Tell me how aftershooling looks like for you

[JulieA97]

Ds will be starting kindergarten in the fall.  After years of thinking we would be homeschooling, he will be going to a new magnet school.  I am conflicted about this-we had decided on a wonderful private school that offered lots of financial aid but when he got accepted in the lottery to this new school we switched.  The savings is just too much to not try it for at least one year and the private school will be there next year if he hates the magnet.  I am prepared to pull him out mid year and homeschool until he starts the private school if needed.

 

I want to be sure he continues to stay ahead academically and doesn't fall through the cracks since he is ahead right now.  I worry that he will basically be put in a corner and given worksheets while they teach the other kids their letters.  I have been assured that will not be the case by multiple people with the school system but won't know until he is in there for sure.

 

Do you do something every day?  Just in the summer?  On the weekends?  How much and what do you do?  I plan to read aloud the Sonlight books from Core A at bedtime this year.  I know that in 3rd grade I will teach him cursive (probably with Handwriting Without Tears) since they don't teach it in public schools here and its something I feel strongly that he needs to know.  The private school teaches it so if he starts there in middle school he needs to know as well. 

 

Suggestions?  I know that I don't need to do anything for Kindergarten but I am trying to think ahead.  Thanks!

[vonfirmath]

We do most of our after schooling in the summer and on weekends. But if something comes up, I'll grasp an opportunity during the week when there is time too.

 

However, note. I work full time and don't get off work until 5:00. By the time I pick kids up, get them fed, etc. We only have about an hour before bed.  That time is spent finishing homework that was not done during the day, talking about the day, reading books together, and playing games sometimes.  (This year, with DD starting K and DS going into 4th, I expect it to be barely an hour with DD, who will be dropping her nap. And maybe more time with DS, depending on how school goes. But he also may have more homework since he's going to be starting an accelerated program)

 

Edited June 8, 2016 by vonfirmath

[SKL]

I also work full-time (7 days), so when my kids were in KG and the summers before & after, they were in school / daycare until about 6:30pm most days, and with a nanny for much of the weekend.

 

During the summers, we would go to the zoo on Saturdays (extended hours - we had a membership so it made sense).  And on Wednesday evenings, we'd go to the museums (also extended hours) and to the free music festival they had nearby.  I don't remember when we read, but I know we did.  :)  I think we joined the summer reading club at the library.  My sister did read-alouds with them (Little House books, The Hobbit etc.).  Our part-time nanny taught them a little Spanish and art.  My kids also took piano and guitar lessons, and we practiced at home several days per week.

 

During the KG school year, most of this continued, except for the zoo and the music festival (seasonal schedules).  I also sat with the kids on their bed for about an hour each night, reading together.  My youngest was reading fluently, so I would have her read biographies and other nonfiction, so it was a combined reading / social studies [or science or math] lesson.  My eldest was still learning to read, so she and I would go over beginning reader type books.  Since they were learning sight words in school, I reviewed them with my slower reader.  We did a very little bit of writing, but they did some at school, so I didn't want to push that as they didn't like it.  For math, we read some math story books, and did mental math in the car on the way to the museums.  Some activities at the museums could be tailored into a math lesson also.  In retrospect, I think I should have done a little more with math.  Their KG did not do enough to prepare them for 1st grade in math.

 

My kid who was reading fluently in pre-K was accelerated into KG mid-year, but she was not ever given differentiated work (except a little in 2nd grade).  She was able to do a ton of free reading (hundreds and hundreds of books at a broad range of reading levels), so that did make a difference.  Though she knew all of the KG curriculum long before she entered KG, she never complained.  I guess by then she was used to being unchallenged in school.  She likes to choose her own challenges to this day.  :)

Edited June 9, 2016 by SKL

[RenaInTexas]

We both work full-time, but are both home by 5 pm. So we have 3 hours before the boys go to bed.

 

We get an hour of after-school in per night and still have time for dinner and free time. They get homework done in the after school program and have free time there as well. We do have karate/gymnastics three times week; this counts as their free time; so, we still get in 1 hour of after school on those nights as well.

 

It helps that my kids also go to a school with minimal homework load, 2 recesses a day, an after-lunch recess, and a special (PE/music) everyday.

