Preschool homeschooling?

[Mother2Amaya]

I have a 13-month-old and have known I wanted to homeschool since I got pregnant. What sort of things can i do with her now to gear her in that direction and when I should I start preschool type lessons?

I just don't know where to begin or when!

[mandib50]

Originally Posted by Mother2Amaya

I have a 13-month-old and have known I wanted to homeschool since I got pregnant. What sort of things can i do with her now to gear her in that direction and when I should I start preschool type lessons?

I just don't know where to begin or when!

you don't need to do anything other than to allow her to be herself and to have fun as she reaches "school age". just let her play and read to her and do all the normal things you would anyway, let her be a kid and when she's older then you can think about the homeschooling thing. it's great to be informed and educated and learn what you can but for now your daughter is fine. check out some great books and homeschooling sites to help you see the direction you might like to take in your homeschooling journey down the road.

relax!
mandi

[teachinmaof3]

ITA! Just play and have fun!!

She's totally not old enough for "lessons"! She just needs a great environment to learn and be able to explore. Sing songs, read books, take walks, play with puzzles, read books ( ), color, go to the zoo, bake cookies, etc.

Talk to her while you're doing things. When you see a butterfly say, "Look! See that orange butterfly?" She's just learned what a butterfly is and what the color orange looks like. When you are cooking dinner, talk to her about what you are doing, let her stir, etc.

She'll learn SOOOOO much by watching your everyday activities. If she sees you excited about life and learning...she'll catch that excitement!!

[crunchyconmomma]

okay, b/c i am LOUSY : at coming up with kid activities, i was easily suckered into getting this deck of cards that are called "mommy and me" sold at this great little boutique near me and they have activity ideas on them. they make them for birth to a year, 2 y/o's and for preschoolers. i have the 2 y/o deck now.

they have ideas like:

1. fill a bowl of water and let your tot put stuff in and talk about if it floats, sinks, dissolves, changes color, gets wetm stays dry, etc.

2. make fizz with baking soda and vinegar.

3. take your kids' play animals and hide them (difficulty appropriate to your kid and changing with development) and pretend they "escaped from the zoo" and your kid is the zookeeper.

4. freeze small toys in ice cubes or other small containers and put them in the tub when your kid takes a bath.

5. make a "shape or color fishing game" with a stick, string and a magnet and use the end caps from frozen juice for the fish. put a shape or color made of construction paper on the metal disk and toss them on the floor for your tot to fish for them.

6. take some family photos and put 3 to start (increase difficulty as needed) on the table. have tot close eyes and take one away. ask who is missing - "is it mommy, grandma or uncle bill?"

7. take contact paper, sticky side up and let your kiddo stick pieces of torn up colored tissue paper on it. stick another piece of contact, sticky side down, on top and you have a stained glass window.

there are lots of idea for things to do with paints, paper and playdough/clay (like make fossils with leaves, etc) but i am getting sick of typing b/c i hunt and peck! :LOL

the basic idea here is that with a tot, the WHOLE world is a classroom and EVERYTHING is a chance for big learning. so do some fun, simple things.

[crunchyconmomma]

i did NOT pay attention to how old your kiddo is when i typed all that

- mine is soon 3. but b/c it is such effort for my non-typing-patootie to do that, i am leaving it alone, and you can use those ideas in about a year!
for your tot, go on walks and explore everything (s)he picks up or sees. rub

a leaf, petal, feather on her cheek, touch scratchy bark, walk barefoot in the grass, roll down a hill, play in the rain. read books. simple, simple books.

[AngelBee]

Kate.....I want those cards. I think they sound kinda neat!

[rsps]

www.universalpreschool.com
has links to lots of info on how to do "preschool" at home.

[annettemarie]

You don't "have" to do anything.

Now is an excellent time to play with your little one, get to know her, her temperament, her learning style. It is also a good time to get to know yourself- what are your limits, what is your teaching style, how patient are you...

