I have a 5yo in K/1 and a 3 yo PrSer. Our main focus is the calendar. Days of the week, months of the year, seasons, counting (to the present day and how many days to any special days that month), patterns, graphing the weather. For 5ds I've started filling in a 100s chart, putting a straw in a cup that will be bundled into tens, then 100s. We'll get into skip counting etc as the chart gets fuller and we get a few bundles of ten. We also talk about our virtue of the week maybe play a game or have a discussion around it, a 10 minute preschool yoga routine on youtube (on 5ds's wish list lol), and some memory work such as name, address and phone numbers, 7 continents, sight words and French vocab. Sometimes I'll ask them for some menu planning ideas, make plans for upcoming family days, that kind of thing as well. We don't sing - but I probably should. They like it! The little one usually wanders in and out after his job (the weather!) done. The last thing we do is talk about the upcoming day. I have a pocket chart and I made cards of all the things we could do in a day. EVerything from chores and snacks, to visiting grandparents, math and bathtime is on there. I think it's good for them to get an idea of the passing of time and what the expectations of the day are.

I don't know if this is what you're looking for . . . They're Spencerian, which is not the method mentioned . . . http://www.amazon.com/Spencerian-Penmanship-Theory-Book-copybooks/dp/088062096X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347714905&sr=8-1&keywords=Spenserian+workbooks http://www.MottMedia.com/pages/publications.asp?Pub=workbook#Writing These are available. I've been ogling them for a while. I'd love them for myself lol. Spencerian handwriting is gorgeous. I'm not sure if those are the books you're referring to, or even if the two links are for the same or different books but maybe it would help.

My son had zero interest in any kind of mark making as a preschooler, except perhaps painting. Even then he preferred to paint with a matchbox car lol. Then , all of a sudden, around 4.5, all my printer paper was disappearing and there was a paper stack a foot high on the end of the table of monsters, dragons, fish, trucks and dinosaurs. We had been doing ETC 1 orally VERY slowly, but he began to ask to do the writing, then he wanted to do all the printing parts, which we skipped before. That's when we started doing HWOT preK. Now he enjoys "spelling" CVC words on the white board, loves his HWOT K book, and he generally writes everything in the ETC 2 book. A total of . . . maybe 20 minutes? Because he's still so young, I let him set the standard.

I was considering it but then my sister and her kids showed up for the weekend and our house is in disarray and there are still a few things undone. Tuesday is soon enough for K :tongue_smilie: besides, it's a well known fact in this house thAt school starts on Tuesday in town and I have a little boy with some B&B yearnings.

Don't underestimate the power of hotwheel cars, a few little monster trucks, a pile of small rocks and some blocks. My five year old will build monster truck courses for an hour or more after seeing a few youtube videos lol. Other things: Books on CD Lincoln logs Extensive wooden train set Wooden block sets traffic jam busy bugs and pattern cards felts and a stack of paper Outside!

On top of all the other great suggestions I recommend Usborne sticker books and Usborne colouring books. I got the binding cut off and three whole punched them so I can just give them a few pages at a time and know the whole book won't be covered with one big scrawl per page in a day lol. I also paperclipped the stickers to the appropriate page if needed so it will require no help from me when they use them. The three year old wouldn't care what sticker went on what page but the five year old would.

We're pretty new to this but we wanted ds's first day of "big Kindergarten" as he puts it, compare favorably to "school in the big building". He's been thinking he wants to go and I know he'd be fine - as in he's ready for K work, being away from home, that kind of thing. So we want to show him some advantages of K at home. Sunrise hike above our ranch to a viewpoint where we can see the whole valley and town not far away. We'll sit down and talk about what everyone else is going to do that day, and what we're not going to be doing that day. And why. Nothing to heavy, but just lay it all down in simple terms for him. Special breakfast (blueberry waffles and whipped cream?) Receive new books and supplies, go over they way our days should play out. Take a few "first day" pictures. Each of us will pick something they want to do between the hours of 10 and 2 (when the ps run on the first day). I'm thinking Dairy Queen, Skateboard park with bikes, playground, tubing on the river, drive to the nearby U-pick orchard, stuff like that. Then go home and play lol. Wednesday is soon enough to start regular work, but I"ll probably ease into it a bit.

I live in a small town and I just went to our little print shop and they did for it a donation to their coffee fund :001_smile:. Mind you, my guy is in Kindergarten and it was a couple of Usborne colouring books and ETC books. Still, I think any print shop could do it.

My kids are little and we're only just about to start K so take this with a grain of salt. We have however, been doing quiet time since my youngest just turned 2 (the little stinker dropped his naps when he was 18 months!). We live on a ranch and are a very outdoorsy family so our daily routine revolves around the seasons. In the summer, quiet time is sort of whenever we need it most. Summer's pretty hectic (and short around, one really nice month, two fairly nice months) so our daily routine reflects that. I try and put quiet time at the hottest point of the day. If I'm trying to do any kind of activities, they're done by lunch time. Fall and winter, quiet time around here falls to aroun 3pm. In the middle of winter the sun goes behind the mountain by 2pm on many days and I want the boys to get outside and enjoy it. I don't plan anything really after quiet time, if it's not done by then it doesn't get done. What about taking a 1/2 hour and go for a walk after lunch, then your delight-led projects, then quiet time? If you have supper in the crock pot you'd all be free!