[SKL]

I would add that our library system has after-school and Saturday programs, usually one-offs that provide enrichment in a wide variety of areas.  Some examples:  musical rhythm math enrichment; chemistry / colors; chemistry / candy; Harry Potter sorting etc.; Chinese New Year info and crafts; middle-age knights info and artifacts; rollercoaster physics (hands-on project); various computer mini-courses; various arts, nutrition, food prep, and book discussions for various ages.  These are nice ways to awaken kids' intellectual curiosity - and bonus, you're at the library so they will take out some books.  :)

[tm919]

Do you do something every day?  Just in the summer?  On the weekends?  How much and what do you do?  I plan to read aloud the Sonlight books from Core A at bedtime this year.  I know that in 3rd grade I will teach him cursive (probably with Handwriting Without Tears) since they don't teach it in public schools here and its something I feel strongly that he needs to know.  The private school teaches it so if he starts there in middle school he needs to know as well. 

 

It's a work in progress for us. This past year, my 6 year old was in school from about 9-3:30 each day (although to two different schools), my 4 year old was in school from 12:30-3:30. If the weather is good, we'd go outside/play with friends until 5:30. Mondays and (depending on the season) Tuesdays were difficult due to activities/family events/playdates. Sundays we also took off. So basically for the 6 year old we worked Tuesday or Wednesday through Friday or Saturday, but what I found over the course of the year is that it was seasonal. Summer we got a lot done because they were off school, Winter we did as well because it was freezing cold so there were times they didn't want to go outside. Fall and Spring were the bare minimum because the kids were either in school, outside, or sleeping.

 

That's a long winded way of saying that it changes by season, but I think it would be tough to do something every single day.

Edited June 11, 2016 by tm919

[SKL]

To the "changes by season" - yes, and in my case I learned that a lot of transitions / exciting things in life will make it harder to afterschool.  Basically the kids need space to just adjust to the new.  For us this means that fall is pretty unproductive, because it's one thing after another - school starts, new activities start, birthdays, holidays, travel ... basically we don't get serious until sometime in January.  We still do stuff, but it isn't on an organized routine, and I don't have high expectations.

 

Also, there is a time period when we're figuring out what the school will demand after school.  Sometimes the homework or reading requirements cover the things I would have worked on at home; other times I find my kid needs additional home practice to do well at school.  Knowing that the kids' homework load on Tuesday night is heavier means I plan "mom work" for other days.  Not sure any of that applies in KG, but it eventually will.

 

[SKL]

Another thought - if your school has an independent reading requirement as part of homework, then you can guide their reading choices to cover things you want to cover at home.  I wouldn't take over all of their reading time, but some of it, why not?  Especially if they aren't particularly inclined to read without urging.  I've had my kids read a fair amount of nonfiction or selected types of fiction to help satisfy their "Accelerated Reading" goals.

 

When my kids were a little older (about 7 IIRC) I bought some good educational videos which they loved.  Liberty's Kids, Carmen Sandiego, Magic School Bus, and others.  I would "allow" my kids to watch these when they had time for screens on school days.

 

Another idea is to have a pen pal and practice writing that way.  Much more fun than "school."  :)

[Rush]

During the kinder we did, mostly everything, on the lap or in bed. Since very early years my kids have also had access to lots of educational videos and apps plus a huge amount of books was offered for independent reading. Both of them were very fluent readers at very early age and were motivated to read at least one book a day. We didn't do any writing at all. I intentionally left it for school so they were not bored there completely. But our most priority was always on the extra curriculum, mostly sport and music lessons. 

 

Currently my oldest ds(grade 3) is doing something everyday at school, usually it's maths and his daily readings, and we cover one subject per day at home in the evening, mostly on the lap again. With the youngest, grade 1, we do only a subject per day + independent reading. Reading aloud daily, of course. Plus I let them to watch about 30 minutes of educational videos, usually during the supper. We love all scientific documentaries, science experiments, etc. and it's only time when we can watch tv.

 

Over the weekend we manage to cover two to three subjects only as our kids have 2-3 sport activities daily and plenty of outdoor family time. 

The rest we are doing over the holidays, we have plenty of them too, but massive part we do during the summer months. 

 

From the next year eldest ds will start taking a few online classes like maths and poetry and will take public speaking and debating class and chess. He is also learning programming languages with independent online programmes and he will continue it next year as well. 

Edited June 12, 2016 by rushhush08

[Have kids -- will travel]

My husband and I also both work full time. For my five year old, he does his school reading every day with the nanny, and he has a tiny bit of math homework every week. So basically, I stopped afterschooling him when he started full time school this year. He also practices piano with DH several times a week, with one lesson per week on Saturdays.

 

My three-year-old is only in half-day school, so there is still time with him. Our nanny is teaching him to read, following my lead. I set out the reading work he should do, and she does it with him (and is very proud of his progress). 

