most academic kindergarten curriculums?

[MeganW]

I am very new to the whole idea of homeschooling, but am so fired up about it! My husband, on the other hand, is VERY reluctant. He has agreed to move forward with the planning stages, but really wants to see that academically our kids will be better off than they would have been in public school. Assuming he is OK with my detailed plan, we will keep them at home for one year and reassess at that point. (While I really want to homeschool, I will not do it unless both he and I agree together that this is what is best for our children. So I HAVE to get him onboard and excited about it!)

 

The challenge is that my kids are only supposed to be going into kindergarten! So it isn't as if they are really going to be debating about the issues in the Middle East by the end of the year or anything!

 

Can you point me in the direction of the most academicly rigorous curriculums for all the basic subjects that kids would normally be learning as kindergarteners? (And maybe a few extra subjects to consider!) Obviously the whole unschool / let kids-be-kids thing is NOT going to fly in my situation!

 

Thank you so much for your help!

[Hockey Mom]

We use the BJU Press Grade Kit for Kindergarten. We're using the DVDs.

 

My older son learned to read using Abeka when he was in private school last year.

 

I like both programs, but ultimately chose BJU because we felt their video presentation (lessons) were better produced.

 

His school day takes anywhere from 90 minutes to 2.5 hours, depending on what they're learning. Our routine is to watch the lesson, do the worksheet/craft/activity. After all of the lessons are done, I'll have him do puzzles, play playdoh, etc. until his brother is done with his lessons. We also do unit studies to kind of fill up our day (most of the time the boys have no idea we're still learning :D). You can read through my blog to get a better idea of what we do.

 

This is our first experience with hs, and I wasn't sure what to expect. The BJU grade kit comes with the video lessons, the workbooks, unifix cubes, TMs (online or in pdf format), lesson plans (which was a HUGE relief for me!). I believe Abeka does as well, but I'm not sure. It's essentially a 'boxed curriculum'...but it is was perfect for us (read: me) to start out with. HTH.

[FO4UR]

My dd4 is about the age of your triplets...she was born March 2005.:D

 

First - breathe! Kindy should not be stressful. It's simply more time to get your dh on board...don't let your dc's "performance" determine those decisions. That's too much pressure for a kindergartener.;)

 

Second - "most rigorous" is not always best for your dc.

 

For kindy, you need handwriting, reading instruction, and basic maths... Then LOTS of read-alouds (www.amblesideonline.com year 0 is a great source...you can tell your dh that the kids will NOT be getting that quality of literature in a ps kindy!) and LOTS of time to play! Your dc will lose most of their playtime if they go to a ps, and that free play is vital imho. This is my ideal kindy:

 

15min of handwriting

15min of reading instruction

15min of math

2hours (spread throughout the day) of quality read-alouds

2hours free play (preferably outside)

 

Slow and steady 15min per day is more academically productive ime than a full day of academics for 180 days per year. This is one of the BIG reasons I hs.

 

Use read-alouds for "extra subjects." Find books on things they can find in the backyard...insects, birds, plants, etc... Kids *want* to learn about their world, don't stifle it! In that regard, let your "kids be kids."

 

Oh - and document their progress so at the end of the year you can compare how much they've grown. Take samples of their writing and reading and "mathing" in August, and keep a portfolio of their work throughout the year. Ultimately, their progress is the best indicator of the quality of their schooling.

 

My dh was "sold" when he saw my dc's growth....Hearing them speak in the language of Beatrix Potter helps too:lol:...from the mouth of one of my dc ..."Presently, I am building a fort.":lol::lol::lol: dc pick up a different kind of language in the local ps:glare:

[JulieD]

Slightly off topic, but is there any way your dh could spend a day with the K class your kids would be going to?

 

My dh wasn't on board with homeschooling, either, so my son went to kindergarten. Dh had a day off and went to school with my son. He was shocked at how little was accomplished. It was also the first time he realized that a public school teacher can't answer any thinking questions a child asks because it might offend somebody. He was totally onboard after that. (I was totally amazed; I had given the subject up.) Of course, I don't think I'd ever have gotten him to go before my son started school, but it might be worth a shot. Your dh probably doesn't remember K.

[StephanieZ]

UGH. Tough ?? to answer well.

 

This I tell you. . . if you can get your dh to simply give you 6 mos or a year and then assess. . . he will be impressed with your kids' advancement even if you a very informal schooling approach for K. It just doesn't take a lot to teach K very, very well.

 

I would also advise using TWTM as your guide. . .

 

Specific suggestions:

 

1) teach them to read. Choose a TWTM suggestion that appeals to you. Spend 15 min per day. I have never tried to teach more than one child to read at a time (triplets!!!!!!!!!!!!), but I'd advise you to schedule 15 min alone time w/each child each day for reading. You could also schedule a group reading time for 15 min to do fun reading games and group activities, but I would NOT try to teach them altogether.

 

2) teach them handwriting. 5 min a day. Simple workbooks. I like Zaner Bloser. Works great and takes almost no mom-time. They could all do at once and you could hover and coach. 5 min and done.

 

3) By all means, get some of Peggy Kaye's games books. (Now!!) Games for Learning. Games for Math. Games for Reading. . . These will be AWESOME for you. Pick one or two new games each week that focus on skills you are working on. Spend 15 min a day playing the game with the gang.

 

4) Read aloud some appealing history or nature or science books each day. 15 min on one or the other.

 

5) Get More Mudpies and Magnets and do a science experiment each week. (30 min)

 

6) Start some basic math. You can use a formal program (Singapore Early Bird is my favorite early math) or just play games (Peggy Kaye, etc.) and make sure they are learning to count to 100 and back to 0. . . plus understand ideas of + & - .

 

If you want a BOX, then I love SonLight. You could use the oldest K core (K 5/6? or whatever one is right before Core 1). That'll give you history and also read-alouds and reading stuff. (I have only used Cores 1-6 and my dc have all been good readers by then, so not sure how the K works). Anyhow, SL also has Science programs for K, etc. Sooooo, if dh wants sth that looks official and fancy and rigorous, he'd like SL. Your kids and you may like it also. I do. I just don't bother with it for K. :) You'll have to choose a reading level for the core and also have to choose a math program, but other than those things, the SL core and SL Science will have it all, I think. (Maybe need to add handwriting as well!)

