I also have a 5yo doing K and a 2yo. Some of the things that we do that we love the most are Five in a Row (dd's absolute, hands-down favorite) Building Foundations of Science Understanding (We just started this, and I love it, because it is science as a part of everyday life rather than a stand-alone lesson) For social studies, we do a hodge podge. DD chooses topics, like a country or a person, and we get books from the library about that topic. Next year, we will start with a classical approach starting with the ancients, but at this age, we are really enjoying this. I have also started to read chapter books to her. We started with Black Beauty. We are now doing Dr. Dolittle. And next in line is Wizard of Oz. Memorization!!!! This is the best thing I have gotten out of WTM so far. I wasn't impressed with the idea, but they made it seem so easy (just read it once per day) that I couldn't see not at least trying it. Dd loves learning her poetry, scriptures and songs. It is so gentle and easy and only takes a minute a day. Poetry: I don't like poetry much (I am more of a math/science gal), but I thought it wise not to let my distaste for it bias my children. So I have gotten some good books of children's poetry, and we keep at least one on the kitchen table. I read the poems to the children while they eat. I wasn't surprised that dd loved it (it is right up her alley), but I was surprised that my ds2 is now requesting it (he is not even talking yet). We are also doing math, spelling, reading. I don't really keep track of the time we take, because it is stretched out throughout the day. I have her do math first thing because it is the hardest to get through. Then we just do a little here and there. As for the 2yo, that has been quite a challenge. I want to be able to sit with dd while she does her work, but ds can be rather demanding. I find it is really important to tend to his needs first. I read about one mother that takes her little ones for a walk first thing before school, and then her toddlers are more apt to play by themselves when school starts. I am not an outdoor person, so the walk doesn't work for me, but the principle of meeting the needs of the youngest first (however that gets done) I think is very wise. We do a lot while ds is napping. (I fortunately have a dh that takes the kids for an hour every day after dinner, so I still get "me time.") I saw a suggestion to put a little one either at the sink or on the floor on a towel with a tub of water and a bunch of containers. That seemed like a great idea, and it worked one time for us, and after that, nothing. You just have to know your kids and what makes them tick. We have used file folder games with some success. Ds likes puzzles, too. He loves the marble run that we have and will play with that for long stretches by himself. If you want to see more about what we are doing/using, you can check out my blog. Tracy

:lurk5: Tracy

:iagree: I also agree that you don't necessarily need a program. I would just take a few minutes each day and take turns writing the letters. You write the letter then she writes it. My dd always enjoyed writing the letter and then making it into a person. It made the experience much more enjoyable for her.

My dd is almost 5, and we are doing Kindergarten with her this year. This is our first year of homeschooling, so like many others, we started with a little bit more than we could handle. I have already eliminated a lot of the worksheets that we started with and am planning some curriculum changes for next year. Here is some of what we have done: Eliminated phonics entirely, since she is reading way above grade level. Do phonics-based spelling orally and on the computer (www.spellingcity.com). We are currently using Spelling Workout, but I am considering moving to Spelling Power. We are changing from Horizons Math, which is entirely worksheets, to CSMP, which incorporates books and games into the program. We will move to Tapestry of Grace, an integrated literature and history program, which has lots of reading and hands-on activities for the youngest ages. I have struggled with whether to use FLL. I decided that even though dd can do it and would probably even like it, grammar just isn't that important at 5yo. We will reevaluate this after next year. Since we have eliminated most other worksheets, we are now doing copywork, instead. DD likes this a lot, because she can help choose what to copy, which makes it more meaningful to her. And her handwriting is improving very quickly with this method. Tracy

I wanted to share a bit of wisdom that I learned from DH, who is a high school teacher. He says that when he talks to a girl, he faces her and looks her in the eye. He tries to show her he is interested in what she is saying. With boys, he invites them to go for a walk or work with him on something. He never looks them in the eye, and he keeps them physically busy while they are talking. I've seen a lot of moms express frustration with getting their boys involved in discussion-based curricula, and I wonder if this is applicable here. Tracy

I am teaching piano to dd4, and she loves it so much that I don't have to "get tough." Once we reach that stage, I would definitely outsource the piano lessons. Tracy

:iagree::iagree:

When my dd4 was at this point, she loved the Word Whammer (a contraption that sticks to your refridgerator and has magnetic letters that fit in three slots). It has different levels of games, including just saying the letter and sound, spelling a word, building your own word, and making rhyming words. (Once she started to "get it," she told me she wanted a "stronger Word Whammer" that could make 4-letter words.) It was among the best $30 that I ever spent. DS2 now plays with it all the time.

We are half way through Horizons K, and we haven't needed manipulatives at all. For addition, it uses a number line to help with the problems. If dd gets too much writing on the number line, though, she will resort to using her fingers, instead. I like how the program gently introduces the child to concepts while encouraging mental math.

