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Pre-homeschool chat - Page 4

post #61 of 314
11/28/09 at 6:22pm
Thread Starter 
i got some great sets at hooked on phonics website friday. I got ds the preschool reading set, the learn to count math set and the beginning printing and handwriting set for about 30$ shipped. They are in the overstock section. I just checked the site and the preschool reading set is all sold out, but there are still quite a bit of sets available. i used code SLICK50 to get 50% off the order! It will be nice to have these on hand when ds starts to do more schooly work.
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post #62 of 314
11/28/09 at 6:48pm
Subbing. Unschooling pre-k mom here who hates identifying herself as "pre-k". My kids are almost 3 and almost 5 with another on the way. We live in a VERY VERY VERY pro-"pre-k" place and have faced anger, hostility and even threats for not sending the children to preschool/daycare/kindergarden.

Definately needing some support with this one.
post #63 of 314
11/28/09 at 11:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jul511riv View Post
We live in a VERY VERY VERY pro-"pre-k" place and have faced anger, hostility and even threats for not sending the children to preschool/daycare/kindergarden..
awwww i feel your pain and i'm sure many others here do too.
post #64 of 314
11/29/09 at 1:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jul511riv View Post
Subbing. Unschooling pre-k mom here who hates identifying herself as "pre-k". My kids are almost 3 and almost 5 with another on the way. We live in a VERY VERY VERY pro-"pre-k" place and have faced anger, hostility and even threats for not sending the children to preschool/daycare/kindergarden.

Definately needing some support with this one.
Same.

The other day I was talking to one of my tables at work (I'm a server) and one of the kids made a hand gesture that looked like the sign for "stop". I didn't mention it until the mom laughed and said "no that's the sign for stop". I was surprised she knew that and I mentioned that we signed at home because DS is non-verbal. She asked me how old he was and when I said 4 and half, at least 3 people said "oh, what school?" at once. Since when do 4 year olds all go to school and why would that be the first thing someone would think to ask about them? Usually I get the "why can't he talk" questions first.

Oh, and strangers are already asking me why DS is playing hooky and he's very small for his age. And when I take him to the park on school days, its mostly babies and young toddlers there.
post #65 of 314
11/29/09 at 4:40am
Yeah, I've had people tell me it's illegal and educated people ask me if I've recieved government permission to do this (that is, in fact, how it works in Israel). I explain that my children are both below the age for maditory kindergarden and they start asking for birthdates, etc...so that they can confirm. She was born a couple of months after the deadline, so there is usually some discussion about "my luck" and how I'll have to get my permission for next year.

In Israel the whole homeschooling thing is such a mess. The govt. just came out with new regulations. It involves describing in depth your type of schooling and why you chose it. It also forces you to submit a curriculum and demonstrate that your child will be "keeping up" with their class. They want exit projects...proof that you have followed your own syllabus. There is an interview BEFORE permission is granted and again at the end of the year to review what happened. Then you must do it all over again for EACH child for every year. Can you IMAGINE?! For a 5 year old!!!

I am absolutely sick about the idea of inviting a panel of Ministry of Education people into my home for that interview. And because the regulations are so new, no one really knows how they will pan out in practice. I, understandably, do NOT want my children involved in such a meeting and am trying to figure out if I need to hire a babysitter to take them to a park when we talk or what. I guess I'll cross the bridge when we come to it (next school year, aparently).

I have been told that I am ruining the fabric of the community/society in which we live by not sending my children to daycare/preschool (no choices here in Israel...your kid age 3+ goes in at 7am and comes home at 1:30pm, 5 days a week, your child younger than 3 goes in at 7am and stays until 3:30pm. so this is clearly not even like a preschool, but more like a daycare.) I've been told that as an immigrant I am forcing my children to be "different" and not assimilate into Israeli society. I'm put on the spot...like "don't you want YOUR children to be like OUR children?" which quickly turns hostile, "do you have a problem with OUR children?!" This of course is in addition to the absolute hostility that I hear when anyone gets wind of the fact that my children aren't vaccinated. Or, even sometimes, that I homebirth.

There IS a homeschooling community here in Israel. Its been estimated that about 200 families in the whole country homeschool.

I've been told that my children are small for their age (I've also been told they are tall for their age or big for their age as well, lol). I've been given suspicious looks, as if what am I trying to hide by keeping them at home. I've been told that it's important for them to go to daycare so that someone else can evaluate them and make sure they are okay and don't need some extra help and care. Ive been told that it's important to have an objective opinion to see how they measure up to their peers in age.

