How did you start?

[Michelle Liebgott-Osinga]

I am curious. I have a 4.5 year old and a 1.5 year old, so I am new to all of this. I think I want to do homeschooling with a classical empasis, so mostly I am curious how people start to do all of this. I was looking around here and read some people's sceduals, and am not sure how to work up toward that. Granted, my kids are young, but I still would like some direction. Thanks!

[silvermine]

I started with a 4.5 year old and a 1 year old. :) We started *very* slowly. My son was really into heros and battle, so we started off with Story of the World, just a little at a time. We read all sorts of books and things and went to the library a lot. We probably spent a month (or more) just talking about ancient egypt. We also tried 100 EZ lessons, I think when he was 5, but it didn't go so well (I don't think he was "ready", despite sounding out short words when he was younger. Or we hated it. One or the other. :D)

 

Start with what he likes. :) We did little science experiments, mixing vinegar and baking soda. We visited the children's museum.

 

We would talk about numbers and count things, and do a lot of cooking.

 

Just fun stuff to expose them to history and science and reading and math. But every kid will be different -- some 4.5 year olds might enjoy learning more about reading, and less about history. Just follow what they like.

[Mrs Mungo]

When my kids were very young we did Montessori-style activities. There are several good books on this such as:

 

Montessori Play and Learn

 

Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years

 

Montessori at Home

 

There are plenty of others, these are the main three I used in the early years.

[Night Elf]

Have you read The Well-Trained Mind? SWB gives excellent advice on how to provide a classical education from the start of a child's education. :)

[kmacnchs]

I am starting differently with my 1.5 yo than I did w/my 3 yo. I love learning new and better things but I feel badly for my guinea pig (oldest).

 

I started doing abc & #s puzzles with my 3yo until she knew her letters and sounds and how to count to 30 and her colors. Then, I did OPG and Abeka K Math.

 

I am doing it differently this time. Google Tools for Tots...I am using MOST of their ideas for both of my dds. They love it! I still do formal/sit down time approx. 3 days/week with my 1.5 yo to do the abc & #s puzzle but she is learning more things (variety) slowly (rather than 2 things quickly like dd #1) by having trays/stations/what-have-you.

 

Everyone says "make it fun" and I agree but I also think it is important to learn to sit still and pay attn. (hence the "formal/sit down time" 3x/week)

[Michelle Liebgott-Osinga]

Yes, I have read the Well-trained mind, and I really like what Susan Wise Bauer has presented there. However, I am curious what other people's personal experiences are. What mystifies me is how people actually get to a more focused way of studying with their kids, because I have a hard time seeing how to guide my 4 year old (he is very strong-willed.) I love to read and study, but motivating someone else to do it is and entirely different thing. I know that my son is still to young to focus on anything very long, but seeing how the transition will come is foggy.

We do go to the library (lots), the childrens museum, natural history museum, etc. Just the other day we did some baking soda and vingar stuff just for fun. Also he is attending some montessori preschool, and so I try to do things in the montessori way at home as much as possible.

Thanks for your ideas; I am always curious how other people do homeschooling.

[Garga]

I started with kindergarten and followed the book, "What your kindergartner needs to know." I got books from the library based on what that book said kindergartners should know.

 

I also got Teach Your Child to Read in 100 EZ Lessons...but it didn't really work for us. (Still working on the reading and he'll be 7 next month.)

 

Thinking back: for preschool we didn't do anything official--just played with letters and numbers and did activity books from places like WalMart.

 

After those 2 years of getting my feet wet (preschool and K), I bought a lot of curriculum for 1st grade and we did very well. We're entering 2nd grade with confidence and lots of curriculum tailored to our needs.

[kmacnchs]

What mystifies me is how people actually get to a more focused way of studying with their kids, because I have a hard time seeing how to guide my 4 year old (he is very strong-willed.) I love to read and study, but motivating someone else to do it is and entirely different thing. I know that my son is still to young to focus on anything very long, but seeing how the transition will come is foggy.

 

 

I am not sure what you mean by "focus" but if you mean sitting still or attention span, here are some things we do:

 

If I am brought a book, they *must* sit still and listen to the whole book (not get up in the middle if they get bored).

 

After lunch, we have started learning how to get "self control". They sit on the floor with their hands in their laps. No talking or moving until the timer goes off. We are up to 4 minutes :D It doesn't matter how long it takes to get to your goal (mine is 30 min) in my opinion.

 

Other than that, I am big on finishing what you start. They may not quit in the middle of doing a puzzle, reading a book, listening to a book on tape, etc. That has helped them with those "focus" issues.

 

Oh, also, normally my oldest dd finishes her supper in record time and she learned patience from an early age because she was not able to get up until mommy and/or daddy was finished.

 

Hope some of these help :)

[Michelle Liebgott-Osinga]

By focus I mean how do people actually get their kids to stick with things like phonics, math books, etc, and go from chapter to chapter in books (other than literature.) I can see how people do unschooling because it is easy to just read lots of intesting stuff. But when you study something that builds on it self, it requires returning to the same book and really getting the next chuck of info down. This can be hard for adults (who understand the need to focus,) so how do you get kids to do it?

