Planning For The Future

[Guest beccaisadoula]

I'm new to the boards here. I'm planning on homeschooling my two (and anymore kids we have). My mother homeschooled my sister that's closer in age to me and I for a couple years and she's currently homeschooling my three younger siblings, and I've been doing research for the future, so I am aware of several different routes of home education. I believe that following the suggestions in The Well Trained Mind, using the Trivium and providing my kids a classical education will be the best option for our family and their educational future.

 

That being said, I'm somewhat of an attached parent so I have friends who believe in unschooling and refraining from formal education as long as possible. I don't want to get caught up in all of their propaganda (for lack of a better word), so I'm not sure where to go from here.

 

My thoughts:

1. My dd is 3. I was thinking of starting her on a curriculum this fall. Would something like Letter Of The Week or R&S's toddler curriculum be a good match for her or should I just read to her and let her discover on her own still? I borrowed TWTM from the library, so I don't remember what it says about toddlers/preschool age.

 

2. Would it be practical to start buying the curriculum suggested for the elementary ages now, or should we wait until we see how she learns and what updates the curriculum receives?

[Heather in OK]

Welcome! :)

 

should I just read to her and let her discover on her own still?

This is my philosophy. I am a firm believer that before the age of 5 a formal curriculum should not be used. Fun learning activities...yes!! Working through a curriculum...NO!

 

She's only 3. Enjoy her!! :) Play, read, make crafts, read, cook together, read, play, etc. There is plenty of time for formal learning and curriculum later.

 

2. Would it be practical to start buying the curriculum suggested for the elementary ages now, or should we wait until we see how she learns and what updates the curriculum receives?

I would wait.

[Guest beccaisadoula]

Thanks, Heather.

[JenniferB]

Hello, and welcome to TWTMF. At age 3 I start teaching the single letter phonics sounds/cards very lightly, keeping it fun with a big happy smile and clapping, etc. I don't expect output, I just give the input. For example, show the letter "m" and say /mmmmmm/ (big smile - clap - say "yay"). I don't follow a particular order, or curriculum, or a particular amount per day, just when I remember. I keep them close by on my desk. 2 yrs. of light phonics sounds/cards and my children have been very ready for learning to read at age 5. :D I also start teaching math visually/orally, by showing a quantity of something and saying the number word. Again, very light, and when I can remember it. No biggie. Also, reading, and songs (learning songs, bible songs, or preschool/nursery rhyme songs) is fun at that age. Also, practicing counter clockwise circles on paper with pencil, marker, or paint/paint brush is a good thing to do to get ready for writing. I have the R&S workbooks, and I think they are better for age 4+.

 

Regarding your question #2 - I would wait to buy curriculum until you actually need it, though I know it's tempting and hard not to buy ahead of time. If you are concerned about the expense, you could consider a savings account instead of starting to buy now.

Edited July 18, 2010 by JenniferB

[Photo Ninja]

You don't need to waste money on a curriculum for preschool. Really. You can do it all on your own. If you really want to use something as a guide, I suggest Before Five In A Row for some fun, literature based ideas.

 

Read, read, then read some more. Read the books your dc like over and over again. Read a variety of books - some with all pictures (and your dd can tell you what is happening), some with more words. Talk about the stories, what is happening in the story, what the character is feeling. I am not talking about analyzing the book, but basic "Is the little girl happy because she got an ice cream?", or "How does the little truck feel?". It will help increase her vocabulary, observations, and inferences. Read for fun. Read fiction and non-fiction. Read books that apply to the current season or holidays. Read about insects and weather. Read about ducks after you fed them at the park, etc. Read books with wonderful illustrations. Just read.

 

Count things around the house, and when your dd is used to one-to-one correspondence (fancy term, but that's what it is), then give her napkins to put onto the table. If you need 4, give her 3, then ask her how many more she needs. If everyone gets 2 cookies for dessert, how many do you need? You can teach basic math skills easily and without pressure by daily conversation like this. Let her match socks, have her build a Lego wall with a pattern, etc.

 

Play games with letters and sounds. My dc identified letter sounds before we ever learned the names of the letters. While in the car, or pushing them on the swing, etc. we played games. "What sound does the word "cat" start with?" Yes, a "c" (hard c) sound. What about dog? This helps her begin to isolate and identify sounds. She doesn't need to know that the letter "c" and "d" make that sound, but if she is understanding, then tell her. Yes, the letter d makes the "d" (quick duh) sound. This really helped my dc learn to read and spell because they could identify beginning and ending sounds, then they learned to match the sound to the letter by playing the same game. We played "Go Fish" with letter flashcards, first with sounds only, then with sounds and letter name. We used the same flashcards to play Memory (turn several cards upside down, choose two, and try to match them. If you get a match, you say the letter sound or letter name, then keep the cards. Whoever has the most matches wins). Start with only 6 or 8 cards, and increase as she learns the letters and sounds.

 

If she wants to write, let her use a white board or chalk on the patio or driveway. Write a letter large and have her trace it. Start with large muscle use instead of a pencil. Let her write numbers and letters in the sandbox when she wants to start writing.

 

Get a beach ball and write the letters of the alphabet on it. Use only lower case, or only upper case, whichever you are working on. Play catch and say the letter sound or name of the letter your hands are covering when you catch it. You can do the same thing with numbers. Write numbers ) 0 - 10 on the ball, and say the numbers your hands are touching when you catch the ball. Then as those skills are learned, add the numbers your hands are touching. You can play simple games like this over and over to teach and review basic math and reading skills. You don't need to use workbooks unless you have a child who loves them.

 

You can plan activities without pressuring your dc. Introduce her to the world around her by taking walks or going to the museum. Again, read. If it's raining, read a book about weather and why it rains. What happens to all that water and how did it get into the sky? Get outside and explore. Catch or order a caterpillar and watch it change into a butterfly or moth. What happened? Why? Do all insects to this?

 

Have fun and enjoy your preschoolers! It is a wonderful, exciting thing to enjoy, experience and explore the world from their perspective.

 

You can wait to buy elementary curriculum until soon before you need it. Let her get older and see what her needs are first.

[coffeegal]

1. My dd is 3. I was thinking of starting her on a curriculum this fall. Would something like Letter Of The Week or R&S's toddler curriculum be a good match for her or should I just read to her and let her discover on her own still? I borrowed TWTM from the library, so I don't remember what it says about toddlers/preschool age.

As long as you're both having fun, school is more play than work, there's nothing wrong with a gentle introduction. That being said, you won't go wrong waiting and just reading to your dd either. :001_smile:

 

2. Would it be practical to start buying the curriculum suggested for the elementary ages now, or should we wait until we see how she learns and what updates the curriculum receives?

 

The 2 problems I've experienced with purchasing curriculum early are learning my teaching style, and new curriculum being created. In my case I purchased Singapore Math, 1-6, thinking it would work well for us. It was a disaster, and we ended up switching over to Saxon. Once Saxon proved to work for us I picked up most of the series off e-bay, but purchasing all of Singapore Math before we'd used it was a costly mistake. The second reason is that new curriculum is coming out every year. There may be something in development now that will suit your needs perfectly when it's on the market in 2 years, much better than anything currently on the market. :D

[MotherGoose]

Like you, I got interested in homeschooling when my daughter was too young (she still is at 4, really). She went to preschool 2 days a week while she was 2 and 3, but she's not going for 4 yo. So I didn't feel compelled to do anything formal. But what I did/do is read, read, read. We ordinarily read 5 books a day, her choice--but I limit the choices available to good books. Then I started pointing out letters and print and numbers and things like that and she figured it out. I am sure preschool helped. That said, I don't plan to send my 16 month old to preschool at this point because I feel that it stifled my older one's creativity with all the focus on coloring in the lines and everybody painting the elephant gray or the heart red. It was good for her socially (although she learned things I'd rather she didn't, but that's part of life I guess). I am rambling a bit, but my overall point is don't do anything right now besides you read everything you can find on homeschooling--I searched the library catalog, read those books, and then read the bibliography to find more books. I wouldn't buy any curriculum now because you will probably find something you like more before the time comes. Look at the 1-2 years as time for research for yourself about all the options out there, and let your dd make discoveries on her on.

[MotherGoose]

Oh, and use the years to establish good attention habits: paying attention and sitting still while you read aloud, sitting still and drawing, and being able to entertain herself. I don't force my dd to sit and listen, but I began reading to her from birth and increased the time spent reading as she matured. I also kept her away from TV for the first 3 years and in general do not allow her to watch TV (what her father does while I sleep in is another matter) but she has long afternoons when I tell her she needs to find something to do because I am busy doing my own stuff. Your dd is a little young, but starting to work on this, I belive, is great. From 3 to 4 was a transition period, but now I tell her to go find something to do and she'll disappear for an hour or two, entertaining herself, with no electronic toys/TV etc at all. It's a wonderful thing! :)

[phathui5]

I would hold off on buying things. You never know what you'll really end up wanting to use. For example, I've probably changed math curriculums four times. If I had bought ahead of what we were currently using, I would have books I paid for but wasn't using.