gwendolyn Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 :confused: I am brand new to this. My son starts K in the fall and we recently (yesterday) made the final decision to homeschool. I am almost panicked about what to do and how to schedule. I've found curriculum that I like. Where do I go from here? I am so overwhelmed that I feel sick. Any advice on where to focus and where to relax? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 :confused:I am brand new to this. My son starts K in the fall and we recently (yesterday) made the final decision to homeschool. I am almost panicked about what to do and how to schedule. I've found curriculum that I like. Where do I go from here? I am so overwhelmed that I feel sick. Any advice on where to focus and where to relax? For K I'd focus on reading, writing, and basic arithmetic. In small, gentle doses. How often do you want to school? What curriculum have you chosen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Here. :001_smile: Welcome, take a deep breath, and relax a moment. You'll be fine. It's hard to screw up K. One thing that has helped me through my first year of homeschooling is the phrase "tossing and turning to get comfortable." You might need to change or tweak some things. It's okay. But there is plenty of advice and guidance to be found on these boards, so stick around and :bigear:! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avila Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Kindergarten should be low-stress, for YOU and the child! It is really about learning to read, being read to, and doing some basic math. Have fun, go on lots of field trips, use your library and follow your interests. Which curriculum have you chosen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Kindergarten should be low-stress, for YOU and the child! It is really about learning to read, being read to, and doing some basic math. Have fun, go on lots of field trips, use your library and follow your interests. :iagree: Along the lines of following your interests and reading, there is a great site called http://www.homeschoolshare.com that has a lot of FREE unit studies and lapbooks. Many of them follow the Five In a Row Units, but you don't have to use that curriculum in order to make them work. We use the items a lot. If you are not sure what lapbooks are, check out this squidoo lense for a great description and how-to. Welcome to the adventure we call homeschooling! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Find 10 minutes each day for teaching reading, 10 minutes for handwriting, and 10 minutes for math. Especially with Kers, short consistant sessions are MUCH more beneficial than lengthy well-prepared lessons. That 30 minutes can be all in one sitting or spread throughout the day---the important thing is to feed that little brain a bit at a time, and stop the lesson while it's still fun. Spend atleast 2hours each day outside playing in the backyard (this is a good time for you to plan out and ponder over the curriculum and read some good books....;)). Then spend as much time as humanly possible reading aloud, good quality books! Check out audio books from the library when your voice gets tired:001_smile: http://amblesideonline.org/00.shtml This is a great place to start! http://www.donpotter.net/ed.htm I really like Word Mastery (scroll down for the link). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwendolyn Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 We are using Sing, Spell, Read and Write for LA and Miquon/Singapore for the Math. This is all assuming we make it work in our family budget. I'm following the Great Books Academy for Literature. He wants to learn a language, but I don't want to bite off more than we can chew in the beginning. I also need to find a religion that goes with our Episcopalian beliefs, science and history curriculum. I am a certified teacher and that makes me want to overplan. It took me being a part of that backwards system to realize that I can do better for my son. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes that schools do in my home. Can I also just say that I am scared out of my wits??? This goes against so much that I have been programmed to believe. I know it's the right choice. Making that decision and taking that leap is just a bit terrifying. Thanks for the cheers and any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 The thing that helped me most for K was remembering that it doesn't matter. Kids can go straight to 1st and they don't have to go to K. So if things didn't work out quite as well as I'd wanted, if I made an awful curriculum mistake (which I did - two of them, matter of fact), if I felt like I was bumbling and tripping over my feet the whole year, it was OK because 1) DD would still be learning and 2) we'd both be better prepared when "crunch time" came - 1st grade. And we are. Coming into 1st grade, I had much more of an idea of what curriculum I want to use. I have more of an idea of how to make things click for her and to keep her interested in the dull parts. LOL! DD is going into 1st grade (as a barely turned 5-year old) this fall. She's reading on a 2nd grade level. She loves writing "stories." She adores math and science. She begs to have school and is always asking questions. Which is exactly what I wanted to instill in her. So I'd call our 1st year of hs'ing a success. :) I can say that we did reading and math