gandpsmommy Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 the following year they would be staying home for school? How did you make this transition work? We enrolled ds in preschool three mornings a week, starting in the fall. We did this only because we live way out in the country and have had trouble finding little playmates for him since we moved here. He has two little buddies at gymnastics who will also be attending this preschool. It is a really nice preschool run by a church. They don't have a daycare; it is really just a preschool. It is mainly just for social interaction and fun activities. Some mothers of current students assured me that I will already have taught ds everything they learn academically (basic numbers & counting, abc's), and it is really just a great atmoshphere of fun preschool learning. He is excited because they will get to see baby chicks hatch out in an incubator and do a few other fun science projects that would be hard for us to do at home. And he is excited because he will get to play with other kids his age on a regular basis. Having said all that, I am not a huge proponent of preschool. If he hadn't expressed the desire to go, I wouldn't have sent him, but I am very happy for him that he will get to have playmates. But now I am wondering, what about the following year? What if he gets used to being around other kids regularly and he really misses that interaction? We will definitely be hsing that year, and I just wonder how to make that transition without his resenting hs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 My daughter went to preschool for 2.5 years (2 half days for half a year starting when she was 2.5, when they opened a two year old room, then 3 half days at 3 and 4 half days at 4). It was also one that was small (maybe 10 kids in her class, only two classes total going on any given day), focused on exploration, social interaction and play (sort of Waldorf/Montessori-ish). She and I both loved it. She was (and we knew she would always be) an only child and having that venue for learning to get along with other kids her age in a caring supportive environment was invaluable. She also inherited my pig-headed gene ;) so it gave us some much needed space from each other during some fairly trying times. This gave me a small slice of alone time on a predictable basis, something I could not realistically get any other way given my husband's somewhat erratic work schedule. This preschool, while not run by our congregation, was in our building and started by folks from the congregation, so the environment was extremely familiar to her. We did have to have some discussions about the fact that the big yellow bus doesn't take kids to the same kind of school as her preschool and, no, she couldn't go back because she was too old for it now. She is quite the extravert (while we are introverts), so I have made it a priority to find opportunities for her to be with other kids---very active in our homeschool group, classes in PE/gymnastics/aikido, summer camps, church activities, afterschool program at the library, etc. She is now in 2nd grade and doing very well. She is past the allure of the bus and happy that she doesn't have the homework and has more free time/flexibility to do cool things (something I regularly point out to her;)). It can be a great experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valerie in Chicago Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 It seems like you're seeing the pro's of your decision. And there don't seem to be many cons. Long ago, I posted about whether or not to do preschool. I wondered if we should even though we don't plan to send our DC to school. DH thought it silly to start something that we don't plan to pursue. When I posted here, there were a TON of answers from all over the spectrum. Pretty passionate ones too, at the time. We opted to pass on preschool. DD1 was and continues to be in activities all over town and has made some lovely friends that way. But we're also in the thick of a very populated area. If you feel that this preschool matches, or at least does not interfere with, your academic and personal goals, I say go for it. It sounds to me like it adds a nice little social layer/outing to your child's week. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2legomaniacs Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 yes, we did that. I sent my younger one to the same place as the older one. Each went 2 mornings a week for a year. I wanted the younger to get out from under his brother a bit and stretch his own wings with other kids to play with. I just wanted him to have fun. There were some days he wanted to stay home, and he did. But overall, he had fun and it was good for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 and enjoyed every minute of it. I had decided to homeschool when my son was in his second year of preschool, but still had my daughter attend preschool right behind him. If I had another child, I wouldn't hesitate to do the same for them. This preschool even offered an after-kindergarten program, which I also had my son attend 2 days a week while I homeschooled him for kindergarten. I was very happy with the school. It was very low pressure and fun for the kids. I was sad when they outgrew it. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Yes, I sent mine to pre-school at 2 1/2; he went to Montessori school age 3-K; then I began homeschooling him for first grade. It gave him play time with other children, as well as learning opportunities, while I was busy hsing my older son. There is such a large gap in their ages that it really wasn't appropriate for me to try to bring him along in our studies at that time. He very much enjoyed it (and so did we, LOL).... Regena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Yes, all of my dd's have gone to preschool/kindergarten. Once we began homeschooling the oldest (removed from 1st grade ps), I wasn't sure if we'd just bring 'em all home, but decided it was best to have them stay at the preschool thru kindergarten graduation. Then we start school here at home for first grade. This has worked out really well...it gives us some uninterrupted school time here at home and when the littlest one comes home from school, we're nearly done for the day as well and can enjoy each other more. Also, I have to admit...I love that my dd's come to first grade as fluent readers...I admire everyone else here who does that on their own!! :D I haven't found that my kids are disappointed about transitioning home...in fact, they know it is coming and look forward to it. We still see friends and stay involved in activities, so it has worked out well. Best wishes to you, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I have one in preschool now and I wish the others had had the chance to go! It has been a great experience and fun for them. It also means that my older ones (10, 7, and 5) get to do things we wouldn't otherwise be able to do if we had to take the 1 and 3yo's. (I also work FT in our family business, so the care was necessary anyway.