Last updated: 12/2008

s, easy kids crafts, preschool & kindergarten themes, children?s stories, nursery rhymes and more are included.

A practical preschool curriculum for teaching the alphabet and numeracy to kindergarten children.

What it will do for you
About this ABC & 1-2-3 fun program
Preview sample lesson
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Printed copies

Gentle, informal and flexible learning for little ones...
?A mother?s first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet and growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it for the most part spent out in the fresh air.? (Charlotte Mason)
In researching a mini-thesis on early childhood reading for an honours degree in Linguistics and English language, I learned that children need ?bottom-up? (phonetic) skills as well as ?top-down? (language and contextual) information to learn to read well.

Now, having homeschooled my five kids for nearly 10 years, I know how important it is for children to enjoy the freedom of childhood, yet not miss out on opportunities to lay the solid foundation that they will need when formal learning begins.
ABC Fun & 1-2-3 combines both of the above in an adult- & child-friendly weekly program that introduces children to the letters and sounds of the alphabet.

Children discover learning ...

Research (and my personal experience) has shown that just like babies learn to walk and talk in their own time, with very little help from their parents, so too, children who are read to and encouraged to explore their world, will want to learn to read and write in their own time, and will also require much less 'teaching', if they are not pressured to do so before they are ready.
?There is reason to believe that the thrill the youngster finds in experimenting with the natural things about him at home is soon stifled by the distractions and regimentation of the typical school program.?
(Raymond Moore, Better Late Than Early, p172)

What ABC Fun will do for you

1. ABC Fun & 1-2-3 is stress-free

With this program your children will learn about the alphabet and numbers in a relaxed and fun manner, using whole books and real life experience and by doing activities that are appropriate for preschool children.
I have a 5 year old son with Down Syndrome and we have really been working on his writing this summer. Your worksheets have made it so much more fun for him than just writing letters. Thanks to you and your book! Thank you for helping him over the hump!
Michelle (USA)

2. Children love stories and stories are good for kids
"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." (Emilie Buchwald)
If your children have role models (like you), who read and enjoy books and share this joy with them, they will be eager to learn about the letters that make up the printed text in stories.
"Kids need to see their parents reading, and they need to be read to themselves as early as possible. Young school-aged children benefit from responsive reading of stories with their parents. Such literacy-nurturing activities have been shown repeatedly to foster optimal language development." (Mel Levine, A Mind at a Time, p 148)

3. ABC Fun & 1-2-3 provides age-appropriate activities

Research has shown that too much formal learning at a young age can be detrimental to children?s development, but using the using the correct methods you can stimulate interest, awaken a delight for learning and lay a foundation for when children are developmentally ready to start formal studies.
?The idea that parents should hurry reading, spelling, writing, or math ahead of children?s normal development is not supported by a single replicable research study in the world or by any clinical experience in history. All history, research and common sense points in the opposite direction! We repeat: Any who push the three R?s early deny the readiness the Creator built in ? reasonably mature vision, hearing, taste, touch, smell, reason, brain growth, coordination ? as clearly documented in our books Better Late Than Early and School Can Wait.?
(Raymond and Dorothy Moore, The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook)
ABC Fun & 1-2-3 was written with the above advice in mind. It will ignite a love for literature and a love for learning in your children, without the pressure typical of other educational materials. Reviews of quality stories (not twaddle) that you can read together with your children are included.

4. ABC Fun & 1-2-3 simplifies your life because it

gives you a structure to follow,
saves you much research and planning,
helps you establish a routine in your home or preschool and
gives you a sense of security as you can see what your children are learning
gives you something that you can show others too, something your children can take pride in!
gives you hands-on activities that are do-able (minimal mess and fuss)
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A mom and preschool teacher's experience:
I recently purchased ABC Fun & 1-2-3 from Shirley, which comes with my highest recommendation! I taught for 2 years, and thought that homeschooling meant that everything had to be perfect and that I had to provide everything for my children that they would be getting if they were attending a nursery school and put so much pressure on myself that I spent half my life prepping lessons and programmes that I was too tired to give to my children ...completely defeating the entire point of having them at home with me!
Anyhow, what I love about Shirley's programme is that she gives an outline for the week, providing structure, which I need, and the activities are great and most of the stuff you will have in your home, and it is flexible.
It also introduces the alphabet in such a gentle and informal way and yet both my children recognise and point out letters wherever we are and are delighted that they can recognise them! I am relaxed, they are enjoying it! And learning!
Eloise Mom to Matthew 4, and Amy 3 (Australia)