If you really want a "curriculum" I would recommend
- Slow and Steady Get Me Ready- one activity a week, with ideas of various ways to do it. Definitely on the pre-academic side as she gets older, but one book covers birth through 5

- You Are You Child's First Teacher- kind of a gentle intro to Waldorf education

- I have a mailing list that has free ideas. I try to get it out once a week, but that doesn't always happen!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Everyday_Waldorf/

[LeftField]

I think that you have an advantage in that your chid is so young. She won't be very receptive to lessons for years even, so it gives you plenty of time to get familiar with the different types of homeschooling. My oldest was also 1 when we decided to homeschool. I read a lot about the different approaches and hung out on boards like this, to kind of figure out all the different ways of doing things. The only downside to this (but I'll warn you that I'm an overthinker) is that I managed to overwhelm myself with all the homeschooling resources available. I felt like there was so much choice and it felt overwhelming, because I wanted to do it "right". As time went on and my child's learning style and temperment really started to become obvious, it was much easier to cross things off my mental list. I know that it's not for everyone, but we are big fans of unschooling right now. We just provide the environment and follow his lead.

I, personally, am not a fan of the worksheet and memorization approach. I think that it's much more important to foster creativity and a love of learning in the toddler years. There are so many preschoolers that can recite, "1 plus 1 is 2" but they have no idea of what that means. Instead, incorporate stuff into regular conversation, like the PP mention about pointing to the orange bird. When we do laundry, I can say, "Can you please pass me a black sock? Oh good, now I have two and they match."

I read to my kids a lot, from as early as they would pay attention. They loved a series of books called, "DK books" which were vocabulary books. They have, "My ABC book" and "My First Words Book", "My Farm Book". They contain simple glossy photographs with the word underneath. As 1yos, my kids loved to point to the pictures and ask me to identify them. Or like my ds2 now points and says, "keys!" or he does a monkey howl to the monkey's picture. My older son uses them to write unfamiliar words. The books have been so used that some are really starting to fall apart. I'm not into flashcards at all, but my kids would bring me these books and beg me to "read" them. We also read a wide variety of books, whatever they would sit for.

In addition to reading, I tried to give them space to learn on their own. My oldest used to like to balance hairbrushes at 1 (I have no idea why :LOL ). He also was very fond of tupperware. My youngest loves the pots in the cabinet and they both love the plastic funnels. Funnels are fun in the bath too. It sound silly, but kids can learn a lot about their physical world like this. My oldest has sensory sensitivities but my youngest will dump sand or mulch over his head at the first opportunity. We tried to expose them to sensory opportunities, like paint or water or sand. Again, it was just free play, to let them do what felt good. Recently, I put out paints for my then-18 month old. He had so much fun, but I"m glad I did it next to the bathtub; he lasted about 15 minutes, I think.

We took my oldest out and about much more than my youngest. He had a very mellow personality and I was a little bored. :LOL My youngest tags along with my oldest when we actually do things. The library always had a free storytime. Actually, ours does one for littles with music and songs. We sang a lot of songs to the kids and taught them the hand-motions for them; that was a huge hit.

We also started involving them in housework at this age, but only where interest was present. My kids loved to move laundry around. It didn't bug me and it developed into them bringing clean laundry to the couch and then handing me hangers. They loved to dust, even though they dusted things that didn't need it (like people, LOL). My 19 month old likes to help empty the dishwasher, although I have to be quick before he drops plates in his excitement.

In general, at 13 months, I, personally, would just try to foster a love of life through experiencing it, read books, provide sensory experiences, involve with housework where interest is present and foster creativity by allowing free play with simple toys and non-toys (e.g. funnels).

[Crunchier]

Ben was just under 2 when we decided to homeschool. At such an early age, it's more about exposing them to rich environments than doing lessons. Everything everyone else said, and you may want to consider signing with her too. Ben started signing at 16 months, and it was so very wonderful to be able to communicate with him. He didn't talk till he was 2. You will have to sign for a few months before she starts doing it back, but don't give up. Signing activates the speech centers in the brain, so that when your daughter does start talking, it will be much easier and faster for her. Ben went from 6 words to complete sentences in 6 months.