 

Over the summer where there is more time, DS5 will have daily writing, daily reading, daily math. DS3 will have daily reading and optional pre-writing (like mazes, coloring) and optional math (super simple) because he likes to tag along with big brother.

 

But I agree with Ordinary Shoes by the way. After a full day of school, my boy needs play and free time, and of course has homework on top of that. And I think it's a terrible idea to afterschool your child to be a step or so ahead of the teacher. How boring for Mom (or Dad) to teach something that will be taught in just a month at school. My kiddos are very advanced, so their easy work won't be taught to them for more than a year. The enrichment I do in the case of DS5 is primarily to provide some challenge, which he doesn't get at school (and I do love his school). 

[Hilltopmom]

I'm interested in this as I'm just starting to think about having my littles go to ps when they are school aged instead of homeschooling them with the teens. I still have a few years to figure it out.

 

I just know we have so many great games to play & books to read that I would still want to share with them even if they go to school. Plus I'd want to be sure they are solid on reading & math in the early grades (something my big kids were not even though they attended school for a few early years). But I've got plenty of experience (& curriculum, lol) for that now.

 

I think free time is super important & don't want to bog them down with extra school for me on top of homework in early grades, but bedtime stories can be Story of the World & Five in a Row titles:). Screen time can be Liberty's Kids & read alouds can come from my shelves full of Sonlight & Newberry titles, regardless of where they spend their days.

 

I may chicken out & keep them home, but right now, the thought of homeschooling , as much as I've loved it, for another 15 years makes me cringe. We may need to at least try public school & see how it goes for them. I know I can always pull them out if I need to.

[gstharr]

Afterschooling for us started  in pre-school.. Our local community college (East Los Angeles) has an excellent weekend  "Childrens' College".  Math, phonics, grammar, reading comprehension and writing offered by grade level.  Kids start or  move up to any level at their own pace. We started with math, and phonics, and later added reading or writing year round.   By the time my son reached  the 3rd grade, he had completed pre-algebra, and 6th grade grammar, and reading.  left to start with CTY/  Thinkwell for math.   Now afterschooling consists of advanced math 45 minutes 4x per week, vocabulary (wordlywise online); and thanks to tip from our forum-- Duolingo French (15 minutes 5x week).  We add in a group golf  and tennis lessons for sports.

[pkbab5]

Afterschooling for us started in preschool as well.  We now have a rising 2nd and a rising Pre-K.  Generally by the time we get home, the youngest has basically played since nap was over, and the eldest goes to an afterschool program where they finish their 5 minutes of homework and then have recess the rest of the time (2-3 hours), so when they get home they have had a good break and are ready to work a bit.  I try to hit the three R's every night, which usually looks like the eldest doing a page of vocabulary workshop and the youngest doing a page of handwriting without tears before dinner, which only takes about 5 minutes.  Then during dinner we talk, relax, maybe watch TV.  After dinner is 20-30 minutes of math, usually Singapore or Dreambox for the eldest and Right Start or IXL for the youngest.  Then piano (20 minutes for eldest, 2 minutes for youngest).  Then at bedtime we read from our giant stack of library books.  If they had an afterschool activity or piano lesson that day, we'll drop some of this.  The trick is that my husband and I take turns afterschooling while the other one cooks and cleans.  And Friday is no homework day.

 

Weekends we do a little more, we try to do an hour each on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  The eldest adds Miquon on the weekends (she's mathy) and the youngest adds Hooked on Phonics (he loves this program so much) and Bob Books.  Oh yeah, and we listen to SOTW in the car on the way to school.  :)

Edited June 16, 2016 by pkbab5

[mayath]

I'm a big fan of afterschooling and have blogged and written about it frequently. We used to live in the US, but we moved to Singapore six years ago.  My kids attend an international school that is very experimental/progressive in its approach to education. (I also teach at the school.)

I afterschool for a number of reasons: to fill in the gaps and make up for whatever my kids may not be getting at school, to provide extra challenge, and to bond with my kids over books and learning. It's very important to me that my kids have rock solid academic foundations, and it's also very important to me that they love learning.

We do some structured math together each week, I teach grammar and reinforce writing skills every weekend, and we do a lot of reading together. During vacations, I like to add some content (science, humanities) to the mix, especially when we travel/take trips. 

In Singapore, most Asian mothers afterschool in a number of different ways (though they don't use the term "afterschooling"). All the Asian moms I know afterschool for math -- in fact, Singapore has a tremendous math culture. Kids here grow up immersed in math at home and at school in a hundred different ways. 

http://www.mayathiagarajan.info/