The choices are overwhelming

[BBG580]

We thought we would pull our oldest child out of public K after winter break but we've decided to leave her in PS for the remainder of the year so I can continue to sort out exactly how I am going to homeschool. The choice seemed so clear and simple and after a lot of research I am realizing it is definitely NOT simple to execute even though the desire is pretty straight forward.

 

She was a young five entering K so I feel like we've got some flexibility. Coupled with my own anxiety over being competent at homeschooling successfully I have a mother and sister who are both hardcore public/traditional educators, my mother having devoted 30+ years in a career in public ed who now edits for a textbook publisher. To say they are dismayed is putting it mildly (and it is probably contributing to my own anxiety over whether or not I can do a good enough job).

 

At this point I feel like all the curriculum I review looks great! The marketing and advertising is really competitive and convincing and no matter what I look at I can find both good and bad reviews for it.

 

Right now if I had to pull the trigger I would:

 

Continue with PR Level 1 (I am afterschooling phonics b/c she is getting whole language in PS).

 

I have the old McGuffey's Readers that she is actually liking more than PR, we are using the Primer as part of our bedtime routine very casually.

 

I started STOW as a 3x per week read aloud after school during our snack time, I think I would use this all over again next year as we are very casual with it at this point. I like the idea of History Pockets and would consider using a parallel HP unit for crafts + the SOTW activity book next year for 1st grade.

 

I thought I liked Horizon Math until I read a lot about Math Mammoth. I think I am sold on MM for first grade. I'm still trying to sort out spiral vs. concept strength learning though. She currently is using Terc's Investigations in PS which I am not worried about for K but am NOT Ok with for the entirety of primary math education. Anything else has got to be better for long term mathematics success no matter what I end up choosing.

 

We garden a lot, I grow seeds indoors and we also manage fall/winter crops thanks to Eliot Coleman (Four Seasons Harvest is an excellent book) so for science I think we would be covered. Basic biology and ecology cannot be better learned for a young child than by getting out in the dirt and growing things.

 

Thoughts? I feel like PR really covers both reading and writing and MM would cover math. SOTW is great for an overview of ancient history and I am fine with being casual with science in a hands on way at age 6.

 

I guess I just want some reassurance that no matter what the detractors in my life say, I would not be ruining my kid's life by choosing not to follow NCLB and our state's SOL standards.

 

Help an unconfident mom out! Am I missing anything? Could I/should I add anything into the plan or consider any other curriculum?

[boscopup]

Sounds like you have it all covered. You could start all of those now with no problem if you still wanted to pull her out (which you can do any time).

[Mom2Tess&Gus]

You sound just like I did, not too long ago. I was a long-time, diehard public school teacher and my mother is still an elementay school teacher. The pressure was enormous! I say...GO.FOR.IT! You have thought long and hard and have some terrific choices laid out. You are really ready. I would not add anything at all until you have your groove going with your dd and managingthe littles at the same time. That will take a few months, so don't freak out when it's hard at first. Then I would add some other interesting supplements that you both enjoy...museum visits, extra classes (we enjoy two science classes offered for homeschoolers once per month at different venues in our area), art classes... There is no reason to freak out. You can dothis and will feel much better when you follow YOUR heart.

 

HTH,

Val

[ChandlerMom]

I'll tell you what a kind experienced HS'r (who was also an elem teacher) told me: Don't stress kindergarten. K is easy. Have fun.

 

It took me a while to really accept that, but it is true. Read aloud, ask questions about what you read, do a little phonics, maybe handwriting, talk number sense with manipulatives -- and you're good. Easy to cover in an hour or two and still do a better job than ps. In ps, Kindie is about learning to follow directions, sit at a desk, and raise your hand to go potty. At home Kindie is about learning to follow directions and love learning.

 

We love MM, and my K'r is using it, but lightly (slowly). The only think I'd reconsider is waiting (I only say this since your heart sounds sure, only your confidence is lacking). Think of it this way: why not cut your teeth on a half year of half-day school? I think it would be harder to start with full day first grade and a whole year laying ahead of you. :D

 

If you opt to wait, I'd ease into it and eventually add science. Mostly what teacher's learn is how to handle 30 kids and trouble. Never doubt that you are the preeminent expert on your kids! Homeschooling will give you the opportunity to be tuned in to them and how they learn at a level otherwise impossible.

