Where to start?

[lizard]

I have a almost 5 year old that I'd like to start homeschooling. I know very
little about it, and was wondering if you could recommend some books or point
me in the right direction to get started. What would be a good curriculum for
kinder?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[milehighmonkeys]

Go to your local library and check out the "What my____ grader should know". I'm not sure that's the exact title, but that's the gist of it.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by lizard

I have a almost 5 year old that I'd like to start homeschooling. I know very little about it, and was wondering if you could recommend some books or point me in the right direction to get started. What would be a good curriculum for kinder?

This article describes some of my own suggestions for that age - I put it together after many years of seeing the question come up: preschool/kindergarten.

Here are links to a few getting started resources that simplify it a bit.

A good book to begin with would be Linda Dobson's Homeschooling, the Early Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8- Year-Old Child.

And you'll find a lot of ideas on my page about preschool/kindergarten activities. The top section is links to articles about that age, and underneath the box of articles are annotated links to websites that have lots of ideas for things to do with young children.

I'd definitely hold off on buying any curriculum - you'll find your ideas changing in all sorts of ways as you go. Take your time - and have fun! Lillian

[ebethmom]

I would recommend popping in over at the Five in a Row site. They have downloads from talks that Steve Lambert has given at past HS conferences. One is intended for people considering homeschooling.

[heket]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

This article describes some of my own suggestions for that age - I put it together after many years of seeing the question come up: preschool/kindergarten.

Here are links to a few getting started resources that simplify it a bit.

A good book to begin with would be Linda Dobson's Homeschooling, the Early Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8- Year-Old Child.

And you'll find a lot of ideas on my page about preschool/kindergarten activities. The top section is links to articles about that age, and underneath the box of articles are annotated links to websites that have lots of ideas for things to do with young children.

I'd definitely hold off on buying any curriculum - you'll find your ideas changing in all sorts of ways as you go. Take your time - and have fun! Lillian

Start here.

Go to your local library and see what books they have about it. I bet you'll be surprised.

Think about it. Something will probably gel within you. Research local groups and state associations (if any.) Ask more questions, get answers and probably have even more questions.

FWIW, we're planning to start homeschooling this fall with an early 5yo. We're also going to our local hs'ing conference in August to get us primed and ready to go.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by heket

Go to your local library and see what books they have about it. I bet you'll be surprised.

And here's a homeschool association's page that describes some of the more popular ones - Books about Homeschooling and Learning - it's a long list with several sections. The book descriptions link to the Amazon pages where you can find out more and "look inside" and/or "search inside" them to get a feel for them or to authors' sites where you can find out more and oftentimes read excerpts. If you see some that especially appeal to you, you can look for them at the library and/or ask your librarian to get them for you. Librarians these days are often quite eager to help homeschoolers get the resources they're looking for. And it's really nice to go ahead and also buy some to have on hand to refer to - because it's funny, but you'll have a different way of understanding things as you go along. There can be a bit of stress hovering around at first that filters ideas coming in - especially those ideas that suggest a more relaxed approach.

- Lillian

[jplain]

I was going to say "Start with Lillian J's website," but I see that it has already been suggested.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by jplain

I was going to say "Start with Lillian J's website," but I see that it has already been suggested.

Yeah, I'm usually pretty quick to open threads marked "preschool" or "kindergarten" or "start." Lillian