So confused! I really want to start HSing on the right foot.

[dlpardo]

This will be my second year homeschooling but our first year prek3 was very lax. My only goal for prek 3 was for him to learn his letters and their sounds. He does not yet write them because I he did not want to use proper formation so I decided to wait on writing. He has already learned his alphabet and sounds so I am working on what to do now. Because of his birthday he would be entering prek 4 but is really going to be five at the end of september. I think I am going to start on kindergarten work. We have started Teach Your Child to Read in Ten Minutes a Day. I plan on purchasing the essential math from Singapore Math because it will cover the basics. I have gotten the go ahead from DH to purchase handwriting without tears. I have seen so many positive reviews for AAS but I think that would be too much for him starting out. I plan on schooling year around and was going to start these programs within the next month or so. I guess my question is would it work to start essential math, handwriting without tears and continue with our reading now and then in about 9 months or so start AAS? My other question is the reading program I have chosen will teach up to around 1st or second grade level. I would like something that will continue with us but this method is really working with us. If I take him to first grade level would there be a program after that I can jump to or should I stop this program and look for something different now? Also I have asked questions on boards before and have had ppl jump down my throat. Yes, I keep our lessons short. Yes, we have lots and lots of outdoor time. Yes, we do art and life skills and all that jazz. Thanks in advance just for reading this mess! :001_smile:

[twoxcell]

My dd turned 5 Oct. 31st, and we are doing K this year, so no tomatoes from me. I think it would just fine to start some things now, and some things later. That is the beauty of Homeschool you do not need to follow anyones schedule or time frame. My dd is realy enjoying Essentials math. I didn't get it for her until November, so she flew through the a book. As far as a reading program I suggest picking something that works for you and your child, and teaches phonics. You can always get some ETC books to fill in any phonics you have missed, or switch over to a phonetic spelling program. I personally like to hold off on a spelling curriculum until grade 1-2 when my kids are reading. To me getting them to read and write was my first focus. I wouldn't push writing skills especially on a boy at age 4, but instead focus on improving motor skills through, cutting, lacing, playdoh etc. When he is ready start by having him form letters correctly with a proper grip. HTH

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I am a beginner too, so take this with a grain of salt...

 

For a 4yo boy, I would take handwriting VERY VERY SLOWLY. My 4yo is verrrry slowly starting handwirting worksheets, but we do it like this:

Monday for that week's letter while fingerpainting (5 minutes out of probably 45 minutes of free fingerpainting time)

Tuesday he forms the letter by drawing it in cornmeal,then that afternoon, he does a photocopy of a worksheet for the letter (We are doing Getty Dubay, and the worksheets each have about 10 letters to copy, so only 5 minutes)

Wednesday, we form the letter with shaving cream, then do a worksheet in the afternoon (each takes just five minutes)

Thursday- chalkboard or whiteboard, then worksheet later int he day

Friday: The "real" worksheet, in his GD workbook. (all the other are photocopies of the same page)

 

We also love Explode the Code (we started it after finishing Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons), Frog and Toad readers, and a chapter book that I read out loud (right now, we're reading Farmer Boy)

 

For math, we went with Right Start, though I think we'll switch to Singapore later. Our math takes us about 15 minutes for a lesson (2-3x a week, maybe) and about 10 minutes for just reinforcement games.

 

All told, we probably spend 2 hours MAX doing school-y stuff. My son enjoys it, so I don't think it's too much.

 

Good luck!

[Sara in WA]

Take things very slowly (as a previous poster wisely said). These younger years you can never get back and they are so precious. No need to rush. Enjoy reading lots of books, teach you ds to read when he is ready and work on fine motor skills in other ways than handwriting (painting, cutting, etc), go on field trips, count jelly beans (and then eat them!), etc. Make the academics minimal (and we love academics in our house!) and go on outings, listen to great music, go to the library, etc.

