening!

Family Responsibilities

You'd think with me being such a list-maker that I would have gotten down a system for chore lists for the kids a lot sooner. Instead, it's taken me years. And that's with me working on it off and on the whole time.

Within the last six months, though, I think we've finally hit on a system that works for our family, so I thought I'd share.

It is, of course, a series of lists. :-/

For the kids' "Family Responsibilities" (read: chores/jobs), they each have a daily and a weekly list. The daily jobs are done daily (bet you figured that out on your own), and the weekly list has a different job for each day of the week maximum (the younger ones have some days without weekly jobs).

Thanks to the magic of Google Docs, you can see the kids' (relatively recent) lists here.

- MS

- JW

- MA

The chart has no more than seven slots for daily jobs (which includes school work and putting away school books) just by virtue of the way it's set up. I like that, because it forces me to move jobs on down the line if I want to give the oldest a new responsibility.

The last job on each child's chart is "white board list." This has solved one of the issues that has plagued me with job systems: what to do with the jobs that are not needed on a scheduled basis. Once or twice a week, they have laundry to put away (from their baskets that I sort clothes into), but it's dependent on when I've had time to bring in and fold laundry. Trash builds up irregularly, and I don't want a half-empty bag being taken out, so we (read: MS) don't take it out unless it's full. I'm available to do laundry on different days, so it needs moving (from the washer to the dryer or to the back door to be hung out) sporadically. Etc.

Each child (and adult, for that matter) has a section of a white board with their initials for me to dole out these randomly-occurring jobs (see pic). Again, I am helped by seeing how many jobs I'm assigning to each child, so it's easier to balance (something I struggled with when I was just announcing that a job needed to be done; I more often gave it to my oldest than was really fair/necessary).

It took several iterations of the lists for us to settle on one that works (some wrinkles that needed to be ironed out), but we've had the same ones for a while now.

Then, one day it occurred to me that we were repeating the same things each morning and each evening getting the kids ready for the day and ready for bed: take off your pull-up and get dressed (we have bed-wetting issues), brush your teeth, clear the table, etc. And it dawned on me: we need more lists! :-P

So, now each child has a "Morning List" and a "Bedtime List." Do you know how much easier it is to say, "Bedtime list time!" than it is to say, "Okay, JW & MA put on pull-ups, MS put toothpaste on toothbrushes, everybody make sure your teeth are brushed, don't forget a stuffed animal and a water bottle..."?

And, yes, we sneak an extra chore or two onto those lists, but that's just because it's where they belong in the day, so that's where they go.

Two of my older children (MS & MA) thrive on lists. The other (JW), thrives on routine and stability. Our Family Responsibility lists and our Morning and Bedtime lists help everyone (including Mommy) make it through their day successfully.

ETA: In case you look at the lists and think I'm cruel for having MS clean my room for me, let me explain: our bedroom is twice the size of the other two bedrooms, and is only half bedroom, actually. The other half is school room/kids' computer area/my desk/puzzles/etc. That's the half that MS straightens. There, now I feel better.

Devotionals

I was rooting around for a new devotional option for MS to use, because he finished the one he was working through before I expected him to (you teach a kid to do devotionals first thing out of bed each morning, and what does he do? goes and does it! :-), and we don't have anyone coming from the States until March to bring his next one. I've been meaning to write up what all the kids are doing now that we've finally gotten around to imparting the discipline of devotionals/Quiet Time, so I thought I'd do that while putting the next books on the right wishlists to help me remember to order them when I need to.

At some point while browsing a Christian bookstore, I picked up a devotional book for MS called Gotta Have God! for boys ages 6-9. I liked the format: topical, a Bible verse, short story, questions (with lines for answers), and a prayer and it seemed sound theologically. I was lackadaisical about reminding him to do them and the book kind of just sat there.