 

If you have time and interest to start teaching them to read sooner rather than later, I'd pick out a phonics program and start in on it as soon as you can. You can do it slowly. This will ease you into schooling. Teaching them to read is the only subject I can't imagine doing easily in a group. . . so starting it first will allow you to focus on that for a few months. (One or more of them may really take off and be reading pretty well by next fall, which will take a lot of pressure off of you and also really impress your dh!)

 

FWIW, Explode the Code is super fun/appealing and my younger kids loved it (and started it by age 4). It is the one reading program I can see doing easily in a group, as it is workbook based and you could have them doing the same page while you coach (at least at first. . . you'd probably want to allow them to go at their own pace eventually, which would also be perfectly manageable once you get the hang of it).

 

So, if nothing else, you might want to order the Get Ready for The Code, Get Set for The Code, Go for The Code & the Teacher's Guide that goes with that. Get started on that and see how it goes. Meanwhile you can research what other curricula you want to use.

 

Oh, and get yourself some of Peggy Kaye's books forthwith as well! :)

 

Good luck and have fun. HS'ing triplets could be a blast!! Having classmates would be quite fun in many ways!

[~Kirsten~]

I only have a quick minute, so I might be able to come back later with some more thoughts, but for now, I would encourage you to check out your public school system's website, locating the specifics of what will be covered in K. That's your best starting point, since your DH is looking for a "better" than that experience. Personally, I'm confident that will be easy for you to achieve. ;) Our school district is supposed to be one of the best in the country, and yet I'm appalled by the way they "teach" reading and what they expect (or rather, do not expect) the kids to be doing by the end of the year. So if you start working through OPGTR when your children are 4 or 4.5, there's a good chance they'll be at a point where they're reading by the start of K (and that will be "ahead," I suspect). Now, that's quite rigorous, and it may not be reasonable for your children. But it's certainly possible.

 

I'll second reading TWTM and implementing their preschool ideas now.

 

Anyway, our district does social studies and talks about families, school, and the community for K. Here, we're doing geography, studying individual countries and reading books about and from those countries. I'm biased, but I consider that more rigorous. PE is jumping and finding a pulse point; we're playing group basketball, soccer, bowling, and doing other things as well. Plus, I'm a big, big believer that 5-year-olds need to spend more time in unstructured play in order to learn, and if my daughter was in school for 8 hours, came home and needed to complete homework (which we have in K here) plus eat dinner, there would be little time left for play. Also, since she's reading, she likes to read in bed at night, often staying up quite late to do so. In school, I'd have to force her to stop reading and go to sleep so that she could get up early to go "learn" at school. That just boggles my mind.

 

Okay, I've overstayed my time here! :lol: Hopefully my ramblings give you some jumping off points. Definitely, definitely look for Spy Car's posts here on mathematics. His ideas for preschool are incredible, and there's no arguing that following his path would have your K child ahead in math.

 

Hopefully you can get your DH on board and have fun, all at the same time!

[ElizabethB]

I used Webster's Blue Backed Speller to teach my daughter to read in K and by the end of the year she could read material at the 12th grade level!

 

It was written by Noah Webster, who taught school for several years and also wrote our first American dictionary. It's very powerful. It teaches phonics and spelling through syllables so that early learned concepts translate to 2 to 6 syllable words.

 

I would start with Leapfrog's DVD "Talking Letter Factory" for teaching letter sounds and names, starfall is also good, but use only the first 2 sections, the second two need to wait until all phonics are learned.

 

I would also not teach more than 5 sight words, here's how to teach all but 5 of the most commonly taught 220 sight words phonetically: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html

 

I've remediated a lot of students who had problems after learning sight words as wholes, it slows down their reading progress.

 

I spent around 10 minutes a day on the speller on a white board, there is more info in my signature below and these 2 threads:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70153

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97408

 

I also like to use all uppercase for K, it's easier to write neatly on a whiteboard and it helps prevent B/D confusion.

[Renee in NC]

If your husband would prefer you to use a structured program that is already laid out for you, I would recommend either K12, Calvert School, or even possibly the new program from Memoria Press. You can google those to find the links.

 

The Memoria Press program is brand new, but it is the program used by Highlands Latin School and they have a great academic reputation. If my Kindergärtner now was more typical (as in use one program per year) I would probably go with that one.

 

Another possibility is Kolbe Academy - they offer lesson plans for a classical education for grades K-12.

[ElizabethB]

Oh, yes--a great way to get him on board now is to start tutoring reading for students who your local school has failed. Every school district we've lived in that has taught the Dolch sight words has had 30 to 40% of the students I've tested have reading problems. It's easy to find students--just start handing out the NRRF grade level test (and offer to give it if the parents can't.) You'll soon find many children who need phonics help.

 

My how to tutor page explains how to help them.

 

And, here's a thread about tutoring with more information:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76395

Edited January 6, 2010 by ElizabethB

[nukeswife]

I will have a Ker next year. We're currently using Kumon workbooks for fun as he is interested but next year we'll start with an actual curriculum.

 

For K I plan to use McRuffy phonics and reading and McRuffy math. My dd has been using it and she's doing so well. I love that the TM is laid out for me so I know what to cover and even how to present it if I'm not sure. I don't let the TM be my master, and am ok with changing it or saying it my way if I feel it's needed. My dd finds it fun. It's colorful and even includes games to play. For science and social studies I plan to go with child interest led read alouds and activities I can find in many of my Evan Moor Theme Pockets ebooks.

 

I agree with the suggestion of seeing if your dh can sit in for a while on the local K ps class. He may be surprised at how much time is spent wrangling the kids as opposed to actual instruction.

Edited January 6, 2010 by nukeswife

[TxMama]

First - breathe! Kindy should not be stressful. It's simply more time to get your dh on board...don't let your dc's "performance" determine those decisions. That's too much pressure for a kindergartener.;)

 

Second - "most rigorous" is not always best for your dc.

 

For kindy, you need handwriting, reading instruction, and basic maths... Then LOTS of read-alouds (www.amblesideonline.com year 0 is a great source...you can tell your dh that the kids will NOT be getting that quality of literature in a ps kindy!) and LOTS of time to play! Your dc will lose most of their playtime if they go to a ps, and that free play is vital imho. This is my ideal kindy:

 

15min of handwriting

15min of reading instruction

15min of math

2hours (spread throughout the day) of quality read-alouds

2hours free play (preferably outside)

 

 

My dh was "sold" when he saw my dc's growth....Hearing them speak in the language of Beatrix Potter helps too:lol:...from the mouth of one of my dc ..."Presently, I am building a fort.":lol::lol::lol: dc pick up a different kind of language in the local ps:glare:

:iagree:

 

Words of wisdom!

