Pulling DD Out of Preschool~Planning on Sonlight...But WHICH One?!?!

[SparklingGemini]

I've always intended to homeschool DD past preschool and just decided to enroll her in preschool for fun and the social experience.

But we've had issue after issue with the school and I'll be pulling her after the winter break, in about three weeks.

My plan is to begin a loose HSing regimen at the point. 

We have nearly all the read-alouds from Sonlight P3/4, P4/5 and K.  I just love the story options.

But I'd like to get one of the Instructor's Guides because we have a new baby coming and I don't want to have to worry about planning curriculum and related activities.

I'm just stuck on which IG to get. 

DD is a very early reader, so I want to encourage her without pushing her.  And I think that whatever we get, we'll stick with next year as well.

Any thoughts?

Or other suggestions?  I'm pretty open....

[JudyW]

Originally Posted by SparklingGemini 

I've always intended to homeschool DD past preschool and just decided to enroll her in preschool for fun and the social experience.

But we've had issue after issue with the school and I'll be pulling her after the winter break, in about three weeks.

My plan is to begin a loose HSing regimen at the point. 

We have nearly all the read-alouds from Sonlight P3/4, P4/5 and K.  I just love the story options.

But I'd like to get one of the Instructor's Guides because we have a new baby coming and I don't want to have to worry about planning curriculum and related activities.

I'm just stuck on which IG to get. 

DD is a very early reader, so I want to encourage her without pushing her.  And I think that whatever we get, we'll stick with next year as well.

Any thoughts?

Or other suggestions?  I'm pretty open....

Congratulations on your new baby! 

How about doing P4/5 (http://www.sonlight.com/PCG.html) with K Readers (http://www.sonlight.com/KRP.html)? The Language Arts K (http://www.sonlight.com/KLG.html) contains phonics instruction.

You can spend lots of time reading out loud with her ... and let her work through the Readers at her own pace. It's a nice way to begin to introduce just a bit of formal scheduling without overwhelming or burning her out. And reading time is flexible ... you can do it while you're feeding the baby, or cuddling just before nap-time.

Sonlight's Instructor's Guides were a life-saver for me when our kids were younger. Some 14 years of doing Sonlight later, I've not regretted our choice. It is so nice to have the planning and scheduling all done for you.

~Judy

[umsami]

The IGs are really really basic in the early years.  I think when you get to Kindy (exploring the world? or some such thing), you finally get into a more of a routine.  They now have three week samples of the IGs on Sonlight--so I'd definitely take a look.  Also, there was a Sonlight Preschool Yahoo Group which had a free IG that one of the members had made up...might be worth taking a look.

Honestly, at this age... you're basically just reading and playing.  Playdough...arts and crafts... listening to music...listening to stories.  Even if she's an early reader...take it slow.  There is so much to be gained by being read to, as well as reading.  I honestly think that Sonlight has such good lists--that I'd start further back rather than rushing ahead.  There really is no hurry.  

Rather than a true IG, I'd honestly try and set a weekly and daily rhythm/routine.  So Mondays might be coloring, Tuesday is play dough, Wednesday is a music group, Thursday is baking with Mom, Friday is the library group.  Then work on getting your daily rhythm...it might be very loose that when the baby takes a nap, you guys cuddle and read.... or that after lunch, everybody goes for a walk.

New babies can be challenging, but you'll be surprised at how much your preschooler wants to help you with the baby....and will learn from that experience too.  I remember all of my kids (boys included) have lifted up their shirts to breastfeed their stuffed animals.   They all want to get diapers and talk to the baby...and help pick up things so that the baby doesn't get hurt once they're crawling...etc.  

[3littlelambs]

We are planning on doing Sonlight as well. I've got a 4yo and a 2yo so I'm trying to hold off until they can both do P4/5 together (planning on it for my oldest's Kindy year). I've seen a little of the P3/4 guide and basically it just says...."read such and such book..." I think the P4/5 has more activities and the yahoo sonlight groups guide that someone else mentioned looks really good too. I think I will end up using that one once we are ready for P4/5. Right now we are doing an online curriculum that I really love: http://www.abcjesuslovesme.com/ She plans out the whole thing for you, so it's great if you don't want to do a lot of planning. I also do some of the Before Five in a Row series and there are lots of things on this site that will help you with that: http://homeschoolshare.com/  One more idea....if you check out the Sonlight site too, they have a forum that helps you with choosing curriculum, and it is great too. Good luck!

[Tjej]

We have and are using K this year.  The guide just breaks the books down into bite-sized portions (a couple of poems and a couple of pages of history/geography a day, then a chapter of a read aloud a day, and one Bible verse a week, along with Bible reading).  There are extra questions for the history book (and science, if you buy that portion), and there are often things you can easily do from the science reading or the history/geography.  There aren't many actual projects listed.  Oh, and there are vocabulary explainations and questions for the chapter books, along with maps for most stuff that show where stuff is taking place in what you read.

It is really easy to just look at the week's stuff and do it.  Not a lot to plan.  It helps me feel like we are keeping on track. 

The K readers we have (which are old, so I don't know if they still use them in the current kit) might be too easy if your DD has been reading.  They don't start using them until week 10 or so of K, and they are "Tim is a ram.  Tim tips his hat." type-readers.

I like it.  We generally end up doing our week of stuff in 2 days - Monday and Friday - besides the chapter book.  It's pretty short, and my kids are always up for more than 2 pages of anything.  But we end up doing other things other days - I like First Language Lessons, and then there is math and there are classes the kids take.  If it weren't broken down by week I would hardly believe that is how much they expect in a week.  It seems so easy, and Sonlight is supposed to be a pretty "full" cirriculum, from what I've heard.

HTH

Tjej

Edited by Tjej - 11/26/11 at 10:04am

[onyxravnos]

sounds like the p4/p5 IG wouldn't help you at all it has very little in it so I would at least get the K guide. 

it's very very basic ass other posters said. But it can give you a spine to give you 'something' each day.