NEWB with 3yo Son

[boomerswims]

Hello. My husband and I were looking at putting our son into a preschool this fall rather than just his daycare. Some changes to our living has allowed me to stay home with him and are now living in a remote setting. We have now decided that I need to start homeschooling him instead, as that is our only option for his learning. I've checked out the review pages and the first 5 pages of these threads. I've written down some titles and webpages to go through. I've gone independently to some accredited sites, but all have been quite pricey. Is accredited curriculum really going to run me $400-$1200? This past year I have investigated his learning style with my "teaching" style and have learned that we both mimic Montessori learning without really knowing what it was. I would like to continue that if possible. I'm excited and kind of overwhelmed right now.

I guess right now I'm looking for more information. Is it necessary to pay for a standardized curriculum? If so, what is a reasonable amount? Where can I find what is expected of my son at each grade level. I thought my son was "advanced" until I read about a local homeschool network program that starts at K and need a writing example with enrollment form. My son knows shapes, letters, numbers, and a handfull of words to read. All verbally though, he shows no signs of wanting to write and barely shows interest in drawing.

[KoalaMama]

I don't think curriculum is necessary for such a young child, no. (Or any child, for that matter...) I would say keep doing what you're doing with him, because he is obviously learning a great deal already! I can't imagine you'd even find preschool curriculum that covers beyond what he already knows.

Read books, play games, enjoy life! That's what kids need from a preschool experience.

Have fun!

[jlpumkin]

I like this book: Slow and Steady get me ready for my 3 yo. And lots of singing and reading for fun.

I had Teaching Montessori at Home with my first one, but didn't use it as much as I thought I would.

[Eli&SkyesMom]

The very best way for children at this age to learn is through play! Hands on, get dirty, experience it first hand learning. You can tell a child that mixing these two colors will give you this other color but until they mix the paint and see it happen it just isn't the same. IMHO you don't need any curriculum right now, or for a while. Read books, play playdough, do art, dress up, act things out, do puppet shows, and enjoy it! HTH

[boomerswims]

Thank you for the encouragement of play! He likes to help me with my chores, though he won't do his own. He really likes to help me cook and I use that to teach him counting and also different types of food. I like to watch him experiment too, like him wanting to eat potato but not realizing the difference between raw and cooked until he tries it. He had watermelon with rind on it for the first time the other day and he took a bit of the rind before I could explain it to him. Now he says that the red part fits in his mouth, but the green doesn't. We have to be a little tricky with his learning. We either have to be forth right about it or hide it at all costs. Like tonight we were playing an ABC match game and he seemed to forget his whole alphabet once the words "Flag starts with the letter?" out of my mouth. You can tell he is "playing" stupid because he makes blatant mistakes like F is the letter 4. He knows the distinction between letters and numbers. If you let him lead his learning unknowingly, then he will tell you how whales don't have teeth they have baleen. He actually did this yesterday to a visitor who then was shocked that he was only three, but then he doesn't cooperate in a very basic ABC game. I just haven't quite figured him out yet and it kind of scares me because I'm his only option now.

[rockportmama]

Originally Posted by boomerswims

...but then he doesn't cooperate in a very basic ABC game...

Ha! My DS does the exact same thing!!

I read somewhere once (John Holt, maybe?) something that helps me put this in perspective. Very loosely paraphrased: If they don't know the answer to your question, how are they supposed to answer without looking like an idiot? And if they do know the answer, why would they answer?

I try to aviod questions. Also, when he asks obvious questions in his little teacher voice, I try to answer him cheerfully to model the behaviour I want. And I've started to try to not correct him. He's three. He'll figure it out before college! So what if 12 doesn't exist right now. I think? I'm trying to learn his cues about when he's done but isn't willing to say that 'cuz he wants to keep my attention.

I'm also struggling with finding age-appropriate curriculum for my 3yo that he doesn't already know or doesn't require reading. It's really scary when you first decide to hs and realize the immense responsibility. What if I do it wrong? What if I get the wrong curriculum? I was gifted the aBeka K&1 curricula. What if he hates them? What if I hate them?

I'm trying hard to relax and just let him play... not my style, really, but I'm trying.

Baby's up. HTH (it helped me to see it written down!)

[birdie22]

Did you check out Lillian's site?: http://www.besthomeschooling.org/gateway/inted16.html

She usually frequents these boards, but I haven't seen her around recently. Her site was a huge help and inspiration to me.

[birdie22]

Do you have a specific reason for looking for an "accredited" preschool curriculum? Honestly, I didn't even know there was such a thing. Does it have to do with your state laws?

[WalkingByFaith]

Originally Posted by birdie22

Do you have a specific reason for looking for an "accredited" preschool curriculum? Honestly, I didn't even know there was such a thing. Does it have to do with your state laws?