 

It would help if you knew exactly what your DH means by "better" academically. There are studies that show that hs students are "better" than ps students on test scores. The question is which program is "better" for your particular kids in your particular situation. KWIM?

 

Hockey mom mention BJU dvds which for her family is success BUT for mine would be a huge failure. No program is the best for each family! THat is where the true beauty of hsing comes into play ...you get to customize your children's education to work with their ( and your!) strengths while at the same time addressing their (and your!) weaknesses.

 

If you look at the K requirements at your local ps school( if you are feeling real adventurous compares a couple different states :tongue_smilie:), your local private schools, and several hsing publishers you will notice there are many different ways to cover similar ....or many cases not so similar...material. THe "most rigorous academically" (whatever that actually means) might not be the best for your kids or the program that will help them progress the most academically.

 

If you can read Cathy Duffy's top 100 curriculum she has a nice q & a chart to help you determine what type of curriculum might work best in your situation. Once you get a clearer picture of what curriculum might work with the temperments of your children and your own temperment it will be easier to evaluate which K program is best for your family.

 

 

With dh, attend a hsing conference, check out a local hsing store and read through many hsing catalogs and then evaluate each program to see which one is best for the makeup of your family.

[Heather in WI]

My husband was against homeschooling in the beginning, too. Since school isn't required in our state until age 6 (First grade), I had K4 and K5 to prove it to him that I could succeed at this. By the time first grade came around, he was so impressed that he said we could homeschool through 4th grade. Now, he's up to 8th grade. :lol:

 

My biggest advice for a hesitant spouse is to take their concerns seriously. One thing my dh was concerned about was socialization. He's an extremely outgoing, friendly guy and he didn't want me to turn our boys into .... ummm ..... anti-social weirdos. :D So, to address his concerns, I made sure to schedule plenty of playdates, signed the boys up for swim lessons, and took advantage of other extra-curricular type classes and activities.

 

Another concern was that I would flake out, not be organized, and not have a general plan. So, I made a weekly schedule of what I planned to do in Excel the Friday before each week.

 

A HUGE selling point on homeschooling was having him read various chapters in The Well-Trained Mind. They explain homeschooling and education so well and so thoroughly that it is hard to walk away not convinced that it is an excellent method for educating children.

-------------------------------------

This is a blog post I wrote concerning our K4:

 

Our family begins K4 very slowly. Our first few weeks of K4 consist only of Bible, Phonics, and piano lessons. We do Bible together as a family. We read one lesson from Leading Little Ones to God by Marion Schoolland or The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine F. Vos, and also practice our catechism question for the week. This takes about 15 minutes.

 

For Phonics, we use Phonics Pathways. Phonics Pathways is no nonsense, and if you want my honest opinion, it is somewhat boring. But, the lessons are *very* short (maybe 5-10 minutes a day) and it gets your child reading within a few weeks of consistent use. We found

these teaching tips

helpful. I highly recommend buying the first three levels of Bob Books -- Set 1-Beginning Readers, Set 2-Advancing Beginners, and Set 3- Word Families.

 

There is nothing like the satisfaction your child gets from being able to read their first book *all by themselves*! They sell higher levels of the Bob Books, but I found that after getting through the first three levels, our boys could transition smoothly into the more interesting "early readers" at the library.

 

For piano lessons, we have a wonderful teacher, Miss Patti, who comes to our house once a week. At age four, our children start with the Music for Little Mozarts piano series. The actual lessons are about 15 minutes a week, with daily practice taking about 5-10 minutes a day.

 

After a few weeks, we add in math and handwriting.

 

We use Saxon 1 for math in K4. The accompanying Manipulative Kit is a *must* buy. It is rather expensive, but considering you will use it almost daily for two years (three years, if you use Saxon K for pre-school, like we do) it is not that bad. Math is our longest subject and takes about 30 minutes to do from start to finish.

 

For handwriting, we use Zaner-Bloser Handwriting K and the corresponding Grade K handwriting paper. It is *super* simple to use. Do *not* waste your money buying the teacher’s manual!!! If you are nervous at all about teaching handwriting, buy the Self-Instruction Book for Grades 7 & 8 . Handwriting takes about 5 minutes per day.

 

And, that's our four year old kindergarten! Bible, Phonics, Piano, Math, and Handwriting.

 

HTH!

Edited January 6, 2010 by Heather in WI

[Tidbits of Learning]

I have had 3 kids go through public school kindergarten. It all depends on what you mean by rigorous whether I think some homeschool curriculums are as rigorous as public school.

Before I get tomatoes thrown at me, what I mean is that kindergarten at public school has become more like 1st grade. So I definitely agree with pp about checking into your public school that your child would attend. A lot of times they will have open houses this time of year and if they don't you can always show interest and someone will tour you around.

I would not take the kids with me to an open house or on a tour. You want to give your undivided attention to the classroom and peek in on more than one K classroom. Some teachers are better than others and you never know which one your child will get.

Now would be a good time b/c it will give you a good gauge of how much they cover in kindergarten and approx. where they expect them to be at the end of the year. I would just get a sitter and go in to said school asking about open house and a tour and ask to see the books they will use.

Now about homeschool curriculum...

There are a lot out there and several styles and methods of teaching. I would read up a lot on them.

For rigorous programs, I would definitely label

1. Abeka K5

2. CLP Kindergarten

3. BJU K5

pretty rigorous in it's expectations in math and reading.

 

I have personally used Abeka k5 (and I mean personally ages ago LOL) as well as with 2 of my girls for afterschooling. I used CLP Kindergarten with my son. I find them both excellent programs with similar methods. CLP is not as colorful as Abeka and it is cheaper. However, you don't get pretty little lesson plans to hold your hand through it either. You can also go on abeka.com and print out a scope and sequence to show your husband.

 

I have also used Heart of Dakota's Little Hearts for His Glory with my son for a k/1st grade year. It is very different than the above curriculum, and I wouldn't call it rigorous for a first grader, but it is pretty great for a true kindergartener. It is however thorough and fun and uses a mixture of publishers to accomplish the goals of kindergarten. I found several publishers that I liked for different subjects.

1. R&S Preschool books A-G (R&S doesn't do kindergarten so their preschool books are kindergarten).

2. A Reason for Handwriting (it had such large letters to trace it was great for those with less than perfect fine motor control).

3. The Reading Lesson (this was perfect for my son who did not take to Abeka or CLP or Saxon Phonics quick and painless and we saw results).