I've been told that I'm denying them a social life. That they will never be able to thrive as human beings without learning how to interact with other children. I've been told they will never be able to make friends (even by parents whose children play at our house on a regular basis with my children ) I've been told that they will never learn to speak Hebrew or understand Israeli culture. I've been told that I can't keep them in a bubble forever. Hell, I've been told that I am "overestimating the importance of parents in children's lives." I've been told that what really matters to children are their peers and because I am denying the peers the role of promince in my children's lives, I am hurting them in some way. I've been told that they will always be ostricized. I've been questioned about my own academic achievements, or whether or not I am qualified to teach my own children. Shouldn't I have a masters degree, once they get into grade level? Shouldn't I want what is best for my children (having someone with advanced degrees to teach them). I've been quizzed about what we "do all day at home" and when I explain that we are unschooling, I get the "how do you know your children will ever learn ANYTHING?!" and the "Isn't that just negligent of you?"

I could go on all day. It really does still bother me a lot. Mostly because the legal status of Homeschooling, I feel, is NOT on my side here. If I KNEW that I were totally protected by the law, I think I would feel instantly and completely better about all these comments.
post #66 of 314
11/29/09 at 11:10am
Hehe, I am suuuuuuuuuuper early on this thread. DS is 1 year old, but I've been planning on homeschooling since before his birth. I think I need more structure than unschooling but we're open. We live in Maryland at the moment but I don't know where we will be when he is actually "school aged". Does anyone know about military and homeschooling? I know that laws are different by state but what if you move a lot?

Thanks for this thread!
post #67 of 314
11/29/09 at 12:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by micah_mae_ View Post
Hehe, I am suuuuuuuuuuper early on this thread. DS is 1 year old, but I've been planning on homeschooling since before his birth. I think I need more structure than unschooling but we're open. We live in Maryland at the moment but I don't know where we will be when he is actually "school aged". Does anyone know about military and homeschooling? I know that laws are different by state but what if you move a lot?

Thanks for this thread!
http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

click on your state to finds out it's laws
post #68 of 314
11/29/09 at 8:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by itsrtimedownhere View Post
http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

click on your state to finds out it's laws
Thanks! I was wondering though, do I have to follow whatever state's law that we're living in? Or do we use our home of record state since we're military?
post #69 of 314
11/29/09 at 11:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by micah_mae_ View Post
Thanks! I was wondering though, do I have to follow whatever state's law that we're living in? Or do we use our home of record state since we're military?
all the moms that i know that are military -- follow the law of teh state they reside in -- but i am not really sure -- if it was me, i'd follow the more strict options to CYA.

Aimee
post #70 of 314
11/30/09 at 7:34pm
We had a nice day. For DS work boxes today he had, ETC primer, building the letter t out of legos, and button sorting, and number bingo. He was very excited and did all boxes. I'm really loving these for him. If he wants "school" it's there, but if he would rather play that is fine too. He also played with legos (of course!!), listened to stories, jumped on the mini trampoline, and visited a nursing home with us. How was everyone elses day?
post #71 of 314
11/30/09 at 7:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by micah_mae_ View Post
Thanks! I was wondering though, do I have to follow whatever state's law that we're living in? Or do we use our home of record state since we're military?
i think i'd use the laws for whatever state my license said i lived in.

my big plan is to get an RV and be an on-the-move family. we are going to "live" in new jersey though because it's the easiest state to HS in.
post #72 of 314
11/30/09 at 9:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by meetoo View Post
We had a nice day. For DS work boxes today he had, ETC primer, building the letter t out of legos, and button sorting, and number bingo. He was very excited and did all boxes. I'm really loving these for him. If he wants "school" it's there, but if he would rather play that is fine too. He also played with legos (of course!!), listened to stories, jumped on the mini trampoline, and visited a nursing home with us. How was everyone elses day?
I love the idea of workboxes! I hope when DD gets a little older I'll be able to work them into our day.

This morning, DD wanted to "review all of [her] letters". Of course. That's what she wants to do everyday. Instead, we talked a bit about sounds at the end of words (she has letter names/sounds and recognizing beginning sounds down pat). She wanted to do some Literactive, but we were in a rush to get out the door.

