[3inclothdiapers]

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting over here; usually I'm in the diapering area. My oldest is 4 1/2, so she wouldn't be due to start Kindergarten for another year. But, since we are wanting to try homeschooling out, dh and I figured starting some kind of homeschooling routine this year would give us a better idea of how it's going to work and if we like it (if it just doesn't work out we haven't lost any time and she can still start Kindergarten on time next year; though I'm REALLY wanting to homeschool!).

Anyway, I'm the type that needs a set routine in order to stick with something. Not necessarily a super strict daily schedule, but a general routine. Otherwise I get lazy. Dd really enjoys her workbooks (we have a few pre-K workbooks that she enjoys) so once in a while we get those out. But I noticed that sometimes in the workbooks it's just busy work and she's not really learning anything new. Or I'm having to practically tell her the answer so who knows. I know there's WAY more to learning than just doing busy work but I need some ideas. I have 2 other children, soon to be 3, so whatever we do will have to work well with caring for them as well. My 3-year-old will probably want to join in activities too.

Ok, this is getting to be too long of a post. Please give me advice on routines! For example, how much time do you spend doing something structured? Do you have a set day to go to the library each week? Do you do a lot of crafts? (If so, do you find your kids' rooms cluttered up with crafts and wish you hadn't spent the money to buy the stuff to make the crafts, and then sneak some of them into the trash when they are asleep???

). I am going to try to cut back on my internet time some, so I really don't want have to spend a ton of time on various different websites. Some of them are overwhelming and have way too many links. I guess maybe I am kind of a cookie-cutter kind of person, not a write-your-own curriculum kind of person. So, advice in that direction would be good.

Thanks!

 

[chalupamom]

I didn't want to read and not post so I'm posting just to say that I'll be back! I do have some suggestions for you and responses to your comments. It's late (for me) at the moment and I am too tired to be of much use right now.

So I'll catch you soon!

 

[mccelticmom]

Mudpies to Magnets..Pre-K...she'll love it!

Okay, realized that wasn't what you wanted to hear. What I would do is yes, structure a little craft time or art time...announce it.."Art time!!!!" "Play Dough Time" "Recess Time"....even schedule for yourself mostly a time for her to sit down and do a worksheet, say after breakfast. I also have my oldest help me unload the dryer and fold towels.

We do a *craft* / project or whatever about once a week. We have so many books, no need to go to the library, but we do about once a month just to get something different. Maybe read to them when the younger ones are napping.

Do you have the LeapFrog Dvds? She'll learn her letter sounds from them, you could put them in the player once a day.

So...after breakfast a couple of workbook pages, then have art (which is a coloring book or something, it can even be her letters), watch LeapFrog, help mom fold clothes, read a book of her choice during other's naptime...there you go! Ha! ***can't you tell, I don't structure much!***

 

[Lillian J]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3inclothdiapers Hi everyone! This is my first time posting over here; usually I'm in the diapering area. My oldest is 4 1/2, so she wouldn't be due to start Kindergarten for another year. But, since we are wanting to try homeschooling out, dh and I figured starting some kind of homeschooling routine this year would give us a better idea of how it's going to work and if we like it (if it just doesn't work out we haven't lost any time and she can still start Kindergarten on time next year; though I'm REALLY wanting to homeschool!).

This might work, but what I've generally seen is that trial homeschooling doesn't tend to work, because it's done before the time is right on a lot of levels, the child's readiness for structured studies being one of them. Another element is that you'd still be in "trial and error" stage yourself the whole time (it takes awhile to figure out what's going to work for you and your child) so you'd be getting a false idea of what homeschooling would eventually look like and how you and your child would like it. But if you're just thinking in terms of setting a schedule of activities, like library day on Monday, baking on Tuesday, craft afternoon on Tuesday and Thursday, or that sort of thing, I'd say to just keep it very simple and informal, and go from there, including the little ones as much as possible, obviously to varying degrees, in various activities.

There's really no reason why your home lifestyle should need to feel significantly different in order to include things a young child needs to learn. In fact, unless your daughter is really asking to learn to read or whatever, it's awfully early to be concerned about actively getting specifically ready for any of that, even at the still young age she'll be next year. There are a whole lot of ideas on this page - look beneath the box of articles for lots of websites that have fun actitivty ideas, many of which can include the younger ones:
preschool/kindergarten learning activities

Just finding more and more enjoyable and satisfying activities for your family is going to give you a great idea how homeschooling will work for you. You might get a copy of Linda Dobson's book, Homeschooling the Early Years too. And here are some excerpts from one of her other books, The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child: Top 10 Gems.