4. History For Little Pilgrims (CLP text for 1st grade that is a joy to read-you can also get a coloring book to go with it from CLP).

5. Singapore Earlybird Mathematics 2a & 2b (This was a perfect intro to math that went quickly and covered a lot in a year).

6. Thornton Burgess books to read aloud.

 

If I had 3 kids to teach kindergarten to as well a 3 year old, then I would recommend the HOD LHFHG and just get 3 each of the consumables.

 

I would also advise to think about yourself in the equation. You will be a new homeschool teacher and it does take some getting used to at first. It can be great, but it can also be challenging and not every day is great no matter what curriculum you use. With 3 students, I would plan for something that would get reading, writing, and arithmetic done as well as not frustrate me and the children. All of the above curriculums will do that and prepare them for whatever first grade curriculum that you choose.

[rafiki]

.

[PeterPan]

Wow Megan, I haven't even read all the other responses yet, but you're setting yourself up for a hard year. There's one thing you can't control, and that's your *dc* and what *they* are ready for. It doesn't matter how well you teach or what curriculum you use. Those 5 yo's are going to learn and do only what they are capable of. You can hear some pretty amazing stories around here, and homeschooling pretty much unleashes you to do as much as your dc can. But doing LESS does not mean you've failed. They only are who they are.

 

So all that said, I would suggest you do a search around here to find threads (there have been several) about getting reluctant husbands on board. You want to agree to test. You want to understand in your own soul that you can't go showing all your flusters this year and not expect it to factor into this decision. But I would set a reasonable standard. You have to follow the law (does your state have regulations?), and you want to have at least average test scores or test scores that match their ability. You want to have a stable home life and show you can balance things. (not clean, haha, just stable) But beyond that I wouldn't set up scenarios. Really and truly, you can't make them read till they're really ready. You can't make math facts or understanding gel till it's time.

 

WTM has great recommendations for K5. I don't know why you don't think they'll be discussing politics in the Middle East. If you read it to them and talk with them about it, they WILL! I have pics of my dd when she was little dressed up like Condaleeza Rice. It was what she knew. You can get God's World News magazines for various age groups and read it with them. You can do the SL K core read alouds and talk about people in different countries. They can be as aware and diverse as you want them to be.

 

The other thing is that kids in K5 have interests developing. My dd was seriously into art, so I set her up a work station with craft books and all sorts of supplies and gave her lots of time. K5 is only 2 hours a day total, MAX. You're doing a little bit of academics for an hour and reading aloud and crafting for an hour. That's ALL. So don't imagine this more than it is, kwim? The rest of the day and how you shape it is where the magic occurs. When dd was young I put on books on tape while she played. You can play language tapes (The Learnables, Easy French Jr, etc.) while they play. We did sign language videos. I read aloud to her by the hour while she would play outside. And of course she had lots of time and materials to explore her interests. THAT'S what makes the kids so interesting and alive, not the fancy formal stuff we do, kwim? These kids are little people with their own little interests and drives, even at this age. Don't feel so pressured to perform that you cram their lives out. See what sparks them and give them some room to do it. K5 and 1st are the best ages to do this, because they have so much budding ability and so little constraint on their time. Come 2nd grade the academics start taking more time. So for now, try to give them time and materials to pursue stuff they love. Their academic needs are so few.

[Aurelia]

I can tell you what we did/are doing. FWIW, I considered last year (age 4) Ariel's kindergarten year because this year she's doing nearly all first grade work. I think it was pretty rigorous, especially when I compared it with the stuff a PS K teacher friend was teaching her kids at the same time.

 

Right Start Math

Zaner-Bloser Manuscript

Dancing Bears Reading (Bear Necessities might work better for you if you're interested in the program - it's made for 4-5 year olds)

Moving Beyond the Page 5-7 (it covers all the standards for K in CA and NC, if you're worried about matching PS)

Five in a Row (We alternated this with MBTP, but we school year-round)

 

We also added the following:

Spanish - La Clase Divertida (I'm from the camp that believes early exposure to a second language is best)

Art - Atelier

Music - Kinderbach (piano skills) and Discoveries in Music (music appreciation)

PE - gymnastics, swimming and dance

 

 

If you don't want to assemble your own thing and want an all-in-one package, I would look at K12, Great Books Academy and Timberdoodle.

[Ellie]

For English-related skills, Spalding. It teaches children to read by teaching them to spell, and includes penmanship, capitalization and punctuation, and simple writing.

 

Not sure what to recommend for arithmetic.

 

I don't think you could get any more academic than WTM for everything else.

[PeterPan]

I can tell you what we did/are doing. FWIW, I considered last year (age 4) Ariel's kindergarten year because this year she's doing nearly all first grade work. I think it was pretty rigorous, especially when I compared it with the stuff a PS K teacher friend was teaching her kids at the same time.

 

Right Start Math

Zaner-Bloser Manuscript

Dancing Bears Reading (Bear Necessities might work better for you if you're interested in the program - it's made for 4-5 year olds)

Moving Beyond the Page 5-7 (it covers all the standards for K in CA and NC, if you're worried about matching PS)

Five in a Row (We alternated this with MBTP, but we school year-round)

 

We also added the following:

Spanish - La Clase Divertida (I'm from the camp that believes early exposure to a second language is best)

Art - Atelier

Music - Kinderbach (piano skills) and Discoveries in Music (music appreciation)

PE - gymnastics, swimming and dance

 

 

If you don't want to assemble your own thing and want an all-in-one package, I would look at K12, Great Books Academy and Timberdoodle.

 

Since we were very similar (what this poster is doing in her sig with her 5 yo and what we did at 5), I want to take one moment to criticize. You CANNOT do those things if the dc is not ready. It has nothing to do with rigor and everything to do with readiness, maturity, and the dc. You have triplets. Do any of them have developmental delays or issues? (Not trying to be nosey, just realistic.) And what about differences between them. There have been threads here on the board before of people trying to deal with differences and competition between twins. If one is faster at math and another slower, that can get hairy. They're going to have their own unique dynamic of how they work together and get along with this.

 

Again, I'm all for letting them do all they can do. I'm just saying don't set up some deal where they have to be unusually ahead to meet your dh's criteria. Slow and steady wins the race with this. :)

[TracyR]

K12 would probably fit your bill. If your state offers cyberschooling you can get the curriculum for "free". I put that in quotes. The computer and books are free but you are assigned a teacher and must do seperate assignments and participate in Aimsweb testing for your Kers. So though the material is free, you are not completely free. I've been cyberschooling way to long and question why I went back to it this year. I do like K12. Its an excellent program, LOVED their kinder by the way it was fun. But I really want to venture off on my own.