This school year, when I was deciding what we'd do for Bible, I decided we were just going to concentrate on getting the kids into the habit of daily Bible reading and devotional time. Just that. I thought maybe if I made it a part of my lesson plans and made it the only thing we were doing for Bible, we'd actually accomplish it.

Now, realize that we have an 8yo. We'd wanted to do this since he was 4. Or younger. I wish we had. At some point along the way, we at least made the ruling that the kids watched only "quiet time" videos when they first get up (they usually watch a video or two if they're up before the others' and breakfast isn't ready yet or on weekend mornings if ML and I are sleeping in), which meant that they watched Story Keepers or Veggie Tales or Praise Baby, so they were getting that input and had the understanding that there was something different and special about what you do first thing in the morning. We were taking baby steps.

The other day, I happened to look back at some notes I'd written when I was preparing lesson plans for this school year, and I remembered my goal for Bible for this year: concentrate on daily devotionals. Praise the Lord! It's happened! We've finally gotten there! A minor miracle and something I'm very grateful to the Lord for. He's been faithful to take us step-by-step to the point where the kids are either getting up and doing it on their own (MS), bugging us to do it with them (MA) or some combination of the above (JW). (Z will get his own book when we can actually understand what he'd be dictating to us. :-P)

As to what they're doing, we've stuck with the Gotta Have God! series and it's sister series for girls God and Me! (get it? "sister" series? rimshot, please). We've only come across one day's lesson that we didn't like the focus of (sorry, can't remember what it was), and that was out of the three books the kids are working through. Pretty good odds.

At this point, here's what the kids are doing:

- MS just finished Gotta Have God! Ages 6-9. He's started working through The One Year Book of Devotions for Boys, which was something we had on hand, and I have also been pleased with. He'll do that for this calendar year, and then pick up with Gotta Have God! Ages 6-9 Vol. 2. Once he's done with that, we'll get him the first and second ones for 10-12 year olds, potentially alternating with The One Year Book of Devotions for Boys, Vol. 2.

- JW is working through Gotta Have God! Ages 2-5 still (he's 6), because we got it for him late. He'll start on the 6-9 one as soon as he finishes this one.

- MA is doing God and Me! Ages 2-5 and will do volume 2 when she gets done and then move on to the older versions.

For those with kids that wouldn't be in those particular books but are still interested in the series, here are the other links:

- Girls: God and Me! Ages 6-9 Volume 1 and Volume 2, Ages 10-12 Volume 1 and Volume 2. The company also puts out a series of "Christian Girls' Guides" that look interesting, although I have not looked at them personally (and I haven't looked at any of the 10-12 year old books for either gender, either, so keep that in mind). There's one for friendship, the Bible, money, being your best, and your mom.

- Boys: Gotta Have God! Ages 2-5 Vol. 2

Christmas Playlists

Since I had this typed out elsewhere, and I'd been meaning to post it here, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone (no offense to the ornithologists among us).

Most of this emerged two days before Christmas this year, so we just barely got to enjoy them, but they're all primed and ready for next year and many years to come.

Our Christmas iTunes Playlists:

Advent (coincides with our family Advent service)
1. Away in a Manger – Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
2. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus – Azure Fields
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
4. It Is Well With My Soul – America’s 25 Old-Time Favorite Gospel Songs
5. Joy to the World – Various Artists and Eugene Ormandy
6. O Come, All Ye Faithful – Various Artists
7. The Old Rugged Cross – Don Marsh Chorus and Orchestra
8. Silent Night – America’s 25 Favorite Christmas Songs for Kids

Christmas Worship (mostly contemporary Christian Christmas songs and traditional songs done by CC artists)
1. Joy to the World – Blind Boys of Alabama
2. O Come All Ye Faithful – Third Day
3. O Come, O Come Emmanuel – Bebo Norman
4. What Child is This? – Third Day
5. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing – Jars of Clay
6. O Holy Night – Third Day
7. Kyrie Eleison – Leigh Nash & Friends
8. Joy to the World – Third Day
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - MercyMe
10. Angels We Have Heard on High – Third Day
11. Messiah Has Come – Bebo Norman, Cindy Morgan, Danielle Young
12. Silent Night – Third Day
13. Away in a Manger – Third Day
14. Here With Us – Joy Williams
15. The First Noel – Third Day
16. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - MercyMe
17. Go Tell It On the Mountain – Blind Boys of Alabama

