Kindergarten Ideas

[lunabelly]

Hi all, 

I'm pulling ds out of kindergarten next week because it's crushing his love of learning. I'm hoping we'll find a better school for him in the fall, but in the mean time, I just want him to re-gain his love of learning. Right now he's really afraid to do any activities because he's afraid his teacher will shout at him for doing it wrong (which she does). 

There's so much information out there that I'm feeling overwhelmed, and I'm wondering if you have suggestions for fun learning activities? I'm planning on having a library day, telling math stories, writing letters to friends, doing science experiments, and playing board games, but that's all I've got in my repertoire. I am not very crafty at all! 

I guess dh is afraid that ds will fall behind, so I want to allay dh's fears a little bit, too. 

Thanks!

Tricia

[danube]

Wow, that was a mean teacher!

How about some art activities, like painting or drawing? It might help your son express his feeling and get over that teacher. You don't have to be particularly crafty.

[lunabelly]

Yes! All of the art at his school was cut and paste, so I want him to be able to get messy.

[CrunchyMama19]

Originally Posted by lunabelly 

Yes! All of the art at his school was cut and paste, so I want him to be able to get messy.

This is one of the many reasons we are probably pulling my DD out of kindergarten, the only art is coloring pre-drawn pictures! I found a great website called www.kinderart.com , lots of great ideas. The other day we did Jackson Pollock style paintings outside in the driveway and she loved it! I also find it helpful to just have lots of craft and art supplies on hand that she can pull out whenever she wants and let her do her own thing (crayons, paper, paint, sponges, scissors, glue, pastels, chalk, pencils, modeling clay, stamps, ect.)

[Emaye]

For art, I have also enjoyed using http://www.deepspacesparkle.com for art projects.  Loads of fun ideas there.  Don't feel like you have to  pack your day with stuff.  Your son can also do his own things.  Explore his surroundings, work on an art project, creating his own play etc...  

Take a step back and let your days unfold and see how it goes first before you start filling it with stuff.  See what he is capable of doing on his own and then supplement his activities. Good luck :) 

[pek64]

Art

Clay
Glue and glitter
Crayons, coloring books, paper


Science

Magic School Bus books
Daisies and colored water
Oil and colored water
water and objects of different densities


Language Arts

Books of all sorts!
Read to your child daily!
Make up stories
Talk about all sorts of things (using proper grammar)


Music

Listen to all sorts of music


PhysEd

Outdoor games of various types


I think you get the idea

[lunabelly]

Thanks so much for these suggestions! It's going really well so far. He vetoes anything that sounds too much like school, but this morning he asked to make crepes, and now he knows how many tablespoons are in a 1/2 cup-- oh, and we listened to jazz. 

=) Tricia

[danielnathan]

Why dont you consider homeschooling him, it sounds as if it suits you very well...hehe! Something to consider hey! My boy is 4, and I had him in a school one morning, the teacher smacked his hand because he did not want to hold the pencil correctly. As he has NEVER been in a school, and I have never forced him, I was very upset. Now he went to a holiday club and the teacher was going on because he cannot cut well. Mmm, I am homeschooling him, where he enjoys learning at HIS PACE. Good luck. I just love this webpage, super ideas. http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/category/art