 

For kindergarden things like this come to mind , its rigourous yet gentle:

 

Headsprout for reading ( this program is worth every penny and then some.)

Starfall.,. this is free

Progressive Phonics... this is free as well. Has cute readers you can print off for free and lesson plans.

If you don't want something like Headsprout , then programs such as 100 EZ lessons or The Reading Lessons work REALLY well and are easy on the wallet.

 

Math .. I use Touch math. Its a fun hands on math program. You can purchase the program, get it off ebay OR even see if your local school district uses it. I lucked out and found that our school district uses it , got from the school literally free of charge.

If not Touch Math I liked BJU math for Kindergarden. If you don't want to use from a Christian publisher Saxon K or 1 is great for kindergarden.

Read lots and lots of good books to them. Sonlight has an awesome list of books that you can either purchase or get at the library.

Handwriting , you can use something like Handwriting without Tears. Many brick and mortar schools use this program as well.

and that's all you really need to touch on. If your children like History and Science you can go to the library and get books out on things that interest them. After years of experience Science is best learned one subject at a time, as well as history. Curriculum companies like Sonlight and Winterpromise have wonderful catalogs that I use to find books on history and science to supplement with for my daughters. Remember that history and science at this stage is still optional and should just be fun.

 

Provide fun educational games to play. My girls love to play with File Folder Games. They are easy to make with just a file folder, your printer, scissors and tape.

You can visit my blog to see pictures of some of the ones I've made to get an idea. My daughters love Legos and Kinex . Rainbow resource has a seperate catalog that features fun educational games and toys.

 

Lapbooking is also a creative idea and is fun and educational to do.

 

Remember though that whatever you use to instill learning in your home , it will be a 100 times better then what the public schools could ever offer for your children. That's because YOU will be teaching them. Its not the curriculum that makes the learning, its YOU.

[Renai]

Since we were very similar (what this poster is doing in her sig with her 5 yo and what we did at 5), I want to take one moment to criticize. You CANNOT do those things if the dc is not ready. It has nothing to do with rigor and everything to do with readiness, maturity, and the dc. You have triplets. Do any of them have developmental delays or issues? (Not trying to be nosey, just realistic.) And what about differences between them.

 

Good point. Her first post to the board actually did give information about her triplets http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1406096#post1406096. So, premies, about 6-12 months behind in some areas, knows letters and sounds but not yet blending. Maybe this will help with suggestions.

[nd293]

I think you really need to make sure your husband has a realistic idea of what children achieve in K first!

 

I "schooled" very haphazardly with dd (although following WTM principles), and she was still well ahead of her peers when she went to school at 5 years, and stayed that way until she left school again at 7 years.

 

I think the big things to focus on if you want a child that "shines" at that age is to read, read, read to them, and stick to classics (The Secret Garden, Heidi etc) in the unabridged versions. Lots of audio books too. Limit TV. That will ensure a fabulous vocabulary, which always impresses. (It can amuse too: Dd was 4yrs old and ill with a fever in the middle of the night when she sat bolt upright in bed and said "I'm an invalid" before collapsing back to the pillows.)

 

I think another thing to focus on is mythology. It will definitely impress your husband if they make casual references to the Greek gods.

 

You could also have fun with SongSchool Latin.

 

If my suggestions seem a little shallow, it's because I don't think there's any trick to surpassing academic requirements for K. Just read and follow the recommendations of The Well-Trained Mind. But making your husband realise this might need a more "blunt force", approach.

[Tracy]

We are currently doing K. Here is my blog about finding curricula. http://myfamilyiseternal.blogspot.com/2009/10/finding-my-first-curriculum-or-scary.html. And this is what we are doing this year. http://myfamilyiseternal.blogspot.com/2009/10/view-of-our-first-year.html (But keep in mind that my dd is gifted so is doing more advanced work than other kindergartners.)

[PeterPan]

Good point. Her first post to the board actually did give information about her triplets http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1406096#post1406096. So, premies, about 6-12 months behind in some areas, knows letters and sounds but not yet blending. Maybe this will help with suggestions.

 

Ok, then let's be very realistic here. Your dc are on the young end of their grade and you know you want them to have an extra year because of delays. You call this year K4. Nothing says you have to start calling it K5 in August of 2011. They may be sort of in-between, ready to bump things up in January 2011. And you know what? Because you'll be homeschooling, you'll be able to do that. School says K5 only starts in August and reading only happens on their timetable. These kids may be ready a bit later than this fall and a bit sooner than fall of a year from now. Homeschooling with give you that flexibility to have them at a 1/2 grade status. Sure you'll have to sort that out later, but for right now that would make a lot more sense.

 

So given that, I WOULDN'T test them as K5ers this year. Every teacher already knows how the kids will do on the test. (I worked in K5 three years, saw it happen.) Testing at that age is merely to tell the parents what the teacher already knows. So don't set yourself up for that. I suggest you get a K4 curriculum, a good, solid K4 curriculum, and do that. I'd rather have my kid be ahead and successful than behind and feeling bad about his ability to succeed, kwim? If they fly through that K4 curriculum in a semester, then cool, move on to K5 stuff. But at least you're in sync with them, not the other way around.

 

The reason I specifically suggest getting a K4 curriculum is because it will give you structure (5 yo's need structure), the formality you're wanting, and ways to talk. Abeka's K4 has lots of good talking opportunities. SL has some wonderful pre-level offerings that would work great. In fact, if it were me I'd probably do BOTH a SL core for read alouds AND a bit of traditional K4 intro curriculum. BJU, Abeka, something like that. Or pick a series of introductory workbooks from Kumon, R&S, that type thing. Or get Winter Promise Animal Worlds. Animal Worlds uses the book "Alphabet Art" which would be WONDERFUL with those ages and stages. I can't TELL you how much fun you'd have with something like that. Yup, a core of WP, lots of hands-on, lots of focus on reading together, talking together, developing their skills, plus a little bit of workbooks. That's what I'd do.

