[~*max*~]

Hi learning-at-school mamas. There's something I have been thinking about & wonder if any of you could help. Ds is entering a charter school for kindergarten this fall. He is very excited. He has had an extremely positive preschool experience. He loves school and learning. He has had some difficulties in the past w/his allergies effecting his ability to learn, but that is stable now and he seems to be caught up. I want to continue providing a rich learning environment over the summer, and am looking for some ideas of things to focus on (in a fun way of course) that will help him in kindergarten. He is learning to read (Bob Books are amazing!), and write. Pencil grip is still a challenge for him - so we will definately work on that. He enjoys being read to. We do lots of nature exploring. He is very interested in volcanoes, and other natural disasters, dinosaurs, weather. He can count to 100, w/help w/the 10's (30, 40, 50, etc.) We are learning some simple sign language. Any other ideas? What would be really helpful for him to know entering k?

Oh, and please don't think I am one of those over-driven mothers, putting pressure to advance on my kids. It is not like that at all. Ds and dd really enjoy learning through play & creativity, and I like to have game plans in mind. And given that my ds has had problems in the past, and still suffers when his allergies are bothering him, my "homeschooling" in conjuction w/his preschool has made a big difference for him.

TIA for any thoughts & ideas.

 

[flyingspaghettimama]

Dorling Kindersley Readers (DKReaders) makes some nice disaster- and dino-related readers, probably available on amazon or Barnes and Nobles. Definitely harder than BOB books but might be interesting enough for the challenge. We like to read them together, taking turns on pages or sentences. My daughter is into that stuff as well.

From the schools I've visited, I think your son will be quite ahead when he goes into Kindergarten, I wouldn't worry about it at all. Most teachers do NOT expect children to be able to read at all when they enter K.

It might be fun to focus on things he will probably not get much of in school, like art, music, and natural exploration (as you suggested). Maybe a quick summer camp on any of these? My city has lots of one-week or couple-day options.

 

[thoesly]

It sounds like your son would really like the science-for-kids type of books. I have some that include things like building an ant farm, experimenting with the sun (ice melting, making rainbows, etc), making rain art, leaf and twig jewelry, that kind of thing. The library should have a good selection. My son just finished kindergarten, and expectations are pretty high for the *end* of the year, but it sounds like your little guy is well-prepared now. Encouraging his love of learning is probably the best thing you can do right now.

 

[~*max*~]

Thank you loraeileen and thoesly. That is reassuring, and I will definately look for the books you both recomended. I appreciate your replies.

 

[2GR8KIDS]

My son is just finishing kindergarten at a very demanding public school. I think your son's interests/strengths will be a great foundation for him in kindergarten My son really benefitted from the fact that he could read going into the year. As PPs have recommended, when your son is ready, you can try moving from BOB books to other readers on topics that interest your son- my son loves the Magic Tree House series and the DK Eyewitness books. Also, any fun way you can find to emphasize phonics is helpful as the kids move on to spelling. My son is the youngest in his class, and his age has shown in his handwriting- it sounds like your son might also have some issues here as well. Keep finding "fun" reasons for him to write (keep a journal, or a science notebook, or make lists, or whatever interests him). Although I don't like the "workbook" approach to learning, I have been using the Handwriting Without Tears kindergarten workbook to help with his writing-it only requires about 5 minutes a day and we only do it a couple times a week. I also feel that my son's writing improves as he spends more time doing legos, zoobs, drawing, etc., so these are other fun ways to build finger strength. Good luck to your son!

 

[yogamama]

Writing on a chalkboard or large pieces of paper taped to the wall can help with correct holding of a pencil/marker. I just learned this today in a meeting with an occupational therapist at my son's school...

 

[~*max*~]

Great tip. Thank you yogamama.