every day. We did science 3 x a week and social studies/history 2 x a week. We probably spent 1 - 1.5 hours each day "doing school" and when we weren't, we read, read, and read some more. :) I also broke up the time so she wasn't always sitting still. We'd do reading, go play. Do math, go run around. Do science. Go outside. And if DD brought up something that she wanted to learn about, we threw ourselves into it for a couple of weeks learning to her heart's content about it. Oh, and to help me stay organized, I bought a spiral planner from Target at back-to-school and just wrote each day's assignments for each subject in there a few weeks before the year started. So when it came to a certain day I knew what we had planned. And then I adjusted accordingly. ;) What curriculum are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) What curriculum are you using? See the post right above yours. ;) Edited June 17, 2009 by Lovedtodeath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulubelle Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I pretty much felt this way about 1 year ago, when I began K. It is a huge leap! And, totally goes against the grain, yet it is so inviting at the same time and makes sense. It is amazing how great is is to be part of your child's learning. I do wonder if he would be learning more quickly in school, would he be happier, or be exposed to more? I will never know the answers, but our decision to homeschool is made and we are sticking with it. I think my boys get along better than ever and our family is in a better place for home schooling. It is a direction to take your family with great purpose. Just take it one day at a time and remember your purpose for doing it. I'll also say, that in the beginning and probably a good 6 months into, there were several times I thought I can't do this. But, every day I gain more and more confidence and I haven't had that feeling for awhile. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I don't want to belabor the obvious, but have you read the Well-Trained Mind? It contains GREAT suggestions for K. Congratulations! It's perfectly normal to feel both exhilarated and sick with fear having made the decision to homeschool. It gets better ; ). For me, I had good success starting out with "table time," first teaching them to obey me, sit at the table, and play the game of MY choice (Play-Doh, Lacing Cards, easy Tangrams, etc.) before I started working with actual curriculum. Then, I did only one subject the first week or until I got used to doing it, like phonics. Then when I felt comfortable I added math, giving a short break inbetween subjects. Then, when that got into a good routine, I added some history and science. Take your time! You can do this! (cheering) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I just graduated my oldest from high school last weekend and I've got to tell you that it goes by all too quickly! I remember when that weight of sheer terror hit after we made the decision to homeschool, and have kept myself up for countless hours at night over the years fretting over what wasn't working. But it all worked out and we have no regrets, only lots of fond memories. And I have a 17yo heading off to college in August who is a young man of good character and knows exactly what he wants to do with his life and how he is going to get there. It can work -- just take it slow and steady! Don't fret about curriculum. Forget that you are a certified teacher and focus on being a mom who is exploring the world with your child. Kids learn sooo much through playing. You can cover math with just a few minutes each day of counting and sorting, adding and subtracting, measuring and weighing. You can cover math and everything else with reading aloud stacks of library books and playing lots of clever games. Have a bottomless supply of paper and markers, scotch tape and scissors. And go outside to explore and just play all day. Don't mark the beginning of the school year -- just keep on living and learning. (You've picked out great curriculum, just remember that there are many other means of learning.) There is a current thread on the high school board that you should read about regrets http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108295 I found it helpful to read message board threads like this when I was starting out as it helped reassure me and helped me focus on what my ultimate goals are for homeschooling. And, repeating what everyone else has said, read aloud as much as you can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy2BeautifulGirls Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 No advice, but welcome and good luck! :iagree: (with all of the advice above!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 We are using Sing, Spell, Read and Write for LA and Miquon/Singapore for the Math. This is all assuming we make it work in our family budget. I'm following the Great Books Academy for Literature. He wants to learn a language, but I don't want to bite off more than we can chew in the beginning. I also need to find a religion that goes with our Episcopalian beliefs, science and history curriculum. I am a certified teacher and that makes me want to overplan. It took me being a part of that backwards system to realize that I can do better for my son. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes that schools do in my home. Can I also just say that I am scared out of my wits??? This goes against so much that I have been programmed to believe. I know it's the right choice. Making that decision and taking that leap is just a bit terrifying. Thanks for the cheers and any advice. You are a step ahead realizing what doesn't work in the classroom.;) We use Miquon/Singapore and LOVE it!!!! Take the advice about table time from WTMCassandra :iagree: I started like that too....before starting any formal maths let your dc play with the cuisenairre rods. I set the ground rule that the rods must stay on the table - we worked on that a while:tongue_smilie: By the time I started actual "work," it was painless b/c ds had an intuitive sense of the value of the rods. If $ is an issue, there will be nothing lost by just starting with Miquon teachers' materials (the 1st grade diary is a must btw), and the orange book....add in Singapore later in the year. You don't *need* any other curricula besides reading, writing and math!!!! You can keep it as simple as having a few minutes after breakfast for a family devotion to teach your religious beliefs (of course, that will be intertwined in everything else too...). Then utilize the library for a healthy intro to science/history.....no need for organizing it or planning 101 crafty activities.....just read and give your dc time to play and act out what he has listened to, search the backyard for the bugs he just read about..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Yes, just build fine motor skills, teach phonics/how to read, and introduce counting and writing numbers and you are good to go. :) 20-30 minutes a day is all you need for that. Just be wary of pushing too hard and discouraging your dc. They don't need to be challenged at that age unless they are asking for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 If you want something free (or cheap if you print it out), but you should do it from a white board for K anyway, I've had much better success both with my daughter and my remedial K/young 1st grade students working from a white board than from a book, then Pollard's Series is a good alternative to Sing, Spell, Read, and Write. She has a lot of fun songs, and the books have lovely pictures. (OK, you may need to print out some pages just for the pictures!) You also may be able to find some of the books used at Alibris and/or abe books, I found the whole series for around $10 a book, except I might have paid a bit more for the teacher's manual. The Pollard series at Google Books is linked about halfway down my list of good phonics and spelling books: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/phonicsandspelli.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 You are a step ahead realizing what doesn't work in the classroom.;) We use Miquon/Singapore and LOVE it!!!! Take the advice about table time from WTMCassandra :iagree: I started like that too....before starting any formal maths let your dc play with the cuisenairre rods. I set the ground rule that the rods must stay on the table - we worked on that a while:tongue_smilie: By the time I started actual "work," it was painless b/c ds had an intuitive sense of the value of the rods. If $ is an issue, there will be nothing lost by just starting with Miquon teachers' materials (the 1st grade diary is a must btw), and the orange book....add in Singapore later in the year. :iagree: 100%. On every point. I'll just reiterate the point about the Miquon "First Grade Diary". I can't over-state how valuable this book was to me. Best wishes. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Guidance for the newbie? Refer to this post especially: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1016364&postcount=21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwendolyn Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 Everyone seems so nice!! I am so glad I found this forum. Thank you for everything. Any more advice is always appreciated!!:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie.Louise Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I just finished K with my youngest dd. I think kids in public school or whatever type spend 8 hrs a day learning to stand in line, raise their hands, and get a feel for the place. They obviously learn a few things too, but it certainly doesn't take 8 hrs to do it. My advice is don't try to cram in too much. I kept thinking, "This isn't enough." The Well Trained Mind does have great advice on a Kind. schedule, and if this is your oldest, gives you a good "big picture" for the 1-4 years/grades. Read to them, start teaching them to read, they should practice their letters or words they are reading. We also used Math-U-See primer. It is great! My dd loves to do her math like her big sisters. You'll do fine! Please don't make yourself sick over it. I know that is easy to do in the beginning. I know there is plenty of great advise on this forum! Katie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamalotsoftots Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I don't have any advice, as I'm just starting my first K'er also, but I just wanted to encourage you! I remember being in your shoes last year about this time when we decided to pull our oldest from PS. You're making a great choice, and it seems you already know that!! ;) You're going to do great!! Please don't panic! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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