 

It doesn't matter if you wait and hold off on things. My dd is quite bright, no developmental delays, but she also has an April birthday. I remember banging my head on a wall, thinking she ought to be reading, what was I doing wrong, blah blah. She didn't start reading till Feb (almost age 6), but she went immediately into whole books, totally skipping early readers! That's why I said you can't rush the process, that it's NOT you or how you teach. They have to grow into it. So take my experience to heart. I always use January as the bump-up time for the next level of materials. It's not fair to take what a kid is doing in a particular grade, when that kid is 9 months older, and say my kid has to do it. Much less so when they had a rough start, kwim? So be reasonable, be flexible. Tweak those dates. They're GOING to learn to read, and you're going to do a good job. You can either wham yourself on the head and be frustrated till they're ready (and waste your money on tons of phonics programs, saying the problem is the program), OR you can wait, have fun, do what developmentally fits them, and let it happen naturally when it's time. It will happen in its own time. That's the lesson of homeschooling: patience, and letting each dc grow at their own pace and timetable.

 

Check out those fun preschool programs. You could easily bump them up a bit with some ETC workbooks or something as the dc appear ready, but they're great done just by themselves too. It's enough to say you're doing school, but not so much as to overwhelm them. Alphabet Art is SUCH a treasure, so much fun, you'll kick yourself if you skip it. In fact, you could start it NOW. Get WP Animals Worlds NOW and take the plunge! That way this whole magical mystique about starting in the fall will be gone. Have fun! :)

[Tidbits of Learning]

Hi, I just stumbled upon your website, and have spent my entire afternoon reading!

 

I have triplets who will be 5 in April. Due to being born prematurely, they are not ready to go to kindergarten in the fall. They are just a little behind their peers across the board - motor skills, cognitively, socially, etc. My first choice would be to have them do K5 twice, but the public school will not retain any child who does not FAIL. And since they don't grade in K5 or 1st grade, it is not possible to hold a child back before the second grade.

I should mention that my kids are a touch behind with everything. They aren't writing their names legibly yet, aren't reading at all yet (they know all the letters & sounds but don't understand the concept of letters going together to make words, etc.). They progress at the same rate as typical kids, but have just never caught up from the first year so they are maybe 6-12ish months behind in every area.

 

I had a son who wasn't born prematurely, but seemed to have delays. He started off testing about 9 months behind in certain things at 37 months old. When it came time to put him in preschool, we decided since he was small that we would put him a grade below his agemates. He has a Dec. birthday, but we put him in the intermediate Montessori preschool class that had 3 and 4 year olds in it the first year when he was 4 turning 5. The next he went into the advanced class with the 4,5, and 6 year olds when he was 5 turning 6. Montessori was a great experience for us and it helped him to catch up in a lot of areas that public school just doesn't work on any more.

There is a great book called Teach Me to Do It Myself, Mommy.

http://http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Teach-Me-to-Do-It-Myself/Maja-Pitamic/e/9780764127892/?itm=1&USRI=teach+me+to+do+it+myself

I would highly recommend it for working at home on fine motor skills, tactile learning of formation of letters, and beginning reading. It has non-expensive ways of making Montessori style materials yourself at home. You could use this along with other traditional curriculum. It isn't hard and doesn't take a lot out of the day.

I did use a tradtional k-3 program when my ds was 4 going to Montessori on the Tuesday and Thursday that he was not at Montessori. That worked extremely well and did not burn him or me out.

Now in kindergarten (advanced Montessori class), I used Christian Liberty Press's kindergarten and it was rigorous. The phonics and math were very advanced and rigorous compared to what we had used the year before that. There were lots of tears and frustration on my part and his that year. I finally slowed the pace way down with CLP and we maybe finished half of the curriculum.

I loved CLP's Adventures in Phonics but it just went too fast for my son. This year in 1st grade he is finally able to read the kindergarten readers well and without frustration. I had to accept that it just wasn't going to happen about 6 months into trying to force it during kindergarten. We stopped and bought Modern Curriculum Press's Plaid Phonics. With the math, they were going to be doing so much so fast after the first 40 pages in the book. It was like kindergarten and 1st grade math crammed into maybe 3/4 year. We had to scrap it and bought a Scott Foresman K Math book off of Ebay. It was so much less painful to meet him where he was and not where I wanted him to be or where I thought I could get him to by the end of the year.

If I had it to do again, I would have done Abeka's K-4 program (https://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/CatalogSearch.aspx?category=kit) that year. Christian Liberty Press also has a preschool curriculum (http://www.christianlibertypress.com/proddetail.asp?prod=KITPS&cat=1) now. I found with my little boy that had the slight delay that it was better to just buy curriculum as if he really was 9 months younger which often put him still in the right "grade" b/c of his December b-day. However, if you still want to try a kindergarten curriculum that will get the job done but may also not overtax or frustrate you and them, then I would recommend something like the Heart of Dakota Little Hearts for His Glory (http://www.heartofdakota.com/little-hearts.php)(http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php) My Father's World (http://www.mfwbooks.com/k.htm) or mixing and matching different things yourself.

A cheap curriculum that could help you determine where they are is Rod and Staff. http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/list/Rod_and_Staff_Preschool/

A summer of gently working through these books would let you know whether to proceed into a k-4 style program or to gently try k-5.

There is a first grade readiness test on there as well that I gave my son at the end of our year. If they score well on the first grade readiness test, they are ready for most kindergarten curriculum. I say this b/c R&S does not do kindergarten so testing ready for 1st grade would be equivalent to testing ready for more advanced formal schooling beyond preschool-such as reading readiness and a formal introduction to math.

 

I would really recommend that you try the R&S preschool books over the summer b/c they are cheap and you would be spending under $100 for 3 kid's curriculum along with the readiness test and you would get to see where they are with a gentle introduction. It can just be some fun summer school here and there. It isn't going to take a lot of time.

I would hate for you to spend hundred of dollars and then it be stressful and frustrating. I remember how it felt to have to buy more curriculum that was really on my child's level and box up the kindergarten curriculum that I had spent $130 on for 1 child. With 3 children, the curriculum will get expensive fast. I would hate for you to spend $300-600 and then everyone get frustrated fast.

I say this gently as a Mom who has been there done that with her own child, you can lead them to water but you can't make them drink if they aren't thirsty. I had to learn this the hard way after a very taxing 1/2 a year with a curriculum that was great, but that my child just wasn't ready for at the time.

Hope you find what works for you and your children and have fun. It really is the greatest feeling in the world when they do read those first few words or when they go through a book on their own for the first time.

Edited January 8, 2010 by OpenMinded

[EKS]

K12 has a good academic kindergarten program. If you live in a state with a virtual academy that uses the K12 curriculum it would also be free and your children wouldn't technically be homeschooling (even though you'd be teaching them at home), which might make your husband feel more comfortable.