 

GOod luck! You'll do great!

[Dana]

You won't ruin your kids. :grouphug:

 

It's a tough transition - especially if you hadn't been thinking about homeschooling much in advance. I started considering homeschool when my son was in kindergarten. We started in first grade. I think the planning during that K year was probably the most overwhelmed I've felt through the journey so far.

 

Make your best picks for curriculum. You can change them.

Reading here is the best research I've found.

Check if there's a convention near you (post on general board of a few this spring/summer).

You can do it.

Good luck!

[Allearia]

It sounds like what you have chosen would all be great for K. It might even be easier to start homeschooling with that now with less stress as it is only K and then you can see how that goes and add more next year for first. Really, it would be pretty hard to mess up kindergarten if you are doing anything at all. And I say that as one of the more academic homeschoolers you will meet. You have phonics, math, throw in a little copywork and you are done. Find some great readalouds and count gardening as science as you plan. Unless there is something else holding you back you just have to jump in. Others may not like it or they may come around, but you will know your dd is getting a great education.

[Homemama2]

Coupled with my own anxiety over being competent at homeschooling successfully (we've all been there!) :001_smile:

I have a mother and sister who are both hardcore public/traditional educators, my mother having devoted 30+ years in a career in public ed who now edits for a textbook publisher. To say they are dismayed is putting it mildly (and it is probably contributing to my own anxiety over whether or not I can do a good enough job). I had some family against it too. After about 2 years, and seeing the results of homeschooling, those family members have changed their minds 100%! Even though it is hard to listen to/deal with, sometimes you just have to do what is best for your family.

 

At this point I feel like all the curriculum I review looks great! The marketing and advertising is really competitive and convincing and no matter what I look at I can find both good and bad reviews for it.

I agree, this makes it hard. Have you checked out www.homeschoolreviews.com? Also, sometimes curriculum works differently for different people, just depending on your personality. For example, some people like "scripted" curriculum where they tell you word for word what to say....for other people that would drive.them.crazy.

 

Right now if I had to pull the trigger I would:

 

Continue with PR Level 1 (I am afterschooling phonics b/c she is getting whole language in PS).

 

I have the old McGuffey's Readers that she is actually liking more than PR, we are using the Primer as part of our bedtime routine very casually.

Haven't seen PR, but many on here use it. I love McGuffey's and use them w/ my boys.

I started STOW as a 3x per week read aloud after school during our snack time, I think I would use this all over again next year as we are very casual with it at this point. I like the idea of History Pockets and would consider using a parallel HP unit for crafts + the SOTW activity book next year for 1st grade.

We're using that this year and HP goes great w/ it! Also the activity book is great w/ mapwork, projects, color pages and extra books to read etc.

I thought I liked Horizon Math until I read a lot about Math Mammoth. I think I am sold on MM for first grade. I'm still trying to sort out spiral vs. concept strength learning though. She currently is using Terc's Investigations in PS which I am not worried about for K but am NOT Ok with for the entirety of primary math education. Anything else has got to be better for long term mathematics success no matter what I end up choosing.

We're using MM this year too (added it in w/ Rightstart). (It's not in my sig. below, but we use it daily.) Next year we will probably use it by itself because using 2 maths is too much work for me :D and MM definitly covers everything they need. The only math recommendation I would give is to pick something and stick w/ it unless it drives you or your child to tears, lol! Because if you switch around in math too much there can be gaps...depending on which math prog. you're using.

 

We garden a lot, I grow seeds indoors and we also manage fall/winter crops thanks to Eliot Coleman (Four Seasons Harvest is an excellent book) so for science I think we would be covered. Basic biology and ecology cannot be better learned for a young child than by getting out in the dirt and growing things.

Absolutely!

 

Thoughts? I feel like PR really covers both reading and writing and MM would cover math. SOTW is great for an overview of ancient history and I am fine with being casual with science in a hands on way at age 6.

I agree

 

I guess I just want some reassurance that no matter what the detractors in my life say, I would not be ruining my kid's life by choosing not to follow NCLB and our state's SOL standards.

You are NOT ruining your kid's life! :D We've all had that feeling as well, but homeschooling is really wonderful.

 

Help an unconfident mom out! Am I missing anything? Could I/should I add anything into the plan or consider any other curriculum?

