Almost 5 year old and questions

[Agamemnonsmom]

Hi,

 

My son turns 5 in October so he misses the kindergarten cutoff in our state by 2 months. I wanted to start something at home with him to see how he does (and how I do :tongue_smilie:).

 

These are my thoughts:

 

Phonics (he's showing some interest) I'm not sure which book I'll use. I would like opinions on Phonics Pathways, Right Track Reading and Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. I will take this very slow.

 

Writing - I'm using the prewriting "Getting Ready for the Code". I'm not going to push the writing. He has a hard time with letters so we are sticking with prewriting exercises.

 

Math - Either Math U See or RightStart A. I'm not sure which.

 

Spanish - Hooked on Phonics that I just ordered with the coupon code :)

I may wait to start this later also.

 

Life Skills - planning and packing for a trip, sorting laundry, put away clean dishes, making grocery lists, etc. At this point, he isn't as independent as I would like. I've been doing too much for him.

 

I thought I wold start with 5 minutes for each subject a day and increase up to 15 minutes.

 

After we have a good routine and we are making progress, I would like to add:

 

Modern Greek which he speaks now almost as good as English (my husband is Greek) I would like to teach the names and sounds of the letters and more words of course.

 

Latin - starting out very slow. I'll probably order the Latin Primer 1 by Martha Wilson in 6 months to a year.

 

Geography/Science - he loves geography. I'm not sure of resources for this yet (he has many maps)

 

I haven't decided if I will homeschool after this year. I'll make the decision later. I wanted to get my feet wet and see how it went.

 

What are your thoughts on the time I've allocated and the curriculum I've listed? Do you have any ideas/experience with other curriculum? We will continue doing activities such as cooking, gardening, reading aloud, books on tape, games like Uno, picnics at the park, nature walks at the state parks, and other outside activities. We usually go outside at 3pm and don't come in until 6 or 7 o'clock.

 

I feel I need some sort of schedule or else I won't do anything. I've made a chart to put stickers on as we accomplish each item (he loves stickers)

 

Any other advice you can give me? It's all very overwhelming to me right now.

 

Thanks!

[Mabeline]

Everything you have looks good the only thing I would say is don't worry about Latin until after he is reading fluently. Or if you really, really want a nice intro to Latin early, Song school Latin is really nice. Many have said they use only the music cd to expose their kids to the vacab and get a head start. Have Fun! Oh and you only need the student text, it comes with the cd.

[BabyBre]

It sounds like he's fortunate to have you!

 

Check out Song School Latin. It's very gentle, using lots of songs, kinetic activities, etc.

 

We loved Galloping the Globe for geography. It includes some great book lists for each country covered. I haven't looked at Cantering the Country for US geography, but I assume it's similar. We also enjoy the Sheppard Software geography games (www.sheppardsoftware.com).

[SilverMoon]

Both of my boys had the late birthday cutoff thing. That's what initially made us decide to homeschool with our oldest. He was reading at four and would have been bored with the academics.

 

My little guy did kindy last year, in spite of his early December birthday. At our house that's just learning to read and some easy math. I don't get formal with my kids until first grade. This ds will have no problems starting with first grade material this fall, his math and reading ability are already at a first grade level.

 

Of your phonics choices I've used Phonics Pathways. It has no bells and whistles to rave about, no flashy pages, but it's effective and complete. My last three readers all used it to begin reading, and past that I sent the older ones back to it to review a particular spelling rules as needed. It goes from learning letter sounds up to about a third grade reading level. There is no scripting in it however. If you want a book to tell you exactly what to say, The Ordinary Parent's Guide would be a better match for you. :)

 

Personally I would drop the Latin for a couple years.

 

For science in the early years I just keep lots of resources around and let them do what they will. Kid encyclopedias of human body, astronomy, insects, birds, lizards/amphibians, etc. are perfect.

 

Our geography is intertwined with our history, and occasionally science. Learning about animals that aren't native to our area frequently sends us to the map. My little guy will just start history with us this year, using SOTW as a spine and tagging along where he can with his big siblings. We'll keep a map up on the wall of the area we're learning about for a handy reference. We also have a globe and kids atlas of the world.

[Terabith]

We had that same situation with my daughter last year. I would definitely wait on Latin.

 

Now, of course, she's a girl, so that's a bit different.

 

You might look into ABeCeDarian http://www.abcdrp.com . It's a slow, thorough approach to reading. I may use Winter Promise's PreK language arts for my current four yr old, but she is much younger. With my daughter who just missed the cut off, I used Reading Eggs and then Headsprout, because she found the computer very motivating. After that we moved into reading easy readers and Christian Liberty Press Nature Reader 1 out loud. We also did Explode the Code orally.

