First time homeschooling, Pre-K. Help? Advice?

[BonnieLK]

Hello all, I have a 4.5 year old boy (5 in early December) and will be homeschooling this year. He would be pre-k in our public school system and has been in preschool (a "mom/child together" 2's class and a 3s class on his own--they did basically Letter of the Week). He has some fine motor delays, which have affected his willingness/attitude about using crayons, writing his name, and so on, but we're working on that through physical therapy and a lot of one-on-one and firm encouragement, now that we're not relying on preschool to handle it.

 

Anyway, I fell in love with the Five in a Row curriculum the moment I heard of it and I intend to work with a mix of Before Five in a Row and Five in a Row younger titles/age appropriate activities, but I'd like to supplement with

 

math (because I believe a strong early math foundation is important, and in my mind he can't count past 13 without stumbling, but in reality he climbed up on my lap earlier today while I was looking at math printables and he started adding) and

 

phonics (because he's been asking questions like "What is that?" [pointing to an exclamation point] and "What does that spell" and "How do you spell _____" and in a quick-and-dirty test, he was able to read the sentence, "Cat sat on a rat").

 

And I'd like to introduce Spanish.

 

I'm looking at Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2 for some foundational math mostly so I can become familiar with teaching math and I can determine what foundation he already has. Maybe move on to the next level mid-year? I have no idea. I only have one kid. :)

 

For phonics, I bought the bundled version of Reading the Alphabet created by This Reading Mama. Has anybody ever used that? Thoughts on it? I'm second guessing the Reading the Alphabet purchase due too all the printing/cutting/laminating but I'm not sure what else would be a gentle phonics program that isn't just worksheets. Suggestions?

 

For Spanish, I'd like to introduce colors, articles of clothing, weather maybe? Is there a good Spanish curriculum for the pre-k age? Or at least a loose guide?

 

Basically it's almost midnight on a Friday and I'm starting to second guess all my decisions so far because the Five in a Row people are generally of the "Five in a Row is enough at this age, don't do anything else" school of advice which is...not especially helpful. In my state, we're supposed to teach equivalent to what public school kids would be learning and while our evaluations are fairly lax, from what I understand, I want him to be able to transition academically if homeschooling doesn't work out for whatever reason.

 

But I also don't want to push him past developmental appropriateness, which is one of my big reasons for homeschool.

 

Help please. Am I on the right track? Way off track? Over-thinking?  :confused1:

 

I'd love to do total play-based learning but I'm somebody who needs a plan (and to be prepared in advance) or I'll be overwhelmed and nothing will happen.

 

 

[Tanaqui]

In my state, we're supposed to teach equivalent to what public school kids would be learning

 

Are you sure that applies to pre-k and kindy?

 

I mean, you do you, but at that age I'd've done some light phonics (not more than two 15 minute sessions a day), some equally light math, and otherwise hung out at the local Children's Museum and called it good. Actually, that pretty much IS what I did when the girls were in pre-k and preschool, respectively, now that I remember it. And we baked an awful lot of cookies.

 

If you want to do a lot of stuff, more power to you, I'm just saying that if all you're doing is worrying about following the letter of the law... well, that's honorable, but probably not actually applicable at his age.

[BonnieLK]

It apparently applies to kids who will turn 5 during the school year, regardless their grade. I need to check on the paperwork issue because that caught me off guard too considering prek isn't compulsory and my son wouldn't be eligible for 2016-17 k.

 

I don't envision we will be doing more than 15-20 mins a day of either math or phonics. We're fairly busy between therapy, YMCA activities, my work, my husband's work...etc. you know, life. We're in a co-op that meets weekly for educational stuff and then again a different day for recess.

 

I think I'm starting to talk myself down off the over-achiever ledge. Maybe we're better off continuing as we have been with read aloud and I can use the math book as a road map for games.

[Rosie_0801]

Cutting and laminating is right up there on my list of things I like doing less than cleaning toilets. :p I followed ElizabethB's low tech instructions using magnetic letters: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/208407-k-websters-speller-to-teach-reading-weekly-schedule/

 

CSMP K is a nice, gentle program that doesn't demand much from anyone's fine motor skills and doesn't need anyone to count past 13. I think we used c-rods, a geoboard and some attribute blocks. Everything else got scribbled on a magnetic erase board or white board.

http://stern.buffalostate.edu/CSMPProgram/Primary%20Disk/Start.html

[Chris in VA]

I teach preschool, so this is both Mommy and Teacher advice.😊

Follow your child. Let him set the pace and use his interests to guide your activities, throwing in some "here's something you don't have the experience to request"activites from time to time. Have lots of chances to make choices duringvthe day, make process-oriented art, cook stuff, mix concoctions, play and create stuff outside, keep track of things from time to time (weather, how many days til an event, how many blue cars on the way to the grocery, how big the sunflower is compared to a week ago),follow thru on routines, play with lots of sensory things (box of lentils with scoops and cups, water, playdough), label building he makes, etc. In general, the richer you can make his play, the better. Talk, too--use real and specfic names for things to build vocab (it is a shasta daisy, not just a flower...). Work thru strong emotions. Work with boundaries and limits.

 

As for academics, I think BFIAR is good, but it was too disjointed for me. All the books themselves are good, IIRC. Another good picture book extention book is called Story Stretchers, if you want something simple.

 

I would ditch the deluxe phonics and just go to the dollar store and pick up 10 sets of wooden magnetic alphabet letters. Spray paint the vowels blue and the consonants red. Use them to spell out 3 letter words. Go thru phonics Pathways without written work.Strengthen his fm skills by using transfer, pouring, clay, digging in dirt, sweeping, heavy work, and tweezing/tongs. Google Montessori trays and you will get ideas.

[Slache]

I like cuisenaire rods and educationunboxed.com for math. My son understood the 4 operations and fractions before his 5th birthday.

 

Salsa from Georgia Public Broadcasting is great for Spanish. And free.

[BonnieLK]

Thanks everyone. I've looked into suggested resources and appreciate the tips.

 

While I'd love to do total play-based learning, I have some issues that are aggravated by lack of real structure (for myself) and I very much need a plan. Without one, I'll obsess or avoid and literally nothing will happen but television (the one saving grace being that I'm a big read-alouder and my son loves book time).

 

Anyway, playing to my strengths so I can suss out his. I wish I'd been able to found the cuisinairemath link on my own. I must've been searching for the wrong thing? Although you'd think pre-k math principles would've gotten me there.

 

So readingbear.org -- have people actually used it? I have a mistrust of self-designed/small press published stuff because we're living in the "anybody can publish anything" age.

[Holly]

You might want to consider Saxon K for math.  There are no workbooks and almost no writing.  The bulk of the lesson is playing with manipulatives (mostly teddy bear counters and pattern blocks).  It works great for either preK or K (or you could do the lessons over 2 years).  You can find used copies on Amazon for around $10 and use a free printable calendar for the Meeting Book.  Another math choice would be the Education Unboxed website which uses Cuisinaire Rods to teach math.  Rightstart Math is another low-writing math program, but takes a considerable about of time.

 

I believe the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Reading focuses on just reading (not writing) so it might be something to consider for reading lessons.  I like to keep our reading & handwriting lessons separate as well, but we use McGuffey Readers and Webster's Reading Handbook, which aren't quite as "open and go".  I have DD copy new words that I've pre-written with highlighter (she traces over the highlighter).  The rest of her lesson is reading or playing with letter tiles & Reading Rods.  

 

If you want to add in some fine motor skill work, we've enjoyed Kumon cutting & pasting books as well as R&S Preschool books (R&S books have Christian content).  

 

FIAR is a great program!  I used it with my oldest two.  I've tried to use it with my younger DC, but haven't found the time to fit it in on a regular basis.   :(

Edited July 17, 2016 by Holly

[rwilk]

DD is about the same age as your child (turning 5 this Oct).

 

For phonics we enjoyed Logic of English.  It's a very active program, minimal worksheets in the first level.   Math reasoning has also been pretty fun.

 

I'd also point out that if your child has fm delays, you want to make sure you are not pushing other things too hard. DD is in SLP and OT (fine motor and gross motor), and I find that on particularly intense therapy days she's just not at her best for focusing on anything else. We also prioritize her therapy homework over school stuff at this point.  For us, that means that planning is tricky. I can't say we will do 15 minutes of math/reading/whatever every day because some days she can't.  On the other hand, some days she's up for 2 hours of math, so it all evens out in the end.

 

 

[BonnieLK]

DD is about the same age as your child (turning 5 this Oct).

 

For phonics we enjoyed Logic of English.  It's a very active program, minimal worksheets in the first level.   Math reasoning has also been pretty fun.

 

I'd also point out that if your child has fm delays, you want to make sure you are not pushing other things too hard. DD is in SLP and OT (fine motor and gross motor), and I find that on particularly intense therapy days she's just not at her best for focusing on anything else. We also prioritize her therapy homework over school stuff at this point.  For us, that means that planning is tricky. I can't say we will do 15 minutes of math/reading/whatever every day because some days she can't.  On the other hand, some days she's up for 2 hours of math, so it all evens out in the end.

 

I'm finding this to be true for us too. I'm trying to create a loose plan but we do have some challenges, for example my husband's schedule varies from week to week and I can't plan that every single day we will do math at 10 am, because DH might be due to work that day at 11 am and won't be home until well past bedtime, so play time with daddy is a priority.

 

Right now our OT is an hour session with half hour in what my son calls "the training room" (physical activity, ball pits, games where he pulls himself around on a skateboard-type thing using only his hands and shoulder strength) and half hour of hand-strengthening table work. To us, an hour doesn't seem like much but it can really wipe him out, and between the travel time to/from, that's 2-3 hours of our day right there. We've also signed up for a weekly co-op and I really want to prioritize outside activities when the weather isn't oppressive or bitter cold because the physical activity/strength is vital right now.

 

I think I've settled on a loose plan of:

• Daily Learning Notebook (look at a month calendar, point out month, day of the week, trace the date number, then do a daily page of trace the day word and number)
• our FIAR unit spread over 5-7 days as needed (with breaks for things like a unit study on the Summer Olympics, Christmas Around the World, or busy weeks that have a lot of other activities or travel),
• Virtues for Children story book--read at bedtime, because we're a secular family and don't really get that elsewhere.

 

and then on days that aren't OT or co-op

 

• as many pages of Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2 as he'll put up with (he's been known to sit and do 30 mazes at a time, so it's mood-based)
• a reading program still TBD. Thank you for the LoE recommendation. I ordered a used copy of Teach Your Child to Read with Children's Books and I'm going do some research into LoE, the Ordinary Parents Guide and others.

 

After 4.5 years of not wanting anything to do with crafts, crayons, painting, etc., he's started asking daily for crafts. We did our first sensory bin and suddenly he willingly tried 4 new foods in 48 hours (this is huge for us due to a toddler choking trauma), so I'd like to do more sensory bins and plan some crafts that are either seasonal or FIAR. Since he's been in preschool, he's excited about getting back to some of that structure, namely craft/play on the table first thing in the a.m. and I'd like to ease the transition from preschool to home learning as much as I can.

[rwilk]

I'm finding this to be true for us too. I'm trying to create a loose plan but we do have some challenges, for example my husband's schedule varies from week to week and I can't plan that every single day we will do math at 10 am, because DH might be due to work that day at 11 am and won't be home until well past bedtime, so play time with daddy is a priority.

 

Right now our OT is an hour session with half hour in what my son calls "the training room" (physical activity, ball pits, games where he pulls himself around on a skateboard-type thing using only his hands and shoulder strength) and half hour of hand-strengthening table work. To us, an hour doesn't seem like much but it can really wipe him out, and between the travel time to/from, that's 2-3 hours of our day right there. We've also signed up for a weekly co-op and I really want to prioritize outside activities when the weather isn't oppressive or bitter cold because the physical activity/strength is vital right now.

 

I think I've settled on a loose plan of:

• Daily Learning Notebook (look at a month calendar, point out month, day of the week, trace the date number, then do a daily page of trace the day word and number)
• our FIAR unit spread over 5-7 days as needed (with breaks for things like a unit study on the Summer Olympics, Christmas Around the World, or busy weeks that have a lot of other activities or travel),
• Virtues for Children story book--read at bedtime, because we're a secular family and don't really get that elsewhere.

 

and then on days that aren't OT or co-op

 

• as many pages of Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2 as he'll put up with (he's been known to sit and do 30 mazes at a time, so it's mood-based)
• a reading program still TBD. Thank you for the LoE recommendation. I ordered a used copy of Teach Your Child to Read with Children's Books and I'm going do some research into LoE, the Ordinary Parents Guide and others.

 

After 4.5 years of not wanting anything to do with crafts, crayons, painting, etc., he's started asking daily for crafts. We did our first sensory bin and suddenly he willingly tried 4 new foods in 48 hours (this is huge for us due to a toddler choking trauma), so I'd like to do more sensory bins and plan some crafts that are either seasonal or FIAR. Since he's been in preschool, he's excited about getting back to some of that structure, namely craft/play on the table first thing in the a.m. and I'd like to ease the transition from preschool to home learning as much as I can.

Your plan sounds really reasonable, and focused on what he prefers.  DD is similar in her tolerance for activities---sort of hit or miss.  One day she'll struggle to get through a page/maze/puzzle, others she'll work it for an hour.  

 

I'm curious as to the Virtues book you found---we are also secular, and it sounds interesting.

[BonnieLK]

I haven't checked out the Virtues book  yet. I've seen it highly recommended by assorted groups but there are Christian stories included, I believe. Once I have a chance to look it over, I'll report back.