Instrumental Christmas (this one needs fleshing out but will have to wait until next year, and the Auld Lang Syne actually has vocals at the end)
1. Jingle Bells – Glenn Miller
2. Babes in Toyland/March of the Toys – Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops
3. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers – United States Army Field Band
4. Auld Lang Syne – Guy Lombardo

Kids' Christmas (may add a few kids' versions of traditional songs to this one; overlaps a tad with "The Holidays" playlist)
1. White Christmas – The Drifters
2. Jingle Bells – The Brady Bunch
3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry
4. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Thurle Ravenscroft
5. Frosty the Snowman – Gene Autry
6. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Jackson 5
7. Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry
8. Feliz Navidad – David Crowder Band

The Holidays (secular Christmas songs, most done by the artist that originally recorded them/made them famous [thank you, Wikipedia])
1. White Christmas – The Drifters
2. I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Bing Crosby
3. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting) – Mel Torme’
4. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
5. Silver Bells – Bing Crosby
6. Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow – Vaughn Monroe
7. Twelve Days of Christmas – Christmas Tribute
8. Winter Wonderland – Bing Crosby
9. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – Perry Como
10. Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
11. Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
12. Home for the Holidays – Perry Como
13. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
14. Feliz Navidad – David Crowder Band
15. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland
16. Auld Lang Syne – The Drifters

Traditional Carols (I'm aware that a couple of these are actually more contemporary, but they have a traditional feel)
1. Do You Hear What I Hear – The Harry Simeone Choir
2. Here We Come A-Wassailing – Cambridge Clare College
3. We Three Kings – Most Excellent Vocal Manoeuvres Choral Christmas
4. We Wish You a Merry Christmas – Cambridge Singers
5. Ding Dong! Merrily on High – Choir of King’s College
6. I Saw Three Ships – Cambridge Clare College
7. Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring – The Choirs of the Church of Our Lady
8. Deck the Halls – UCLA Madrigal Singers
9. Little Drummer Boy – The Harry Simeone Chorale

All of this was bought on iTunes (from a Christmas song list on Wikipedia), so it's available there. I did not exactly keep track of how much I was purchasing as I went along, and I was a bit shocked when I got the bill e-mail. Realistically, though, my family will be enjoying this music for years and years to come, and I think it will be worth it in the long run.

MA 2007-2008

Why do I have a list of current schoolwork for a 4-year-old who is technically only in Pre-K (and not a first-born, which would explain a complete curriculum for a 4yo)?

Two reasons:

1) She wants to do schoolwork. She is highly disappointed when it's not a school day. I would be denying one of her greatest pleasures if I did not give her schoolwork.

2) She's ready for it. Really. I'm not just saying that. All in all, I don't think 4yo's need to be doing schoolwork (and really, she doesn't do that much, even so). Just read to them. And play with them. And let them play. And give them jobs to do around the house. And involve them in what you're doing around the house.

But MA? Well, I realized with JW that he missed a lot of the fun, confidence-building learning-to-read books and activities, because I hadn't realized that he was learning to read. :-p

With MA, one day she wanted to play on the computer, so I thought I'd do starfall.com with her. I knew she knew all of her letter sounds (from LeapFrog DVD's), so I thought I'd poke around the beginning reading level with her and show her how words are put together to make sounds. Um, turns out she already had that down and was actually reading the words. Hm, check that off my to-do list (teach MA to read: done). So, I pulled out the Bob books and had ML take the Explode the Code 1 book to the copy shop and away we went.