 

I'm actually using both Right Start and Math U See with my dd. I like RS for the concept development, but MUS helps cement the facts and helps reinforce in a different way.

 

We really liked Handwriting Without Tears PreK and then Handwriting Helps for Kids K. I also liked the Developing the Early Learner series. And we did a LOT of read alouds. I would pick out a science theme and get books from the library on the topic, and we read from Sonlight prek books and Five in a Row, along with lots of other picture books.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Of your phonics choices I've used Phonics Pathways. It has no bells and whistles to rave about, no flashy pages, but it's effective and complete. My last three readers all used it to begin reading, and past that I sent the older ones back to it to review a particular spelling rules as needed. It goes from learning letter sounds up to about a third grade reading level. There is no scripting in it however. If you want a book to tell you exactly what to say, The Ordinary Parent's Guide would be a better match for you. :)

 

Personally I would drop the Latin for a couple years.

 

 

:iagree:

[Suzannah]

If you are set on beginning Latin this early, there are some other programs that better suited for youngers. I think Prima Latina and Latin's Not So Tough are intended for K or 1st.

 

When I first began homeschooling WTM recommended beginning Latin Primer in 3rd grade. I had an idea that we might start in 2nd since DS knew the parts of speech. But I ended up waiting until 3rd and it was a perfect fit. He loved Latin (some of the shine has worn off of it now in his 5th year) and grasped the concepts much more easily than I think he would have just a year earlier. DS really liked Latin Primer and did well with it (we used the DVDs) but I think it would be too much for a K or 1st.

[Agamemnonsmom]

Thank you for the responses. I will skip the Latin for now. Especially since I will be doing some type of Modern Greek with him soon.

 

I think I will introduce some Geography sooner than later since he loves maps.

 

Any other thought??

[Tree House Academy]

Haha...I have a son who will be 6 at the end of September. He didn't technically "miss" the ps cutoff, but he was 1 day from it and he is small. Soo....he would not have gone to ps K until THIS year. Currently, he is working in 2nd grade reading and LA and end of 1st grade math. Needless to say, we will continue homeschooling. LOL He is not a genius...not even "advanced" - homeschooling is just so wonderfully one on one that you can't replicate it in a ps.

 

Your plan looks great. I would not start Spanish or Latin until he is reading or you are using just fun basic programs. Learning 3 languages at the same time would be totally overwhelming to ME, much less a 5 year old. It can also be tough to learn a new language at the same time you are learning the basics of your own language. I would stick with Greek if you must do something for foreign language since his dad is Greek and he will likely be actually speaking that at his home. Other than that, looks great.

 

Specifically:

 

We LOVE phonics pathways. :)

 

Does he know letters and sounds? If so, you may want to start higher in ETC. My ds started at book 1 and is now starting book 4.

 

Math - we use CLE and love it. I have not used the ones you mentioned.

 

For History and Science, we use Heart of Dakota. It is a great living book program that includes Geography.

Edited July 12, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[Aurelia]

Phonics - We are using OPGTR, which is great for kids who can't really handle writing, because the only writing activities I have seen are optional. I've never used your other two choices. ABeCeDarian is good, but if your child has poor pencil control, it probably won't be particularly successful since it teaches K handwriting in the A level.

 

Writing -You might also look at the Pre-K (TM & workbook) for Handwriting Without Tears, as it's nearly all prewriting skills. He might be able to do HWT K in the Spring.

 

Math - We used Right Start A and found it to be very thorough and enjoyable. Ariel loved the lessons really learned a lot. We will be using RS B in the Fall.

 

Latin - I would probably not do this year, especially if your son will also be doing Spanish and Greek. In addition to learning to read & write (which is like learning a foreign language) it may be pushing him too hard.

 

Geography/Science - Galloping the Globe is good, if you don't mind Christian content. Five in a Row isn't exclusively geography, but is secular. Both are unit studies so they include history/geography/social studies, science, basic LA and art.

[FO4UR]

Writing - my ds6 was VERY slow to develop the fm skills to write. The Kumon tracing, coloring, pasting books were a big help. Teach the strokes for the letters now! Use gross motor movements to teach each letter - in the sandbox, with sidewalk chalk, in finger paint, with play-doh, etc.. Have him trace with his finger, and then with crayons - large letters on paper. When his fm skills catch up, writing will literally happen over night.;)

 

Teach the letter sounds (if he doesn't already know them) while you are doing the gross motor writing. While you're at it, show him how you put 2 and 3 letters together to make a word.

