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Dd is 4.5 and turning 5 in December. Our states cutoff is October 1 so she will start K in 2017/18 school year. Dd started reading last year.

 

She attends a half day public preschool. It is heavily play based. Last year the academics they focused on were things such as letter recognition, simple patterns, counting to 20, writing their name, and a lot of fun science/social studies units. I love preschool for her and her teacher is a family friend.

 

However Dd was asking for more at home. She loves preschool and has been begging To go back all summer. We're currently doing OPGTR and are a little under half way through. We have some basic K math workbooks and I plan to start education unboxed and c-rods this fall. Dd can count pretty high and do basic math problems.

 

She also loves to write and draw. She asks for copywork. We have several how to draw books such as Draw Write Now and Usbornes drawing book.

 

My question, what does after schooling look like at this age? We do reading daily either a lesson in OPGTR or a BOB book or Norah Gaydos reader or a reading game that I have. I want to continue that. For math I may be more relaxed.

 

We cannot homeschool until 1st grade. I am currently pursuing my masters and we need to have her in school for preschool and K so that I can get my practicums and internship done. The school she'll go to for K is a classical school that does offer subject advancement. They do not offer grade skipping though.

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My daughter was in a similar situation at that age.

 

I would read with her every night, using good literature & her own library choices, but also some nonfiction such as kid biographies, nature/science books, and those ABC and 123 books about other countries.  (I know that she knows her letters and numbers, but these books are really interesting and well-formatted for this age.  I myself enjoy them and just bought India ABC for my 5th graders. :)  They also expose the kids to foreign languages and scripts.)  A globe / world map for reference is good to have, to refer to during /after reading about different places.

 

For math, when my advanced learner was that age, we mostly did story problems that I made up in the car.  However, since then I have discovered some nice math story books for the age group.  For a start, you might want to look at MathStart readers, which come in 3 levels and cover a nice range of interesting topics.

 

For writing, if she enjoys it, you might ask her to write notes/letters, maybe get a pen pal.  My kids weren't into writing, so the most I did was ask them to write simple things on the whiteboard at that age.  They were also in full-time pre-K, so they got the small muscle practice there.

 

For additional enrichment, you might consider a foreign language, starting a musical instrument, and/or weekly museum/zoo visits.

Edited by SKL
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My daughter was in a similar situation at that age.

 

I would read with her every night, using good literature & her own library choices, but also some nonfiction such as kid biographies, nature/science books, and those ABC and 123 books about other countries. (I know that she knows her letters and numbers, but these books are really interesting and well-formatted for this age. I myself enjoy them and just bought India ABC for my 5th graders. :) They also expose the kids to foreign languages and scripts.) A globe / world map for reference is good to have, to refer to during /after reading about different places.

 

For math, when my advanced learner was that age, we mostly did story problems that I made up in the car. However, since then I have discovered some nice math story books for the age group. For a start, you might want to look at MathStart readers, which come in 3 levels and cover a nice range of interesting topics.

 

For writing, if she enjoys it, you might ask her to write notes/letters, maybe get a pen pal. My kids weren't into writing, so the most I did was ask them to write simple things on the whiteboard at that age. They were also in full-time pre-K, so they got the small muscle practice there.

 

For additional enrichment, you might consider a foreign language, starting a musical instrument, and/or weekly museum/zoo visits.

Thanks!

 

Yes, she loves to write. One of her favorite things to do is send mail to people. She'll get notecards and thank you cards and ask me how to spell her friends names and such. We have HWOT K. Her school does the preschool version. But we don't really use the HWOT consistently. I'll use it when I see a formation issue.

 

We do have memberships to the zoo, science museum, and children's museum so we regularly go to one of those 3. She loves the nature and science museum.

 

We currently do ballet class (more of an intro) which she also loves and which helps her gross motor. Not her strong point! We plan to start piano in January after she has turned 5. Our friend who teaches prefers that age as a starting point.

