Pre-homeschool chat - Page 2

[justthinkn]

BFIAR is so mellow, and the books are lovely... Each one we've gotten has been a huge hit with DD.

Peak with Books is more intense (almost overwhelming to me at first), lots of ideas so you could really go all out with it if you wanted to... DD is younger, but loves to read, so I'm primarily mining it for the amazing book recommendations, some finger plays and songs, a few related craft ideas...

Babybug magazine has been a fun read introducing new poems, seasonal themes, etc. I saved them and will re-use them this year, and also add in Highlights High Five, which I've heard such great things about!

Right now with DD (2.5):
- I have some simple routines - each morning for chores (mine, tho DD can "help"), reading/singing and outside play - each week for storytime, a physical activity class (DD needs and enjoys the encouragement to work on these skills), homeschool support group and a fun "field trip" or visit with friends. I'm trying to include DD more and more in my daily work... DH is great about taking DD to parks and flying kites, etc., in the afternoons.
- Besides the normal toys, crayons, etc., out all the time, I have a "work basket" that I get out for DD, usually 1-2x/day, with toys & activities (often rather Montessori-ish) that have smaller pieces or that work better with some help from me. I try to rotate these every 2-3 weeks, based on what she's into at the moment.
- DD goes through phases where she's all about Starfall, so then we do that 1-2x/day, and then other stages where we seem to be doing puzzles all day.
- I'm trying to offer at least one special crafty activity together each afternoon, like playdough or painting.
- Library trips - I use the resources mentioned at top for ideas, not as "curriculum" per se. And of course DD often makes her own book requests now, too, old favorites or things she sees while we're at the library...

I'm most excited for her to get into playing games over the next year or so - can't wait to add that in to the day! And I'm curious to see how learning to read and write will unfold - no rush, just curious

[onyxravnos]

subbing i have been 'homeschooling' ds for over a year now he'll be 3 in feb.

we mostly use littleacorn.com as a base for our stuff then mix in a little bit of montessori multiplicatives, kumon books, and other random educational stuff i come across. We don't do anything very formal I just try to make sure we do 1 or 2 'projects' everyday and then everything else is just life.

i've become quite the curriculum junkie but i've managed to limit myself to preschool and K books for the time being.

[kgianforti]

Originally Posted by justthinkn

Peak with Books is more intense (almost overwhelming to me at first), lots of ideas so you could really go all out with it if you wanted to... DD is younger, but loves to read, so I'm primarily mining it for the amazing book recommendations, some finger plays and songs, a few related craft ideas...

Is Peak with Books the one from Moving Beyond the Page? We are working through the 5-7 Environment Concept and I think it is "ok" so far....I actually added my own activities to expand what they taught. Hope PWB works for you!!!

[justthinkn]

Peak with Books is the one that MBTP uses/recommends, but they didn't write it, so I would imagine it's quite different than the other things you can buy from MBTP... You can buy Peak on Amazon for cheaper It would drive me nuts if I took it as an "instruction manual" b/c it has SO much, but as an ideas resource, we're liking it a lot!

[meetoo]

Originally Posted by *Aimee*

T
I also wanted to bring in their sand and water table to set up in the house but I can't think of anything to put in it to play with that won't attract bugs or be really expensive. Any ideas?

Some sensory table ideas. (we have never had bugs from any of these. We do swap them out (evry 2-4 weeks)and store in ziplocks or some other sealed container once we are done.)

-Beans
-rice
-rolled oats
-different pastas (you can use tiny ones for dumping and larger ones you can throw some string in with for necklaces
-flour (very messy!!!)
-jello
-feeder corn
-bird seed
-dirt w/plastic bugs and garden tools
-straws and scissors (once they have cut the straws up you can add string ot this mixture too for lacing

Here is a neat site with tons of ideas too.
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/sensoryideas.html
That site also has a ton of ideas based on themes. I think it usually gives ideas for, art, songs, games, stories, math/science actives, and even snacks to make.

this site has lots of ideas too http://www.preschoolexpress.com/


These two women both use a letter of the week type theme but both seem done in a very fun way.
http://www.walkingbytheway.com/blog/?cat=87

http://delightfullearning.blogspot.c...for-tiger.html (if you look on the side bar it has a link to every letter


Re five in a row I and using it with my 6 and 4 yr old and love it. I would not however bothered buying it for my 4 yr old. I also like to come up with my own things to add so this works perfect for us. We have also done activities around books and themes using books in the past, so it is right up our alley. FIAR is Touted has a "gentle" curriculum but the beauty of it is you can real go has deep into the topics/ books has you want. I am finding it really covers a lot more then it seems at first glance at the thin little manual. It is perfect IMO for younger kids because it touches on so many different topics.

