Very new at this, please help...

[floiejo2]

Hi, I am going to start homeschooling my 5yr old in a couple weeks. She is currently attending our local small town preschool and would be in Kindergarten next year. So I basically am starting from scratch and don't know a whole lot. Luckily I have a couple of good friends who homeschool and they are willing to share what they do with me. I've also ordered a few books to read.

What I need to know are what are the basics for preschool and kindergarten? What materials would you suggest for a first timer who has never taught? I need something that will outline it all for me and tell me exactly what and how to teach. I'm sure I will figure out a lot as I go and find what works for our family but I need some suggestions of what to even start with. I'm overwhelmed and scared just thinking about it. But also really excited. TIA!

[zjande]

Congratulations on beginning your new homeschooling journey! We've been at it for near 10 yrs now & I love it. I call us "Charlotte Mason inspired, eclectic structured homeschoolers".

There isn't a guide that will tell you exactly how to teach at home. And every single homeschooler you ask will tell you a different way that works for them! There are as many ways to "do it" as there are homeschoolers. What I would suggest is just reading a lot & getting to know your dd's learning style & interests. Take it super slow at this stage so as not to overwhelm yourself & her. She's still very young so there is plenty of time to work into a groove.

Read this forum (you could read back for pages & pages), check out every hschool book you can at the library, order a few from Amazon...... and at the same time, offer your dd lots of creative playtime with crafts, playdough, books, dolls, blocks, etc, etc. Read piles of books with her, seek out more books & info on the subjects she's most interested in. Don't let yourself feel overwhelmed, I know it's sooo easy to do these days now that we have such an incredible amount of information available online! When I began homeschooling, we had very sporadic internet access & I didn't even utilize it for homeschooling..... we relied entirely on workbooks & books I found at the thrift store, and the library. My 11 yr old ds has been hschooled since day 1, and learned to read,write, etc with just that (the thrift store books & library). We never laid eyes on curriculum until just the past couple school years!

I have a just turned 4 yr old that I'm doing preschool with. Again, I just use workbooks I found at Goodwill, read tons of books, & do a lot of talking & creative play. At this age, teaching is super easy because I already know how to count, the sounds the ABCs make & how to use scissors & glue. It only gets trickier for me once my kids reach about middle school age & I can't just teach them out of my own brain anymore. That's when I feel like I need some kind of curriculum for teaching.

Personally, I've picked out the 1st grade curriculum package from Rod & Staff called Pathway. I'll start using that in kindergarten. But I don't think having a curriculum is necessary this early. I just really like the sweet simplicity of the Pathway readers.

Anyway, take it easy, go slowly, read lots of books, and have fun!

[*Jessica*]

Originally Posted by zjande

There isn't a guide that will tell you exactly how to teach at home. And every single homeschooler you ask will tell you a different way that works for them! There are as many ways to "do it" as there are homeschoolers. What I would suggest is just reading a lot & getting to know your dd's learning style & interests. Take it super slow at this stage so as not to overwhelm yourself & her. She's still very young so there is plenty of time to work into a groove.

Read this forum (you could read back for pages & pages), check out every hschool book you can at the library, order a few from Amazon...... and at the same time, offer your dd lots of creative playtime with crafts, playdough, books, dolls, blocks, etc, etc. Read piles of books with her, seek out more books & info on the subjects she's most interested in. Don't let yourself feel overwhelmed, I know it's sooo easy to do these days now that we have such an incredible amount of information available online!

I absolutely agree! I spent a very long time reading every single post on this board to gather ideas and information. I think it was the best thing I could have done.

[luvmy2girlz29]

Here is a site that lists curriculum standars for all grades http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?curriculum

What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know: Preparing Your Child for a Lifetime of Learning by E.D Hirsch Jr. You can probably find this book at your library.

Homelearning Year by Year. How To Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School by Rebecca Rupp is an excellent book. Also should be able to find at your library.

You can also access your local school distirict online and look up the scope and sequence for K if you want to follow what your local ps is doing.

HTH! Good luck.

Korrie

[elizawill]

i also agree that hanging out in this forum will be the most helpful thing you can do... at least it was for me in the beginning, and it actually still is to this day. i will read through old posts dated waaaaay back and learn SO much through the wealth of info shared. i also like to read seasoned homeschoolers blogs. i figure they have been where i currently am, so i really value their insight more than anything. hth. welcome!!

[floiejo2]

Thank you for your replies. I really like the sight that tells me what they need to know each year. So do you all use a specific curriculum or do you mix and match materials? I'm sure there are some of both, so what are some of your top materials you loved and used for preschool/kindy? Dd is really wanting to learn to read right now, can you suggest any great books/materials/programs?
Thanks!

[Savoir Faire]

Homeschooling involves a lot of reading...for you, too

I've been researching first grade for awhile now and I'm just FINALLY having everything click together for what I want.

We're doing a version of classical education (search for The Well-Trained Mind) that's probably a little more lax than what they want.

I know that examples help...so here's what we have so far.

History: We're doing book-based history. Right now, so far, we're going to cover Ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome. We have several historical books by Usborne and other kid-friendly books on that time.

Math: I'm going back and forth between Making Math Meaningful and Math U See. Both seem to be pretty hands on...which is good for us.

Science: We're following Guest Hollow's little otter science curric. I really like what I'm seeing so far.

Handwriting: She'll be copying sentences from classics (kid friendly) such as different quotes from Alice in Wonderland, Pooh and such...

Good luck!