I would say you are set! Some people start spelling in first...others wait until later grades. All About Spelling is good if you're interested in that. Good Luck with all your choices!

 

 

My response is in red! :001_smile:

[FO4UR]

The curric choices are overwhelming.:iagree:

 

It sounds like you've got this very well thought out though. Why NOT "pull the trigger" now?

 

Trading PR and McGuffey for the ps "whole language."

 

Trading MM for TERC.

 

Trading the pre-fab "science" and "social studies" for digging in the dirt and REAL books with mom.

 

I'm failing to see a good reason (from your post) to keep her in ps, except for fear...and pressure from people who are NOT her mother and NOT responsible for her education.

[blakereese]

The curric choices are overwhelming.:iagree:

 

It sounds like you've got this very well thought out though. Why NOT "pull the trigger" now?

 

Trading PR and McGuffey for the ps "whole language."

 

Trading MM for TERC.

 

Trading the pre-fab "science" and "social studies" for digging in the dirt and REAL books with mom.

 

I'm failing to see a good reason (from your post) to keep her in ps, except for fear...and pressure from people who are NOT her mother and NOT responsible for her education.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I say, go ahead and try it now. It is kindergarten, and you really don't have to do anything like "schoolwork" if you don't want to. Even half of what you mentioned would be a good start.

 

I was going to put my son in school this year for the first half and then pull him after the holidays...and I am so glad that I just decided to follow my heart and not send him at the beginning of the year. Heck yeh, I was scared and unsure how it was going to go. But a week or two into it, we started to find a groove, and I just knew it was the right thing. There was such a change in my son, and to see the love of learning again made it worth it to me.

 

It will be scary to you next fall if you wait. You'll still (likely) have family against it. You still will be learning as you go. So why not start now? You can slowly ease into it in January, and continue your research on curricula for first grade.

 

JMO! You know your child and situation best, but do yourself a favor and go with your gut.

[Staceyshoe]

You're looking into options for 1st grade, right? I think your plan sounds fantastic! My ds was in ps for K and then we started homeschooling in 1st, so our situations may be similar. One thing I did that turned out to be fantastic for both of us was to "dabble" in homeschooling between winter break of K (which is when we decided to hs 1st grade) and the start of 1st grade. If ds wanted to do "homeschool," we did. If he didn't, we didn't. We did "school" for as long as he wanted unless I had to cut him off to go on to other things. We did science experiments, read books, tried out the math curriculum that I had chosen, did a history lapbook, etc. It was fantastic for us! I believe that he would have resisted hsing if we didn't do this, and he decided on his own that it was what he wanted. It also helped me to see what worked for him and what didn't. (There were definitely some surprises there--things I thought would be perfect . . . weren't so perfect.) By the start of first grade, we were both excited, knew what to expect, and were ready to make a real go of it! If you dc is in half-day K now, you might consider "dabbling" in homeschooling now and see how it it goes.

[Ellie]

I guess I just want some reassurance that no matter what the detractors in my life say, I would not be ruining my kid's life by choosing not to follow NCLB and our state's SOL standards.

Millions of homeschoolers have happily ignored NCLB and their states' SOL standards (or whatever the equivalent is) and lived to tell about it. Unless the homeschool laws in someone's state specifically address those, my advice to newbies is to ignore what the public schools are doing, and teach their children what they think needs to be taught, in the way they thing best.

 

Here's the best advice ever for dealing with detractors, written by our own Joanne.

 

The secret in choosing instructional materials is...just pick something. You can't possibly mess up so badly with a young dc that it can't be fixed pretty quick. Unless your state specifies more, all you need is something for basic arithmetic and something for literacy--reading, spelling, penmanship. The rest is gravy.

 

:D

 

My vote: take her out now. Don't worry so much about what happens next. It will be fine.

[BBG580]

One thing I did that turned out to be fantastic for both of us was to "dabble" in homeschooling between winter break of K (which is when we decided to hs 1st grade) and the start of 1st grade.

 

I have been doing this and today, out of the blue she said to me, "Mom, are we doing fake school today?" What, what, what? So I said, "What is fake school?" and she said, "You know, when you think you are my teacher."

