Pre-Homeschool Fall (North America) / Spring on going CHAT - Page 3

[Momma Aimee]

??

I want to let the boys go some chalk art on dark paper (construction paper).

But I worry it is going to rub off, shake off --

anyone have any experience with "setting" the chalk -- ideas?

Stacey B -- I'd love a 2 day a week thing here -- there are so many options, you do not have to go to all of them, but if it was routinely on a day bad for someone (local park day is on the day DS1 has ST -- yes time wise we could do it -- but too much for him in one day) there is another option. I don't know the plan but one day could be more "directed learning" and the other more play / creative art ...

[Tjej]

If you have some aeresol hairspray laying around, I remember that from when I was a kid. There are "fixatives" you can buy too - probably the same thing, IDK.

Tjej

[LuxPerpetua]

Hairspray ... works great!

[OkiMom]

Hairspray is what we use here as well...

DH left for 3 weeks again so I have 3 weeks with a car to go do some fun stuff with the girls. Im thinking of doing the garden park (its called Bios on the Hill, its like this huge park with all sorts of climbing things for kids), the farm tour (its sponsored through the base we are at, you get to go to a working farm and milk cows, make butter etc), the zoo, maybe the museum if I want to drive down there. Theres a bunch of castle historical sites Ive been wanting to visit around here as well. Then theres always the beach, we are surrounded by them but I worry about taking the girls near water without another adult since neither knows how to swim.

[Momma Aimee]

i had thought about hair spray -- but worried it would be sticky -- i will try that -- THANKS

OkiMom -- that park sounds sooooooooooooo cool!!! I took my 2 and 4 year old to the beach alone each day for a month. where we were we sat int eh waves and they rush them and jumped them, and really got to play a ton and go as far as they wanted and they were never really deep and there was no undertow to pull them out. we never had an issues, neither can swim or frankly even THOUGHT abut swimming like in a pool.

[itsnikki]

We don't really follow a curriculum. I don't know... it'll probably change in the next year or so. We kinda just do little activities. She likes puzzles and building blocks (wooden and the duplo style). We play games with flash cards. We go outside and explore... and play with the cat! We... hm... dance and she likes to help do chores. I read her bible stories and different books. We sing songs. I want to have some more variety though.. because it seems like we do the same thing every day.

[OkiMom]

Momma, I haven't been yet but from what Ive been told by other parents its pretty great. THey go there for field trips for the younger grades so I figure it must be pretty easy to navigate. I can't imagine them taking younger kids to a place not kid friendly. Its been recommended so many times I just yet to go. Im thinking of doing Monday. DD1 asked to go to the ship beach (its a beach with a pirate ship) so Im thinking of taking her to there on Wednesday and the farm tour is Friday. Maybe if I keep the girls busy they won't ask me when DH is getting home.. every hour, on the hour.

We went to the zoo today and the hippos were out and about. DD1 fell in love with them (they were so close, I couldn't believe how big their heads were, they are HUGE) so I need to find some books on hippos and do some hippo activities. Since we are going to the farm Friday I thought I would talk about farms some this week. Might not though since we will be busy enough. Im not getting any planning done but we are having fun, think my hubby will notice if I still don't have any of the "school plans" done when he gets home?

[trghig]

Originally Posted by Casha'sMommy

I just don't understand the push to put these kids, or any kids, in prek. Why do they have to grow up so fast?
I saw something on the news the other day about parents redshirting their kindy's and they did an online opinion poll asking what people thought of this. One woman posted that a year doesn't "magically make a child a sitting still, listening child."
This sounds like something my sil said about pre k the other day. She's sending our niece to pre k to "get her ready for shool." She wants her to be able to sit still and pay attention and stand siltently in a straight line. GL with that!

IMO pre-k for kids under 4 is nothing more than a fancy daycare option. However, it makes parents feel better to say that their kids are going to school vs going to daycare. I see no reason why there even needs to be a preschool option. Why can't kids start out in kindergarten? However, I strongly believer in delayed academics and don't really plan to start my kids with a formal education till between 6 and 7.

[trghig]

Originally Posted by OkiMom

Hairspray is what we use here as well...

DH left for 3 weeks again so I have 3 weeks with a car to go do some fun stuff with the girls. Im thinking of doing the garden park (its called Bios on the Hill, its like this huge park with all sorts of climbing things for kids), the farm tour (its sponsored through the base we are at, you get to go to a working farm and milk cows, make butter etc), the zoo, maybe the museum if I want to drive down there. Theres a bunch of castle historical sites Ive been wanting to visit around here as well. Then theres always the beach, we are surrounded by them but I worry about taking the girls near water without another adult since neither knows how to swim.

That sounds really fun! We are also a military family. Our current base has lots of great stuff to do nearby. The farm tour sounds like a lot of fun! I am going to see about talking DS to the fire station if I can arrange it. He loves fire trucks.

