Couple of questions about kindergarten

[mama*pisces]

1, What does/did a typical day look like with your kindergartner? I'm trying to gather fresh perspective, particularly for mornings: I tend to be a slow starter and kind of resist just jumping right into the day, and my ds is just gogogo from the moment he gets up. I've been relying on tv lately, which I don't like, and want to ditch that habit before it gets any worse. I would like to hear about the rest of your typical day also, though.

2, What is your favorite learning activity/craft/whatever that you did with your kindergartner? Something that he/she loved to do and got a lot out of, or that you feel your school year would have been incomplete without it?

Thanks, all.
 

[zebra15]

When my son was that age he would play for hours with blocks and LEGO'S,

[Stacey B]

No two of our days are the same. But usually we have breakfast, read a story or do some art, he plays while I clean or check my email, we pack up a lunch for our day and we head out in the city (or we stay home with a project or playing).

As for materials that are key for us:

Cuisenare Rods

Pattern Blocks

Art Museum Membership

Water Color Paints

Library Card

Globe

Writing paper with the top section left for drawing

Bus Tickets

Everything else is incidental in our learning life.

[mama*pisces]

I didn't really know what Cuisenare rods were, thanks! Definitely planning on getting some of those and some pattern blocks.
 

Originally Posted by Stacey B 

No two of our days are the same. But usually we have breakfast, read a story or do some art, he plays while I clean or check my email, we pack up a lunch for our day and we head out in the city (or we stay home with a project or playing).

As for materials that are key for us:

Cuisenare Rods

Pattern Blocks

Art Museum Membership

Water Color Paints

Library Card

Globe

Writing paper with the top section left for drawing

Bus Tickets

Everything else is incidental in our learning life.

[Red Pajama]

We did kindergarten last year with my twins.  I began by looking at the state curriculum to see what was expected, and then created my own goals around that. Much will depend on your starting point.

Having an educational catalog like lakeshore learning http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/home/home.jsp?f=ya&adword=Comp

was a real benefit for me. It gave me ideas for what I wanted to purchase, as well as what I wanted to make on my own.  If your local library has a subscription to the Mailbox magazine, they have a kindergarten specefic one that is helpful, too. It's got learning games ideas, connections and activities with stories, and other neat things one might not think of on their own.

Things we actually used:

lots of lined and unlined paper, super wide ruled (purchased at walmart in the craft/school area)

pattern blocks

unifix cubes

place value blocks

judy clocks

ruler/tapemeasure

clipboards

dice games/counting games

phonics/reading readiness games/sight word matching games

art easel and paints

we had workbooks for phonics, and halfway through the year a math workbook

we wrote letters to family members, journaled, and practiced a lot of sight words.

My big focus on the year was learning to read.

we also spent a lot of time in the woods, at my mother's house, not feeling guilty about not "doing school"

[Lillian J]

By far the most valuable thing I remember about my son's kindergarten - he was in a Waldorf school then - was the time spent outdoors in imaginative play with other children. That's the thing the school year would have not have been complete without. There were fairy tales, crafts, songs, ceremonies and festivals, making soup and bread, indoor imaginative play with lots of little figures and scarves, etc. - but the most imagination building element was the outdoor imaginative play with other children. He's grown now, and I still feel very strongly about that having been much more important during those early years than anything else.

Lillian

[SweetSilver]

Oh, the joys of a tape measure!  Especially a big 100' one to measure out the big whales with!  I was always fond of the "science backpack" with magnifying glass, binoculars, guide book, sketch pad, colored pencils.  It was hilarious fun to watch our very little girls "do science" in their own way when we went for walks.

We love the guide books and big coffee-table size books that they can peer through on their own time, which is most of the day.  Smithsonian's "Rock and Gem", a book on prehistoric life, a horse/dog/cat/chicken breed book, whatever.

We love the pattern blocks too.  It's a great right-brained way to explore shapes.  Hint: use a yoga mat to lay them on and the "picture blocks" (as we call them) won't slip.

