Looking for advice on how soon to start...

[HSM-Crissy]

My DD is almost K age. I was loving the reviews of Apologia and SOTW V.1!!! How early would you start using these? I chose not to go the SL route for K, but have acquired many books/readers that they suggest just to have and read, etc. I am going to try and do the Ann Ward "Learning at Home" for PreK and K. I will have to beef up the math w/ Horizons, as she's already doing simple addition. I think she would love the Apologia and SOTW. Just looking for some advice please. THANKS SO MUCH!!

[Chris in VA]

It's so exciting, isn't it?! It totally get that.

 

I think you have a good plan, as far as using Ann Ward. Be aware Horizons is advanced and moves fast, and depends a great deal on the number line.

 

I tried Apologia with my then-2nd grader and I would not recommend you add that in yet. LOVE SOTW, but again, I'd wait. There is plenty of time for those. If you do them now, you will not have time for the natural learning by discovery and exploration that should happen in K.

 

If anything, I'd add in a phonics program and stop the sight words. Phonics Pathways is great--sequential, easy to follow, appropriate for a 4.5 yo, solid, and inexpensive. We liked Starfall for supplementing.

 

If you haven't read WTM, go ahead and borrow a copy from the library. It will help you plan and give you the rational behind waiting.

[EppieJ]

If your dd likes audio books, you could use the SOTW audio and just not use activity pgs, etc. You'll be amazed how much she picks up just from that. My ds is 9 and frequently listens to his SOTW cds (we have all 4 volumes). He loves them and listens to them over and over, often while taking a bath or playing with Legos. Volume 4 does discuss more wars, etc so you may want to hold off on that one for a bit. I know of people who use the cds as they're going places in the car, too. Great way to add in a little extra!

 

Just a thought...

 

BTW, you might consider less paper work (Horizons) and more manipulatives. You know your dd better than I do, obviously, but once upon a time I was a preschool teacher. The younger set (even some of the older) love the manips! They are a great way to begin making abstract ideas more concrete. We use them for counting, sorting, patterning....all great pre-reading/pre-math skills.

 

Some of my favorites:

 

Pattern Blocks/activities

Tangrams/activities

Unifix Cubes

File Folder games

"Treasure Boxes" - same-size containers holding items that can be counted, sorted, patterned, etc. You could use disposible Ziploc containers with colored paper clips, buttons, tiles, keys....

 

You might also enjoy Lap Books. Let me know if you have any questions about these. I would be glad to point you to some resources (Carson-Dellosa has some fun things).

 

Welcome to the adventure of Homeschooling! You'll get lots of great advice from these panels (I sure do!) :grouphug:

Edited April 5, 2010 by EppieJ

[The other Kimberly]

As the mother of an extremely bright now high schooler, let me put a plug in for relaxing and waiting before formal academics. I wish I had waited. There are times that we've run out of meaty coursework in high school, but he's not old enough to send off to college really. Just a thought!

[Papillon Mom]

Hi Crissy,

I also have a 4.5yo girl and am eagerly preparing, planning, and researching hs curric.:auto: You've got a twin in cyberland.:D

Cheers,

Amanda

[PeterPan]

When my dd was that age, we read the D'aulaire books and other things for history. Have you looked at the series Let's Read and Find Out? They're PERFECT for that age. Read a book and then do something with that topic. (read about worms, go find some and make a small compost bin to watch them work, that type thing) What is your dd's "thing"? My dd has always been into art, so we did art, art, art at that age. I gave her a center, and she had free access to quality materials. We used and loved the Judy Press books like Alphabet Art, Big Art for Little Hands, etc. Maybe your dd is into something else. Have you done Before Five in a Row? There's another enjoyable book I got later, when my dd was really a bit old for it, same idea. I think it was Cooking with Children's Literature or some such thing. You read picture books and then did projects from them. We listened to a LOT of audio books at that age. I'd put them on while she played, so I'd say she listened to them 2-3 hours a day! We also had field guides and took nature walks. You're coming into spring, so it's a good time. We would walk each day and identify the new wildflowers as they opened. You also want to look for cut and paste and other such activity books that work on fine motor skills. I got one recently, Developing Fine Motor Skills in the Early Learner, that I plan to use with my ds.

 

It's ok to do history. I don't see the point in jumping the gun and doing something now that you want to do later as curriculum. Just get really good read alouds. There are SO many of them. You just aren't in the loop yet. Try Ambleside's lists to get ideas. The Rainbow Book of American History is wonderful. Anything from CLP would work. Farjeon's books are good (Mighty Men? I forget, finished reading it to dd a while back.) Anything that is classical written and stretching her vocabulary and sentence structure is good. She doesn't need "curriculum" per se, just well-written stuff to keep her stretching and growing.

[LibraryLover]

I read my kids tons of books and stories-- fairy tales, fables,poetry, history, mythology, etc when they were that age. It's awesome to read good works and talk about them. Often kids will make those stories part of their play, which makes it meaningful to them in ways we cannot imagine, nor direct.

 

My youngest is still absolutley fascinated by Greek mythology and you can see that in her play, her art work, her choice of reading materials. I never did formul curric at that age. The wonderful stories and discussion was plenty exciting.

 

I can still hear little voices in the sand box laboring over pots of plucked leaves and blossoms...Bubble bubble toil and trouble, fire burn and caldron bubble... I also remember my 4 yr old reciting an Edgar Allen Poe poem because she liked the cadence, not because we assigned it. You don't need narration, copywork, reams of math etc for the joy. You just need to tell the stories.

 

I say, go slowly, find the joy, (enjoy it yourself, so read what you love the most, too) the interests, and wallow.