[Ravin]

Hey, all! We started our official year in the 2nd week of August, and have finished 3 weeks of lessons as laid out in my planner. Between museum outings (2 so far this year), SCA events (the last 3 weekends), etc., we simply aren't keeping the pace I planned.

BUT, DD has insisted on a jump start on spelling (thus upsetting my plans a bit, which is why I write them in pencil), and is starting to show some enthusiasm for reading (as in, occasionally asking to read to me, rather than me always having to insist she do it), so I don't think we're really too far off track.

I've already started worrying about next year, when we'll have the baby, plus I'll be in school (which I can only assume will take more time than my current work schedule does). Not sure how we're going to juggle everything.

[Stacey B]

I've got a new activity/ trip for you guys. If you live in an area with urban gardens, the sort run by an org but individuals garden plots on them, some of them are willing to give tours to groups. My friend has a large lot and she has an agreement with a local group to use it as an urban garden, because of her location on a ditch they are going all out and turning it into a permaculture site, and putting in a hoop house and a green house (made from reclaimed wood and windows) anyway my co-op is going to go for a visit during the construction.

[Miasmamma]

Subbing...

I have a 4 year old DD and a 15 month old DD. We are planning on homeschooling both girls as long as they want, so we are starting now with DD1. Right now we aren't doing anything structured other than an Art and Gym class at the Y. She learned how to write her name this AM, so I think I will start her with letters and numbers. She really doesn't seem to want to learn with me, but doesn't want to go to school either. I think a lot of it is her age so I'm trying not to push it. I love to learn though, so sometimes I get frustrated with her. I'm really not sure how much we'll do this year, or if we'll wait for the meaty stuff for 1st grade.

[CCJWGM]

I'm reintroducing myself. I had no internet for a few months and stopped visiting here. Really, I wish I had no internet now either but that's a different topic. Please excuse this post, it's part rant and part frustration. But it's all from the heart. I do not mean to offend anyone. So if I do, I'm sorry.

It's my second year "homeschooling" preschool. DD is 4 turning 5 and DS is 3. Really, I started a year early. Also, I'm sick of the word "school" and don't want "school" as a label for our time spent together.

Last year I started Montessori which was too expensive and time consuming and not for DD. I then did some lapbooking which they were too young for. I then fell in love with Waldorf. I still hold many Waldorf aspects true to heart but see many failures and think venturing into the Waldorf world actually harmed my joy.

DD is wanting to learn letters. This year I'm trying to balance her yearning for that with my belief in delayed academics (not entirely on Waldorf). I'm trying to balance her need for "more" with my need for her to have magical days. Good luck to me.

I have looked at the curricula, I have looked at everyone's blogs of lovely ideas. I've have printed countless pages of activities. I tried to write my own curriculum. ENOUGH!!!! My mind went into too much info overload. That combined with "keeping up with the Waldorfers" which is impossible. And really, for my family, parts of Waldorf are too expensive and/or hard to implement.

This year we will do projects together and play. I strive to bring the joy back into "homeschooling" because it was lost. I have an utter refusal to put my children into public school. If it weren't for that I would have given up.

I'm going to give up on the beautiful Waldorf books and beautiful poems and use the ones that best fit with my family.

DD loves finger plays so we will use Little Hands Finger Plays and Action Songs. I like how it's grouped by season and are ones that I have an easier time implementing because they flow well. I have enough seasonal crafts gathered to accompany this book. I bought the ever so beautiful A Child's Seasonal Treasury before and couldn't implement it well.

For alphabet we will use Alphabet Art, also in the little hands series. This will be backed up partially with No Time For Flash cards. Not because I love those crafts but because DD does.

The Little Hands Art Book for art (see a theme here?) and for something to do when we feel creative. We are big on art in this house.

Trish Kuffner has a book called Picture Book Activities which I am going to look at. I'm waiting for the money to buy it. I'm rather antsy to tell you the truth. I just got the Preschoolers Busy Book but haven't looked at it yet.

[acu-mommy]

Hi!

We are in the process of trying to find a rhythm to our days...I have a 3 1/2 year old, and 21 month old. My 3 1/2 year old is really into learning to read, so we are doing daily lessons from 'teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons', which he just loves. We do daily art (mostly painting, coloring, drawing). I am enjoying incorporating some of the crafts from 'celebrating the great mother: earth honoring activites for parents and children', and 'green crafts for children'. Lots and lots of reading books! My son just started his first week of ballet lessons! We are really into the poetry of Doulas Florian right now, lots of bug, dinosaur, and seasonal poetry.....and i love love love 'the tree that time built' collection of nature poetry...lots of outside time, turning over rocks and looking for bugs, collecting leaves...learning to identify the birds at our feeders. He really likes writing letters, and writes daily in his 'journal' (which involves me sounding out for him to his hysterical giggles the words that he wrote that are usually like LSYOB BBBYNAM.....) And our daily baking bread. My littlest accompanies us in this, but is not as into sitting for the book reading....she is usually too busy climbing the furniture. I love the idea of classical homeschooling, but also love the feel and rhythm of waldorf homeschooling...but we are just beginning this journey, so i suppose with time we will figure it out!
What i plan to try to incorporate (when the long vermont winter keeps us indoors more often than not) are:
Drawing with children
Enki Math, and working with the cuisenaire rods
Handwriting Without Tears
Explode the code
and lots and lots of music and dancing

[CCJWGM]

We are finishing up our sun books. I wanted to finish up summer with sun. We really didn't do activities with these books but I talked about how we all have a sun in our heart and it's our responsibility to shine as brightly as we can. I think I got the book suggestions from Curriculum of Love but have long returned the book to the library so am not sure.