About ABC Fun & 1-2-3

ABC Fun & 1-2-3 enables you to teach your little ones about the ABC and counting, combining hands-on activities, nursery rhymes and stories to create a complete ?bottom-up and top-down? linguistic learning experience for preschoolers. It is aimed at children between the ages of 3 and 6, but it can be used with modification for older and younger children too.
Your book has been a prayer answered - your suggested programme fits our lifestyle / current routine just about perfectly. I was desperate for something, other than seat work, for my curious little girl - and you've thought of everything to inspire her without the rigidity of school. Many many thanks!
(Sarah, Mummy to Emma 6, Rebekah 3, and Jessie 3mo - South Africa)

ABC Fun & 1-2-3 offers age-appropriate learning activities, exercises and stories at a glance, which will stimulate children and not burn them out at this early age.
ABC Fun & 1-2-3 is the culmination of good ideas and teaching tips given to me, Shirley, during the eight+ years that I have been homeschooling. I have incorporated these ideas into a learning system that is easy to follow with little ones in the busy-ness of home educating and home working lifestyles (and can easily be used by preschool teachers too!)
Reviews of over 100 quality stories, listed from A-Z, available at the library are provided. There is no need to buy them all but you can invest in your favourites!
ABC Fun & 1-2-3 eliminates the need to spend time searching for suitable, age-appropriate preschool activities. Instead you can spend more time with your children, doing the things you love! In just a few minutes, you could have ABC Fun & 1-2-3 at your fingertips, ready to start using with your children TODAY!
Order your ABC Fun & 1-2-3 preschool homeschool curriculum now and you will have instant access to the 220 page ebook containing 26 weekly lesson plans (140 pages) plus 3 sets of printable worksheets (80 pages), which include the following preschool activities:

Weekly Preschool Lessons Plans

For under $1 per week you will receive 26 weekly lesson plans which each include the following preschool activities:
Introduction to the letter of the week (large printable letters)
Stencil sheets - for no fuss art activities
Alphabet collage - your child creates her own ABC book
Pre-writing tasks - tactile and gross motor activities
Worksheets- emergent writing and patterns
Story time - reviews of selected stories to read aloud
Memory pictures - for pictorial narrations
Nursery rhymes & songs
Food and easy recipes to try
Fun activities and games
Number fun - concrete counting activities
Bible characters - Christian stories (optional)
Visual identification
Please note: This is NOT a phonics/reading programme. It is intended to be used as a fun introduction to the letters of the alphabet with preschool-aged children that are not yet ready to learn to read using a formal phonics programme.
Neither is this a Math curriculum. It simply gives suggestions for fun ways for children to experience number concepts in the concrete world of their home environment.
In addition to all of the above there are also chapters offering:
Advice to New Homeschoolers
Useful Internet Resources
Homeschooling with Babies and Toddlers
Am I Doing Enough? ? encouragement for when doubts come!
Reviews of Other Resources
Lesson Planning ? to help you gently schedule your day
Overview of Learning Activity Categories
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Take a look inside...
Preview of chapter: Lesson Planning

Sample Weekly Lesson - Week J

Sample Stencil Sheet - J

Sample Alphabet Sheet - J

Sample Writing Worksheet - J

To access these sample files and the ebook, you will need to have installed Adobe Reader.

FREE BONUS BOOK

Order now now and you will receive a FREE BONUS ebook. To ensure that you are completely happy with your purchase, I am GIVING you another children?s book FREE, a book which is highly recommended and can be used along with ABC Fun & 1-2-3.
This is an illustrated ebook version of the classic children?s story The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, priced elsewhere at US$6.99.

Risk-free Money-back Guarantee

You can use ABC Fun & 1-2-3 for a full 8 weeks and if within that time you are not satisfied with your purchase, you can request a full refund. You will get to keep the free bonus as my gift to you!
Order now and for US$22.00 you will be able to download the ABC Fun & 1-2-3 ebook plus the free bonus instantly. Within minutes you will be able to start enjoying them with your children.
(For a quick currency conversion go to www.xe.com.)

Order using the Clickbank Secure Servers.

Click HERE for secure online ordering
and get instant access to ABC Fun & 1-2-3 plus a bonus book

P.S. Right now you have an opportunity to make an educational investment for your child. You can instantly download ABC Fun & 1-2-3 and start a no-fuss learning adventure with your little one.
P.P.S. ABC Fun & 1-2-3 is designed to make learning as easy as child?s play for your children and enjoyable for you too. Less than a dollar per week is not much to lay a good foundation for learning in your child?s life.
P.P.S. Remember, the risk is all mine. You have nothing to lose as you have 8 weeks in which to request a 100% refund if ABC Fun & 1-2-3 is not everything you expect it to be!

Printed Copies

Printed, wire bound copies of ABC Fun & 1-2-3 are available from Shirley in South Africa for ZAR275 including postage to local addresses by registered mail.
Non-South African clients will find the ebook more economical as overseas postage costs make the price of a hard copy quite expensive.
It is more cost effective to buy the ebook and have it printed and spiral bound at your local copyshop.
Order printed copy

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