So, here's her list for this year:

• Explode the Code 2 (and probably 3)
• Sonlight's FunTales boxed set of readers (completed)
• Bob Books and Now I'm Reading! boxed sets Level 1 (completed)
  
• Bob books and "Now I'm Reading!" boxed sets levels 2-3
• possibly get started on Sonlight's I Can Read It books
• Singapore Earlybird 1A&B (I started these too late with JW and had to rush him through because he was below his capability level, so I didn't want the same to happen with MA.)
• Usborne preschool workbooks (Opposites, Shapes, etc.)

She generally chooses what and how much she wants to do a day. Occasionally, I'll steer her towards a a book she hasn't done in a a while. This is anywhere from 2-4 days a week, depending on our schedule. She doesn't take schoolwork with her to meetings or visits, so this is just when we're actually at home for a school morning and I can sit down with her.

JW 2007-2008

JW is using the age-appropriate version of many of the things MS is, so I won't go into the reason I've chosen most of this, but here's his list.

• Sonlight LA 1 (newest version)
• Sonlight Intermediate 2 readers (old system)
  
• Handwriting Without Tears Letters and Numbers for Me
• Singapore Math Primary Mathematics 1A & 1B
• Miquon Orange (and possibly beginning Red)
• Rosetta Stone Arabic (like MS, if I ever get it set up)
• Rod & Staff Beginning in Music 1

JW likes to work in one book at a time for extended periods (at least one whole school-time period), so he will work for a while in his Singapore book, then for a while at Miquon and then do handwriting for several days. I keep track of where I'd like him to be in each book and then, just make sure he's at or ahead of that point.

MS 2007-2008, Part 2

Along with our Core 3, MS listened to the Geography Songs tracks that relate to what we're reading about (I left some for this year when scheduling last year), and has now moved on to the relevant History Songs.

For handwriting this year, MS is re-doing Handwriting Without Tears "My Printing Book." His handwriting is probably typical for a rushed, first-born 8yo boy, but I wanted him to get more concentrated practice on correctly forming the letters (he did not do a handwriting book last year). It's helping a little, but I think this is something that I'm going to constantly be reminding him about (and letting go of).

When I looked at the math curricula Sonlight carries way back when (and researched other math options, as well), their pros for both Singapore and Miquon options fit very much my desire in teaching math: introducing mathematical thinking (Singapore) and math self-discovery (Miquon). I also knew that the repetitive nature of several other curricula (like Saxon and Abeka) was not a good fit for MS.

So, this year, MS is working through Singapore Primary level 3 this year. We do the textbook pages when he hits a snag in the workbook or when it teaches a new mental concept.

He is also doing Miquon Blue, which is a decent amount below his level. I made the mistake of scheduling too few Miquon pages over the past couple of years for him, so he has not progressed in the books at the pace he is capable of. I don't want him to miss any of the concepts covered, so I have both stepped up the pace of what I've scheduled and offered him an extra incentive to complete the book quickly. I have the first few books in the Keys to... series for after he completes Miquon.

Continuing on the topic of math, MS is working his way through a second round of the multiplication memorization songs on the Multiplication Vacation CD. We also have the accompanying DVD. It is one of the lowest-budget, goofiest, 90's-feel, bad-special-effects productions I have ever seen...and the kids absolutely love it, and they're learning from it (geography and history concepts thrown in, as well), so I do not regret the purchase one bit. MS has a good deal of visual in his learning style, so I think having the images from the DVD as pegs to hang the song lyrics on helps. I put together a workbook of multiplication drills for each set (1-13 x's) from free options on the web, so the last day of each week, he demonstrates his knowledge from the song listening by doing those.

[Speaking of song memorization, I've made a note to post soon about the system we've settled on for making sure this happens.]

A final math item that MS is working through is a Rod and Staff math drill tablet for 3rd grade. It begins with a review of addition and subtraction and moves on to multiplication and division. It is consists of 30 or so problems on each sheet with room on the back to re-work missed problems. I have him check his own using the calculator on the computer and circle and re-write those missed. He does these three days a week. Just a little extra practice for math facts.