 

I love the idea of learning through books. I'll have to start putting some on hold.

 

I could have done full day preschool, but she doesn't nap and that's a large part of the afternoon portion of full day. And I wanted to be able to do stuff with her still. I dread full day K!

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I think you have made one point that is key -- your dd is asking for more. I would want to make sure that she truly enjoys the school and that it is not because you pay extra attentive for school based stuff, kwim? And, no matter how much she asks for, I would make sure she has plenty of play and imaginative time and outdoor time. I would choose her toys carefully -- hardwood blocks, play silks, etc -- and spend as much time with her as you can making up stories. Btw, hardwood blocks, because they are heavy, help develop the larger muscles that will be needed for writing. As an aside, French schools do dance as a prep for writing -- movement, space, etc.

 

For language, I think you cannot go wrong with read alouds. If you don't have Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook, by all means buy a copy or get one fron library. There is a wealth of info there in the body of the book and great reading lists in the back. Include lots of Mother Goose type poetry and fairy tales (repetition). Reading aloud helps develop phonemic awareness, which is critical for reading. The recordings by Jim Weiss are superb, and he has a number of early childhood ones.

 

Math? I don't know what to say. Some kids just get it. My Ds was one of those. We played endless games of Snakes and Ladders. Then he started racing through workbooks, hundreds board exercises, etc. I was always there.

 

Some specifics

 

Peggy Kaye books -- Games for Reading, Writing, Math (3 books) are classics, wonderful. K level, but good for an age range.

 

Core Knowlege has a preschool program. It came out when my kids were older, but we have used all their other material. There are samples on the website.

 

http://www.coreknowledge.org/the-preschool-sequence

 

Kumon has preschool level books.

 

Board games are great at that age. Candyland, Sorry, Connect 4. Learning how to take turns and how to lose without tantrums or frustration is not that easy. Games help.

 

Off the wall suggestion. Your dd is at a good age for chess.

 

ETA

 

https://www.amazon.com/Random-House-Book-Nursery-Stories/dp/0375805869/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471441053&sr=1-2&keywords=random+house+nursery+tales

 

We totally loved the text and illustrations in the Random House books. They also have Mother Goose, Fairy Tales, several more.

Edited by Alessandra
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I think you have made one point that is key -- your dd is asking for more. I would want to make sure that she truly enjoys the school and that it is not because you pay extra attentive for school based stuff, kwim? And, no matter how much she asks for, I would make sure she has plenty of play and imaginative time and outdoor time. I would choose her toys carefully -- hardwood blocks, play silks, etc -- and spend as much time with her as you can making up stories. Btw, hardwood blocks, because they are heavy, help develop the larger muscles that will be needed for writing. As an aside, French schools do dance as a prep for writing -- movement, space, etc.

 

For language, I think you cannot go wrong with read alouds. If you don't have Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook, by all means buy a copy or get one fron library. There is a wealth of info there in the body of the book and great reading lists in the back. Include lots of Mother Goose type poetry and fairy tales (repetition). Reading aloud helps develop phonemic awareness, which is critical for reading. The recordings by Jim Weiss are superb, and he has a number of early childhood ones.

 

Math? I don't know what to say. Some kids just get it. My Ds was one of those. We played endless games of Snakes and Ladders. Then he started racing through workbooks, hundreds board exercises, etc. I was always there.

 

Some specifics

 

Peggy Kaye books -- Games for Reading, Writing, Math (3 books) are classics, wonderful. K level, but good for an age range.

 

Core Knowlege has a preschool program. It came out when my kids were older, but we have used all their other material. There are samples on the website.

 

http://www.coreknowledge.org/the-preschool-sequence

 

Kumon has preschool level books.

 

Board games are great at that age. Candyland, Sorry, Connect 4. Learning how to take turns and how to lose without tantrums or frustration is not that easy. Games help.

 

Off the wall suggestion. Your dd is at a good age for chess.