[Chris in VA]

I think alot of it is in setting expectations. It's not just school work, but other things, too. I guess I'm not really clear on your question--are you wondering how to "make" him do things? You just do! You are the mom and what you tell him to do, he does, right?

For school, we just did it. Got the book out, or the kit, or whatever, and did it. I suppose if dd had gotten up or something, I would have just guided her by saying, "It's time to work on this now" or something similar. You set the rules, you set the tone, and they obey you.

If they don't, you enforce a consequence, same as anything else.

[Michelle Liebgott-Osinga]

Well yes, I guess that was my question. But does that actually work, with learning I mean?

[Cera]

My kids will turn 5 and 3 this fall and we are starting with K for the oldest and I will admit to being fairly lost. Right now the plan is to do 15 minutes of sit down math work and 15 minutes of sit down writing/reading work each day working up to 30 minutes by the end of the year (this will probably wind up being fudged some weeks). I haven't bothered with a formal curriculum, just some workbooks I picked up at Barnes and Noble and Target for this year (place value, addition, subtraction and basic word problems plus printing work and phonics).

 

I decided on this route after putting some thought into what my end of year goals were for her and then working backward. I want her to be able to read confidently, write legibly, add and subtract single digit numbers, understand place value and enjoy learning. Anything more than 15 minutes at a time would negate that last one right now because my kids are like wild little monkeys.

 

For me Kindergarten is about stimulating their curiosity as much as possible and setting the groundwork for being able to school them successfully in future years. We'll do lots of reading, field trips, playing around but not too much seat work because until they can write well there isn't all that much to be done sitting around.

[Cera]

Well yes, I guess that was my question. But does that actually work, with learning I mean?

 

It works with anything if you are consistent. I think you know your kid and you know if they are stalling because they don't want to work or if they are really having a hard time. If it is the former you keep them in their workspace until they give up and just do it, if it is the latter you let them move on to something else and come back to the work at a different time or with a different approach.

[zaichiki]

When oldest ds was about 3 we started visiting the library weekly (and bringing home 25-50 books at a time). So, I was reading aloud a LOT. I also signed him up for YMCA classes (swimming, sports, etc.) I think he was doing three classes a week for a few sessions. Soon, I took out the Hooked on Phonics and we did that for 10 minutes a day (just added it in). He spent a lot of time playing outside with neighborhood friends, after they got back from preschool, and riding his bike. We went to parks and museums... and joined in homeschool park days for the first time.

 

The next year, when he was 5/5.5, I bought Singapore Math's Earlybird series and we did that for 20 minutes a day too. Our family went to a homeschool conference where I learned about Sonlight and WTM... and the rest is history! Ha! (history! get it?) Sorry.

 

That year, when ds was 5/5.5, we also started using Sonlight and I introduced handwriting/copywork for the first time. That was about all we did for ds's first year (Kindergarten?). I started one new subject/curriculum a week. By October we had our groove down. And I dropped all YMCA classes except swimming.

 

:)

[kalanamak]

I am curious. I have a 4.5 year old and a 1.5 year old, so I am new to all of this. I think I want to do homeschooling with a classical empasis, so mostly I am curious how people start to do all of this. I was looking around here and read some people's sceduals, and am not sure how to work up toward that. Granted, my kids are young, but I still would like some direction. Thanks!

 

I "started young" and am glad I did.

 

I read WTM, hung out here, went to places I could look at books, and educated myself. I picked Singapore and while we did Early Bird, I went through 1 and 2 myself, WITH manipulatives, and "learned math" like I was a kid. I reviewed grammar, read up on ancient history, etc. I found that there is a lot of good stuff out there for 12-14 year olds (like Black Ships Before Troy) that I can read through very quickly and get a grounding. When I then read it to my son, I have a head start.

 

I liked educating myself on the simple nomenclature of many subjects so I could use them in *natural* conversation. I listened to all the Vox Music Masters, and some of the CDs of compilations of famous works, memorizing the composer, so I could say "Berlioz" or "Greig" when something came on. I listened to Intro to the Orchestra, so I could say, with confidence: that's an oboe, that's a French horn. Ditto with famous artists.

My goal is to master the LOGIC age material I will be covering with kiddo as a grammar stage student....I try to stay one year and one level ahead. Thus, once we are in a good rhythm, I intend to start doing reading of logic age materials for his 3rd grade grammar year.

I haven't really heard anyone else advocating this method here, but it works very well, especially if you are a "plan-aheader" like me. Oh, and I hunt down used material for the upcoming year, too.

 

As for what to "do" with a 4.5, you could query over on the K8 board.

We did EB math, Plaid Phonics A (we were done with K by then) then the pre-ETC books, maze books from....oh that Japanese company with learning centers and those simple books on learning to cut and paste and move a pencil, magnet letters on the fridge, and lots of fun games with counting and naming and clapping.