 

This was our year (with my ds who turned 5 in January)- Mostly I did something because he was feeling left out with his older sisters busy with school work-

* Day 1 - read My ABC Bible Verses

* Day 2 - read The Church History ABCS

* all days - work on catechism memory work, sing songs, paint letters or write in salt tray, read lots of books, etc., count

* when he turned 5 - started OPGTR (he showed later signs of ready readiness than his sisters)

 

OP- you have such great concern for your children and for homeschooling! As your child develops and you find what you need and at what time. I love SWB's advice in WTM for K (let alone pre-K) is to get your child ready for 1st grade work. Pretty simple - nothing too complicated.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I'm in the go slow camp. My 3 yo can only find A, lol. I think the minute he seems resistant back off. We just do lots of coloring, reading, singing, cutting and gluing and play, play, play along with learning life skills ie. Folding washcloths, setting the table, etc. There is a reason those are traditional pre-school activities. Of course every child develops along their own timeline.

[Rosyl]

Boys need handwriting slow. I think your plan of somethings now and some later sounds great. Have fun!

[robsiew]

I don't have much advice for you... other than I think what you've got planned looks good. I would work through whatever phonics is working for you now and then look at a good spelling program in 1st grade. We've used AAS and love it! I also use SWO and that's great too for more independent work. Your spelling program will help solidify the phonics rules.

 

I would put off formal handwriting until you feel he's more ready. No rush and for boys it's sometimes harder. We use Handwriting Without Tears and that has worked really well. When he's ready you may want to start with the preschool level. K would work fine too, but if you start with preschool it gives you the opportunity of another book if he needs more practice.

 

Also, I used this with my younger two boys and it worked well. Research has shown that cutting with scissors helps fine motor skills greatly!

 

Enjoy your journey! :001_smile:

[blondeviolin]

My oldest is turning 5 in 2 mos, so just a few months older than yours. We just finished up Funnix Beginning Reading for phonics. Now we're taking a break where she reads to me every morning for a little bit. Eventually (another few weeks?) we'll start Funnix 2. I'll be ordering RS Math at the end of the year, I think. She's writing letters of her own accord so I'm going to start her with Zaner-Bloser workbooks. We are also doing Five in a Row which is going over REALLY well and she doesn't even realize we're "doing school."

 

My oldest son is learning his letters but is NOT ready for handwriting at all (though, he tries). If your son isn't ready to write, I'd do a lot of fine motor work to do letters. We do play-doh letters, building them (we use the book How To Build an A, also blocks, shapes, etc), wet-dry-try (this method is from HWOT), and then eventually he wants to write them on a blank page all on his own. It's working out fine.

[Ellie]

Welcome. :001_smile:

 

So, you have a 4yo child (I have trouble figuring out what "prek3" or "prek4" means :confused:), yes?

 

Let me first say that there isn't a "right" or a "wrong" way to "start." Mothering is more important than schooling, and a warm, responsive mother accomplishes much more doing warm, responsive mothering than any sort of published product for preschool-aged children. At this point, IMHO educating yourself is more important than figuring out what kinds of instructional materials you would buy for a 4yo child. :-)

 

I'm a big fan of Spalding, and there's quite a bit in the manual (Writing Road to Reading) that discusses developing phonemic awareness in younger children. Some things you can implement now that will help when your dc is 5ish, such as helping him develop proper pencil grip, writing circles and lines with the correct directionality, and helping him hear sounds correctly. Your local library might have a copy of the manual that you can check out.

 

This article is about doing no formal math until children are older. Even if you decide you don't want to do it that way, it has a scope and sequence for teaching math skills that you might find helpful now.

[teachmejoy]

I have an October Birthday DD. I've been contemplating this as well. Since I went through everything with my DS, I wrote a fun, easy to use program that covers almost everything for the early years. If you'd like to check it out, you could look in my siggy. It may give you some ideas! I've started it with me K3er and will probably continue next year.

 

Good luck and Have fun with it!! :)

[RachelFlores]

Well, my dd turned 5 last september so we are almost a year ahead of you. I've been doing a slow K program for dd and we have both been enjoying it. She asks to do school when we miss a day so I feel I'm doing something right. I started AAS a month ago, AFTER she could read cvc words AND was interested in writing things on her own. That said, since it doesn't have to include writing (you can use letter tiles instead of writing) it could be great for your ds, but I, personally, would still wait till your ds knows the basics of reading cvc words.