 

We then talked about what she's learned with me at home from the time she was born until now and determined if any of that was "fake". I tried to make it pretty clear that everything she learns in her life is of value, whether it is in a classroom setting with a teacher, in a formal OR informal learning environment with me or on her own or some other way. It doesn't just have to be the prescribed way of sitting in a class of 25 other kids and listening to a teacher.

 

Sigh.

 

I DO want to pull her out right now but I think for my own confidence and to feel really ready I am going to wait. She really loves her teacher and is well entrenched in her class and I think it would be really disruptive to her social little soul to pull her right now. It will be easier on her with the natural break of summer as well.

 

I should mention that my preschool aged son (turning three next month) and I are loosely following I'm Ready To Learn by WP, obviously he's not ready for a lot of what is included in the curriculum but on his own he's picked up the alphabet in upper and lower case and is beginning to be interested in phonics and he has mastered one to one correspondence and can count to 25+ (I think b/c of hide and seek to be honest!) and is hungry to do workbook "schoolish" activities. Such a change from his big sister who was largely homeschooled for preschool with Little Acorn Learning (Waldorf) and at age 5 still wouldn't be interested in reading if the PS weren't insisting on her learning how!

 

I'm Ready To Learn also has a good amount of outdoors science type early learning activities so my oldest will be included in that next year b/c I will just recycle the curriculum again with him.

 

Thanks for your thoughts everyone!

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

The curric choices are overwhelming.:iagree:

 

It sounds like you've got this very well thought out though. Why NOT "pull the trigger" now?

 

Trading PR and McGuffey for the ps "whole language."

 

Trading MM for TERC.

 

Trading the pre-fab "science" and "social studies" for digging in the dirt and REAL books with mom.

 

I'm failing to see a good reason (from your post) to keep her in ps, except for fear...and pressure from people who are NOT her mother and NOT responsible for her education.

:iagree::thumbup: I'm excited for you. I say do it!! You have your own cheer squad right here for you when you need us. :D

[kesmom]

I have been doing this and today, out of the blue she said to me, "Mom, are we doing fake school today?" What, what, what? So I said, "What is fake school?" and she said, "You know, when you think you are my teacher."

 

One of the recent times my DD (who would start public K next fall) asked about going to school away from our house she said that "the school you do with me is just a game."

 

Yeah, that helps my confidence a TON. (my mom is a ps teacher also)

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

One of the recent times my DD (who would start public K next fall) asked about going to school away from our house she said that "the school you do with me is just a game."

 

Yeah, that helps my confidence a TON. (my mom is a ps teacher also)

 

 

:confused: Hmm.. I wonder where they get these ideas from. I mean, did they hear that idea somewhere or do they come up with it somehow themselves and if so, how?

[siloam]

Jess,

 

I think of homeschooling as my kids having a private tutor, which any honest school teacher has to admit is the ideal.

 

In regards to ability, give yourself grace. It is overwhelming it is going to take time to figure out your child's learning style and meet her where she is at. You already are working with some very strong programs though, so I think you are on the right track and probably will only have to tweak things here and there to fit your need better.

 

Beyond that it will take time for your child to learn what you expect of her, and time for you to communicate your expectations to her and get the response you are looking for from her. In the mean time you will hear about how it is done in "school" but don't let it get you down.

 

If you pull her from school now, I would recommend you take January off. Then in February start one subject. Even if you wait till fall, I recommend you start with one subject. Work with just that one thing for a whole week, so you can deal with any issues that might come up in isolation. Then start another subject the week after. This gives you time to set expectations, and figure out what is and is not working and try a new appraoch. Otherwise you start 8 different new things and when something doesn't work it is easy to say the whole thing isn't working, when that really isn't true. It is just too much all at once.

 

Really you mastered the material in Kindergarten and first grade a long time ago, the only other thing required is patients. You have to learn how to regroup and teach things in a different way, how to not take a poorly done assignment personally, and how to set reasonable expectations. If you can do those things, and it sounds like you already are, then you can homeschool.

 

Personally I don't think 5yo's have a social life, but they do have routines they are used to and like. If you don't want to disrupt her routine, I can see that. But I wouldn't do it for social reasons. She will have much more time to play, do meet-ups or get involved in a specialized are of interest if she is at home because homeschool doesn't take very long. I don't think it has every taken me more than an hour a day, 4 days a week to do kindergarten.

