Homeschooling kindergarten
We receive got started our oldest son's kindergarten year. I was a trivial nervous almost starting kindergarten, non that I felt it would hold out hard, but that it is the maiden off twelvemonth that genuinely "counts." I seat counts inward quotations because at that topographic point seems to hold out some ground inward the South Carolina homeschool circles almost whether or non you lot demand to bring together an accountability grouping for kindergarten. I prefer to error on the side of caution, thence I joined an accountability grouping for kindergarten. Thus, for us, this is the maiden off twelvemonth that counts. (Check out HSLDA for homeschooling laws: link to South Carolina homeschooling laws.)
I genuinely similar this post by Simple Homeschool called "Homeschooling 5-year one-time preschool." I think it is genuinely of import at these ages for schoolhouse to hold out fun. I sentiment kindergarten every bit the starting fourth dimension of a lifetime of schooling. My married adult man is inward schoolhouse correct directly amongst the Navy and, every bit he seat it, preparation never ends for nukes. Why plough them off to schoolhouse now? So nosotros acquire inward fun.
To brand schoolhouse fun, I genuinely tried to focus on our son's mode of learning in addition to what he does good with. He loves structure, a regular routine (knowing what to expect), in addition to a challenges inward areas that he understands. He volition avoid concepts that don't come upward naturally to him. He loves pleasing others in addition to positive attention.
To brand schoolhouse piece of cake for me, I wanted something flexible. I rest at dwelling solid amongst our 4 children. My married adult man is going through the preparation pipeline in addition to only started prototype, important long hours in addition to rotating shiftwork. Since nosotros excogitation on homeschooling for the adjacent dyad years (for now-- nosotros are ever opened upward to what God planned for us), I desire something that I tin eventually usage amongst our other children. I decided against a boxed curriculum in addition to went amongst things that suited our oldest's learning style, my learning style, in addition to would hold out flexible in addition to inexpensive plenty to usage amongst our other children. I dear this postal service past times The Busy Mom on "Choosing Curriculum the Simple Way." In that postal service she has this picture:
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| Picture courtesy of The Busy Mom |
Last twelvemonth for 5-year one-time preschool, I used Saxon Math K Home Study Teacher's Edition. My boy in addition to I genuinely liked it. I genuinely liked the lessons. I did non ever follow the scripts, but felt the lessons gave us role in addition to administration when sitting downwards together to locomote on math, fifty-fifty when I only used the mass every bit a jumping off point. I also felt the lessons challenged him. I decided to locomote on amongst Saxon Math in addition to bought Saxon Math 1 Home Study Teacher's Edition. I don't similar to purchase anything I don't need, thence I didn't purchase the locomote books or the coming together mass when I bought the teacher's edition. Once I flipped through the book, I realized I would demand the locomote books, thence I bought them. When nosotros genuinely sat downwards to do math I realized I needed the coming together book. I constitute all of them on Amazon after some searching. The locomote books were a trivial harder to find, but I did notice them for a practiced price.
About a twelvemonth agone I stumbled upon Sing, Spell, Write Level 1 for a great toll at a homeschool consignment store. It was the entire kit thence I bought it. I haven't used it yet for reading this year. I decided to hold off on that until I had built upward his confidence inward reading. He enjoys the sense of accomplishment when he reads a book, but he genuinely entirely looks forrad to math! I bought the Bob Book Kindergarten serial at Costco; I dear them! They genuinely assist him construct on words in addition to sounds he knows. It may non hold out his favorite component subdivision of the day, but listening to him read is my favorite component subdivision of the day. I dear sitting downwards amongst him in addition to helping him through a Bob Book. The best component subdivision is that I don't genuinely demand to assist him that much! He doesn't fifty-fifty realize how much noesis he's drawing from as he's reading through them. We receive got the pre-readers that nosotros used final year. I'm going to start doing some of those amongst our 3-year one-time toddlers. We are nearing the cease of our kindergarten set thence I'm going to guild the Beginning Readers in addition to 1st Grade sight words for him next. After he feels similar he has a practiced withdraw hold on reading, I'm going to start Sing, Spell, Write. To assist him amongst his phonics, we've been using the Star Wars Workbook Kindergarten Phonics in addition to ABCs. When nosotros were working through the Bob Books, he would acquire stuck on sure enough sounds-- similar "ou" or "th." The Star Wars Phonics has helped him locomote on alphabetic lineament sounds fifty-fifty to a greater extent than inward a way that he enjoys. Last twelvemonth nosotros took Ruth Beechick's approach to reading, which I liked; I only receive got been struggling amongst him in addition to phonics. He didn't receive got much of an involvement inward reading until I combined it amongst Star Wars! ;)
For writing, we've been using a practiced one-time fashioned composition book. I've been combining social studies in addition to writing a lot past times having him write downwards his address, his total name, his parents' names in addition to telephone numbers, etc. Now nosotros are working our way through the alphabet. We also do a lot of practical writing. He helps me write our shopping lists, notes to his dad, notes to our relatives, give cheers you lot cards, in addition to the like. There is thence much writing inward twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours life. We write inward his plain trip notebook. He writes his cite on top of his math worksheets. I've tried to brand the writing inward the composition notebook short. Each twenty-four hours he heads his newspaper amongst his name, the date, in addition to the subject. Then nosotros write our sentence. For the alphabet, nosotros write the alphabetic lineament is for blank. I receive got him alternative what each alphabetic lineament is for. "B is for basketball." "D is for dude." "G is for Gatorade." It gets him thinking almost alphabetic lineament sounds every bit well. What starts amongst a "G" sound? G-g-g-Gatorade. G-g-g-good, girls, golf, Granny... He comes upward amongst all sorts of words that start amongst the audio earlier he decides on the news he wants to write down.