We're early risers here but during September I'll still have ranch duties to tend to first thing, so depending on the day, we'll start between 7 and 9. Once summer is over and we can quit irrigating, we'll start around 7 each morning. This is theorectical still as I've been irrigating all summer and we haven't really done a lot of school. Start September 4.

thanks! Will check this out as well . . . although the cost of the CD in this series is making me think twice. It's about $50. It seems a little over the top for a K-level program. Has anyone tried Avant Gaston, or Gaston? The price for the entire thing is $50 and I can get all the components at Book Depository. . .

This is one link i saved: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=128114&highlight=Unschooled+math I think it's a great idea, althoug in reality well probably only delay until third grade or so here. I can't say how it's going as we're only just starting lol.

Hmmmm. . . again? No one's used this? Heard of it? Had a friend whose cousin's step-kids used it? Just checking :001_smile:

Okay, I'm still trying to figure out a way to hand-hold myself through french. I'm fluent, but can't seem to get in a groove of just "talking French" with my sons. So I"m looking for a K level french program. I was considering Il Etait une Petite Grenouille 1 but the CD makes it a 150 purchase. I'm not sure if I'm even able to purchase it in North America - the Cd 1 seems to be out of stock everywhere? I considered the newer version of this - Lili la Petite Grenouille or something similar but I know less about it than the original! Now I'm looking at Avant Gaston. I found a blurb on it somewhere - of course can't find it now - that says it was lots of colouring, stickers and songs which is perfect for my non-reading, non-writing little guys. Anyone used it? Or even used Gaston, the next level up? ETA Avant Gaston is a total of $50 and is available at Book Depository. Seems like a better choice?

Love it! Thank you!

Wow! Thanks so much! The total comes to less than $100 and shipping is free with a $25 dollar order. PLUS I found out that the CD isn't included. Chapter's only has the second level, not the first, (of course :001_rolleyes:) but I can always get just that through Continental if I have to. I didn't even think to look there as they never seem to have what I want. Thanks again!

Mine too! This is the first year I'm homescooling (K) and I'm not really stressing over it, but we're also moving in November. Not just our house (which I havne't done since pre kids when we didn't really own anything!) but our ranch! So like 250 cows, 150 sheep, 30+ horses, chickens. And dh is buying another 100 head of sheep. And it's a whole new place (so probably a big learning curve on managing it) in a whole new town - I won't have the same support systems. And to top it off, I'm expecting in March. So if we all come out of it at the other end alive, preferably with some dignity intact, I'll be happy :)

I posted this on the K-8 board with no responses, so thought I'd try here. After quite a bit of looking around and forum searches, I think this is what I want to start with my ds in K. I speak, read and write french fluently so you'd think I'd be able to pass some of this on to my dc without a program, but it's just not happening. Il etait une Petite Grenouille seems to fit our needs very well. I have a few questions about this program though. Where have you bought this program? The only place I've found in North America (besides Amazon.com, .ca where they are mostly out of stock and/or overpriced) is continentalbooks.com. Is there anywhere else I should look? Secondly, the total, with shipping (I'm in Canada) is $150. The shipping was about $15. This is for the text, workbook, activity book, reading booklet and teacher's guide. Does that seem right? I'm thinking of just going with spoken french at this stage in the game, but ds is really gung-ho about all things fine motor so some writing, colouring or what have you is not out of the question. Do you think I should buy all the books?

I know there are a few people who've mentioned this french program for their littles. . . bumping up!

So after quite a bit of looking around and forum searches, I think this is what I want to start with my ds in K. I speak, read and write french fluently so you'd think I'd be able to pass some of this on to my dc without a program, but it's just not happening. Il etait une Petite Grenouille seems to fit our needs very well. A few questions for those of you in the know. Where have you bought this program? The only place I've found in North America (besides Amazon.com, .ca where they are mostly out of stock and/or overpriced) is continentalbooks.com. Is there anywhere else I should look? Secondly, the total, with shipping (I'm in Canada) is $150. The shipping was about $15. This is for the text, workbook, activity book, reading booklet and teacher's guide. Does that seem right? I'm thinking of just going with spoken french at this stage in the game, but ds is really gung-ho about all things fine motor so some writing, colouring or what have you is not out of the question. Do you think I should buy all the books? TIA!

Yeah, I thought that too! Some of those posts are from later in the year I think and I believe she's pulling some of her favorites from all-time kind of a thing. However, I do NOT expect my ds to be writing like that by the end of K lol!

Just thought I'd share these for those looking for some primary math lab/problem solving ideas. I was sort of struggling on how to get this kind of math to come together and she lays out about 9 or 10 weeks of math labs and notebooking in her kindergarten class. I found it really helpful! http://www.kindergartenkindergarten.com/math-problemsolving.html Haven't seen it on here before, of course could be wrong, but it seems like it's worth bringing up again if that's the case!

thank you for getting back to me on this! I realize now that I worded it rather poorly :001_smile:. I meant to ask what things you specifically listed in that far-right column. I left a space for notes on our nature walk that week, a space for supplies and library books needed, a space for the virtue we'll be focusing on etc. Just being nosy as to what you put in :tongue_smilie:

kristenhill I LOVE this planner and your system! It's exactly what I want! I have an ipad but I REALLY think I need a paper and pencil kind of planner. I just seem to work better that way as far as plans go. I only have a kindergartener and a preschooler (and expecting another) so I'm pretty darn flexible and writing everything out ahead of time would just be a waste. To have a blank template like this that I can pencil in before the weeks starts would be ideal! I know if I don't have a plan, things just won't get done so this is a great way for me. I really like the far-right hand column with "goals" and such. I can see the topics in the "Chill Weekly Planner" but I can't make out how you changed yours. Care to share?

We are using Bob but once K starts formally, may add in McGuffy primer and AAR readers.