 

Heather

[Susan in KY]

It sounds like you are ready. Just pull her. K isn't even mandatory in most places. Have fun with your little one.

:iagree:

 

K is so much fun! I was a classroom teacher in my life before homeschooling, and I have to say you have nothing to worry about wrt your curriculum choices. If you teach her to read well and to understand place value, and then to add and subtract within 20 by the end of first grade, she will be ahead of the game academically. If you teach her to be loving, kind, and obedient to your loving instruction, she will be ahead of the game in terms of character development. If you teach her to be hard working and impart to her a love of learning and exploring her world, you will have put her far ahead of her current classmates and poised her for a life of discovery.

 

Pull her out. Relax. Have fun. By the time she's in 3rd grade, you will have won over your family.

 

Susan

[ChandlerMom]

One of the recent times my DD (who would start public K next fall) asked about going to school away from our house she said that "the school you do with me is just a game."

 

Yeah, that helps my confidence a TON. (my mom is a ps teacher also)

 

I think I'd take that as a compliment -- learning with you is way too much fun to be school!! :D

 

Kids also use words like "fake" without being aware of all the subtext in the meaning. It could be that there's "real" school and everything else is "fake" or "pretend" or "play" school. They are still figuring out how the world works and their place in it (another reason to yank her now, but I do respect your choice, though it gives your family extra time to work on erroding your confidence. :glare: ).

 

We always knew we would home school and for our girls I'll admit a time or two I threatened to send them to ps if they didn't behave. The immediate tears caused me to feel something between satisfaction and guilt. :lol:

 

WRT dd: you don't want to make it sound like she has a choice or really any say, but you can do a lot to sell her on the idea. You can point out that when she is hs-ing, she will be like her younger sib, more play time, more freedom. When she gets home for school, I'd go out of your way to show her the fun things you and dc have done -- make cookies, art projects, go to a museum or park -- preferably indirectly by telling dc or dh "Oh, we had SUCH a fun day today, didn't we? We went....and made...." when she can overhear you. Or even a morning, "Oh, it's too bad you have to go to school today because your brother and I are going to be xxxx and it would have been so much fun to have you with us!" If you are worried about the social, you can look into classes like gymnastics or martial arts or whatever interests dd and it can be another carrot for "when you start homeschooling."

 

It's pretty easy to make a young kid WANT to hs, when properly explained. Every now and then I remind the girls, at 11am when they're already done for the day, "Gee, your friend Sam won't be home from school for another 4 hours. She's sitting in a classroom, looking out the window while you are lounging in your pj's or playing with your siblings outside....and when she gets home she'll have an hour of homework to do...." I guess my point is that as parents we are motivated by abstract things like "superior education" and "safe environment" and "avoiding undue influences" but kids are motivated by much simpler, concrete things, like spending time with family, or doing fun things -- you'll all be happier when you learn to sell them in their currency. ;) It's amazing how much it motivates them when I say, "I love our special reading time together" or "the best part of my day is when we do learning together" -- and I mean it. Of course, I don't point out we school year round and 7-days a week or that they are doing work well above grade level...:lol:

[JessieC]

Hi Jess!

 

I just wanted to say I am in a very similar situation. My 5yo daughter is in half-day K and doing well there, but I am preparing to homeschool next year. This is partly a medical issue (she has diabetes), partly because I know I can challenge her more than in ps, and partly because I'm excited about all the time we will have to explore together.

 

I am slowly reading about and putting together a curriculum with the help of this board, and it looks a lot like yours. SOTW and MM are on my list, but I will probably do OPGTR or Phonics Pathways and lots of plain old books of course, word sorts, maybe AAS, daily journal writing, nature walks /tracking /gardening /researching animals for science, as well as outside activities including theater and dance, swim, and soccer. I have a 3yo at home too, so I'm debating how to incorporate him--I may enroll him in part-time preschool to give him some basics of letters and numbers and allow us some time to do academics.

 

I would love to be updated on your decisions and share my experiences with you. I will probably start a phonics program in January to do in the afternoons. I'm nervous about this move but excited too. I figure it it flops, I can always put her back in school for second grade!

 

Jessica

mom of 5yo dd and 3yo ds

[Desert Strawberry]

I started trying out curricula when my oldest was 2, to give myself time to figure what the heck I wanted to do. I've found, 6 years later, that his needs changed over time.