 

Sniff around to find out what's out there and learn your (and your child's style), educate yourself, and just start playing with kiddo and move in that way. Ask "what would you do differently" around here and you will get an avalanche of "I wouldn't sweat the very early years" and "I'd play more until kiddo is ready to do sit down work".

 

Welcome!!

[kalanamak]

Well yes, I guess that was my question. But does that actually work, with learning I mean?

 

Yes. I believe the majority of normal kids with decent relationships with parents naturally TAKE to learning. You give them "age appropriate" material. Help them through the hard stuff. Sometimes be the heavy. At 4.5 we did one page of EB math every other day, and then we did games about the topic on that page. By 5 it was 20 minutes a day, by 6 30, and then, as I am told is normal, a lot more was possible. There are moments that you can't be all sweetness and enlightenment. As you wade in you get confidence in knowing what works for this particular kid, and you slowly up the time and level of work. At 4.5, I'd keep it very "fun". You are in a marathon, not a sprint.

[EKS]

We started in 2nd grade after a disastrous year in 1st. My son has some LDs so I was playing catchup. We did only reading and math formally that first year, with history being Little House books and science being hardly anything. The second year (3rd grade) we added formal history and a bit of science then the third year (4th grade) we added formal science. The fourth year (5th grade), we added formal grammar and writing and geography. The fifth year we added Latin. That's pretty much how that worked.

 

With my younger son, I made sure he knew how to read well before we started. He also knew how to print and knew basic math stuff like how to count to 100+ and how to write numbers. This made it possible to hit the ground running when we started formally.

Edited August 15, 2009 by EKS

[Guest janainaz]

When my first son was very young, we read tons of picture books. I checked out books on every subject and kept him interested. I had fun with him and we played a lot of games (he loved board games). However, my one focus was to get him reading. As soon as he could recognize all his letters, we started The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. We did a 20 minute lesson every day and by the time he was 6, he was a fantastic reader.

 

I have another son who is 4.5. He is still learning to recognize letters and numbers. We read tons and tons and tons of books together, we play games and I'm just focusing on having fun with him. They are only little for such a short time. I remember feeling overwhelmed and wondering where to begin with my first ds. Now I know it all falls into place, but you've got to cherish the days!

[Michelle Liebgott-Osinga]

Thanks for all of your replies. I thought about this stuff a lot this week and decided that this year, for academic work, I am going to just focus on reading with my boys, which we do lots of anyway. I ordered The Story of the World, so we could start reading some history, and also The History of the Ancient World for myself. I like the idea of adding one subject per year so that we can slowly get used to this. I already often read classics, so I will just keep doing that and just switch my focus to works that are more fitting with the period we are working on. It already feels better to be focusing in this way for myself, instead of just reading lots of interesting works that are all over the board historically.

I also started Latin this week, which I have been meaning to do for years. I have had Wheelock's Latin book on my shelf for at least ten years, but just kept putting that off so that I could study modern languages instead. Now I am realizing that I was going about my language study all wrong! I am having so much fun with it.

Thanks again for all of your advise. It really makes a difference to hear what other people did early on when beginning this path. The nebulousness was disconcerting, and though I do definatly want to keep it fun I really need have at least a vague idea of what we will be doing. Happily now, I have that.

[JennC]

After lunch, we have started learning how to get "self control". They sit on the floor with their hands in their laps. No talking or moving until the timer goes off. We are up to 4 minutes :D It doesn't matter how long it takes to get to your goal (mine is 30 min) in my opinion.

 

:001_smile: If I may be so bold: What is your motivation with this? I've never heard this approach as anything other than a "time-out" if you will. I am curious, because at my house, this could never happen and I guess, for me, I wouldn't necessarily think of it as a self-control issue. I mean it is, really - controlling your self- but when I think of self-control, I think of it a different way, I guess. Anyway, I'm not trying to be rude at all, just curious about something I've never heard before

[gardening momma]

After lunch, we have started learning how to get "self control". They sit on the floor with their hands in their laps. No talking or moving until the timer goes off. We are up to 4 minutes :D It doesn't matter how long it takes to get to your goal (mine is 30 min) in my opinion.

I was wondering if you do anything with them during this time. Do you read aloud to them?

 

maze books from....oh that Japanese company with learning centers and those simple books on learning to cut and paste and move a pencil,

Kumon

 

We'll do lots of reading, field trips, playing around but not too much seat work because until they can write well there isn't all that much to be done sitting around.

I love Kumon workbooks! We've done folding, cutting, pasting, crafts, tracing, mazes, etc... I also keep a supply of construction paper for dc, and they color, cut/tear paper, glue, sticker, etc... Lacing activities can be done at the table (or elsewhere). We have a couple of magnet sets with itty bitty pieces, so I require those to be done at the table so we don't lose pieces. Most of the time our games are done at the table. Puzzles. There's lots of creative "seatwork" that can be done if you want to get them used to being at the table, with or without you there.