:iagree:

Thanks so much for these links! This rocker chick is feeling really bewildered at dd4's interest in classical music. This is very helpful.

Love this. I think I will adopt it. ;)

The author hosts two yahoo groups. They are not terribly active, but the author responds personally to each post. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K5science/?yguid=12164133 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nebelselementaryeducation/?yguid=12164133

We have decided to purchase TOG and were wavering between the digital and print version. In the meantime, we were also trying to figure out how best to print out CSMP for math. When I called FedEx Kinko's for CSMP, they gave me a quote of $300 for about 1000 pages. :eek: So I would say no to calling Kinko's. After a little research, we discovered that we can buy a good, fast, color laser printer that costs .03 per page to print for less than $300. If you order the digital version of TOG and have them print it for you, they charge you .05 per page plus shipping. So I figure by the time I have printed out 4 years of TOG and 6 yrs of CSMP, the laser printer will have paid for itself. Now lets just hope that both programs work for us, since I can't sell that digital version! ;) Tracy

How about file folder games? I did one for my dd when she was about that age where she had to match upper and lower case letters. You can google free file folder games and find all kinds of ideas and printables. Putting them together is a pain, but then you have them forever.

I don't think that you ever need a vocabulary program or a reading comprehension program for an avid reader, especially if you are researching new words as a matter of course. I do think that at 7yo, you need some sort of spelling program. A child may be a great speller at a lower level and then hit a wall when the words become more difficult. Many people prefer to do spelling CM style, and this might be a good option for you. My personal preference is something that is more phonics-driven.

We just ordered this, too. I can't wait to get it. It is reportedly designed to help children make connections between different ideas and topics, rather than studying each item in a vacuum.

Thanks for this website, and all of the other ideas, too. I was surprised to learn that even dramatization could be used for narration. DD does this all the time. Once we read a book, we often have to "play it," too. I am interested in WWE, but I hesitate to purchase yet another curriculum for a child that is not even school-age, yet (she will be 5yo in Mar.). I want to make sure that she doesn't lose the skills that she has already acquired, but I don't want it to be too burdensome at a time when she is still supposed to be a little kid. So for now, I want to just very gently incorporate some of these ideas, and we will expand on them as she gets older. Thanks so much, everyone! :) Tracy

I am wondering if anyone can recommend some resources on copywork and narration--maybe CM style? Here are some questions off the top of my head: For copywork, is it better to use this as spelling or vocab practice, or is there more benefit to having dd copy sentences from literature? For narration--oral or written? Or is a written narration more like outlining? And I am really new to these ideas, so I am sure that there are issues that I haven't even thought of yet. Thanks for your help!

My dd4 is in the same boat. Here is what we are doing this year for K. http://myfamilyiseternal.blogspot.com/2009/10/view-of-our-first-year.html I have tweaked it a lot, though. We eliminated phonics when I saw her reading level was climbing way faster than the phonics. We do spelling orally, and she does copywork for handwriting. We are doing social studies as more of a unit-study approach. She picks a country, and I find books to go along with that country. For math, I have her skip a lot of sections that are just too simple for her. Next year, we are doing: Tapestry of Grace for social studies/literature (reportedly a great program for gifted kids) CSMP for math (better for verbal kids--dd is advanced in math but doesn't like math just for the sake of math, kwim?) Spelling Workout B Nebel's Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding Continue copywork for handwriting

We are doing K with dd4 this year. We never did formal phonics before she could read, as she already knew her letter sounds. So we started out before the school year with the Nora Gaydos series of books, which are about the shortest, easiest books available (and they come with stickers, which were a big hit). After that, we started formal K, and here is what that looked like at the beginning: http://myfamilyiseternal.blogspot.com/2009/10/view-of-our-first-year.html Since I wrote that, we have made a lot of accommodations for writing. Although she can write as well or better than the average 1st grader, she cannot yet handle the volume. We are also making some changes for next year in both math and science.

I just respond with great confidence, as in "Are you kidding? There is no way ps would work for dd! Have you seen her read!" When you respond as if your choice to homeschool is the only reasonable option, most people feel obligated to agree with you.

:iagree:We do read the books 4-5 days, but I could see how some children wouldn't want that. One thing that we do that helps dd stay engages with the books 5 days in a row is we follow the vocabulary suggestion. We pick out a few vocabulary words the first day, and then we read them before reading the book each day, and dd loves identifying the vocab words as we read. But dd is a very verbal child, so that might not work with a child that is not.

:iagree: That being said, I would second Before Five in a Row and spending the money on buying books in the program. My 4yo loves FIAR now, and I wish I had known about Before FIAR when she was 2yo. We get our books from the library, but dd asks me to put the FIAR books on her Amazon wish list all the time, so I wish we had the money to buy them.

I can see the aversion to the use of the term "school." However, my dd has asked me on occasion why she is homeschooled rather than going to school. I think if I tried to remove the word school altogether, it would make her feel even more removed from the norm.