I say jump on in! It sounds like you already know what your dd needs and likes. IMO, you have a lot planned for K. If you find it overwhelming to do everything everyday, you might try alternating subjects, one or 2 a day. As others have said, K is easy. there is no hurry, no one to keep up with and no one to fall behind. Be flexible, take your time and enjoy learning together.

[Desert Strawberry]

Coming back to this.

 

My children are in the habit of telling people that they don't go to school and leaving it at that.

 

We have had conversations like this: Some kids go to school at a big school away from home and some kids go to school at home. The playroom/schoolroom/dining room is our school. It is a real school. It's just a different kind of school than most kids go to.

We have talked about the need for a bus, uniforms, and set start and end times. We don't need a schoolbus to take us from the bedroom to the kitchen table. Not necessary. We don't have to wear uniforms. We can wear whatever we like. We don't have to wait outside at 6am!!! in the cold and wet. We can sleep as long as we like. We can play whenever we finish. We don't have to wait until 4:00. We can go places during the day, and pretty much have them to ourselves.

As far as the social aspect, you will find that unlike school kids, for whom socialization is a by-product of close quarters, homeschoolers dedicate large blocks of time strictly to social interaction. Socialization is more concentrated, more consistent, and of higher quality. Hsers get the other kind as well, chatting between or during activities, and such. And contrary to popular belief, they do learn to stand in line, and sahre with other and relate to peers and choose teams and all of the other things that are supposedly only learned in school settings.

[boscopup]

WRT dd: you don't want to make it sound like she has a choice or really any say, but you can do a lot to sell her on the idea. You can point out that when she is hs-ing, she will be like her younger sib, more play time, more freedom. When she gets home for school, I'd go out of your way to show her the fun things you and dc have done -- make cookies, art projects, go to a museum or park -- preferably indirectly by telling dc or dh "Oh, we had SUCH a fun day today, didn't we? We went....and made...." when she can overhear you. Or even a morning, "Oh, it's too bad you have to go to school today because your brother and I are going to be xxxx and it would have been so much fun to have you with us!" If you are worried about the social, you can look into classes like gymnastics or martial arts or whatever interests dd and it can be another carrot for "when you start homeschooling."

 

This is basically what I did with my first grader. I kept telling him what his brother and I had done, and when he expressed interest in doing something (like going for a walk in the morning on the greenway), I'd say "Oh, we'll have to wait for a day when you're not in school!" :lol: So after doing that for a little while, I finally told him we were planning to homeschool 2nd grade. I explained how homeschool worked (he'd already been doing "mama math" afterschool, so had a bit of an idea like your DD has with PR). The next night, we were talking about it again, and he said "I want to homeschool 2nd and 3rd grade.... I want to homeschool second, third, fourth... fifth... sixth grade." So at that point, I brought up the idea of starting homeschool after Christmas instead of waiting until 2nd grade, and I asked him which one he would prefer (letting him know clearly that it was DH's and my decision, but that we'd like his input to help us make that decision). He immediately said he wanted to start after Christmas. So here we are! :D

 

I think he's as excited as I am that he won't have to get up early and rush through breakfast to get to school (private school, so no bus - I had to drive him 10 minutes, meaning I had to get 3 kids ready to go, and usually one of them would be having a meltdown over *something* when it was time to go and we were running late :tongue_smilie:).

 

It did help that DS still has cub scouts with his friends from school, so he will see them once a month, though he really hasn't seemed to care that he won't see them everyday. He looks forward to playing with his own brother. :)

[MadsandLilysMom]

Jess,

 

I think of homeschooling as my kids having a private tutor, which any honest school teacher has to admit is the ideal.

 

In regards to ability, give yourself grace. It is overwhelming it is going to take time to figure out your child's learning style and meet her where she is at. You already are working with some very strong programs though, so I think you are on the right track and probably will only have to tweak things here and there to fit your need better.

 

Beyond that it will take time for your child to learn what you expect of her, and time for you to communicate your expectations to her and get the response you are looking for from her. In the mean time you will hear about how it is done in "school" but don't let it get you down.

 

If you pull her from school now, I would recommend you take January off. Then in February start one subject. Even if you wait till fall, I recommend you start with one subject. Work with just that one thing for a whole week, so you can deal with any issues that might come up in isolation. Then start another subject the week after. This gives you time to set expectations, and figure out what is and is not working and try a new appraoch. Otherwise you start 8 different new things and when something doesn't work it is easy to say the whole thing isn't working, when that really isn't true. It is just too much all at once.