Edited April 5, 2010 by LibraryLover

[BeeBop]

It's hard to look at everything that's out there and not get it NOW...I want it all for my son! I have no advice as my preschooler isn't there yet. But like the previous poster, I'm also eagerly preparing, planning and researching curriculums!!

[EppieJ]

As a "been there, done that" curriculum junkie I would like to offer a word of caution to the '"newbies" on this thread. Do not make the same mistake I did and go "ga ga" over everything out there. My ds used to like workbooks till I started piling them in front of him! :tongue_smilie:

 

There's a lot of great stuff out there and inevitably I would end up with 3-4 different, for example, Language Arts programs that pretty much cover the same stuff - just 'cuz "I want it all for my son!" (to quote the pp)

 

There's no need to rush into it. K is about discovery and broadening the horizons. Take a deep breath and make it fun.

 

Some great books to have on hand for this age:

 

Kids Create

Scribble Cookies

Mudworks

Dr. Seuss' ABC's (love this book for beginning reading skills/phonics/letters...There's also a "living books" computer game that goes along with it. Great fun!)

 

You said you have some of the SL books for K? Those are great, but also consider the pre-k books. I read both to ds when he was doing K and I do not regret it at all. As they get older, they're able to pick more up from the stories.

 

If dd likes computer games I recommend Reader Rabbit. Ds got a lot out of those and loved them. He was 8 yrs old before I could convince him to give up his Toddler cd! They cover multiple subject areas.

 

I noticed you're using Starfall. That's a great program, too! You might have fun with Between the Lions. They also have online games. Also, when ds was pre-k (a little younger than your dd, but not much) I picked up some large cardboard letters for collaging (Lakeshore Learning). For example, on letter "A" we put "animal" stickers, "airplane" stickers, "apple" prints with paint...you get the idea. It's a fun way to begin phonics/letter recognition. Ds still has the letters on his wall that spell his name.

 

This is a great journey you are embarking upon. Take it one step at a time. The rewards are fabulous! :hurray:

Edited April 5, 2010 by EppieJ

[ALB]

Hi Crissy,

I also have a 4.5yo girl and am eagerly preparing, planning, and researching hs curric.:auto: You've got a twin in cyberland.:D

Cheers,

Amanda

I know EXACTLY what you mean! I read WTM when my dd was only 2, and now that she's 4.5 I'm eager to get started. I am trying to restrain myself to start SOTW and Apologia in 1st, and am doing some FIAR and GTG in a very relaxed style up until then, since I just have to do something :tongue_smilie: and she likes it all.

[HSM-Crissy]

I really do appreciate all the advice!!! I have just gotten so excited at all the possibilities and have started to spend $$ on stuff. I think I rationalize it b/c I'm not doing the $800 SL program. I had to promise the dh not to buy any more from the boards before I attend a hs conference this month. And, getting the collection of opinions on here, have really showed me that I need to slow down and not get ahead of myself. We found lapbooks a couple of weeks ago. I'm in love! My dd loves it also! I think the Ann Ward PreK and K will be great for us because it uses books from the library. I want her to enjoy reading and want to explore the library as a resource. Plus, I have found so many books at garage sales for 10 cents! I feel as though I'm learning so much about this already and we haven't really even started. That's a huge thanks to all of you who put your input out there and offer advice! I just love this community of hs moms! I cannot thank you enough!! :D

[HSM-Crissy]

 

If dd likes computer games I recommend Reader Rabbit. Ds got a lot out of those and loved them. He was 8 yrs old before I could convince him to give up his Toddler cd! They cover multiple subject areas.

 

I noticed you're using Starfall. That's a great program, too! You might have fun with Between the Lions. They also have online games. Also, when ds was pre-k (a little younger than your dd, but not much) I picked up some large cardboard letters for collaging (Lakeshore Learning). For example, on letter "A" we put "animal" stickers, "airplane" stickers, "apple" prints with paint...you get the idea. It's a fun way to begin phonics/letter recognition. Ds still has the letters on his wall that spell his name.

 

This is a great journey you are embarking upon. Take it one step at a time. The rewards are fabulous! :hurray:

 

Love the Between the Lions...so does my DD...just found it!! Thanks. Next is looking up the Reader Rabbit! Thanks again!!!

[fairytalemama]

My daughter will start K in the fall and I'm definitely a curricula junkie too. My plans (that I spent WAY too much time writing up) are on my blog. I wanted to just get going too, but I found a lot of comfort and direction in this blog post that Susan Wise Bauer wrote a month ago. It encouraged me to slow down and take a breath. We have YEARS to teach them everything.

 

Right now, we're only doing read alouds (lots of them because my daughter loves it) and learning to read using the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading for 15 minutes per day, followed by 15-20 minutes of Starfall. Other than that, we're playing outside as much as we can (which has been a little hampered by me being ill a lot recently).

 

For the fall, I'm going to keep up what we're doing in the reading department. I'm also going to add 15 minutes of Rightstart Math Level A (we picked this one because she LOVES games) and a teeny weeny bit of writing using Getty Dubay Italics. Her fine motor skills aren't quite there yet so I'm not going to push it. Yet another reason we chose RS for math --- not a lot of writing is required for Level A.

 

I'm finally confident that I don't need to hurry, and I need to just enjoy this time. Let's all enjoy the ride together! :001_smile:

[NicA]

My dd is 4 also, and I've been planning to homeschool for a couple of years now. I already know everything I want to use for next year, and it is hard to wait sometimes! We are doing pre-school for about 15-20 minutes a day right now. She loves it, and if we haven't done anything by 2 or 3 pm she starts asking when we are going to do school. I may start SOTW when she is 5, but we are just going to have fun and see how it's going at the time.