[LuxPerpetua]

My name is Allison and I have a soon-to-be 4 year-old dd named Cecily. We have been more mindfully homeschooling since she was 1.5, but especially so in the last year. We are very much Waldorf-inspired so we don't do any sort of television or computer.

Waldorf is very much a lifestyle so we have a good rhythm and have lots of play. Since September we have been using Seasons of Joy. This Christmas I plan on buying a couple of books from Christopherus to get a better grasp on things--the Waldorf curriculum overview, Joyful Movement, and a book about Waldorf science. There are a couple of blogs that I follow including Parenting Passageway, Frontier Dreams, and Filth Wizardry. I like getting ideas from other Waldorf-inspired mamas.

We believe in learning being integrated with living, so we don't do any sort of workbooks or computer learning. We do, however, bake and cook a lot so dd knows all about fractions and measurements. We read and tell lots of stories. We garden in spring and summer, make candles/jam/soap, make playdough, read lots, tell our own stories, act out stories. Dd has recently been experimenting with scissors as she cuts open our yeast packets for bread and such. She has known her letter since 18 months old so that's pretty old hat for her, although she is currently figuring out phonics ("Mommy, both honey and hat start with the "huh" sound. What letter is that?"). She can do some simple addition and subtraction in her head as well as some multiplication. I'm not really sure how she started doing that, but she is very observant so I imagine she figured it out from measuring out ingredients or playing blocks and such. She knows and understands all about seasons and months, and we read lots of seasonal books and do seasonal crafts/cooking. We are currently setting up an aquarium and that is her obession at the moment. She knows all about freshwater vs. saltwater and the different fish that live in both environments. She likes to make her own aquarium in our bathroom sink with Legos as fish. She uses food coloring as her water testing kit. Every Friday is painting day for us, and lately dd has been very interested in printing techniques, where she makes a design and then presses paper on top to print the design. About once a month or so we go to the local children's science museums and have a blast. In the spring and summer we go to the zoo and aquarium too. She recently demonstrated that she can count to 59. I'm not really sure how/when she figured that out either but I'll go with it. We also talk a lot about charity projects that we are involved in throughout the globe (we're Christian) so dd is very involved in both our giving and in learning about other cultures and countries. We play a lot outside when the weather is nice and we try and take a nature walk at least once a week. As always, we try to keep learning as 3-dimensional as possible and create a quilt of family experiences.

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

Originally Posted by *Aimee*

He told me the other day he wants to learn to read so he can read to his brother but then today we were looking at a book and he didn't know most of his lower case letters. But he knew them all like 6 months ago so I guess he forgot? I'm thinking of getting hooked on phonics but I dont know. I would love some ideas on indoor things to do now that it's freezing cold and we won't be going out much unless it's to play in the snow.

i was thinking about getting hop eventually too, from the reviews it seems pretty positive. Definitely board games for cold days. Of course when there is snow, you can always build a snowman! Ds was asking when were going to do that again. Also I'm trying to start excersizing again, so when i'm on the treadmill down in the basement, ds rides his scooter down there too...


i skimmed over peak with books, i am thinking of starting it after thanksgiving and see where it goes with us. I don't have many of the books needed, so i am trying to figure out how to balance our schedule with getting the right books from the library, i may also scout a few thrift stores in the mean time and look for some there.

ds is currently not in any outside activities and that is one thing we need to work on too. Dh was talking about how ds should be public schooled when the time came for social interaction. Dh has been the one pushing hsing and now he is saying these things which is a bit annoying, i don't think he realizes how much time i am spending researching hsing ect, just to end up sticking him is ps. He just said don't stress we'll decide when the time comes. ergh. like i can just decide one day i am going to homeschool or not. I am thinking i need to find some type of resource for dh to look at to help him decide for himself whether homeschooling is best for ds.

I am also wondering about homeschooling support groups the ones nearby me are either christian, which i would prefer not to go to, there is one that is secular, but it has fees,etc. and we are still determining on whether we want to continue hsing. I guess i should ask my neighbors, I am in one of the best districts in the state, yet every family with a school age child homeschools in our culdecsac~including me it's 7, but i think they are mainly christian homeschoolers...

[Reebekah]

my almost 4 yr old is starting to really like playing games....slap jack with cards, candy land, mix n match, etc. we also play "store" with real money so that he can learn dimes, nickles, and quarters.

for social interaction, we go to MOPS, AWANA, and sunday school....but those are all christian things. read the well adjusted child...you'll feel better about the social aspect of things!

for when he's more ready to read, i already bought hooked on phonics, bob books, and ordinary parents guide to reading. however, i'm not even remotely concerned about reading until a few yrs from now....i just like to be prepared.

[meesh933]

Hello! I actually just convinced DH recently to homeschool past preschool-age. My DD is 2.5, and we are very unschooly right now, and plan to stay that way unless she asks to do something more formal.

