New to This - K Curriculum?

[elyag]

I need some help or direction I guess you could say. I have no idea where to start. My daughter will start school next year (she turned 4 about three weeks ago). We used to be pretty dedicated to teaching her (alphabet, counting, etc.) It was mainly through playing (alphabet magnets, tracing letters with a wipe away letter cards, etc). She loves to work in workbooks and we have a few of those as well.

She's pretty advanced for her age and is a very quick learner if I'm there to guide her. And honestly, (I really hate to admit it but I do confess) shortly after I got pregnant and since the baby has been born I really haven't been doing much of anything in the learning department except for what she does on her own. I can tell she's bored and craving some fun educational things to work on. I'm starting to feel pretty guilty at this point because she enjoys learning so much.

I think going by some sort of curriculum will help both of us. I've looked online at some preK curriculums just looking around but she's beyond that level it seems from everything I've looked at. So I guess I'm wondering if anyone can point me to some good K curriculums? It's not going to be one of things I'm going to be strict about her doing but maybe a few days a week and if she asks herself.

TIA!!

[Lisa1970]

You really do not need curriculum for her.

Countries where kids start school later are the ones where the kids test the highest in the later years. Think about the long term goals. It really has been shown over and over again that stressing children out early hinders their growth later. Plus, all the time spent on programs in the early years prevents key developmental steps that are essential for long term success. I am talking about sensory, creativity, exploration, learning to learn, thinking, etc.

Unless your child is asking for workbooks or something, I would forget it. Grow a garden, dig in the dirt, do some fun science experiments, go to the park, meet up with friends, etc etc. She will get way more out of that. Teach her things that will improve her fine motor skills too, like cutting with scissors. Buy lots of art and craft supplies and let her loose on that. That sort of thing.

[kgianforti]

Check out the Fall Kindergarten Thread:

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho....php?t=1258816

You can find all sorts of ideas in there!!

[elyag]

Originally Posted by Lisa1970

You really do not need curriculum for her.

Countries where kids start school later are the ones where the kids test the highest in the later years. Think about the long term goals. It really has been shown over and over again that stressing children out early hinders their growth later. Plus, all the time spent on programs in the early years prevents key developmental steps that are essential for long term success. I am talking about sensory, creativity, exploration, learning to learn, thinking, etc.

Unless your child is asking for workbooks or something, I would forget it. Grow a garden, dig in the dirt, do some fun science experiments, go to the park, meet up with friends, etc etc. She will get way more out of that. Teach her things that will improve her fine motor skills too, like cutting with scissors. Buy lots of art and craft supplies and let her loose on that. That sort of thing.

See that's the thing. She *is* asking for those kinds of things. She loves to sit down with me and work on her workbooks. We've done alot of things you have mentioned (she's a master scissor cutter and gardner ). She's bored with those things now.

I am in no way a teacher and when she was younger, it was easy for me and ideas. Now that she's older and pretty advanced for her age, I guess having something to go by would give me some *ideas* on what we can work on. I am in no way starting her on a regular school program. I am not pressuring her into something she doesn't want to do. If she wants to do something one day, great! If not, I'm not going to force her. I've always let her take the lead and she's excelling at a pace I'm not able to keep up with and I'm starting to feel intimated because I'm not sure where to go from here. She gets bored pretty easily and loses interest if not challenged. Everyone who knows her always jokes that even though she's 4, it seems like she's really 10.

[elyag]

Originally Posted by kgianforti

Check out the Fall Kindergarten Thread:

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho....php?t=1258816

You can find all sorts of ideas in there!!

Thanks! I've been looking through it and getting some good ideas. I appreciate it!!

[kgianforti]

Your dd and my big girl sound a lot alike. And I use curriculum. I have all sorts of resources for her from workbooks to manipulatives to art supplies to books to computer stuff to a globe/atlas, etc.

I listed most of what we are using in the Fall Kindergarten Thread. We are K4 and my big girl is also very advanced (mainly in math and science) and aggressive/quick learner (she has been asking for "harder school" lately too).

[eastkygal]

Originally Posted by elyag

See that's the thing. She *is* asking for those kinds of things. She loves to sit down with me and work on her workbooks. We've done alot of things you have mentioned (she's a master scissor cutter and gardner ). She's bored with those things now.

I am in no way a teacher and when she was younger, it was easy for me and ideas. Now that she's older and pretty advanced for her age, I guess having something to go by would give me some *ideas* on what we can work on. I am in no way starting her on a regular school program. I am not pressuring her into something she doesn't want to do. If she wants to do something one day, great! If not, I'm not going to force her. I've always let her take the lead and she's excelling at a pace I'm not able to keep up with and I'm starting to feel intimated because I'm not sure where to go from here. She gets bored pretty easily and loses interest if not challenged. Everyone who knows her always jokes that even though she's 4, it seems like she's really 10.

My DD1 is like this too. we were going to delay "academics" until 6 or 7 as I am very fond of the Waldorf approach to education and I see that it works beautifully. However, DD1 has asked to be "taught" and she loves workbooks. She wants to know how to read and count and write. It doesn't stress her out to "do school" as she calls it. In fact, it stresses her out not to. She is a great artist, loves music... she takes dance lessons and loves those. So, I am using Rod and Staff right now. I'm using it because I like the domestic and nature focus of the curriculum while still giving workbook lessons. They are an anabaptist curriculum, but for us it works well.
I also like what I've seen of Oak Meadow. I'm kind of torn as to what to use next year because I want to do a lax year around schedule... taking breaks as we seem to need them. Oak Meadow is very seasonal starting in fall through spring.
I think now, more than anything following my child's lead is the important thing, and to support her in her request to learn. Not to stifle it by bringing in too much or frustrate her by trying to make her wait. I don't know that DD2 will be ready for academics as soon as DD1 has been, and I will follow her lead too.

[elyag]

Thanks everyone! I've been looking at alot of curriculums mentioned here and in the K Thread. So far I really like Oak Meadows but I still have more research and looking around to do. Thank you all for your help! This is exactly what I was looking for.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by Lisa1970

Unless your child is asking for workbooks or something, I would forget it. Grow a garden, dig in the dirt, do some fun science experiments, go to the park, meet up with friends, etc etc. She will get way more out of that. Teach her things that will improve her fine motor skills too, like cutting with scissors. Buy lots of art and craft supplies and let her loose on that. That sort of thing.

Everything a child is exposed to at her age is educational - it's all new to her. A walk out in nature or even just in the neighborhood is full of new things to learn about - the sky, stars, clouds and weather changes, position of the sun during the day and the various seasons, the various kinds of plants and trees, bugs, spider webs, learning to hop and skip, drawing on the driveway with chalk, collecting natural objects (seeds and seed cones, dried leaves, twigs, etc.) to make crafts with, bubbles, block building, puzzles, making paint stamps with potatoes, making things (castles and forts, cars, dioramas) with boxes, etc., etc... A curriculum will get her focused into skills that will be useful for her some day, but there are a whole lot of more pertinent activities she can get something out of right now. Lillian