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 You could call preschool "playschool" so he thinks of it more as a fun, social time. I can't see this being a problem..especially if you continue to talk about it as a given that he'll stay home to learn next year. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 My dd attended a Montessori school for 18 months and loved it. When we decided to hs her as well as her brother, I told her she'd get to do school with us and she was excited. She hasn't missed school but she does have a lot of outside activities in her week so those probably fill her need to see other kids and have other teachers. She's never expressed a desire to go back to her old school, it's been a non-issue for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 the following year they would be staying home for school? How did you make this transition work? We enrolled ds in preschool three mornings a week, starting in the fall. We did this only because we live way out in the country and have had trouble finding little playmates for him since we moved here. He has two little buddies at gymnastics who will also be attending this preschool. It is a really nice preschool run by a church. They don't have a daycare; it is really just a preschool. It is mainly just for social interaction and fun activities. Some mothers of current students assured me that I will already have taught ds everything they learn academically (basic numbers & counting, abc's), and it is really just a great atmoshphere of fun preschool learning. He is excited because they will get to see baby chicks hatch out in an incubator and do a few other fun science projects that would be hard for us to do at home. And he is excited because he will get to play with other kids his age on a regular basis. Having said all that, I am not a huge proponent of preschool. If he hadn't expressed the desire to go, I wouldn't have sent him, but I am very happy for him that he will get to have playmates. But now I am wondering, what about the following year? What if he gets used to being around other kids regularly and he really misses that interaction? We will definitely be hsing that year, and I just wonder how to make that transition without his resenting hs. Yep. I've even sent them to public and private school knowing they would homeschool the next year. It simply wasn't a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 We sent dd to preschool, 2 days a week for 3 hours each, for her 3-4 yo year and 4-5 yo year. It was a very gentle learning environment for her, and we kept up with 2 or 3 little friends for a couple of years, then we gradually lost them. We think of that time with great fondness, and even went back to visit about a year ago. While I wish I had done field trips and more fun stuff in K, I know dd has had good years at home. The first year she wondered about "real" school, and we didn't know if we would homeschool this year, so the discussion came up, but she doesn't really miss what she doesn't know about. Next year, however, she is going to school outside of the home. I'm not looking forward to it, but I need to go back to work to pay off debt and save some for ds' college tuitions. I know she is feeling a little anxiety about it, but I also know she will be fine. And, I'm looking forward to her getting some of the things I can't or haven't provided at home. I'm wondering about pulling her out in 6th grade (I'll have to work at least that long) so we can avoid middle school--I don't know how hard it will be for her at that age to make the transition back to home, so I'm kinda asking the same question as you! lol But it's far easier, at least I suspect it is, to transition from preschool to homeschool than from 5th grade to homeschool. Probably depends on the individual and that individual's experiences. I wouldn't worry a minute about your situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 We are there now. This year my older ds is in a two-day program at a non-academic preschool. We do homeschool as he is willing and interested on the days he is home, and he enjoys doing school like his older sister. I think the transition will be fairly easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 My oldest (now in 1st grade) went to preschool 2 mornings a week for two years for the fun/social/play aspect. When the other kids were off to Kindergarten, we just said that we were homeschooling kindergarten--that was what the put on the "My new school" poster at the end of the year--and it was no biggie. "Some kids go to school in a seperate building, we have school here in our home with our family!" Our younger son is right now in his second year of Preschool (also 2 mornings a week), and will come home for K next fall. It has made it much easier to do school with his older brother on those two mornings--we get a lot accomplished on Tuesdays/Thursdays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clane Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 My DD1 is in a church-run PreK for three hours in the afternoon. This is our first year homeschooling DS (9) and it works out well to have that time to focus on him without interruptions. (DD2 naps during that time). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 WE have done two years of preschool with all of our children for varying reasons. It was harder with my oldest to transition to homeschool. She had her heart set on going to K with her friends. It didn't help any that the pre-school teacher took my dd's class on a tour of the Kindergarten. She saw the puppet theater and she was all ready to go. I had problems for the first couple of months with her. But I empasized when we did something fun or went on a field trip that she would not be able to do all of these things if she went to school. The kicker was when I woke her up at 7:00 a.m to watch the school bus go down the road. I told her that if she went to school she would have to get up really early and go to school in the dark. I never had problems with my ds and I don't expect any with my youngest either. Having their sister already doing school at home so they know what to expect helps. Julia mom of 3 (8,7,5) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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