 

I would keep math casual, and not dependant upon writing numbers! I hear RS is good for non-writers. Miquon is another excellent beginning math that isn't too dependant upon the child writing...my ds6 answered in C.rods before he could write. Meanwhile - teach the strokes for writing numbers while you have the fingerpaints and sidewalk chalk out.

 

I would keep Greek casual for now (what a blessed kid!), and geography and history tied to read-alouds. www.enchantedlearning.com has printable maps he could color if he's THAT fascinated with geography.

 

5min per day on a subject sounds like a good start. Stop the lesson while it's still fun.:001_smile:

[skaterbabs]

Rightstart was our first choice for Dot, but now that we've been using CLE for a while, I'm so happy with it - and so is DH. Rightstart is just so expensive, and requires so many manipulatives, that it was not a great choice for us.

 

OPG is a great reading resource for kids who aren't quite reading yet. CLE has a learn-to-read program as well, and if it's anything like their other materials it's top notch.

 

I wouldn't do Latin, but there are lots of Spanish materials available for preschool/early elementary kids.

 

Last year we were in the same place you are; Dot turned five a mere 2 1/2 weeks after our state cutoff. While I'm usually a firm believer in better late than early, I'm kicking myself for not starting the CLE math with her. At the early levels it's VERY gentle, and even though it introduces concepts early, they're in small, easily comprehensible bites.

[stripe]

I'd focus on English and Greek and skip the other languages, or go very very slowly with them, and try to work on life skills, art/crafts/music, reading lots of books, and science via the natural world and outdoor exploration as much as possible.

[Mama2Three]

Writing -You might also look at the Pre-K (TM & workbook) for Handwriting Without Tears, as it's nearly all prewriting skills. He might be able to do HWT K in the Spring.

 

 

 

:iagree: I am a huge fan of HWT, especially for DC who are resistant or have difficulty with handwriting. My DC used the wood pieces to form the letters before they had the fine motor coordination to actually write. So they knew that 'D' was 'big line, big curve' before they could write it. IMO, it made the transition to writing more smooth because I could prompt with verbal cues.

[zaichiki]

In our experience, the most important thing was to teach reading fluently in ONE language before adding another. Speaking is, of course, entirely different and I would encourage teaching the speaking of another language.

 

Ds picked up reading in English very quickly. The following year, when he was confidently reading chapter books, we introduced the Cyrillic alphabet. (Russian is spoken in our home.) Ds picked it up easily that year, even though he had previously been confused by the letter sounds.

 

I had always had Russian magnet letters on the fridge. There are some letters that look like English letters but make different sounds (P/R, R/ya, Y/yoo, B/V, L/G, E/yeh, lowercase t/m, X/kh, etc.). This really threw a monkey wrench in things for ds when he was 3 and 4. I wonder if the Greek alphabet would give you a similar issue? (I know it's not an issue for all kids, but I have been told by other bilingual families that it's beneficial to teach reading in one language for a year or two before introducing it in the second, especially when there could be alphabet/letter confusion.)

[squirtymomma]

I started with Phonics Pathways, but found that I wanted a little more guidance on how to teach reading. Phonics Pathways is mostly pages and pages of lists of words to read, which got overwhelming for my young one. We've recently begun OPGTR, and I've found it very very helpful, and my daughter really enjoys it. I also like how it recommends you do simple dictation exercises with magnet letters when children aren't ready yet for writing. I'd agree with the HWT recommendation as well. Once they start wanting to write letters, you should make sure they are forming them the correct way, so they don't have bad habits that you have to change later. You can even skip buying the curriculum and make letters (starting with the capitals) out of playdoh, tracing them with a finger in a tray of rice or beans, and then attempting them nice and big with a crayon on paper.

[JudoMom]

Song School Greek is in Pre-order. It is Koine Greek but I wonder if some of the games and the Greek Code Cracker would be useful. I don't know enough about the differences between Koine and modern to have an answer for that.

 

It sounds like you are planning a very language rich, learning environment. That is wonderful and I wish you well. Children tend to love languages and I bet your son will thrive this year with you. Have fun!

 

Actually, from looking at samples today it looks like you have the option for either Koine or Modern.

[ElizabethB]

All three of your phonics choices are strong problems with very few sight words.

 

I would supplement with some fun games and whichever one you choose, work from a white board. PP is the only one with print large enough to try to work from the book, but that age works much better with the interaction and action of a white board.

 

Here are my recommendations for working with a beginning student for phonics, including some game ideas:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/newstudents.html