[PeterPan]

Ok, I'm going to point something else out here. Many states have a minimum age for school attendance, something like 7. So if you sign them up with a state-funded charter/cyber school, they are technically public school students and part of that system. Not that I have a problem with that, but I'm suggesting that with someone with possible special needs or the need to tweak or delay, it might be nice to wait a bit before jumping into that rat race. What happens if you start their K5 and then realize it doesn't fit them?? I don't even know the answer, just pointing out the potential issues. In our state, you can do ANYTHING you want till age 7, as 7 is the minimum age for reporting. I'd consider that and use this time to sort out their needs and where they should be.

[Dinsfamily]

Since we were very similar (what this poster is doing in her sig with her 5 yo and what we did at 5), I want to take one moment to criticize. You CANNOT do those things if the dc is not ready. It has nothing to do with rigor and everything to do with readiness, maturity, and the dc.

 

Ok, then let's be very realistic here. Your dc are on the young end of their grade and you know you want them to have an extra year because of delays. You call this year K4. Nothing says you have to start calling it K5 in August of 2011. They may be sort of in-between, ready to bump things up in January 2011. And you know what? Because you'll be homeschooling, you'll be able to do that. School says K5 only starts in August and reading only happens on their timetable. These kids may be ready a bit later than this fall and a bit sooner than fall of a year from now. Homeschooling with give you that flexibility to have them at a 1/2 grade status. Sure you'll have to sort that out later, but for right now that would make a lot more sense.

 

 

 

 

What great advice!!! The biggest advantage of homeschooling is to meet your dc where they are and to challenge them at the right level when they are ready. Every child is different and it is great to customize their education. That is one thing your dc won't get in ps.

 

My preschool and kindergarten curriculum needs are the same. We do:

 

Bible

Read Alouds

Language Arts (reading instruction/handwriting)

Math

 

I just customize them to the child's level. For preschool, I use very little formal curriculum and teach math, LA, and handwriting with games and fun activities. We count things, add toys, talk about letter sounds, sound out words, lace beads, do puzzles, etc. The only curriculum I use is Sonlight's P3/4 which is mostly just reading aloud and Bible. It's a great preschool foundation.

 

I added formal math and LA for my K'er this year. He was ready. I'm also using Sonlight's P4/5 for our Bible and read alouds. It really added depth to our K program. I know that I'll use P4/5 for my 3yos K year, but his level in the other subjects will be different (they are not similar in academic strengths).

 

HTH,

[TulaneMama]

subbing

[MeganW]

Are you looking for secular or religious?

 

We are Christians - formerly Episcopalian, now Presbyterians.

[MeganW]

Slightly off topic, but is there any way your dh could spend a day with the K class your kids would be going to?

 

My dh wasn't on board with homeschooling, either, so my son went to kindergarten. Dh had a day off and went to school with my son. He was shocked at how little was accomplished. It was also the first time he realized that a public school teacher can't answer any thinking questions a child asks because it might offend somebody. He was totally onboard after that. (I was totally amazed; I had given the subject up.) Of course, I don't think I'd ever have gotten him to go before my son started school, but it might be worth a shot. Your dh probably doesn't remember K.

 

What a GREAT idea! I will try to get that set up.

[MeganW]

One thing my dh was concerned about was socialization. He's an extremely outgoing, friendly guy and he didn't want me to turn our boys into .... ummm ..... anti-social weirdos. :D

 

Another concern was that I would flake out, not be organized, and not have a general plan. So, I made a weekly schedule of what I planned to do in Excel the Friday before each week.

 

Yeah, that pretty much summarizes his concerns! :)

[The Governess]

Have you read through the Well Trained Mind yet? It really helped me plan out what I want to be doing in our homeschool, and since it covers through grade 12 it gave me an idea of where we will be going, and how each year builds on the next. I think the program outlined is quite rigorous. BUT kindergarten is kindergarten, and the goal is enjoying good books, getting your child to the point that they have started to read, can form their letters properly, and understand basic math by the end of the year. Anything else is just extra.

 

Maybe if you get your hands on a copy and read through it, you will be equipped to have a discussion with your dh about what your overall plan is for homeschooling and what you need to accomplish in K (not that much, really) to get them ready for 1st grade and beyond.

[MeganW]

I want to take one moment to criticize. You CANNOT do those things if the dc is not ready. It has nothing to do with rigor and everything to do with readiness, maturity, and the dc. You have triplets. Do any of them have developmental delays or issues? (Not trying to be nosey, just realistic.) And what about differences between them. There have been threads here on the board before of people trying to deal with differences and competition between twins. If one is faster at math and another slower, that can get hairy. They're going to have their own unique dynamic of how they work together and get along with this.

 

Again, I'm all for letting them do all they can do. I'm just saying don't set up some deal where they have to be unusually ahead to meet your dh's criteria. Slow and steady wins the race with this. :)

 

I hear you loud & clear. Yes, they do have some delays. Nothing earth-shattering - people with casual contact with them would never know they have any issues. They were just late doing everything, and although they progress at a normal pace, everyone else does too so they never catch up. My thought has been to get K4/K5 materials, start with those and just go as far as I can without frustrations.

 

I think I am the only person I know with multiples who doesn't have competition issues. Each kid is much stronger in one area than the others, thankfully, so they each have something to be proud of. We generally do parties to celebrate accomplishments, and everyone who is proud of the honoree gets to come! So for example when one kid had a poo-poo-in-the-potty-party, you better believe everyone else wanted to congratulate that person and be genuinely happy for that person and so on so they could go out for ice cream too! And then the ones who have already accomplished something are very excited to help the 2nd & 3rd so that we can go out for ice cream again! Dorky, I know, but so far this system has really worked for us. Or maybe it is just my kids' personalities. Regardless, I don't think I have to worry too much about competition, at least at this point.

[Donna T.]

I love the recommendations in TWTM for that age. If you want something more planned out (in a box), check out Memoria Press's new K program. It looks great!

 

http://www.memoriapress.com/descriptions/K_Curriculum.html

[MeganW]

Have you read through the Well Trained Mind yet? It really helped me plan out what I want to be doing in our homeschool, and since it covers through grade 12 it gave me an idea of where we will be going, and how each year builds on the next. I think the program outlined is quite rigorous. BUT kindergarten is kindergarten, and the goal is enjoying good books, getting your child to the point that they have started to read, can form their letters properly, and understand basic math by the end of the year. Anything else is just extra.

 

Maybe if you get your hands on a copy and read through it, you will be equipped to have a discussion with your dh about what your overall plan is for homeschooling and what you need to accomplish in K (not that much, really) to get them ready for 1st grade and beyond.