I was wondering the same thing..lol!

The only reason I could see for searching out an accredited curriculum would be for a high schooler who would like a diploma.

[phathui5]

I spent a total of $10 on materials for my ds who'll be turning four in the fall (granted, I have some things lift from the older kids). I don't think that there's any reason to spend hundreds of dollars on books for a preschooler.

I'd recommend something like www.letteroftheweek.com I did it with my oldest and got all the books from the library.

[boomerswims]

Sorry about the confusion about looking for an accredited curriculum. Its not that I was looking for something at the preschool level, but if it was available then I might consider it. I was really looking at accredited curriculum for Kindergarten and up. I'm not really sure how the homeschool thing works, especially with us only being able to access the closest town by float plane or a day's boat ride. I figured using an accredited curriculum would be the easiest to make sure I had my i's dotted and my t's crossed. I've looked at some of the sites recommended and they seem great! Looking forward to our other computer getting fixed so I can start printing off some of the activities.

[birdie22]

I suspect that "accredited" programs are going to be all-in-one type things, perhaps even an online charter. Many people are happy with these arrangements. (Accreditation is only as good as the board that offers it; if it's critical to you, make sure your state/school district recognizes the accrediting body.)

Or you may find that putting together a collection of materials tailored for your child works better for you both. There are many ways to homeschool, and I suspect no two families do it the same way; certainly there is no single "right" way-- just the right way for you.

Unless your state has laws to the contrary, you do not have to use an "accredited" curriculum in order to enroll your child in school later, if you choose.

If you haven't yet, do a search for yahoo groups of homeschoolers in your state. Even if you only connect online, they will be a valuable resource for navigating your state's requirements. (I say this as someone with absolutely NO idea what your state's requirements are, if there are any!)

[tankgirl73]

If you're living in such a remote, out-of-the-way area that you need a float plane to go anywhere, my first suggestion would be to take advantage of that! I'm assuming this means you're surrounded by nature.

So, look into nature-based philosophies -- I like to use the term "philosophies" rather than "curriculum" or "program", because it describes the fundamental, foundational ideas behind "why to homeschool in any particular way" for your family, and allows flexibility of how to build on that, rather than just following what some individual or committee or government arbitrarily decided "this is how we do school."

So, things like Charlotte Mason or Waldorf would be a suggestion. Charlotte Mason's methods are all about nature study and being in the outdoors. Kids learn much more from that than from book-learning. Academics aren't stressed in the early years, though there is tons of reading, reading, reading -- learning from living books, not textbooks. Reading by themselves, knowing phonics, writing, spelling, grammar, etc etc, all develops out of the living books, first with oral "narrations" (summaries in their own words) that over the years progress to written instead, as well as copying passages from their favourite books and dictation and stuff like that, when developmentally appropriate.... rather than any particular lesson books on those topics.

Anyway, that's the fairly "pure" CM approach, but there are lots of variations on that too. My main point I'm trying to make is -- enjoy nature, go from there, don't worry so much about the academics at this age. Sure, include letters and stuff but only as much as he's interested. There's NO RUSH, no need to push it or force it or "sneak" it. He'll learn it just fine, and more quickly, when he has his own internal motivations to want to learn it, which WILL happen sooner or later.

I always like to mention the educational system in Sweden. Formal classes don't start until age 7. I have a friend who is a Swedish immigrant and he raves about it. "Young kids should play!!!" he says, incredulous at the North American system. Swedish preschools spend most of their days outdoors. Sure, they do some structured things -- even some basic phonics games. But there's no stress about it, no quizzes or tests or grade expectations or whatever, it's just *exposure* to the ideas. Then when they get to be 7 years old, most kids are like, "Okay, I've had my childish playtime, now when do I get to learn stuff? I want to read!!" and they're quite well-behaved and dedicated to their schoolwork. Quite fascinating.

You also mentioned Montessori suits your natural leanings. Have you read any of Dr Montessori's own writings? Or the method of the three-part lesson? Your example of "flag starts with the letter..." doesn't sound like a Montessori-style activity for this age. Not that they can't be learning about starting sounds, just that's it's very teacher-quizzing-pressure approach rather than natural or self-directed and self-correcting learning, which is Montessori.

Reading her own writings also goes a LONG way IMO to learning to relax and trust the child's natural drive to learn. I read "The Secret of Childhood" and found it quite remarkable. One of the greatest things I got out of it was that children will go through developmental phases where they are primed and keen to learn about a particular thing, and during that phase will be drawn to activities that develop that thing (and might avoid other activities). And it's best to allow them to control their own choice of activities, since it will fit best with what they are READY to learn, rather than just what WE think they SHOULD be learning at any particular time.

Phew, I've written an essay here, hope you find at least something helpful in there.