When the Sun Rose by Barbara Helen Berger (We just loved this book)
The Baby's Good Morning Book by Kay Chorao (beautiful illustrations)
The Way To Start a Day by Byrd Baylor (I love all of Baylor's book)
The Sun Song by Marzolla

All great books and highly suggested.

[OkiMom]

acu- our kids are around the same ages. I have two girls one born Jan 07 and the other Nov 08. My littlest isn't a big fan of sitting still to listen either which is a chance since DD1 started sitting still and listening to stories at a little over 12 months, I figured DD2 would be the same.

I went to the store yesterday and got a bunch of folders with page protectors in them so I can start putting some of the worksheets I have into page protectors. DD1 is getting so excited when I brought the books down that I felt bad about telling her she has to wait. Some of them Im going to just allow her to write straight in, others I got are either going out of print (at least Amazon says they aren't getting any more) or are older ones that are already out of print so I don't want her to use them. I figured the colors ones though would cost more in ink to copy them then just to rebuy them if we liked them and I have another child into "school" stuff like my oldest is.

[LuxPerpetua]

If any of you ladies have a chance to check out my kindy thread, I'd really appreciate your thoughts! http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1262655 (It was a long post, so I didn't want to ask it on this thread.)

Please share with me what your plans are for kindy ... I'm in the middle of planning and need all the help I can get!

[lil_miss_understood]

Oy.
Ok. so we've been doing "Pre-homeschool" since Monday but we've already lost it. DS2 is OBSESSED with worksheets. I printed out a cut and paste activity Tuesday and he wants more and more of them! He's absolutely not interested in tracing lines whatsoever. He doesn't mind colouring though he's not really into circling things or matching pairs on paper. I have to cut out the pasting activities for him, but the second my back is turned, DS3 is destroying the house! I've tried giving him colouring pages to get him involved but there's only so many he'll do yk?
I'm trying to teach ds2 letters, numbers, shapes and colours. I feel lost! Anyone have a buoy?! How do I do this?

eta: and I just started reading the well-trained mind but it's hard to really understand any of it in the 5-15 minute reading sessions I actually get.

[OkiMom]

Lux- I haven't even really started to think much about Kindy, I have one to two years before I have to "offically" start reporting to anyone (depending on where the military sends us next). Im playing the wait and see game to see where my daughter is when she gets there. What she knows/doesn't know/has interest in will help me choose what to do then.

Jac- Your DS2 is 5 months younger than my DD! I think its the age. My daughter gets set on certain activities at times and then she doesn't want to do anything else. Is there some reason you want to start letters/numbers/shapes/colors right now? My daughter goes in spurts, right now she is really set on learning to read, right before her 3rd birthday it was learning to count. She learned to count up to 20 and then switched what she wanted to learn about. I think it is just part of having a 3 year old, they are naturally challenging. Mine loves worksheets as well, I have to put a limit to the number she does otherwise she would do a whole workbook in one day. I would say take a break and give yourself a break! Your youngest is barely a year, you are going to have a tough time putting a ton into school right now. My youngest is 21 months and its just now starting to get easier to start her on an activity so I can get some one on one time with DD1. My husband actually set up a playroom in the room we use to use as a den so I can have both girls in there and pay attention to one without worrying about the other one. Also, how much "school time" are you trying to do each day? Does your youngest nap? Would it be possible to wait to do things your second child might need help with until your youngest is sleeping?

[onyxravnos]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

Oy.
DS2 is OBSESSED with worksheets. I printed out a cut and paste activity Tuesday and he wants more and more of them!
I'm trying to teach ds2 letters, numbers, shapes and colours. I feel lost! Anyone have a buoy?! How do I do this?

well one idea might be to prep your activities ahead of time (after they are asleep for the night) so they are all ready to go when you need them. then ds 3 doesn't have time to destroy the house as everything is already to go!

Kumon has a series of inexpensive books (color, fold, cut & glue, and...another one i'm not remembering) you can find them at Barns & Nobles

berrybest and carolsaffordablecurriculum also have cut / paste type things that can be bought... even if you don't use them all the time getting 1 or two months worth might give you a jumping off point for your own ideas or give you something to pull out on days where you just can't get it together. (of the two i prefer carols personally)