 

Really you mastered the material in Kindergarten and first grade a long time ago, the only other thing required is patients. You have to learn how to regroup and teach things in a different way, how to not take a poorly done assignment personally, and how to set reasonable expectations. If you can do those things, and it sounds like you already are, then you can homeschool.

 

Personally I don't think 5yo's have a social life, but they do have routines they are used to and like. If you don't want to disrupt her routine, I can see that. But I wouldn't do it for social reasons. She will have much more time to play, do meet-ups or get involved in a specialized are of interest if she is at home because homeschool doesn't take very long. I don't think it has every taken me more than an hour a day, 4 days a week to do kindergarten.

 

Heather

 

We are starting HS next year (my oldest is in private pre-K right now) and I have to say, thank you for your advice! I love the idea of starting with one subject, then adding another etc... I never thought of doing that. I can't wait to start HSing but I am nervous too.

 

Laura

Mom to Madeline (4) and Lily (3)

[johnandtinagilbert]

We thought we would pull our oldest child out of public K after winter break but we've decided to leave her in PS for the remainder of the year so I can continue to sort out exactly how I am going to homeschool. The choice seemed so clear and simple and after a lot of research I am realizing it is definitely NOT simple to execute even though the desire is pretty straight forward. Homeschooling IS hard work, but based on your post, it appears you'll be just fine.

 

She was a young five entering K so I feel like we've got some flexibility. Coupled with my own anxiety over being competent at homeschooling successfully I have a mother and sister who are both hardcore public/traditional educators, my mother having devoted 30+ years in a career in public ed who now edits for a textbook publisher. To say they are dismayed is putting it mildly (and it is probably contributing to my own anxiety over whether or not I can do a good enough job). I actually debated Against home schooling in college...as an education major who has now been hsing for 12 years :D The proof will be in the puddin' You just have to expect some backdraft, stick to your guns for what you believe is best, be patient and wait for that puddin'!

 

At this point I feel like all the curriculum I review looks great! The marketing and advertising is really competitive and convincing and no matter what I look at I can find both good and bad reviews for it.

 

Right now if I had to pull the trigger I would:

 

Continue with PR Level 1 (I am afterschooling phonics b/c she is getting whole language in PS).

 

I have the old McGuffey's Readers that she is actually liking more than PR, we are using the Primer as part of our bedtime routine very casually. Continue the readers (who doesn't like to feel like they're reading...it's more fun), but also Stick with PR. As the program grows, it will solidly fulfill your Language Arts needs (across the board LA) and you'll be very pleased. It will also produce a wonderful notebook for any doubters...very impressive!

 

I started STOW as a 3x per week read aloud after school during our snack time, I think I would use this all over again next year as we are very casual with it at this point. I like the idea of History Pockets and would consider using a parallel HP unit for crafts + the SOTW activity book next year for 1st grade.

 

I thought I liked Horizon Math until I read a lot about Math Mammoth. I think I am sold on MM for first grade. I'm still trying to sort out spiral vs. concept strength learning though. She currently is using Terc's Investigations in PS which I am not worried about for K but am NOT Ok with for the entirety of primary math education. Anything else has got to be better for long term mathematics success no matter what I end up choosing.

 

We garden a lot, I grow seeds indoors and we also manage fall/winter crops thanks to Eliot Coleman (Four Seasons Harvest is an excellent book) so for science I think we would be covered. Basic biology and ecology cannot be better learned for a young child than by getting out in the dirt and growing things.

 

Thoughts? I feel like PR really covers both reading and writing and MM would cover math. SOTW is great for an overview of ancient history and I am fine with being casual with science in a hands on way at age 6. Your plan is excellent.

 

I guess I just want some reassurance that no matter what the detractors in my life say, I would not be ruining my kid's life by choosing not to follow NCLB and our state's SOL standards.

 

Help an unconfident mom out! Am I missing anything? Could I/should I add anything into the plan or consider any other curriculum?[/quote] I think your plan is fantastic. You have covered all LA, math, history, science and gone well beyond the generally provided K/1 education for publically schooled students. More than that, you'll be raising your daughter how you want, with no influence of a complete strangers (teachers or bratty kids). You can do this. We all did and we'll all agree we're just regular people, too!