Science in addition to social studies are pretty piece of cake for us correct now. My married adult man is inward the military machine thence social studies is component subdivision of our every twenty-four hours life. When he started epitome nosotros read almost submarines for awhile in addition to their job. We speak almost what it agency to hold out inward the military machine all the time, almost populace servants in addition to diverse types-- authorities workers, EMTs, firemen, police clitoris officers, etc. We of late visited a Fire Museum in addition to worked on our burn excogitation at home. Our boys are really interested inward these types of things correct directly thence nosotros receive got long conversations almost them. When nosotros clitoris over on the side of the route to allow an ambulance pass, they ask, "Why did nosotros clitoris over for the ambulance, Momma?" Science also happens organically at our house. Bike riding, tractor driving, K'Nex roller coasters, Legos, Matchbox automobile tracks, H2O table, Slip'n'slide, Play Doh... on in addition to on. "If I do this, this volition happen... Why?" Their minds are naturally curious correct now. We behaviour experiments. I enquire our kindergartner to assist me solve a problem. "My cookbook won't rest open. Can you lot assist me?" He figures out how to hold it propped opened upward or builds me something amongst K'Nex to do the job or thinks of another solution. Sometimes I introduce them amongst a problem. "I can't acquire the Play Doh out of the bottom of this tube. What should nosotros do?" And they give me solutions. I dear to receive got them assist me cook. So many learning experiences locomote on inward the kitchen. "This pot is hot. Do you lot know why?" "What does one-half of a loving cup mean?" "How do they brand flour?"
Our entire homeschool twenty-four hours takes almost 1.5 to 2 hours from start to finish. With 4 kids, nosotros similar to do things that are fun for everyone. Right now, our 2 calendar month one-time only wants to swallow in addition to sleep. We start off our homeschooling past times proverb the Pledge of Allegiance to the trivial flag we've attached to the top of our fruit stand. All 3 of our older boys participate inward this. We in addition to thence sit down on the couch in addition to soul says a prayer for the day, normally our kindergartner. The toddlers dear crossing their trivial hands in addition to bowing their heads. I think they experience similar big kids, thence they are normally content amongst that chore in addition to don't hear their older blood brother proverb the prayer. I normally nurse our babe during this time. We in addition to thence read a story from our One-Year Children's Bible. We speak almost what happened inward the story, briefly. We in addition to thence do our boys' favorite component subdivision of the twenty-four hours which is reading a poesy form from Where the Sidewalk Ends. If it is a brusque poesy form amongst lots of imagery, I receive got them unopen their eyes in addition to imagine the activeness of the poem. If it is longer amongst a pic (Shel Silverstein has awesome pictures), I withdraw hold the mass thence they tin reckon the pic or allow them speak over the pic earlier I start the poem. After I read the poem, I enquire them what happened. For instance, nosotros read a poesy form yesterday called, "It's Dark In Here." Basically a trivial boy gets swallowed past times a lion and writes a poesy form from within the lion. All he says inward the poesy form is that it is night inward hither in addition to he stood every bit good unopen to the lion's cage. Asking what happened inward the poesy form gets them thinking almost the important of what they heard, re-telling me the story inward their ain words after they receive got digested it on their own. "When he stood every bit good unopen to the lion's cage, the king of beasts grabbed him in addition to ate him for lunch!" I dear hearing how they translate the action. The best component subdivision is that I in addition to thence receive got them deed it out. They love acting it out. Some of the poems lead inward to other discussions, like, "If you lot were inward this poem, how would you lot do it differently?" They dear it. They dear all getting a plough in addition to hearing each other talk. They express joy a lot. I express joy a lot. It is 1 of my favorite parts of homeschooling, sitting amongst all our kids in addition to laughing every bit they tell me stories in addition to run wild amongst their imaginations. After nosotros complete all this on the couch (and I feed the baby), nosotros motility on to the calendar in addition to retentiveness verse. I endeavor to enquire our oldest throughout the twenty-four hours what our retentiveness poesy is. Right directly nosotros are working on Psalm 91:14 in addition to 15. I add together pieces to it each calendar week until he eventually learns the whole thing. We did this final twelvemonth in addition to he nonetheless has most of those verses memorized! I'll enquire him his retentiveness poesy every bit nosotros transition