Speaking of Rod & Staff, I'll go ahead and review what other products of theirs MS is using.

I purchased the 1st grade level of one of the R&S music programs (Beginning in Music) for MS to do in 1st grade, because it had the cut-and-paste aspect he enjoyed from some of their preschool books. I continued to use it basically on the it-can't-hurt principle. However, this year with the 3rd grade program, I am seeing that what seemed like mindless cutting and pasting actually had a very tangible purpose in slowly introducing students to concepts (the Do-Ti scale, which is called something like "sofedge," but I never remember seeing it written down, just spoken in high school choir, so I don't know how to spell it; sorry) that they would later cover in more depth. I am pleased I stuck it out and am seeing a little of what I'm missing out on by not being able to go to curriculum fairs where I could have thumbed through books and figured this out a lot sooner.

I also ordered MS the R&S Artpac 1 in 1st grade but abandoned it after a few projects as being too time-consuming for me and a little above his motor skill level. He is firmly on grade-level in his motor skills now, so I decided to give the line another try. However, I ordered the Level 2 pack, instead of jumping to the one for his grade level. I am very pleased with that decision and will to continue with the next couple using this series a year below grade level. Even for those on-par in motor skills, using a year below enables them to do the projects much more independently, something I highly value, since I am a project-impaired homeschooling mom. (There, I said it.)

This year, MS is working through the R&S 3rd Grade Social Studies textbook. I try to pick one R&S subject like this each year to the end of a goal I have: that my children will know how to learn from a textbook. Strange goal, I know, but I think it's valuable. Really, the rest of our learning is centered around authentic books, like SOTW and Usborne science texts, where they are engaged by the quality and layout of the publication. I have nothing against R&S's textbooks, because this could, in a round-about way, sound like a criticism of their textbooks in particular. I like them, as far as textbooks go. It's just that I'm not a fan of textbook-based learning in general. But I won't go into that right now.

The point is that, at some point, my children may have to learn from a textbook in a graded, classroom situation. It may be in college. Or it may be that at some point we choose to or need to put them in school. To that end, I am having them use a read-and-answer-questions (and, this year, take-tests-that-review-the-material) set to learn this skill. To boot, MS is learning a lot about a farm-based community (R&S is a Mennonite company :-). And last year, he learned some important facts about "health," such as how to carry a knife. I'm pleased with how the set-up is working.

In a world that is increasingly computer-based, I see typing as an invaluable skill, so I set out about a while back to find a typing program that would work well for our kids. For a while we used Read, Write and Type!, which is a phonics-based, combination reading and typing program. It was okay, but MS didn't need the phonics aspects of it, and the graphics were extremely dated. When we upgraded our operating system, and it wasn't compatible anymore, I decided to find another program altogether (everybody say, "I decided to find another program;" extra points to those that get the reference).

I wanted something game-based, because I didn't want to have to push this subject, and, bottom line, I just wanted MS to have fun. What we ended up with is Typing Instructor for Kids, and we recently upgraded to Version 3 (only available, as far as I can tell, as a download, unless you're running Vista; not available for Mac, unfortunately). MS absolutely loves the game. I need to get him to blog about it. It's amusing how enthusiastic he is. But the ultimate issue is: the kid can type. Correct finger positioning. Roughly 17wpm. 93ish% accuracy. Pretty good for a fun game, I say.

MS has been using Rosetta Stone Arabic, Level 1 for over two years now. Only this year did the vocabulary seem to be sinking in. However, that may just be the cumulative effect of him using the program. We bought the updated version of the software and brought it back with us this summer. It took a while to get the computer set up just right to install the software, and now we've hit a user snag. A mommy-user, that is. I need to sit down and set up the program to run and progress the way I think is best for MS, and so far, that hasn't happened. So, for now, his Arabic learning is coming from his lessons, and Mommy is going to get to that task soon. :-/