 

As for reading programs, I have tried A LOT. We started out with Phonics Pathways. I credit it with teaching dd how to blend and REALLY learning those short vowel sounds, but it was a bit on the boring side. We switched to starfall.com (I had the readers and the workbook to supplement the website), dd loved it and it helped with fluency since she read the same book the whole week, but after about 3 months it started getting too advanced. Now we are using The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Reading and Explode the Code. I have liked all of the programs we've used, but none has lead dd to "take off" in reading. Sometimes reading is about pracitce, practice, practice. I think for ds (when he is ready, probably 1-2 years), I will use OPGTR and starfall.com, then add ETC.

 

As you can see, I have changed and added programs over time and there has been no problem with that. It is one of the things I like best about home schooling, it can be totally tailored to your child, start programs whenever you think they are ready. Oh, another thing that dd has really enjoyed this year is that we've been part of a homeschooing co-op and playgroup, it's been really fun for both of us. You might look into what is available in your area.

[BlsdMama]

This will be my second year homeschooling but our first year prek3 was very lax. My only goal for prek 3 was for him to learn his letters and their sounds. He does not yet write them because I he did not want to use proper formation so I decided to wait on writing. He has already learned his alphabet and sounds so I am working on what to do now. Because of his birthday he would be entering prek 4 but is really going to be five at the end of september. I think I am going to start on kindergarten work. We have started Teach Your Child to Read in Ten Minutes a Day. I plan on purchasing the essential math from Singapore Math because it will cover the basics. I have gotten the go ahead from DH to purchase handwriting without tears. I have seen so many positive reviews for AAS but I think that would be too much for him starting out. I plan on schooling year around and was going to start these programs within the next month or so. I guess my question is would it work to start essential math, handwriting without tears and continue with our reading now and then in about 9 months or so start AAS? My other question is the reading program I have chosen will teach up to around 1st or second grade level. I would like something that will continue with us but this method is really working with us. :001_smile:

 

Right foot, left foot, it really doesn't matter... You'll end up hopping from one foot to the other and through the hoops several times. :D

 

Preface: I have a little one just your son's age. As a matter of fact, she's EXACTLY his age - she'll be five in September too. I'd say she is fairly average to advanced for her age as she is currently reading three letter words, has memorized the alphabet sounds, can write her name, and can do simple addition/subtraction on her little fingers. She also has the benefit of being a girl. By that I mean she actually ENJOYS being still, sitting in one place, having a long attention span, great hand coordination, and "doing" school. I'm still following what I write here because I truly feel it's what will benefit her the most in the long run.

 

I do not bother with a spelling program until they are reading fairly well. It's a bit like digging a hole in frozen ground - an awful lot of work for very little return. As far as math there are MANY reasons to avoid formal math at a young age. (You can read an interesting little article on Teaching the Trivium's site and others.) But you could look into something enjoyable like Elmer Brooks' Pre Math-It and Math-It.

 

The catch 22 with an actual handwriting program is that you then set up EXPECTATIONS. Now, handwriting with a four year old isn't evil. :) But pushing and expectations ARE at this age and unfortunately our best intentions get laid to the side for "goals" and then the pushing begins... "No, make it like this." "NO. LIKE THIS." And frankly, most four year old boys aren't really capable of grand letter formation and (gasp) the dreaded LINES on which they are to line up their letters. Now, if you'd like to give him a blank sheet of computer paper (no lines and therefore no temptation for you to turn evil) and say, "Hey, this is your name! Can you copy this? Good! Oh, see now, "m" has a double hump like this." And then let well enough alone that's just FINE. But I'd truly resist the "curriculum" for another year. Or two.

 

If you REALLY wanted to put age four to good use starting reading a little on Charlotte Mason. Start doing stories from pictures, doing oral narrations, and spend at least two hours each day reading out loud. That would be worth far more than the best of the best curriculum.