Some books I like for activities, though you may have to adapt them a bit for a little one are The Little Big Book for Moms (there's another one for dads, but we don't have it yet), and Fussbusters. We also have a big book of songs and rhymes that Ben just adores. And try to get out and do things together everyday.

[Embee]

Originally Posted by LeftField

I think that you have an advantage in that your chid is so young. She won't be very receptive to lessons for years even, so it gives you plenty of time to get familiar with the different types of homeschooling. My oldest was also 1 when we decided to homeschool. I read a lot about the different approaches and hung out on boards like this, to kind of figure out all the different ways of doing things.

Great advice. Age one was about the time DH and I started reading up as well. We started with Linda Dobson's Homeschooling Book of Answers a great place to start; A question/answer format with answers from an array of different types of homeschooling families. We read some John Holt, John Taylor Gatto, David Guterson, etc. All good and really helpful for us in tailoring our own approach/philosophy. The more we read, the more we were convinced that unschooling was the right approach for us. DS is 4 1/2 now and that notion has only been strengthened.

In general, the reading, discussing with others and such helped empower us about home/unschooling and so now that we are at a time when many children DS's age are off to preschool and then kindergarten, we're feeling confident in our decision to homeschool.

Beyond that, and as your DC gets into the toddler years, you might try to find some homeschooling companionship. I have taken care to get aquainted with our local homeschool community/network and make a few closer friends who are following the same or similar path. It serves a dual purpose of support for DH and I and also surrounding DS with a community that feels comfortable and on the same track. He has several friends in preschool that will be going off to public/private school and it was important for me to make sure we have some support in the homeschooling community as well so DS is well aware that while our choice may not be the more popular one, its a valid and NORMAL one. In the community where we live, there is a huge support in general for alternative education of all types so I feel monumentally blessed and thankful that so far, this has been very easy.

The best to you!
Em

[ShannonCC]

Originally Posted by Mother2Amaya

I have a 13-month-old and have known I wanted to homeschool since I got pregnant. What sort of things can i do with her now to gear her in that direction

Get to know other homeschoolers in your area and make friends so that when "all the other kids" start going to school you two won't be left alone, feeling like you're out of the loop Homeschool playgroups would be nice for this! We do a lot of park days We've self identified as "homeschoolers" since dd was about 2, so now that's she's "school age" almost all of her friends are homeschoolers and now her little brother is growing up surrounded by homeschoolers too. It's cool

when I should I start preschool type lessons?

Well, my answer would be "never" :LOL!

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I have no new advice to give, this is such a great thread already.
I do want to say that in our society, we tend to think in term of what we can "do" - once we make a decision. We want to actively take steps in that direction to affirm our decision. But sometimes it is best to no do anything at all - you are already on that course!

[hottmama]

I've known that I was going to unschool my kids since before I got pregnant. My son is now 2.5, and very verbal. He has NO spatial/math skills, though. I worry that he'll never understand even basic algebra, because his dad is horrible at math. I always enjoyed it and took calculus in high school before dropping out at 16 to get my GED. Other kids his age can count to 10+ and he sometimes can't go past 2- 4 is his max. He can't do simple shape sorters or puzzles. I don't want to push him, I ask him if he wants to count with me and he screams NO! And if I count anyways, he screams NO NO NO! He gets frustrated with puzzles and says, "Mommy do it!" I encourage him and give him tips (like, pssst- it's upside down!) but if he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to. We are starting to work on letters, which he's really interested in. If he loses interest, we'll drop it until he wants to try again. Most days we just play, read books when he wants to (my mom thinks I am abusing him by not reading to him 3 times a day every day), spend lots of time outside. I am anxious about him turning 3 in January as I think people'll start trying to pressure us into schooling him. The only time it comes up now is when people say "You'll have to quit BFing before he starts school" (hahaha).