 

ETA

 

https://www.amazon.com/Random-House-Book-Nursery-Stories/dp/0375805869/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471441053&sr=1-2&keywords=random+house+nursery+tales

 

We totally loved the text and illustrations in the Random House books. They also have Mother Goose, Fairy Tales, several more.

Thanks for the links and ideas! Those are all great. Her dad loves chess so I'll talk to him about starting.

 

She does ask for it. On her first day of school last year she complained "mom we didn't learn anything about letters or numbers!" Math is done very informally. She loves our set of counting bears and will play with those for a long time. She also loves writing math problems and will randomly do that.

 

I try to follow her interests. We didn't teach reading until she started to read on her own. She is really into drawing so we provide a lot of opportunities and various art mediums. She's also highly imaginiative. I'd say the bulk of her day is spent drawing/writing/pretending.

 

We have a few K leve workbooks (Star Wars and others) and I'll let her do those as she wants. Yesterday she rediscovers the Star Wars ones and did several pages in math and writing. The K level are just perfect for where she's at. We do have the Kumon preschool one as well and loved it, but she finished it last year. I may buy the K one if target has it. She loves the colors in them!

 

I will have to look at the books you recommended. We do a lot of reading aloud and audiobooks. And play a lot of educational games. I try to not make learning super formal at home.

 

Just not sure what we'll do when she's in K and full day. We apply for K this fall. Our state does school choice and we need to complete that process by January

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It sounds as though you are doing a great job! We afterschooled. The hardest thing for me was to make sure that I did not overdo it, lol.

 

When kids get in school, you will probably find some gaps, things school does not do, no matter how good the school. In my experience, many schools consistently lack classic reading books, so that is a pretty easy thing to fill in without being too school-like. Our schools did not teach phonics when my kids were there, so I did phonics at home.

 

We loved the Core Knowledge program for after schooling, because it is so flexible. The disadvantage (for some) is that the teacher will be selecting books, materials, and teaching method. Btw, by Core Knowledge, I do NOT mean the What Your Child Needs to Know series, excellent as those are. I mean the curriculum, teacher guides, etc. CK Books to Build On is a great resource (my personal favorite).

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It sounds as though you are doing a great job! We afterschooled. The hardest thing for me was to make sure that I did not overdo it, lol.

 

When kids get in school, you will probably find some gaps, things school does not do, no matter how good the school. In my experience, many schools consistently lack classic reading books, so that is a pretty easy thing to fill in without being too school-like. Our schools did not teach phonics when my kids were there, so I did phonics at home.

 

We loved the Core Knowledge program for after schooling, because it is so flexible. The disadvantage (for some) is that the teacher will be selecting books, materials, and teaching method. Btw, by Core Knowledge, I do NOT mean the What Your Child Needs to Know series, excellent as those are. I mean the curriculum, teacher guides, etc. CK Books to Build On is a great resource (my personal favorite).

the school is a classical school that does use Core Knowledge curriculum to meet state requirements. I believe that's what they say on their website. They also do Riggs for reading and writing. Which makes me wonder if I should switch to Riggs for handwriting. I believe it's similar to Spalding and uses the clock face method. I make sure Dd knows her phonograms. K and 1st at this school focus on learning all 72 phonograms. 1st at a faster pace than K. It's a pretty solid curriculum. We are doing classical mainly for the phonics, math, and art/music there.

 

I am big into classic solid reading material. This is one reason we aren't pursuing the local public school. Horrible reading selection.

 

Did any of you have your Kindy kids tested? This school is a charter and at a meeting last year a mom asked about gifted programming and the school has asked if she's tested her daughter. Not sure if that's something I need to set up with this district myself or something they do in house. They have an In house gifted coordinator. I'm also hesitant to test Dd. She doesn't like testing and I'm not sure how much it benefits them in K

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Oh, you are SO lucky to have a CK school!

 

You might want to start a separate thread for questions about the Riggs.

 

Testing for giftedness at K level? That could be another post. Our schools tested for disabilities, but did not have a stand alone gifted program, so I am no help there, sorry! We had a friend whose dd was reading chapter books before K, but she was fine in the regular classes. Your coordinator sounds sensible. If your dd is miles ahead, it will show up pretty soon.

 

I forgot to mention about the chess. Your dd can become a member of the USCF at any time. If you need any chess advice, just ask! Ds is a serious player, so I know a bit about it too.

Edited by Alessandra
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Oh, you are SO lucky to have a CK school!

 

You might want to start a separate thread for questions about the Riggs.

 

Testing for giftedness at K level? That could be another post. Our schools tested for disabilities, but did not have a stand alone gifted program, so I am no help there, sorry! We had a friend whose dd was reading chapter books before K, but she was fine in the regular classes. Your coordinator sounds sensible. If your dd is miles ahead, it will show up pretty soon.

 

I forgot to mention about the chess. Your dd can become a member of the USCF at any time. If you need any chess advice, just ask! Ds is a serious player, so I know a bit about it too.

We are lucky. We have a few local classical charters. I've asked about RIGGS before. It seems to be a standard classical curriculum for classrooms. Similar to Spalding in that they use the Same handwriting method and teach phonograms. Spelling to read and write.

 

I'm not sure about the testing. Another mother asked about gifted programming and the principle asked if she had been tested yet. I am assuming the school does this. Most of our Kindys do an assessment In order to track students and do ability grouping. It's not a seperate program, but they have an in house gifted coordinator to help plan academics for kids labeled gifted.

 

Thanks for the tips on chess. I think I will get out our set later. I'm not great at it, but know the basics. The videos will help for sure!

Edited by ReadingMama1214
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My advanced kid has not been tested other than via the school's standardized tests.  She was able to get accelerated a grade, so we weren't as desperate.  Although school is very easy for her, she doesn't complain.  She does a lot of independent reading in class.  :)  I am still debating with myself on the testing question.  In our case it would put her in a writing-intensive pull-out gifted program, but she hates writing, and I don't want to have to push her for that.  So as of today, the answer is no.  ;)

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My advanced kid has not been tested other than via the school's standardized tests. She was able to get accelerated a grade, so we weren't as desperate. Although school is very easy for her, she doesn't complain. She does a lot of independent reading in class. :) I am still debating with myself on the testing question. In our case it would put her in a writing-intensive pull-out gifted program, but she hates writing, and I don't want to have to push her for that. So as of today, the answer is no. ;)

.

 

Honestly, I'm not sure how advanced Dd is or if she'd even qualify for gifted services or if it will even out.

 

Colorado is pretty good about having gifted services. Some schools have gifted programs and others have coordinators who seem to individualize education plans. There is a gifted school, but it sounds horrible. Just elitist from what I've heard.

 

Our schools are incredibly hard to grade skip. We asked about it and were told that even if Dd passed the K test, they would most likely deny her early entrance to k. Colorado is required to allow parents to pursue early entrance and the decision is up to the principal. Most of who deny it. we missed that opportunity this year because testing must be done by April and it stresses Dd out to be questioned and quizzed.

 

I'm hoping they stay true to their word on allowing K kids into 1st grade reading and math. It will make our life easier if they do!

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Just from a different perspective... at 4.5 both my kids thrived on structure. We did reading/spelling (e.g., AAR/AAS for 15-25 minutes per day combined), handwriting (HWT about 5 minutes per day), and math (Saxon, maybe 30 minutes a day). Overall it was 1 hour per day at age 4.5. Originally *I* resisted the structure because it seemed like too much... but I realized that it helped them personally have a good day. It might be important to mention they went to a part-time Montessori -- only 3 hours a day and they had a lot of choice during that time, so the rest of their day was quite unstructured, probably much more unstructured than your daughter's would be... so take it with a grain of salt. 

Edited by tm919
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I'll be sending my 4.5 year old to half day preschool (afternoon) this fall and also doing some schooling at home so I'll chime in with what we have planned..whether or not it works out or needs to be tweaked is yet to be seen, lol. :)

Ds sounds a lot like your dd..loves to write, is reading independently at a 2nd grade level, loves math and numbers :).

My plan is to spend about a half an hour after breakfast covering the basics...

Math (daily) -  Horizons 1

Reading (daily) - Continuing on with OPGTTR
              - Reader - alternating between Elson Readers and Christian Liberty Nature Reader with comprehension questions afterwards

Handwriting (daily) - Copywork 2x per week ( current Bible verse or short sentences taken from current literature selections)

Spelling (maybe) - thinking of maybe just dictating a daily word list or short sentences created from previous, already learned OPGTTR lessons

He'll go to preschool for about 2 1/2 hours in the early afternoon :).

Literature (afternoon, daily) - I have a list of picture books I'd like to read over the course of the year..my plan is to read him a book and do some oral narration practice and then have him read me a book :).  I also plan to alternate between poetry and an Aesop fable and a short poem ("A Child's Garden of Verses", Charlotte Zolotow's "Seasons" etc..).  We'll make a weekly trip to the library to choose books for free reading time and I usually let him have some reading time in bed at night.  I'd like to start some longer chapter book read alouds at bedtime..."Stuart Little", "My Father's Dragon", etc..

Science/Art/Nature (1x per week) - I have a list of books (mostly from the "Lets Read and Find Out" series), projects, activities, that we'll pick and choose from throughout the year.  Many of them are seasonal or themed around current literature selections.  We're also going to make a little nature journal together and try and get out at least once a week or so for a nature walk and then writing, drawing, etc.. about what we saw :).

Music - (daily) piano lessons, weekly private lesson, bi-monthly group lessons

Logic - (daily) chess

 

So that's the plan as of right now...like I said...we're going to need to see if and how this will work with preschool.  I might need to do some major tweaking but we'll just roll with it :).

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I'll be sending my 4.5 year old to half day preschool (afternoon) this fall and also doing some schooling at home so I'll chime in with what we have planned..whether or not it works out or needs to be tweaked is yet to be seen, lol. :)

 

Ds sounds a lot like your dd..loves to write, is reading independently at a 2nd grade level, loves math and numbers :).

 

My plan is to spend about a half an hour after breakfast covering the basics...

 

Math (daily) - Horizons 1

 

Reading (daily) - Continuing on with OPGTTR

- Reader - alternating between Elson Readers and Christian Liberty Nature Reader with comprehension questions afterwards

 

Handwriting (daily) - Copywork 2x per week ( current Bible verse or short sentences taken from current literature selections)

 

Spelling (maybe) - thinking of maybe just dictating a daily word list or short sentences created from previous, already learned OPGTTR lessons

 

He'll go to preschool for about 2 1/2 hours in the early afternoon :).

 

Literature (afternoon, daily) - I have a list of picture books I'd like to read over the course of the year..my plan is to read him a book and do some oral narration practice and then have him read me a book :). I also plan to alternate between poetry and an Aesop fable and a short poem ("A Child's Garden of Verses", Charlotte Zolotow's "Seasons" etc..). We'll make a weekly trip to the library to choose books for free reading time and I usually let him have some reading time in bed at night. I'd like to start some longer chapter book read alouds at bedtime..."Stuart Little", "My Father's Dragon", etc..

 

Science/Art/Nature (1x per week) - I have a list of books (mostly from the "Lets Read and Find Out" series), projects, activities, that we'll pick and choose from throughout the year. Many of them are seasonal or themed around current literature selections. We're also going to make a little nature journal together and try and get out at least once a week or so for a nature walk and then writing, drawing, etc.. about what we saw :).

 

Music - (daily) piano lessons, weekly private lesson, bi-monthly group lessons

 

Logic - (daily) chess

 

So that's the plan as of right now...like I said...we're going to need to see if and how this will work with preschool. I might need to do some major tweaking but we'll just roll with it :).

Dd does preschool for 2.75hrs each day and has every other Friday off. It is very loose structure and there is a lot of free choice time with different centers. I believe that centers (indivial choice time) and recess are about an hour of their day and maybe more. It's excellent and play based, but there is structure and expectations as well.

 

I have a 2.5yo as well and babysit 1 or 2 kids each day except Monday's. So fitting in our after schooling will be trickier this year. Last year Dd went in the mornings and we schooled during nap. I'll have to fit it in around things this year.

 

Reading will be daily. Math may be every other. The rest we do through books and exploring our environment and museums.

 

Do you do the horizons workbook? I was looking at the K one but wasn't sure if I should do that or 1st. Dd can count to 100. Do basic addition/subtraction. Tell time to the hour, not minutes. And some skip counting. And patterns. I don't want a really formal math program. I was thinking of c rods and education unboxed. Plus we have tons of manipultives.

 

She starts piano in the new year and does ballet year round for extracurricular.

Edited by ReadingMama1214
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We're just sending ds to the local public free pre k program.  I think they utilize centers..the curriculum is focused on learning the letters, their sounds, numbers to 20, writing their names, etc..  Truth be told the only reason I'm sending him is that we have some concerns with regards to how he engages and socializes (or doesn't, lol) with kiddos his own age as well as some other minor OCD type behaviors.  We were thinking possibly ASD but our ped doesn't see it and seems to think he just needs some time with other kids so preschool will be kind of a testing ground to see if we need to go forward with a formal evaluation.  It will also be good for my 14 year old to have a few hours each day of peace and quiet so that he can get his work done, lol.  We're planning on homeschooling for Kindergarten up with the little guy :).

Yes, we do use the Horizons workbooks..I used them with my older kiddo and like that they are colorful and engaging.  Ds doesn't seem to mind seat work and enjoys them :).  By the end of the Kindergarten books they have mastered counting to 100 by 1's, 2's, 5s, and 10's, writing numbers to 100, even and odd numbers, left and right, basic shapes (2D and 3D), counting money (pennies, nickels, dimes, dollars), time to the hour and minute, basic measuring (length, perimeter, etc..), the basics of a calendar (days of the week, months, how many days in a week, etc..), basic graphing, patterns, place value (ones and tens), ordinal numbers,  adding and subtracting through 100 (so 63+4, 85 - 3, etc..), simple word problems.  They probably review a lot of it in the 1st grade books though :).

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We're just sending ds to the local public free pre k program. I think they utilize centers..the curriculum is focused on learning the letters, their sounds, numbers to 20, writing their names, etc.. Truth be told the only reason I'm sending him is that we have some concerns with regards to how he engages and socializes (or doesn't, lol) with kiddos his own age as well as some other minor OCD type behaviors. We were thinking possibly ASD but our ped doesn't see it and seems to think he just needs some time with other kids so preschool will be kind of a testing ground to see if we need to go forward with a formal evaluation. It will also be good for my 14 year old to have a few hours each day of peace and quiet so that he can get his work done, lol. We're planning on homeschooling for Kindergarten up with the little guy :).

 

Yes, we do use the Horizons workbooks..I used them with my older kiddo and like that they are colorful and engaging. Ds doesn't seem to mind seat work and enjoys them :). By the end of the Kindergarten books they have mastered counting to 100 by 1's, 2's, 5s, and 10's, writing numbers to 100, even and odd numbers, left and right, basic shapes (2D and 3D), counting money (pennies, nickels, dimes, dollars), time to the hour and minute, basic measuring (length, perimeter, etc..), the basics of a calendar (days of the week, months, how many days in a week, etc..), basic graphing, patterns, place value (ones and tens), ordinal numbers, adding and subtracting through 100 (so 63+4, 85 - 3, etc..), simple word problems. They probably review a lot of it in the 1st grade books though :).

Yes Dd is at a public school as well and the curriculum sounds similar to yours.

 

Dd was enrolled in preschool for similar reasons. Mainly social. She is not assertive and I feel like she benefited tremendously from PreK last year. Socially she grew.

 

She struggles with a lot of sensory issues at home that are almost non existent at school. We have asked about Aspergers and sensory issues, but her pedi isn't concerned. I don't see Aspergers as much, but she has major issues with clothing that have been out of hand lately. Too much! But non existent at school. Might push for a developmental referral at her 5yr checkup.

 

I think I will order the horizons K book. I think she'll do it quickly, but she hasn't done addition that high. Only within 0-20 really. And she counts by 1s and 10s and somewhat 5s. The K book looks fun even if we fly through it. She loves math workbooks.

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Oh!  Somebody had mentioned chess earlier.  My older son learned at almost 5 and has been playing completely since he was 6.  I can't even express how many awesome benefits we've seen from chess :).  I started teaching the little guy shortly after he turned 4 using this book..it's a great teaching tool for littles..lots of fun mini games to keep them interested and engaged and they learn how to play a full game relatively quickly :).

https://www.educationalinsights.com/product/phonics+modular+flip+charts.do

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Oh! Somebody had mentioned chess earlier. My older son learned at almost 5 and has been playing completely since he was 6. I can't even express how many awesome benefits we've seen from chess :). I started teaching the little guy shortly after he turned 4 using this book..it's a great teaching tool for littles..lots of fun mini games to keep them interested and engaged and they learn how to play a full game relatively quickly :).

 

https://www.educationalinsights.com/product/phonics+modular+flip+charts.do

Totally agreeing chess has incredible benefits, provided of course that child takes to it.

 

For op, girls in chess are less common than boys. There is a big movement now to encourage girls to play -- and to keep playing once they reach teen years.

 

And here is a link to recent tournaments in your state

 

http://www.uschess.org/datapage/event-search.php?name=&state=CO&city=&date_from=&date_to=&order=D&minsize=&affil=&timectl=&mode=Find

 

Your dd would probably start in unrated scholastic tournaments. Unrated tournaments will not be in the link, but often the same organizations offer rated and unrated. If you google 'uscf msa,' you can also get a list of chess clubs in your state.

Edited by Alessandra
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Totally agreeing chess has incredible benefits, provided of course that child takes to it.

 

For op, girls in chess are less common than boys. There is a big movement now to encourage girls to play -- and to keep playing once they reach teen years.

 

And here is a link to recent tournaments in your state

 

http://www.uschess.org/datapage/event-search.php?name=&state=CO&city=&date_from=&date_to=&order=D&minsize=&affil=&timectl=&mode=Find

 

Your dd would probably start in unrated scholastic tournaments. Unrated tournaments will not be in the link, but often the same organizations offer rated and unrated. If you google 'uscf msa,' you can also get a list of chess clubs in your state.

You guys are inspiring me for chess! I loved to play as a child, but I haven't taught my daughters.

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Oh! Somebody had mentioned chess earlier. My older son learned at almost 5 and has been playing completely since he was 6. I can't even express how many awesome benefits we've seen from chess :). I started teaching the little guy shortly after he turned 4 using this book..it's a great teaching tool for littles..lots of fun mini games to keep them interested and engaged and they learn how to play a full game relatively quickly :).

 

https://www.educationalinsights.com/product/phonics+modular+flip+charts.do

I am inspired! We have a couple of chess sets and I'm going to look at the library for books.

 

Did you link the right product? It was a phonics flip chart?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Our son just turned 5 right before the cutoff but we kept him in Pre-K this year because he has had a few delays due to epilepsy and is still catching up on things like understanding verbal directions.  But his delays aren't even, so in other areas he is right on track or ahead and would have been ready for Kindergarten.  So I am trying to do a kind of "Kindergarten lite" for him after school this year so that next year things will be easier for him and he can just concentrate on trying to listen without getting frustrated.  We started this summer so we're several months into it already.

 

So here's what we are doing. For phonics, he LOVES Hooked on Phonics.  We do all of it, the videos, the workbook, the little books, and the iPad app.  He also reads Bob books and early readers from the library.  We do reading eggs sometimes too just to mix it up. 

 

For writing, we finished up the preschool HWT book over the summer, but I didn't want to move up to the K book because they will do it next year in school.  So we are mainly doing a page here and there from the workbooks you can get at the store, which have you trace a word then write it on your own, etc.  Sometimes we use a Kumon book, sometimes one of the other more colorful ones, generally I let him pick.

 

For math I got the first level of Right Start Math, and we are working through it at his speed.  A few of the early lessons were really easy and went fast.  We're now in the middle (learning about place value), and more often than not we will work on 1 lesson for 2 or 3 sessions before moving on, and really focusing on playing with the manipulatives (including c-rods which I added in) and the card games.  I also bought the Singapore K level workbooks and the Miquon workbooks, and once a week or so we'll do a page or 2 out of one of them so that he at least sees a tiny bit of *written* math.  I'm trying to go slow and just get him to where he is very comfortable with the concepts.  Honestly his biggest difficulty is understanding the directions, so I try to explain things to him in many different ways, so that next year he will have heard some of it before.

 

He also takes group piano lessons (which he loves!) and of course we read a lot.  :)  Good luck!

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Our son just turned 5 right before the cutoff but we kept him in Pre-K this year because he has had a few delays due to epilepsy and is still catching up on things like understanding verbal directions. But his delays aren't even, so in other areas he is right on track or ahead and would have been ready for Kindergarten. So I am trying to do a kind of "Kindergarten lite" for him after school this year so that next year things will be easier for him and he can just concentrate on trying to listen without getting frustrated. We started this summer so we're several months into it already.

 

So here's what we are doing. For phonics, he LOVES Hooked on Phonics. We do all of it, the videos, the workbook, the little books, and the iPad app. He also reads Bob books and early readers from the library. We do reading eggs sometimes too just to mix it up.

 

For writing, we finished up the preschool HWT book over the summer, but I didn't want to move up to the K book because they will do it next year in school. So we are mainly doing a page here and there from the workbooks you can get at the store, which have you trace a word then write it on your own, etc. Sometimes we use a Kumon book, sometimes one of the other more colorful ones, generally I let him pick.

 

For math I got the first level of Right Start Math, and we are working through it at his speed. A few of the early lessons were really easy and went fast. We're now in the middle (learning about place value), and more often than not we will work on 1 lesson for 2 or 3 sessions before moving on, and really focusing on playing with the manipulatives (including c-rods which I added in) and the card games. I also bought the Singapore K level workbooks and the Miquon workbooks, and once a week or so we'll do a page or 2 out of one of them so that he at least sees a tiny bit of *written* math. I'm trying to go slow and just get him to where he is very comfortable with the concepts. Honestly his biggest difficulty is understanding the directions, so I try to explain things to him in many different ways, so that next year he will have heard some of it before.

 

He also takes group piano lessons (which he loves!) and of course we read a lot. :) Good luck!

Sounds like we are doing similar things! We are just after schooling math and phonics. I've been using Ordinary Parents Guide and supplementing with BOB books, phonics readers, and phonics games. For math, I think we'll look at education unboxed or CSMP. I'm buying manipulatives next week.

 

For science we just do what Dd wants. Right now she's super into volcanoes so we have been watching documentaries, reading books, and doing projects and crafts. Art and science tend to be interest led.

 

Her preschool is play based and has been great for social and emotional development. She's also making progress in reading and is starting to read more in the environment and is seeming to understand basic two syllable words which is fun to see.

 

Learning for us has been led by her. She seems to love math and science and while she may not be gifted in those areas, they're definitely her interest areas. And art.

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