[johnandtinagilbert]

It sounds like you are ready. Just pull her. K isn't even mandatory in most places. Have fun with your little one.

:iagree:

 

One of the recent times my DD (who would start public K next fall) asked about going to school away from our house she said that "the school you do with me is just a game."

 

Yeah, that helps my confidence a TON. (my mom is a ps teacher also)

How nice....games are FUN! As for the "fake school" comment, she's only responding to her environment. She knows kids "go to school." Does she know home schoolers? Once she does, she'll acquire a better definition and understanding of school, "Some kids go to public school, some kids learn at home." She's 5, she's describing what she sees, based on a limited understanding. Talk to her about learning, school, teachers and how all of those things are unlimited in location! She'll figure it out.

 

Jess,

 

I think of homeschooling as my kids having a private tutor, which any honest school teacher has to admit is the ideal.

 

In regards to ability, give yourself grace. It is overwhelming it is going to take time to figure out your child's learning style and meet her where she is at. You already are working with some very strong programs though, so I think you are on the right track and probably will only have to tweak things here and there to fit your need better.

 

Beyond that it will take time for your child to learn what you expect of her, and time for you to communicate your expectations to her and get the response you are looking for from her. In the mean time you will hear about how it is done in "school" but don't let it get you down.

 

If you pull her from school now, I would recommend you take January off. Then in February start one subject. Even if you wait till fall, I recommend you start with one subject. Work with just that one thing for a whole week, so you can deal with any issues that might come up in isolation. Then start another subject the week after. This gives you time to set expectations, and figure out what is and is not working and try a new appraoch. Otherwise you start 8 different new things and when something doesn't work it is easy to say the whole thing isn't working, when that really isn't true. It is just too much all at once.

 

Really you mastered the material in Kindergarten and first grade a long time ago, the only other thing required is patients. You have to learn how to regroup and teach things in a different way, how to not take a poorly done assignment personally, and how to set reasonable expectations. If you can do those things, and it sounds like you already are, then you can homeschool.

 

Personally I don't think 5yo's have a social life, but they do have routines they are used to and like. If you don't want to disrupt her routine, I can see that. But I wouldn't do it for social reasons. She will have much more time to play, do meet-ups or get involved in a specialized are of interest if she is at home because homeschool doesn't take very long. I don't think it has every taken me more than an hour a day, 4 days a week to do kindergarten.

 

Heather

Amen! :iagree:

[BBG580]

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate all the comments and support.

 

I know she will be happier at home, will most likely learn more and will have the opportunity for extracurriculars that there just wouldn't be time for if she stayed in PS. She is in full time K, gets on the bus at 8:30 and off at 4:30 and I hate how much she is away from home - that is such a long day for a 5 year old.

 

I have also started noticing that she is picking up mannerisms (and some sassy talk!) from some of the little girls in her class and I hate, hate, hate that. I stop her every single time and remind her that I want her to be herself, not copying some other little girl. I remind her that I like and admire a lot of people in my life - and that we both can really like the girls in her class - but we always need to be exactly ourselves.

 

Her school is also very overcrowded. There are 7 K classes all of which have over 25 kids in them. This year there is an assistant but Grade 1, it is one teacher with a huge class and I think that is just disaster waiting to happen. Not to mention that I hate Terc's Investigations math which she is stuck with for all of elementary school and I think some phonics instruction is very important so I would be afterschooling her if she stayed - so why stay?

 

Thanks again!

[Susan in KY]

 

 

• She is in full time K, gets on the bus at 8:30 and off at 4:30 and I hate how much she is away from home - that is such a long day for a 5 year old.

• I have also started noticing that she is picking up mannerisms (and some sassy talk!) from some of the little girls in her class and I hate, hate, hate that.

• Her school is also very overcrowded.

• Not to mention that I hate Terc's Investigations math which she is stuck with for all of elementary school

• and I think some phonics instruction is very important so I would be afterschooling her if she stayed - so why stay?

 

 

Sounds like these are all excellent reasons not to send her back after the break. I think she'll have a ton of memories of how much fun she had with you this semester if you just do a relaxed program and let her be her own little self. All the best to you—let us know how it goes! :001_smile: