We loved this whole series of books for learning to read. Simple, but not dull. They use simple phonics-based teaching -- and they're actually funny!

Another example of great ideas for teaching using real books.

Another example of the way you can use great picture books to get real curriculum for your early elementary students. Why suffer through workbooks and stilted text books when you can use quality picture books with these helpful guides?

This guide does a lot of the work of sifting through homeschool curriculum for you. This book could save you from a lot of costly curriculum mistakes. I particularly like her introduction, which explains why a "one size fits all" curriculum (e.g. Abeka, Bob Jones) isn't much better than sending your child off the a "one size fits all" school.

We used this series of 6 workbooks (see others that follow the Orange Book) as match for grades 1 through 3. I chose them because they are more "hands-on" than many other texts, and they also introduce topics in a more logical sequence. After your child has finished with these workbooks, he/she will be ready for Saxon Math 5/4.

We utilized many Progeny Press Study Guides from grades 1 through 8, as a way to flesh out a Language Arts curriculum based on "real books." These guides take the student through a novel section by section, with comprehension questions, vocabulary words, suggested activities, writing assignments, etc. I'd recommend checking out the entire list at www.progenypress.com.

We have used this handbook, and others in the series, as a guide for specific writing topics. It is colorful and written in an engaging way that makes kids want to write. See www.greatsource.com for more details.

The Henry and Mudge books filled a gap between "learning to read" books and "ready to read on my own" books. Look for all the Henry and Mudge titles in your library, and others written by Cynthia Rylant, too!

This is the First Grade workbook for phonics. If your child is a good reader, you may very well be ready to use it sooner. See www.learningthings.com for more info, as Amazon doesn't always have this.