AMDG+

Dear Parent;

What a wonderful adventure you are beginning with your children. Next to leading your own children to Heaven, I can't think of another thrill quite like teaching them to read.

I think you and your children will enjoy the phonics [and phonetics] based Little Stories for Little Folks, used with great success by families with average, slow, and advanced students. [In fact, one might note that one of the very first students to use the Little Folks programs recently scored a perfect 800 on the reading section of the SAT college board tests.]

The term phonetics refers specifically to the sounds of speech and the way those sounds are produced and represented via written symbols. The terms phonics and phonetics are often used interchangeably, as both deal with learning the individual sounds of which words are comprised, as opposed to sight-reading.

Little Stories for Little Folks first introduces phonetic letter sounds through flash cards used in conjunction with instruction in the Parents' Guide, which is included in the complete program. The next step in the program is teaching the child phonetic blends through manipulation of word family cards. By this means, the child hears, sees, and touches basic phonetic blends and learns to put them together to make simple words. The final step teaches the child to listen for sounds and blends in the Name Game as he begins to read his first simple stories. The Silly Willy Sentences Game reinforces all that the child has learned as he progresses through the program. All of these activities are part of the complete Little Stories for Little Folks program.

Since this is your first year of homeschooling, I'd encourage you to simply follow the lesson plans and instructions included with all the materials, without adding or subtracting a thing. That way you won't need to worry about creating gaps in the program through substitutions, nor will you have to spend time and worry with lesson planning. Everything you need to know and do is all there at your finger tips, so you will be able to relax and enjoy watching the light of discovery come on in the eyes of your little ones.

May Our Lord bless and guide you as you begin this priceless journey,

Nancy Nicholson