Edited March 30, 2011 by BlsdMama

[RahRah]

I don't see anything wrong with starting kindergarten for a child who is turning 5 in September....if he's ready. With my DS, he missed the cut-off for K and he was ready, so we started when he just turned 5. You're the one who can see if he's ready....and really, K is more play than academics, or at least IMO should be!

 

With my DS, who turned 5 in August 2009, I didn't start a formal K program, but we did continue along with the things he was learning by just being in the world and exploring, and my doing the 'academic' things in stealthy fashion.

 

For us the stealthy was really better termed as "playful learning" - it was a lot of math (no workbooks, no texts, no flashcards) based play - pattern recognition, blocks (stacked, sorted, added, subtracted), playing wth money (real and fake), learning to measure things with a ruler, help with shopping, etc. None of this was "formal" but all of it built a foundation, I believe, for his current math skills. The boy just loves everything math - he loves to manipulate numbers! So I'd suggest keeping math fun - make it fun - let him lead the way and go with playful approaches for math skills.

 

I didn't focus on learning to read - he had letter recognition down, so we worked on sounds of letters. Again, this wasn't formal - we would use time in the car and whenever the desire struck to rhyme, create connections (D da-da-da, D is for Daddio!), and invent silly letter songs. By the time we started phonics this year, he still wasn't really ready for learning to read, but after setting the phonics program I started aside for a few more months (and switching programs), he's now eager to (finally) learn to read and pacing well into actually reading....if he continues at the pace he's currently following, he'll be at or above grade by end of year (June 30th for us).

 

During our K year, he learned to write his name (first and last) since he could already do his first name and wanted to write his last, and each letter....looking back, I would have done one thing differently - I would have instead started by having him play with writing - teach him how to properly form "o" and to take his pencil or crayon or marker from the top to the bottom to form a | line.....this year he can write, but I'm having to go back through how to form letters because *I* didn't appreciate the importance of teaching how to form letters properly. If I could do it again, I would have used our various arts & crafts to integrate the "o" and "|" into drawing and scribbles and would have gotten the grade-appropriate lined paper for some practice.

 

Science was just plain-ole fun exploration of the world around us....nature walks, talking about how things work, why seasons change, animals and our bodies, solids-liquids-gases, basic principles of physics....and answering lots and lots of questions as DS is very curious about the how and why. We did a lot of projects for fun that were science based....making slime and play-doh, building simple machines (lever, wheels, pulley, etc.) from household items to see how they worked, going to science centers and children's museums, melting ice to water then boiling to steam, etc., etc......science is all around us, all the time, so it was always as opportunity presented itself, we'd bring something into the conversation or do something fun. Again, I think this definitely had an impact on why DS is so into science now.

 

We didn't do anything really with history, grammar, spelling or anything else for that matter. It was a very relaxed year from an "academic" standpoint - it was fun, DS did learn a lot, and we're continuing along nicely. The great thing when you homeschool is you can tailor your schedule to meet your child where he is.....like for us, this year, phonics was a challenge - but that is okay....just as it's okay that with math, we've blown through SM 1A-1B-2A and will wrap up 2B before end of June. If/when DS starts to need more time with math, we'll adjust the schedule! That's what I love about HS'ing him - we get to do it at his pace - and when that's fast, we go fast, when it's slow, we go slow!

[RahRah]

She also has the benefit of being a girl. By that I mean she actually ENJOYS being still, sitting in one place, having a long attention span, great hand coordination, and "doing" school.

 

:iagree:

 

I totally agree - with having a boy, I'll say you need to be very aware of their need to move....and move, and move, and move. We didn't, and still don't, do much seatwork - at least not for long stretches of time. We can't - DS6 absolutely needs to go play and move a lot.