Good rain and mud-proof pants and other excellent outdoor gear.  Some folks like to say "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing."  Well, mostly anyway.

Books they will be encouraged to read on their own.  Right now we love the Garfield books.  Reading the noises has really helped my read-by-sight-recognition daughter slow down and sound it out.  (But that's not why I picked those, it just happened.)  Sometimes the reading-lesson books can be, um, underwhelming.  Some kids don't care whether they can read every word or not.  So, get what they want to read, even if it is beyond their skill level if yours is one of those kids.

We still do a lot of family reading.  (Because it's fun, but...)  It pushes the boundaries of their listening skills, especially when we read harder books that happen to be engrossing.

Make sure the clock on your wall is a big one.  Keep it lightweight and inexpensive so you can haul it down whenever they ask.

BTW, I think our "academic" learning mostly happens in the evening and daytime is mostly play.  That's just how it works out.  Right now we do about 5 minutes of stargazing before climbing into bed.  The girls hurry with teethbrushing etc. so that they will have time for this.

[LuxPerpetua]

For us, we do a 1 hour Waldorf circle time each day using a variety of resources but mainly Little Acorn Learning.  Our circle time consists of singing, dancing, praying, me doing a story on a felt board with pictures I've drawn and laminated, and then handwork.  Our handwork activity varies by the day:  M-drawing, Tu-logic games (Set, Thinkfun games), W-clay modeling, Th-special craft or game, F-breadbaking.  After circle we eat lunch, followed by rest and a fairy tale, and then we do afternoon handwork for an hour: M-baking/cooking, Tu-cleaning, W-nature walk, Th-wet on wet painting, F-free crafting.  We don't do anything overtly academic, yet dd is teaching herself to read and draw really well.  Her gross motor skills rock and she knows a lot more about nature and theology than most adults.  My dh is a polymer chemist/engineer so every Wednesday night is kitchen science night.  I think great art and craft supplies, including a hallway lined with easel paper for doodling, great musical instruments, and lots of parental enthusiasm are essential for us.  I always do handwork with dd, and her artistic skills are amazing for her age.

[Stacey B]

I forgot two things that are super important to us. Really comfortable shoes, we do a lot of walking around town, and hiking in the near by mountains. Also our friends, not only do we spend a lot of time with some other homeschooling families but my DS has friendships and relationships with adult friends of ours as well.

[Grace and Granola]

I wanted to chime in to address your feelings of not being a get-up-and-go kinda girl in the morning, because I am the same!  I used to let the kids have their TV time in the mornings because it let me get going.  I realized after a few years of that pattern that I didn't want that to be a life-long habit.  I thought it would be torture to get them out of the habit because I have a 6 year old who absolutely loves the TV, but it really wasn't hard at all.  First, I just told them that we were going to plan our school day together and first off we are going to change our TV time to "free time."  That free time was going to be after lunch and it could be used for TV, playing outside, toys, anything.  This not only helped change the time, it also completely eliminated TV on some days, because sometimes they choose playing outside!  imagine that! 

The other thing I did at the same time was initiate a chore chart.  I had wanted to get the kids doing some routine work around the house and this fit in perfectly with our schedule change.  Now, when the boys wake up, they are to get dressed, brush teeth and do one chore which is on a chart put up in their rooms.  The chore varies from day to day so they don't get bored and so far they really like it.  It takes them about a half hour to do those three things in the morning, and then I tell them after that chore is done they can have some free play time until breakfast is ready.  This gives me my time to get up and get going. They usually choose legos or playing with cars.  My boys are 4 and 6 and they wake up around 7:30 every day.  I try to be up and have breakfast ready around 8:30 so we can start our school stuff at 9. 

[mama*pisces]

I had no idea I had gotten this many replies! lol Thanks ladies! Lots to think about. I love the idea of a science backpack!!