New to TWTM..looking for some help

[ChristinaHam2016]

Hello everyone,

 

 My name is Christina and I have a 4 and 2 year old. I recently purchased "The Well Trained Mind" and am looking for some resources and encouragement. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with how/where to start. My 4 year old went to 3 year pre-school last year but I always felt the pull to home-school my kids. After ordering the book I really think this is the avenue I need to persue with our home-schooling. 

Do any of you here have any good places to start?? Thank you!! 

[OneStepAtATime]

Welcome!  

 

First, don't stress out over starting anything formal with your 4 year old.   Take a deep breath.  You have oodles of time to help your child learn.  At this stage of the game inspiring a love of and desire to learn and explore through every day play and interaction and working to strengthen the family bond while you seek out more information will work just fine.   The press to start a very structured academic day with very young children can be detrimental.  Take time, do your research, read through books on brain development and learning for children in general before you hit the ground running full bore.   TWTM is awesome but it is not the be all and end all of existence for how kids learn.  Read it, learn what you can, use what makes sense and most importantly please enjoy this time with your kids.  They will not be this young again. :)

 

As for specifics on a starting point, do you do read alouds with your kids?

[LMCme]

Hi,

 

First off, realize that with a 4 year old, you don't need to do anything formal.  If you want to do something academic, I'd prioritize teaching phonics.  At 4 years old, that could either be writing each letter on an index card and spending a few minutes per day learning the most common sounds they make (i.e., short vowel sounds only, hard c) or you could get a book (e.g. the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, one of the Dancing Bears books from Sound Foundations).  If you want to add handwriting, you can either learn one of the most common handwriting types (Getty Dubay, D'Neilian, or Zaner Bloser) and teach it to your child by just writing the letters on some handwriting paper and letting him copy them, or by getting a workbook with one of those methods.  If you want to add math, you can either DIY (counting, skip counting, money, clocks are common topics) or you can get a Kindergarden math program (Saxon K works for a 4 year old).

 

If you want to do more of an enrichment type thing, check out Five in a Row.

 

All in all, don't stress too much at this point!  Have fun :)

 

Best,

LMC

[blondchen]

I remember just how I felt when my oldest was 4 and I read TWTM and attended my first homeschool conference. I was SOOOO excited to get started...but my bubble burst a bit when I realized that there really isn't much that should be done at that age. Young kids just need lots of reading aloud and to play and to be exposed to the good, true and beautiful things of life (quality books, art, music, nature, the family's religion), and when they're ready, to learn to read (which many 4yos can). Other than that, just teach them about life as you live it, and incorporate math concepts and other stuff as it comes up, if you're inclined. Be patient with the formal academics. There is plenty of that later!!!

 

I use OPGTR for reading and just go at a pace that's comfortable. No rushing, no pushing. It has worked well for all three of my kids.

 

For read alouds, I love Honey for a Child's Heart, which is an annotated list of great books for children. Such a treasure.

 

And along with TWTM, I highly recommend reading the book Consider This. It gave me a vision for what a classical education could be, in forming my children as whole persons. Very inspiring.

[MotherGoose]

Snuggle the 4 yo on your lap and work on phonics for a bit during 2 yo nap, then let it go. When4 yo gets the wiggles, you are done,even if it's 5 mins. Do fun preschool art, let them make messes and help cook. Read lots of books aloud. Go to playgroups and story time and develop friendships that will last. Enjoy days of doing nothing, taking them to lunch, getting home, taking a nap, running around outside, having supper, and going to bed. YOU can research curricula and figure out what you like and what you don't, although you won't really know until you try it. Go to homeschool conventions. But don't involve the kids much at all till k.

[Kat w]

^^^ what she said :)

 

Enjoy them . they are little and only young once.

 

Research, and as the above said...get ready for O-G style of teaching.

 

Have fun! You're at the best place to be. :)

[lanalouwho]

I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old. We just started kindergarten. Like every one else said, I wouldn't rush into to formal academics. There's plenty of time for that later. We did lots (and lots) of read alouds, story time at the library, imaginative play and sing songs (I have a special love for schoolhouse rock). Work on teaching them basic skills like picking up after themselves and following directions. Work on shapes, colors, days of the week, etc. Let them get dirty. Explore outside. And remember, at this age, no matter what they are doing, they are always learning.

 

Sent from my HTCD200LVW using Tapatalk

[2_girls_mommy]

I had homeschooled my kids from birth (purposefully and deciding that's what we were going to do by age 4 and 2, but before that, just that I didn't see a need for preschool) through kindergarten before I ever even read The Well Trained Mind and decided that that was how we were going to do it. You are in a great spot. Stick with its recs. It really is that easy. Look at the very short chapter on preschool. It is about teaching them the ABCs and reading to them and taking them outside to play and possibly doing activities from Slow and Steady Get Me Ready. That's all you need to actively do for preschool! Seriously. I have taught 3 through preschool so far, and have transitioned them all just fine into WTM style academics (except for one of those was a niece that transitioned into public school just fine.)

 

Spend this time reading up on anything and everything that interests you on teaching, homeschooling, child development, etc. and like others said, enjoying this time.

[lllll]

nm

Edited November 5, 2016 by cathey

[ChristinaHam2016]

Welcome!  

 

First, don't stress out over starting anything formal with your 4 year old.   Take a deep breath.  You have oodles of time to help your child learn.  At this stage of the game inspiring a love of and desire to learn and explore through every day play and interaction and working to strengthen the family bond while you seek out more information will work just fine.   The press to start a very structured academic day with very young children can be detrimental.  Take time, do your research, read through books on brain development and learning for children in general before you hit the ground running full bore.   TWTM is awesome but it is not the be all and end all of existence for how kids learn.  Read it, learn what you can, use what makes sense and most importantly please enjoy this time with your kids.  They will not be this young again. :)

 

As for specifics on a starting point, do you do read alouds with your kids?

 

Thank you so much! I definitely do not want to re-create a classroom or anything right now but definitely want to spend a small amount of time on phonics and such. Well, I have read a book or two every night for about 3 years to her and now to my other daughter(2) and we do have a part of each day that they sit and will look through books. 

[ChristinaHam2016]

What are your kids doing now, as far as school goes?

 

As of now, my 4 year old and I specifically will work on the alphabet. She knows how to write her name and a few other small words like mom and dad. She knows her shapes, colors, and recognizes some numbers. She does not know the whole alphabet just yet. We read everyday and just use little experiences in our daily lives to try to recognize numbers and letters or colors on signs. She oddly is great with directions. We live in a kinda small town so we frequent the same places a lot in a week and she knows how to get to most of them. also, she knows her full name, address, my name, my husbands name and her sisters name. We do flash cards and just read a lot. 

[Kat w]

Awwww...I forgot about slow and steady get me ready. A veteran homeschooling mom if 6 gave that to me way back when my 20 yo was 5. I used that with him at 5. That is such a sweet sweet program. :) I still have the entire notebook of what he did under my TV lol. I forgot that's what it was til I went and got it out. Very sweet and gentle.

 

Yea, that's a good one, and bonding with your little one.

:)

Edited August 9, 2016 by Kat w

[El...]

Welcome!  I found WTM when my first was about 3, so I know what you mean!  And I was homeschooled, but I was still overwhelmed by it all! 

 

Don't worry.  I have found that the time I spent preparing when DD was little has really paid off, because I had time to learn so much about curriculum options and figure out her best learning setup.

 

 

[lllll]

nm 

 

Edited November 5, 2016 by cathey

[ExcitedMama]

Have you looked at Kumon books? They are great for working on fine motor skills like writing and cutting. What Your Preschooler Needs To Know has great workbooks that work on skills but also have fun stories to read and engage with. Like yesterday my almost 4 year old used little cut outs to act out The Little Red Hen. Memoria Press has great materials and we are just starting their program for Junior K. It has lots of great stories and gentle activities. She was very excited to memorize her first poem just like she's seen her big brother do. When she's ready for blending their First Start Reading program is great. After that I love All About Reading for phonics.

 

I remember being very eager to get started when DS was little. All the acronyms here can be overwhelming! Keep reading the posts and you'll get a great idea what is popular. Cathy Duffy Reviews and Rainbow Resources are great for looking things up and checking everything out.

[HS Mom in NC]

Let the kids be kids and play.  Read aloud to them.  Honey For A Child's Heart is a good book for starting read alouds for young kids.

It's great that you read TWTM and loved it, but it's not time to commit to it if you haven't browsed around a variety of options yet.  You should read read read about homeschooling now since you seem inclined to do a little research. TWTM isn't a good fit for every kid out there.  You won't really know it's the approach you want to take unless you have several significantly different options to compare it to.  (You may have already, I have no way of knowing based on the first post.)

You can also start browsing phonics and math programs, not for the purpose of choosing one and starting academics soon, but to get a grasp of how they differ from each other and what people particularly like about each.  When the time comes it will be less pressure to choose one if you've had time to familiarize yourself with them a bit.

[ForeverFamily]

I agree that you should read and do as much research as you can, although don't do so much that you are missing out on enjoying your young kiddos. ;) I agree with all the books already mentioned, I would also add the suggestion of reading For the Children's Sake and The Read Aloud Handbook. I also highly recommend listening to as many podcasts as possible, they are so inspiring, and they are free! I personally love and highly recommend the following podcasts: Your Morning Basket, Homeschool Snapshots, Circe Institute (I love the Mason Jar episodes), A Delectable Education Charlotte Mason, and Read-Aloud Revival. There are also many fantastic MP3 lectures available. I love all the lectures by Andrew Pudewa, one of my personal favorites is Nurturing Competent Communicators, these can be purchased at iew.com. I also love all the audio lectures by Susan Wise Bauer, those can be purchased at welltrainedmind.com. I am sure there are other great ones I am forgetting. Here is a great list of audio lectures to listen to...

 

http://amongstlovelythings.com/listen-up-collection-of-my-favorite/

 

 

As far as school for your kiddos. Enjoy them and take it slow. I was so eager to get started that I pushed academics on my oldest while she was little and I still regret it. Enjoy them, and snuggle up and read read read to them. Others have mentioned some books with great reading lists. I would also add that we have enjoyed most books on the sonlight reading lists, and have loved the before FIAR books, and the FIAR books. There are also many other great lists available on the Internet. The Read Aloud Handbook has a booklist in it as well.

 

I also want to pass on a word of advice, as I have fallen into this trap myself, don't get overwhelmed by all the blogs and pins on Pinterest that make it appear as though all homeschool moms are super moms. Yes there are so many cute/fun activities out there, if you are so inclined do a few fun activities here and there, but just remember that at this stage if all you ever do is read to your kiddos you are doing plenty. Start on phonics if they are ready, others have mentioned some great resources. As far as math goes, I would suggest reading books like Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Liping Ma and start to become familiar with the available programs and methods out there. I would really recommend watching the Education Unboxed videos, they have been a great resource for me and they are free! Susan Wise Bauer listed a bunch of other resources for parents in her newest edition of TWTM (4th edition, it is very much worth reading :) ). I have also found a lot of great math discussions on the forum when googling various math programs. Another skill I would work on at this stage is fine motor skills. You can do this by having them color, paint, glue colored squares on to paper, decorate a picture with stickers, give them a piece of paper and let them have at it with preschool scissors (this is one of my boys favorite things to do), etc. As someone mentioned Kumon books are a great for working on these skills.

 

Also give them plenty of free playing time. I would also focus on starting to form good habits. Getting ready for the day, helping around the house, etc. I really, really wish I would have focused more on these things when my kids were young. I also recommend starting to have quiet time each day, get them in the habit now. Sorry I didn't mean to make this so long. Hopefully some of it will be helpful. Best of luck on your journey. :)