 

When I attended the HS convention in Chicago this past summer - I can't remember which speaker it was, but I think it was SWB - I was struck by what was said.....not verbatum, but along the lines of 'just like learning to walk, a child learns to sit and focus - and it starts with short periods, five minutes at a time, and slowly builds to ten, then fifteen and so on'....I took it to heart and as we've continued along with first grade this year, where DS couldn't sit still to save himself for more than 5-10 minutes (unless it was something he was totally into, then he could sit and focus forever), he's now able to sit and focus for periods between 15 and 20 minutes (again, on things that aren't capturing his total concentration and attention).

 

We take a lot of breaks during the day, but at the end of the day, we mostly get everythign done that we need to - some days less, some days more. You just have to go with the flow and slowly, but surely, boys settle down as they get a bit older!

[Holly]

I started K when my DS was 4 (he turned 5 that November). We used ETC primers (for handwriting and phonics) and Singapore's Essential Mathematics. For everything else, he tagged along with his big sis when he felt like it. He loved having his own schoolbooks. Some days he didn't feel like doing school and I didn't push it...some days he'd want to do school later in the afternoon.

 

My goal when we started was to begin K materials and take 2 years if we needed. He had no problem finishing up before the end of the year. We began "1st" this year and I believe he will be ready for "2nd"-ish next...although we will slow down if he needs it. I do make some adjustments so he isn't overwhelmed with handwriting...but I also don't want to hold him back because of handwriting.

 

The great thing about HSing is that we can go at our own pace. I try to place them at a level appropriate for their skills, not necessarily by age. My two DC are 2.5 years apart, but only one grade level apart for math. For Language Arts they are about 2 levels apart. It works great for us.

[dlpardo]

Thanks to everyone that responded. I think I was getting too involved in what I see everyone else doing and was thinking that we need to be doing more. I think I also feel like the things we do already are just normal and that we are not really doing anything special right now at home. In truth we play, read, paint, bake and make simple projects right now and from what y'all said I need to be at peace with that. I am going to focus more on fine motor skills and then revisit my plans on HWOT in the fall. I had never heard that some people wait to teach math until the higher grades. I am going to research more and take things slowly! Y'all are definitely a voice of reason. I learned something from each of your responses. Thanks again.

[SnMomof7]

Well, I'm no expert, but we are about to start our second tour through. My second daughter is turning 5 in just a few days :).

 

We keep things pretty relaxed. Very relaxed actually. We don't do any formal math until first, and then at a relaxed pace. She knows her short letter sounds (thanks to Leap Frog Letter Factory), and I'm very casually working on number recognition. She practices her own style of printing ALL THE TIME, but won't sit still for formal instruction. We are going to start AAR but more for her to have something 'schooly' to do and to help with pre-blending skills.

 

The MOST IMPORTANT thing is for you to read a lot to him. Buy storybooks at this age, both picture books and some engaging chapter books. Curriculum - not so much :).

[Critterfixer]

1. I agree with everyone wholeheartedly on not doing a bunch of handwriting UNLESS he's already doing a lot of crayon drawings with a proper pencil grip. If he is not, focus on teaching him a good, solid grip when he is coloring. Encourage him to color a lot. Builds hand strength and coordination. My twins also got a lot of fun making letters in a tray of cornmeal. I agree about teaching him to write his name, I love you, simple messages to write on his artwork.

 

2. Start working on oral narration. I really, really, really wished I had done this more. We read a lot, but I didn't spend time teaching them to recognize important things in the telling of a story. If I could go back to age four or five I would have spent more time in finding out their narration abilities and training them to narrate better. It doesn't just have to be things you read. Have him draw a picture, have him tell you a story of what he did outside, things he saw, things he dreamed about...Charlotte Mason has the most to say about the actual teaching of narration IMO.

 

3. I don't think there is a time that is too early to teach math. Just not numbers so much. Concrete math. Would we rather have two cookies or four cookies? Counting beans. Or fish in a tank. Or how many petals does this flower have. Not only are you teaching math, you are teaching him how to pay attention to small things.

 

4. Read to him a lot and mix in some poetry for the rhyming. Teach him tongue twisters. Show him how funny it is to turn a real word into a silly word just by changing a beginning or ending sound.