We went to the library storytime for a bit (theme: cookies! complete with the craft being decorating a real sugar cookie!), but most of the time was spent helping my mom at her internet store warehouse. DD played by herself a lot -- stickers, pretending pieces of cardboard were wood, stacking Priority Mail boxes into towers. But she also helped out -- putting things into boxes, cushioning them with newspaper, applying address labels. (I think I need to teach her numbers, then she can read out order numbers to us. Hmm....)

Helping with the family store is a long-standing tradition in my family, although its form has changed over the years (my grandfather started it, my parents took it over, I've helped out my whole life). I'm really happy that DD is getting exposure to the skills you learn by helping around a business!

After that was grocery shopping (including her favorite -- a stop by the fish counter for DH to show her different types of sea life), pizza, and ice cream!

A very busy day, but a really good one.
post #73 of 314
11/30/09 at 11:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by meetoo View Post
We had a nice day. For DS work boxes today he had, ETC primer, building the letter t out of legos, and button sorting, and number bingo. He was very excited and did all boxes. I'm really loving these for him. If he wants "school" it's there, but if he would rather play that is fine too. He also played with legos (of course!!), listened to stories, jumped on the mini trampoline, and visited a nursing home with us. How was everyone elses day?
What a fun day!

For us, we read stories (one with each meal), pretended to be reindeer and Santa Claus delivering toys to stuffed animals, made marinara sauce, washed apples and made apple streudel, took a shower together, jumped on the bed, dd came up with a fun game to play in the dark after dinner and talked about it all day, did our Advent devotion for the day, played dd's game which involved walking around in the dark and bumping into each other, made up poems, and now dd is playing with Legos and Connect 4 with dh.

As for me, I desperately need to print out my Winter edition of Seasons of Joy and memorize our fingerplay for this week (which I forgot about today). We're also in the process of trying to make felt winter decorations, melt some old crayons into crayon blocks, and make presents for our family and friends for Christmas. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed already.
post #74 of 314
11/30/09 at 11:33pm
Thread Starter 
Well today was the first day of me trying to have some sort of order to our day...slowly slowly, after breakfast he did his markerboard at the kitchen table while i cleaned up then we got ready and we went out today to the gym, ds was in the daycare for a little over an hour (this is his 2nd time) and he did not want to leave, he finally did after ten mins or so, so i convinced him we'll be back there again tomorrow. Then we went to the post office and then home for lunch where ds helped me make smoothies. Then after a little tv and pbskids. org, we spent a couple hours making muffins, doing dishes and making homemade gorditas. Ds also spent about an hour or more 'fixing' the xmas tree, don't ask me what he was doing, he honestly prefers playing things like that over his toys most the time.
post #75 of 314
12/4/09 at 1:59am
Well since I can't sleep, I guess I'll jump in.

I have a (just turned) 4 yo DS, and a 14 month old DD. We are planning to HS them both and any future kids we have. Right now, we are pretty unschooly. We do formal stuff when DS asks, but otherwise, mostly play, read, etc. Maybe once he officially is kindy age (in 2 years), we'll be more structured, but for now, this works for us.
post #76 of 314
12/4/09 at 10:25am
Yesterday, he spent most of the morning "cleaning his room" His home Ec skills are seriously lacking. He also did some HOP and played with tanagrams. We spent the afternoon at a kids museum, then grandmas for dinner, and family movie night when we got home.
post #77 of 314
12/4/09 at 11:10am
I have been trying to read back though the thread,

who is useing Peak with Books

and what are your thoughts? good, bad, or otherwise.



Aimee
post #78 of 314
12/4/09 at 12:19pm
We are going to the science museum today and see the Titanic Exhibit! DD is very excited to do "science stuff"!
post #79 of 314
12/4/09 at 12:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tjej View Post


I do really want to get the before five in a row (or is peak with books better?) to check it out and see if it fits us well. I think it will.



Tjej
I searched this forum and read all the old post re: PWB and FIAR and BFIAR ... a lot of the post were too old for me to post to and bumpo for more information BUT over and over peole seems to like PWB better ...
post #80 of 314
12/4/09 at 3:51pm
today we were schedule to do a phonics consonant page and a <, >, = page. instead he wanted to go a vowel page and a color by numbers. so that's what he did.

we also have science and social studies to do. i can never think of anything for these 2 subjects. friday is the only day we have both so it's extra tough.