We try to do a lot of trips. We go to the zoo a few times a month, weekly story times, play at the park, etc. We max out our library card every week, and I try to grab at least few books that center around something she's shown interest in lately. This week it will be snakes - we went to the state park yesterday and their nature center has snakes, so that's all she's been talking about. We point out letters, numbers, colors, and shapes a lot. She knows a handful of letters, and can sight-read a few words, all names of family and pets. This morning we walked up and down our street for over an hour; she picked up a leaf, an acorn, a snail shell, and a piece of weedeater string; pointed out the colors red, yellow, blue, orange and white; counted to 4 using one-to-one-correspondence; talked about opposites (big, small, closed, open, wet, dry, and a couple others); found a handful of letters she knew, mostly Ms; ran, walked, and rode her bike; and probably a 100 other "educational" things I didn't notice. I've been amazed at how much she learns just by being in the world since I started paying more attention.

This thread is great, by the way - after nap time we're going to be cleaning up the sand and water table and bringing it inside to fill with beans! Lots of great ideas, thanks everyone!

[*Aimee*]

Meetoo! Thank you so much for those sites, you have no idea how helpful they were too me. Thank you!!

[bandgeek]

Originally Posted by kgianforti

Bandgeek- are you using a math curriculum?

Nope. I do buy workbooks from the dollar tree, but only because it's more interesting to him if there's disney characters on his math pages.

[Stacey B]

I have a ds who is 3.5. We are planning to hs as far through as possible. There is part of me who would love a nice concrete schedule the reality of our schedule and ds is that we mainly follow an unschooling philosophy when it comes to learning. We learn together and through our daily lives. When my son is interested in something we follow that vein. Right now we do a lot of counting everything in our lives and identifying the letters around us.

We are about to move from the woods to the city where there will be a lot more opportunities. For now there are lots of arts and craft projects, trips to the library, hikes, baking and cooking, and storytelling. I wish I had about two more hours of activities or something a day for us to do because ds recently has been asking for movies a lot and too often I say yes because I have run out of things to do.

For those of you who are video free or at least have video free days how do you do it with out burning out??

[jenfl]

Originally Posted by Stacey B

I wish I had about two more hours of activities or something a day for us to do because ds recently has been asking for movies a lot and too often I say yes because I have run out of things to do.

For those of you who are video free or at least have video free days how do you do it with out burning out??

Hmm. Well, we were TV-free from the start, which I think is probably a really different thing than trying to pull TV out of your life. We've recently started introducing TV for very specific things (a movie when sick or on a long [6-hour] car ride, Sunday football with Nana), but she just doesn't even see it as an option the rest of the time.

I don't usually have planned out activities. I'm one of those who feels "boredom" is good for kids, so we have a lot of unscheduled time. DD just... finds things to do. She'll ask to do play dough or letters or read, but she also just plays crazy imaginative games to herself.

Maybe it would help to make a list of random things to do -- even things that seem simple -- like play dough, park, stickers, making mud pies. Then you'd be able to just glance at the list when DS started asking for a movie and wouldn't have to wrack your brain for something to do.

[greenmamapagan]

Hi all. Mind if I join? My DD is 3.5. We are unschoolers but DD is currently really into structured "activities" mostly Montessori sensory stuff. She's been a starfall addict since 15 months too. She goes through periods (like now) where she's really drawn to structured learning so I have no doubt we'll end up using curricula from time to time. I'm currently looking around sonlight because I can see that a lot of their stuff would work really well with her.

[meetoo]

My son begged me for workboxes like his big sissy, so I go out and buy him four and even remembered to fill them and he ended up outside or playing with Lego all day. He did choose to make a kite to fly outside. We also made cranberry bread for dessert and read a bunch of stories. All and all a successful preschool day.


Re boredom have a few more kids

[marimara]

Originally Posted by Stacey B

I wish I had about two more hours of activities or something a day for us to do because ds recently has been asking for movies a lot and too often I say yes because I have run out of things to do.

For those of you who are video free or at least have video free days how do you do it with out burning out??

My 3yo dd is an only child and we don't have cable tv. She watches a video in the morning while I drink my coffee and play computer and occasionally in the afternoon if she's cranky.

I do try to go somewhere each day of the week, with usually one "stay at home all day" day to catch up on cleaning, cooking, etc.

On Tues and Wed, we have schedule structured activities (classes). If she is a maniac and really needing something else to do and I can't provide it for whatever reason, we usually go for a ride (on her trike) or a walk around the neighborhood, go to the park, or go next door and play with the girls there (I'm so lucky in that I have 2 great girls next door who are near her age).