activities. About mid-way through this year, I'm going to start giving our toddlers retentiveness verses every bit well. Right directly our oldest plant really difficult to learn them his retentiveness verses. For our pocket calendar, I give them each a job-- the calendar helper, the days of the calendar week helper, in addition to the weatherman. The days of the calendar week helper gets the calendar pieces out. Then nosotros all acquire to the calendar in addition to sing the days of the calendar week song. Then the calendar helper puts the numbers inward the calendar; the days of the calendar week helper moves unopen to the days of the week; the weatherman tells us what today looks similar in addition to puts inward the appropriate atmospheric condition tiles. After nosotros are finished I usage the Saxon Math script to speak over what today is. Then the calendar helper puts away the calendar pieces.
After all of that, I do schoolhouse only amongst our kindergartner in addition to set our toddlers upward amongst something fun for them to do. Often they sit down at the tabular array in addition to do "school" too. They locomote out their backpacks in addition to crayons in addition to newspaper in addition to colouring spell nosotros work. Sometimes they do puzzles inward the solid unit of measurement room. Whatever they do, the dominion is they do it quietly. Most of the fourth dimension 1 of our toddlers plant diligently at the tabular array in addition to the other builds amongst Legos inward the playroom. This is when I either seat our babe inward the Tula or swing, depending on his disposition.
I start off kindergarten amongst writing inward the composition mass only how I previously described. He does that every bit I prep math in addition to reading. After he writes, he does his Star Wars Phonics workbook in addition to and thence nosotros read the Bob Book. I endeavor to do these maiden off when he is freshest in addition to most focused because he likes doing the other subjects more. After nosotros complete that, nosotros start on math. The lessons don't receive got really long at all. Then nosotros do the worksheet forepart in addition to back. If our twenty-four hours went slower than common or his attending is elsewhere, I sometimes only receive got him do 1 side of the worksheet in addition to receive got him complete the other side afterward or the adjacent day. I cheque all his work, the composition book, the Star Wars book, in addition to the math worksheets correct after he fills them out. I allow him brand the mistakes every bit he goes in addition to do non interfere. He oft catches his ain errors. When he gives me his locomote to check, I receive got him prepare his errors in addition to and thence give the satisfactory locomote a sticker. He likes to seat the stickers on the top of the sheet. Then nosotros motility on to the adjacent thing. After nosotros receive got done all his work, nosotros create clean upward our schoolhouse supplies. If nosotros did schoolhouse inward the morning, I receive got him do his pianoforte after school. He practices his lesson mass in addition to presentation slice in addition to does his flash cards. If nosotros did schoolhouse inward the afternoon, I receive got him acquire play for a flake earlier sitting downwards at the piano, allow him clear his hear some. We normally do the theory mass earlier I start cooking dinner or he plant on it spell I prep dinner. For scientific discipline in addition to social studies, I allow those organically locomote on inward our day. I expression for opportunities to convey them into our play in addition to conversation.
If nosotros went on a plain trip, nosotros clitoris out the plain trip notebook. Some plain trips aren't an entire days worth of school, similar our nature bike ride at the park. We only drew pictures of what nosotros saw inward the plain trip book. That trip is helping construct the solid set down locomote for a unit of measurement written report I am going to do on habitats amongst the all the boys. We are going to conclude our unit of measurement written report amongst a trip to the zoo, but nosotros receive got been talking almost habitats without ever using the news or officially studying it since nosotros started schoolhouse August 4th. When nosotros went to the Fire Museum, that was our whole twenty-four hours of school. We discussed dates and passing time (math), "Is this burn truck newer or older than that burn truck? How do you lot know?" I had him read the signs to me, read the pamphlet to me, all spell making schoolhouse fun. We came dwelling solid in addition to worked on our burn escape excogitation (social studies) and in addition to thence wrote inward our plain trip notebook, drawing a pic of our favorite fire truck (science-- "How does that burn truck work?"). I dear having them speak almost what they liked best in addition to hearing how they internalize books nosotros read, stories they hear, or outings nosotros receive got because I experience it helps them develop a dear of books-- genuinely feeling in addition to connecting amongst stories.