 

I have it coming through inter-library loan, but it is taking forever!

[babysparkler]

Yeah, that pretty much summarizes his concerns! :)

 

My dh was initially concerned that I wouldn't be able to stay on task, and that my naturally disorganized self would hinder their learning, and that I would never get out of the house and meet with other homeschoolers... I asked him to trust me for a year and let me show him that I could do it. After seeing the success homeschooling has been, he is completely on board and he admires what I do at home more than ever. Homeschooling taught me all of the self-discipline and organization that I needed and I really think it has made me a better mom in many ways. His concerns may be legitimate (they were in my case), but they can be overcome with a little trust and determination :)

[Heather in WI]

I have it coming through inter-library loan, but it is taking forever!

 

Oh! Hopefully it will come soon! It really is amazing. :)

[The Governess]

Oh! Hopefully it will come soon! It really is amazing. :)

 

:iagree:

 

In the meantime, some curricula you might want to look into are Singapore Earlybird Math and Handwriting Without Tears. And check this forum for phonics recommendations, there are a lot of programs and I think which one you pick will be based largely on the learning styles of your kids. If they aren't writing much you may want to start with something that is mostly oral.

 

I love researching and planning out curriculum choices, so I am excited for you. :D I hope you find some programs that are a perfect match!

[PeterPan]

Megan, your party ideas are such a neat way to avoid competition. Cool!

[newlifemom]

Handwriting Without Tears, is not my favorite handwriting program. That said, it worked wonders with ds, who had some fine motor issues. It is a very straight forward yet gentle approach to teaching handwriting. You have received some great advice here.

 

Read WTM and tell your dh, that many dhs are skeptical, until they see the results. My dh gave me K. His reasoning was, "How bad can she screw up K?" Thankfully this was with dd #1. She is pretty bright and learned to read before any of her peers. Now if it had been ds, I don't know. His reading didn't pick up until mid-way through 1st grade.

 

I also 2nd going to a conference if possible. Good luck.

[courtney.byrum]

I haven't read the replies, however, my dh was also very reluctant to agree to homeschooling. At the time we were living in a state that has cyber schools. We met in the middle by agreeing to the cyber school option. That may work for your family, another option may be to start with K12 or Calvert on your own. Fast forward, we were with the cyber school for 2 years then moved to a state that didn't offer cyber school. Dh didn't hesitate to try traditional homeschooling, his only request is that I test the boys yearly, which I'm fine with. Another thing that helps with my dh, is having a paper trail. Each week he sits down with the boys and looks over their work, so that is a factor for me when deciding on a program.

 

Was it easy to move from K12 to doing it by yourself? We're thinking of doing k12 next year with my current K'er as I need to do a 'trial period of homeschooling to convince DH I think'. My DD will go to K at the public school so it would be just DS for k12 to start anyway.

 

 

OP - I wouldn't stress over them in K, at most public schools they start K still learning the letters and numbers. I would check with your local school and see if you can get the standards for K. I'm sure you can meet them quite easily without having to do a rigorous program with them.

 

We really like the looks of K12 but I don't know anything about their K program - DD wants to go to school where DS is this year for K. At least here the standards for K are really low - some sight words, numbers to 30, alphabet, I assume phonics but since my DS was already reading on starting K I didn't pay much attention to that part.

[MeganW]

 

Read WTM and tell your dh, that many dhs are skeptical, until they see the results. My dh gave me K. His reasoning was, "How bad can she screw up K?"

 

 

:lol:

[babysparkler]

My dh was "sold" when he saw my dc's growth....Hearing them speak in the language of Beatrix Potter helps too:lol:...from the mouth of one of my dc ..."Presently, I am building a fort.":lol::lol::lol: dc pick up a different kind of language in the local ps:glare:

 

:lol: I love it!

 

You are so right... I'm still working OUT the language that my dd learned in ps. Grrr... I really wish I hadn't sent her for K and 1st. Her grammar was nearly perfect back when she was 5, and now at 7 we have major issues that she learned from her peers (AND teacher).

[MeganW]

:iagree:

 

In the meantime, some curricula you might want to look into are Singapore Earlybird Math and Handwriting Without Tears. And check this forum for phonics recommendations, there are a lot of programs and I think which one you pick will be based largely on the learning styles of your kids. If they aren't writing much you may want to start with something that is mostly oral.

 

I love researching and planning out curriculum choices, so I am excited for you. :D I hope you find some programs that are a perfect match!

 

 

I have had a BLAST researching this stuff!

- I have the Singapore EarlyBird A Textbook & Activity book on the way,

- I have the Handwriting Without Tears stuff (and we have started it), and

- I got the 100 Easy Lessons phonics book and we got that started as well.

- The Developing The Early Learner workbooks aren't going so well - they can do the activities but for some reason figuring out which row/box to use really throws them (the hand with 1 finger up first, then the hand with 2 fingers up, etc.).

- I have the Rod & Staff Preschool books on the way as well, and

- Math-U-See's Primer book & starter blocks.

 

Did I go overboard? Chuck is going to flip when he sees how much I spent! :) I figure that should mostly cover us for a year and a half, right, I can get everything else from the library.

[Whereneverever]

I don't like HWT, either. I think the letters are a little ugly :lol: and I prefer to do cursive first.

[myfatherslily]

- The Developing The Early Learner workbooks aren't going so well - they can do the activities but for some reason figuring out which row/box to use really throws them (the hand with 1 finger up first, then the hand with 2 fingers up, etc.).

 

 

Maybe you could paperclip a piece of paper on their page to show only the first row. Then they would move it down to do the next row and so on. Perhaps that would help them focus on the right row?

[The Governess]

I have had a BLAST researching this stuff!

- I have the Singapore EarlyBird A Textbook & Activity book on the way,

- I have the Handwriting Without Tears stuff (and we have started it), and

- I got the 100 Easy Lessons phonics book and we got that started as well.

- The Developing The Early Learner workbooks aren't going so well - they can do the activities but for some reason figuring out which row/box to use really throws them (the hand with 1 finger up first, then the hand with 2 fingers up, etc.).

- I have the Rod & Staff Preschool books on the way as well, and

- Math-U-See's Primer book & starter blocks.

 

Did I go overboard? Chuck is going to flip when he sees how much I spent! :) I figure that should mostly cover us for a year and a half, right, I can get everything else from the library.

 

Wow, you are fast! Doesn't sound overboard to me! Enjoy trying out your new stuff. :D