Pre-K with 3rd child - materials, scheduling, active learner?

[rafiki]

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[Narrow Gate Academy]

First, remember to keep it simple. Pre-K took at most 30 minutes for both of my daughters. You could also do two 15 minute blocks if that is easier.

 

Second, set aside a specific time each day for schooling. We use a MOTH schedule at home. This year my DS has had 30 minutes of scheduled time with me in the morning. After breakfast and Bible time, I teach my oldest the math concept for the day and give her an assignment to work on independently. I do math with my 2nd DD until 8:30. Then she does her spelling and handwriting, and I go do "preschool" with my DS. Having it scheduled and placing it close to first thing in the morning are what makes sure it doesn't get squeezed out for us.

 

Third, I would start by determining what your goals are for your pre-K student for next year. For the girls my goals were to start phonics (PP), teach counting to 100 and skip counting, and to spend time reading to them (either planning the books ahead or just saying go pick 3 books to read). For DS next year, we'll also do some fine motor skills (mazes and coloring, cutting, maybe one art project a week).

 

HTH

[MelissaMinNC]

You don't have to answer, but I've looked at your schedule before and I'm curious. Are those your children's real names, or is that just for the interweb? My dd6 loves those books and she likes to play that she is Jessie. She gets ds3 to be Benny, and they have a grand old time.

 

Just nosy here,

:)

Melissa

[SandraDumas]

I don't do her first.

 

DEL are workbooks that work on different skills. We're using them now and I feel they are well worth the money!

 

Another idea is Brighter Vision which has a few hands on opportunities. But it'll cost you almost as much as Calvert for the year, at 18x 12 mos that's about 200.00

 

If I were you, with three kids...I'd purchase Calvert again to make sure he doesn't get squeezed out. By the time you run all over creation getting library books, try to schedule it or remember to do it, have all that stuff available in a box, etc. etc...

 

If you have the money why not get Calvert again?

[rafiki]

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[rafiki]

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[StephanieZ]

Well, first of all, I think pre-K is gravy. It seems to me that in a reasonably healthy home (limited trash entertainment, plenty of healthy fun and reading. . .) that most kids could be ready for 1st grade work by first grade age w/o really any formal schooling prior to age 6 or 7.

 

Given that, at pre-K age I don't require any school work except learning to read. That's it. That takes less than 20 min a day several times a week for a year or so.

 

Each of my 3 dc have wanted to do more and have done more at early ages, but if they don't want to do it, they don't have to. I make sure it's all fun and voluntary.

 

Since after each child adds to the family, time is more limited due to having the older dc to tend, AND b/c the youngers have more entertainment and learning opportunities by being involved with their older sibs schooling and fun, I think it is less important to have a lot of structured schooling for the #3 child than it was for #1. . .

 

So, anyway, I'd focus on reading and reading related games/activities until that is progressing well. (I use 100EZL & ETC plus various other fun stuff -- games, Bob books, etc.)

 

I happen to add in ZB HW and Early Bird math as they are fun, constructive and my kids like them. Later I add in Miquon as well. We also do instrument study and my dc are doing violin at that age, but that is optional of course. (I don't insist on it with my dc, but it sort of expected and it isn't optional day to day, but they could quit if the really wanted to consistently for more than a month or so.)

 

My #3 happens to have an October birthday and be quite bright, so although she is pre-K age this year, I am thinking of her as more of a Ker so far as schooling subjects -- which I STILL consider very optional except for reading, which she is now doing well. So, we just keep plugging away in math, reading, HW, etc as much as she is interested and enjoying. She picks up spanish, latin, history, science a bit as she tags along with the older sibs to the extent of her interest. But, I'm not worried about structuring it at all yet. Around age 7 I expect to be formalizing history and science a bit for her. I am thinking of doing a few months of human body just to do the "My Body" thing again that my olders enjoyed so much at this age. (On that topic, I'll probably have the olders do it alongside and tweak it upwards for them -- the first time I've done it that direction.

[Lenora in MD]

I would definitely suggest that you schedule the Pre-k child first. That really has helped in my house. Right now I have a dd11, ds10, dd7, and ds4. The four year old gets to do "school" first. I try to keep it fun and flexible. We do hwt, 100 ez lessons, and math with all different kinds of materials (counting bugs, peg board, lauri number puzzle). We also do puzzles or play one of the many games I have from Discovery Toys. I did that with my dd7 and she easily moved into reading, copywork, and Shiller Math. I also read to him from his own classic story books. I often let him chose what we will do for the day. I only spend 1/2 hour per day with him, but it is a great investment. After our time together, he happily goes off and plays by himself, leaving me with time to attend to the schoolwork of my other kids. While I am doing work with the youngest one, my older children are doing their morning chores. Often, the youngest one will sit with me while I do work with the others, so I think he is probably learning a lot more than I realize! He also likes to do puzzles by himself while the rest of us are working.