I hold rail of everything nosotros do inward the Homeschooler's Journal. I genuinely similar how it is set out. It plant good for me in addition to is compact, which I like. I liked it for lesson planning final twelvemonth amongst our preschool. I did a lot of unit of measurement studies final year. This twelvemonth I excogitation on doing some. I similar how unit of measurement studies are piece of cake to involve both the historic menses groups of our kids spell nonetheless emphasizing amongst each kid the concepts they demand to learn, oft inward a hands on, natural way.
I also rely heavily on Smart Play past times Barbara Sher. I stumbled upon this mass inward a used bookstore in addition to bought it because it was cheap. I don't know why anyone would acquire rid of this book! It has the best ideas for fun, impromptu learning games amongst lots of kids. The other twenty-four hours nosotros did our math lesson in addition to and thence went exterior for "Math Kung Fu." Hilarious! The boys were bang-up upward in addition to counting karate kicks inward the backyard. We receive got a lot of fun inward this book.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lot of our twenty-four hours is transitioning in addition to waiting your turn. They are learning to hear to each other in addition to honor what each of them has to say. They are learning to verbalize their thoughts in addition to to speak up. It has been a lot of fun working amongst them on these concepts. Of course of written report nosotros send this over into the non-schooling hours of our day, similar when they assist amongst chores in addition to cooking. We receive got been putting a huge emphasis on cleaning upward after ourselves. We've been handing over responsibleness to them in addition to they receive got been rise to the occasion. I of late read Emma Jenner's mass Keep Calm in addition to Parent On. This mass is an amazing read for parents in addition to peculiarly homeschooling parents amongst to a greater extent than than 1 child. Your kids can in addition to should help you! :) We've been giving them responsibilities in addition to expectations in addition to are floored at how they receive got met each challenge. It makes our day-- my day-- thence much happier in addition to smoother when they are assisting me inward real, practical ways, addition I think they are happier because they receive got to a greater extent than liberty (and less fourth dimension outs). If I were to write a parenting book, it would read much similar Emma Jenner's philosophies. I wholly withdraw hold amongst her.
I hear a lot from people, "I can't believe you lot homeschool!" Homeschooling has been a approbation for our family. We didn't receive got an overly structured twenty-four hours final twelvemonth when nosotros homeschooled preschool, but it gave our play purpose. This twelvemonth is much of the same. It has provided construction to our day. I outburst into tears when nosotros sat downwards on our maiden off twenty-four hours of kindergarten this twelvemonth in addition to saw how our 6-year one-time had remembered all the alphabetic lineament sounds we've been working on in addition to read-- actually read-- a book. It was amazing. I dear those moments where I feel, "I taught him that?" I dear when I reckon him applying things he learned from his dad. He changed the batteries inward the swing past times himself the other twenty-four hours every bit I made dinner. While he did that, he soothed the babe in addition to and thence got the babe dorsum to slumber in 1 lawsuit the batteries were changed. It's amazing to reckon our children behaviour similar trivial people, trivial citizens finding their identify inward the world. I dear that homeschooling allows us to play to our children's strengths in addition to to receive got things at our ain pace. I know many of his 6-year one-time friends are entering kindergarten in addition to maiden off degree this year. Many already know how to read, but final twelvemonth I could tell I was forcing reading on him in addition to he was rejecting it thence nosotros switched gears in addition to focused on alphabetic lineament sounds. This twelvemonth he is ready for reading in addition to is easily applying the phonics nosotros learned final year. I dear that nosotros are pedagogy it to him inward a way that makes consummate sense to him in addition to is enjoyable, non only for him, but for all of us.
The other dainty affair is that at that topographic point is a adventure nosotros volition hold out moving this year. We started the twelvemonth early on thence nosotros could acquire every bit many days inward every bit possible earlier my married adult man started rotating shiftwork. We also desire to hold out able to receive got every bit much fourth dimension off every bit nosotros desire for moving spell nonetheless getting inward our 180 days of school. When nosotros move, nosotros volition hold out able to start schoolhouse dorsum upward correct where nosotros left off, plus, when my hubby is on rotating shiftwork, our kids volition hold out dwelling solid to reckon their dad every bit oft every bit possible. I experience similar homeschooling genuinely goes good amongst my husband's Navy career.
So that's our kindergarten plan! School has only started, but nosotros are looking forrad to the residual of the year! :) How are you lot homeschooling this year?
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