Have fun!

Lillian

 

[3inclothdiapers]

I actually just bought Mudpie To Magnets to get some good ideas. And we have one Leap Frog DVD which I LOVE because both the 3 and 4 year old already know a lot of their letter sounds just from watching that!

As far as a routine, here's what I've come up with so far:
After breakfast- I'll start chores (breakfast dishes, laundry, etc). Kids can help where possible or play with toys or listen to a music CD.
Around 8:30 or 9- daily Bible story, maybe with an activity or song
Between 9 and 11- will vary- Monday- go to library; Tuesday- go grocery shopping; Wednesday- do a science activity from Mudpies to Magnets; Thursday- do a pre-K math activity (either baking or playing with pieces of pasta or whatever) or play with playdough or something like that
Friday- Craft day
11 am- lunch
11:30 am- reading (all those books they yanked off the shelves at the library!

)
12:00- Coloring and/or workbooks
12:30- naptime (the youngest does sleep; the other 2 are supposed to stay in their room quietly so Mommy can rest!)
3 pm- chores/dinner prep
3:30-5 pm- play outside
5 pm- finish dinner prep
5:30- eat dinner
6 pm- dishes (or go back outside to play some more, and save the dishes for after they go to bed!)
7 pm- bath, straighten up toys, nighttime snack, brush teeth, family devotions, pray
8 pm- bedtime

I will not go crazy with sticking to this strictly, but I do need a guide for myself to follow. Otherwise I get lazy and don't do anything at all!

As for workbooks and such, dd does enjoy doing them. I'm not going to purchase the Kindergarten level ones until she's at least 5 though; I might even just wait a full year from now and start those when she normally would start Kindergarten. (And even then I'm only going to get her a phonics workbook and math workbook. Other subjects we'll still probably do the way I'm going to do now, where all the kids can participate).

Anyway, thanks for the feedback and suggestions. I'm trying to figure all this out without going crazy. This is supposed to be the fun time afterall. I'm sure it gets much more complicated when they get older and there's state requirements for standardized testing, etc!

:

 

[mccelticmom]

You have some good ideas...good luck to ya!

 

[embers]

I think that as long as the schedule is more for your piece of mind than getting the kids in order... and you are flexable enough to index for changes and adjustments... in general it sounds great! Sounds like a lot of fun

 

[3inclothdiapers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by embers I think that as long as the schedule is more for your piece of mind than getting the kids in order... and you are flexable enough to index for changes and adjustments... in general it sounds great! Sounds like a lot of fun

Yup, the schedule is for me. Otherwise it's way too easy to let them put in a DVD and watch TV all morning... (we already have the outside playtime well-established, of course, it's just changing the way our mornings work around here!).

Plus maybe if I need to figure out activities and crafts I won't spend so much time lusting over new cloth diapers that I can't afford... (I think it's time for a new hobby!)

 

[Stayathomemommy]

well i am like you and wanted to try out homeschooling. for about 2 weeks we would have "school" after breakfast for about 30 minutes. kindergarten doesnt take much time and if she wanted to do more then i would do more but usually she was ready to go play. the 3 year old twins would color, play playdough, or go off and play somewhere in the house. i decided about 2 weeks that i liked it and then we stopped because we had vacations and stuff going on.

my thinking on it is we will do kindergarten at home, that will be our 'trial", and if it doesnt work then she will still be able to go into the 1st grade without being behind. i wish school started when they were older anyway!

 

[Lillian J]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3inclothdiapers As far as a routine, here's what I've come up with so far: After breakfast- I'll start chores (breakfast dishes, laundry, etc). Kids can help where possible or play with toys or listen to a music CD. Around 8:30 or 9- daily Bible story, maybe with an activity or song

Both breakfast and chores are over by 8:30? Wow... I don't think I've ever known a homeschooler who got going so early - I'm impressed.

Lillian

 

[3inclothdiapers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lillian J Both breakfast and chores are over by 8:30? Wow... I don't think I've ever known a homeschooler who got going so early - I'm impressed. Lillian

My youngest wakes up at around 6:30 or 7, plus dh gets up early for work, so I'll be up anyway. I'm sure I"ll be working on chores throughout the day, but hope to have at least the dishes done by 8:30 or 9 and get a start on the laundry or other stuff.

We'll see what happens to the routine once the new baby gets here...