help me think about this - half days in school

[EmilyGF]

Hi all,

 

It turns out my state has laws that allow part time school attendance as long as a request is made before May 1. I'm thinking of sending my K-er to school from 8:45-1 or 1:30 and then bringing him home to be with us in the afternoons. (I realize that this would just give him a traditional kindergarten day!) I'd probably have him play out-of-doors for a while after picking him up. I expect the walk to and from the school would be good for him, too.

 

I need to write an official letter in the next few days. What would you suggest to complement the half day of K? I have older kids I homeschool and the primary goal for me is to give him a bit of structure in the morning and us a bit more peace to get the heavier subjects done while he is at school.

 

I ran this by my friend who is a public school teacher and she thought it was a great idea (she is also not a fan of long days in K, her quote being, "It's not like they learn anything after 1 pm anyways.").

 

Thanks,

Emily

[SKL]

First I'd see what she'd be missing in those last 2 hours of K and decide if it was important to teach that.

 

Next I'd pick one or two subjects you feel the school does not do justice to, and include that.

 

If your older kids are not very much older, perhaps your K could sit in on some of their read-alouds and/or educational videos.

Some specific ideas:

• Daily:  Reading / read-alouds (whatever is appropriate for him); free reading, good lit, biographies, books about other countries....
• Daily:  Math with manipulatives or computer math game.
• Multiple days:  Musical instrument study.
• Weekly or so:
  • Museum visit
  • Library visit
  • Cooking class
  • Science experiment
  • Nature study with journal
  • Writing a letter to someone

[Bluegoat]

That sounds like a full K day around here.  Most little ones come home very tired and need a snack, a rest, and then time to play. 

 

I don't know that I would add any real academic work to that.  But I would add really good stories, poetry, that kind of thing.  A lot of the books avaialable in a K classroom are a little lame.

[HTRMom]

I don't think you need to do anything else, unless he will be missing math or reading practice. Isn't the whole point that 4.5 hours of school is plenty? I'd just let him relax outside of school!

 

 

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[ReadingMama1214]

I agree with the others that I would make sure what he would be missing for the last half. Our schools allow this as well and it seems that they do the lesser subjects then (history, reading groups (not lessons but reading practice), and extras Iike art).

 

We won't be doing it because dd is going to a Spanish immersion school and doesn't have that option. But if we did, I would do anything elective like art, museum trips, fun science experiments, and then work on any weak areas and strong areas. Dd was reading in preschool which is why we opted out of full day. I wanted to continue working on it with her at home.

[Laura Corin]

The problem that we had with part time school was special events. Rehearsals for a carol concert or a little school play could happen at any time in the day, and they didn't seem able to warn me. Calvin was given parts, then had them taken away because he missed practices.

[Miss Tick]

Around here in K the morning is "academic" and all the extras happen in the afternoon. I had a non-homeschooling friend send her dd for the mornings-only option and by the second week her dd wanted to stay full-day because she was missing all the "fun" stuff.

[Paige]

I wouldn't bother with K but my DDs are doing 2 classes in 7th grade and it is working pretty well. My problem is like Laura Corin's. They change the girls' schedule all the time and it drives me crazy. Fortunately for the school, this year I am quite flexible, but other years I would not have been able to keep up with their changes. Sometimes the changes are so random and so confusing and the school gives me less than 24hrs notice most of the time. Imagine they typically have to be at school at 1:30-2:45 on Weds. I get notes saying they have to be there from 10:15-12:30 instead for one day, the next day 9:00-9:50, and the next day their class isn't scheduled! I get notice for the after school stuff with more reasonable lead time because the teachers tell all the students and I'm not relying on the admin staff.

 

I put up with it because I feel we are getting a significant value for the stress- they are taking classes I could not teach (Band/Other electives) or really hate doing at home (science w/equipment and labs). If I was dealing with an elementary student, I doubt it would be worth the headaches. 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2017 by Paige

[ReadingMama1214]

Around here in K the morning is "academic" and all the extras happen in the afternoon. I had a non-homeschooling friend send her dd for the mornings-only option and by the second week her dd wanted to stay full-day because she was missing all the "fun" stuff.

This is what happens here as well. The majority of preschoolers and K students who opt to do half day usually beg todo full