[dharmamama]

I know how you feel! I was so anxious to homeschool that I tried to join a homeschool group when DD was 6 months old (they wouldn't accept me).

My suggestion, with a child so young, would be to do a weekly theme. Pick something, like butterflies, and read a book about it. Let her color/scribble a piece of construction paper and then cut it into the shape of a butterfly. Attend a butterfly garden in your area. If you do television, see if there are any children's videos with butterflies in them. Pretend to be butterflies. Cut her sandwich into a butterfly shape, etc.

That way, you aren't doing anything regimented that she isn't ready for but she will be learning and you will feel like you are doing something (I know how strong that urge can be!).

I second the idea of hoooking up woth other homeschooling families now, so that when your child is 2 or 3, all her friends won't suddenly disappear into preschool.

Namaste!

[LeftField]

Originally Posted by hottmama

I've known that I was going to unschool my kids since before I got pregnant. My son is now 2.5, and very verbal. He has NO spatial/math skills, though. I worry that he'll never understand even basic algebra, because his dad is horrible at math. I always enjoyed it and took calculus in high school before dropping out at 16 to get my GED. Other kids his age can count to 10+ and he sometimes can't go past 2- 4 is his max. He can't do simple shape sorters or puzzles. I don't want to push him, I ask him if he wants to count with me and he screams NO! And if I count anyways, he screams NO NO NO! He gets frustrated with puzzles and says, "Mommy do it!" I encourage him and give him tips (like, pssst- it's upside down!) but if he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to. We are starting to work on letters, which he's really interested in. If he loses interest, we'll drop it until he wants to try again. Most days we just play, read books when he wants to (my mom thinks I am abusing him by not reading to him 3 times a day every day), spend lots of time outside. I am anxious about him turning 3 in January as I think people'll start trying to pressure us into schooling him. The only time it comes up now is when people say "You'll have to quit BFing before he starts school" (hahaha).

Is counting to 10 and beyond really a typical 2yo skill? I thought the checklist for newly 3 was "counts to 3", but I'd have to go check again. And a lot of those 2yos have simply been drilled; they can recite it like they can sing the ABCs, but they don't actually grasp one-on-one correspondence, YK? I wouldn't worry about it, personally.

With the puzzles, and I say this with kindness, maybe he feels pressured and that's why he turns off there. You say that you sometimes count to 10 anyway and then he yells at you. Maybe he feels pressure in the whole spatial area, even though you have best intentions.

I know that my son's personality is like that, which is why we're going with unschooling. He's a perfectionist and he's very sensitive to any kind of perceived pressure. Once, he "read" a word by himself and so I called dh in. When dh came in, ds1 feigned ignorance on the whole thing. Just the act of me calling dh over with excitement was enough to turn him off. My advice, with kindness again, is to continue reading to him and make spatial toys available, but to drop the numbers/spatial initiatives for a while.

[hottmama]

We only have a couple puzzles, since he hates them. We also have a shape sorter we've had since he was <1 year. I never even get them out. It's usually only at friend's houses and such, he'll get a puzzle out and then get frustrated.
I don't know if counting to 10 is some sort of 2 yo milestone, I just know that his friends do it, joyfully, even. It used to be fun for Julian to count with me but he hates it now- I don't think I did it very often or pressured at all, it seems like he just decided he didn't like it. Oh well, I'm sure he'll count to ten someday, right?

[Pam_and_Abigail]

My dd is 33 mos and she can only count to two, plus she can't say "one" (she has a generic word for all other numbers that sounds like 'eight').

[LeftField]

Originally Posted by hottmama

I don't know if counting to 10 is some sort of 2 yo milestone, I just know that his friends do it, joyfully, even. It used to be fun for Julian to count with me but he hates it now- I don't think I did it very often or pressured at all, it seems like he just decided he didn't like it. Oh well, I'm sure he'll count to ten someday, right?

First of all, I want to let you know that I'm not judging you. I can really identify with what you're saying. But the fact that you are internally noting that his peers are joyfully counting suggests that it's somewhat important to you. And that may cause you to give off some subtle vibe to your son. And that subtle vibe may be perceived as a form of pressure or obligation on his part. And, depending on his personality, may cause him to push back.

He is really really young and he may simply know that he has little to no need to recite numbers right now. I guess the unschoolers would say to follow his lead and trust him to develop this when he needs it. At the risk of offending others, for the typical 2yo, this is simply a parlor trick to please others or, at best, a form of singing. My son would never perform for people. Sometimes it was frustrating to me, because I knew that he knew how to do it. Then, I had to take a step back and think about who was the most invested in this (me).

In your first post, you said that he had NO spatial or math skills. Obviously, I don't know your child IRL, but I wouldn't make that statement based on the fact that he's not interested in memorizing number sequences at age 2. Singing the ABC song early does not constitute actually knowing the alphabet or predict advanced reading. Similarly, being coached to recite 1-10 does not necessarily constitute real math skills or predict future math ability. As for the puzzles, some kids love them and some could care less. I've read posts on gifted boards in which people said their highly gifted child always loathed puzzles. Your son could very well have your math skills and interest; it seems too early to worry about it.

When he gets frustrated with the puzzles, does he move on or does he want help? If this is something that he really wants to do, maybe he just wants some adult company. My son is a puzzler. With a new puzzle, he always wanted us to do it with him the first few times. And it had to be a picture of something that he really loved. But he also went through months and months of zero interest. If your son takes your suggestions enthusiastically (e.g. the piece being upside down), then I'd say to sit with him and do it with him. But if his reaction to your suggestions is that of frustration, then I'd, personally, say to let it go.

If you want to ensure that he is surrounded by spatial/math type opportunities, there are other things that you may or may not have considered. The first thing that jumps out to me, in terms of spatial reasoning, is building blocks. If he likes arts and crafts, there is a Math Arts book by Mary Ann Kohl that is geared to preschoolers. But again, to me anyway, age 2 seems super young to worry about any of this. I'd just keep his general environment well-rounded (outdoors, clay/playdough, crayons, building blocks, dolls, cars, a few puzzles, books, music, etc) and I'd let him direct his interest without my expectations being present. I'm sure you're a fabulous homeschooling Mom; just continue to show him through example and play, that learning is fun. He will do it in his own time. HTH!

[flyingspaghettimama]

I started doing Montessori-type activities with my daughter at home when she was around 2 and a half. We mostly played phonemic awareness games (I'm pointing to something that starts with the sound /m/ and be pointing to a mirror). She looooved that. There is a book called Montessori Read and Write; and Montessori Play and Learn that have a ton activities for at home. And like other posters said, dusting is one of them. The most important thing is to follow the child...all of the learning in our home we do as games. I send her to a montessori school during the mornings, but mostly to socialize. I figure I will end up teaching her most things at home anyways throughout her life.

Regarding math anxiety...I would really, really recommend reading the Marilyn Burns books on math, just for the philosophy - it's really aimed at the elementary-age child. She explains why so many of us were turned off by math - and a lot of it is due to this right/wrong approach and focus on doing ridiculous problems that have no connection with the real world. Ick! But her Marilyn Burns readers have really great math games for parent-child to play together in the back. They're very fun.

My daughter also hates puzzles. Always has. She can count to a thousand by tens though and do world problems in her head. I don't think she could count to ten reliably until age 3 - it's really memorizing the words in correct order. The other important thing is connecting the number with an object - three jacks means three of each jack, and this usually does not developmentally occur until around three? I think each child is unique and puzzles don't have much to do with math ability. I hate puzzles and "school math" too - but I love researching investments, dealing with debt, and finding a good mortgage. It's about finding a math that interests you - and for my daughter it's just counting. I have no idea why!