Some days there are more videos than I want though, , I am the primary caretaker with pretty much no breaks thru out the day since she doesn't nap much these days, so I deal with it. At least it's not commercials and Hannah Montana

Wednesdays are when I get my 3 hour or so break when she goes to the local homeschool resource center for "preschool/preK" classes and ballet.


Though recently I have been up against a challenge with her. She has been begging (yesterday she was crying and screaming) for more "lessons" or "school work" or whatever.

She knows all her letters and their phonetic sounds. She can even tell the first sound of a word and pick out the missing ones. She CANNOT put the sounds together yet to sound out words. She has been stuck at this juncture for months now. She is so frustrated and wants to read but she can't. She is making me crazy about it, begging for more lessons. It's so frustrating for me, I don't know what else to do. *I* am not the one who wants this, *SHE* wants to read. I am all for slow learning and not over-teaching a young child, I know all that, I read Lillian Jones website But I suspect she is gifted as I was/am and she needs more...any ideas????

[lurable]

We are homeschooling our 4.5 year old dd. This year has mainly been our year to discover what works best for our family so we have tried many different ideas just to get a taste for them. We've come to the conclusion that we are eclectic homeschoolers. DD is involved in a few activities- she attends a French class, a Mandarin class, she highland dances and, her fav- she's leaning to play the piano.
She is beginning to read so we do a lot of reading- both her reading and being read to. Right now she has a LOR fixation so her dad is reading her the Hobbit. She does have 2 workbooks that she works on whenever the mood strikes her- Singapore math and ETC 1. DP is a musician and spend a lot of time in the studio so he set up a studio at the house- that's where DD is now- DP taught her how to use the recording program so she could record her own songs.
We go swimming and skating 1-2 times/week and since DP and I work really odd hours we have lots of daytime free for outings.
Whew- it sounds like a lot but I always feel like we're not doing that much at all!

[jenfl]

Originally Posted by marimara

She knows all her letters and their phonetic sounds. She can even tell the first sound of a word and pick out the missing ones. She CANNOT put the sounds together yet to sound out words. She has been stuck at this juncture for months now. She is so frustrated and wants to read but she can't. She is making me crazy about it, begging for more lessons. It's so frustrating for me, I don't know what else to do. *I* am not the one who wants this, *SHE* wants to read. I am all for slow learning and not over-teaching a young child, I know all that, I read Lillian Jones website But I suspect she is gifted as I was/am and she needs more...any ideas????

My DD is here, too -- knows her letter sounds and loves to play the "begins with" and "ends with" game, but can't sound out words. We haven't been stuck at that point very long, though, so I can't speak to the frustration.

My next step was going to be a game I heard of somewhere... put out two pictures of CVC things. Then "spell" the name of one with the letter sounds, slowly (like "duh.... aw.... ug"), and have her pick the correct picture. I was hoping that would help DD start to connect the letter sounds together in her head.

Oh, and to make it more difficult, you put MORE time between the letters. That took me a little thinking to understand.

[justthinkn]

Originally Posted by marimara

She knows all her letters and their phonetic sounds. She can even tell the first sound of a word and pick out the missing ones. She CANNOT put the sounds together yet to sound out words. She has been stuck at this juncture for months now. She is so frustrated and wants to read but she can't. She is making me crazy about it, begging for more lessons. It's so frustrating for me, I don't know what else to do. *I* am not the one who wants this, *SHE* wants to read. I am all for slow learning and not over-teaching a young child, I know all that, I read Lillian Jones website But I suspect she is gifted as I was/am and she needs more...any ideas????

This is a current discussion in the Parenting a Gifted Child forum. HTH!

[itsrtimedownhere]

hi! i'm homeschooling my 3 year old. we do 4 subjects 5 days a week. wednesday-sunday. i really like the wed-sun schedule. i do wed-fri and my husband does sat and sun. then i get the weeks schedule done on mon and tues.

the subjects are:
wed: math, science, life skills and art
thurs:math, science, language arts and art
fri: social studies, math, language arts and science
sat: social studies, math, language arts, and theology
sun: social studies, language arts, art and life skills

for language arts: we are doing the fab phonics level 1 workbook. also, rimes and rhymes for literature exposure. (for r&r, i just print out and laminate the poem page. we read and reread it all week. we don't do any of the rhyming cards yet.)

for science: we've been chosing an animal and talking about it throughout the day.

for math: we are starting AAAMath this week. i was thinking about this public domain math book too.

for life skills: he helps me with things around the house sometimes. or learns how to do something on his own that he needed help with before. last week, my husband taught him how to make toast in the toaster.

for social studies: this week we are going to talk about thanksgiving.

for theology: we aren't christian but we still think that knowing what's in the bible is important. my husband's grandparents are pastors and gave us a box thing with different bible stories and activities in it, so we use that.