Afterschooling in Preparation for Homeschooling?

[bbkaren]

Hi, all - we'll be moving to a fairly rural area in TN in the next 6 months or so, and at that time, we've decided I'll stay home and homeschool DS6. In the meantime, he's in first grade at our public school here in NJ.

 

I've read TWTM and just about anything I can get my hands on in an effort to determine what will be the best method for us. Of course, we won't know until we really start in earnest.

 

Starting this summer, I've been going fast and furious trying to get ready to do this. I'm one who likes to prepare myself and get accustomed to a new system before having to dive in all at once.

 

I still work full-time, so I've been working with DS6 before and after school/work, using the materials suggested in TWTM.

 

AM We spend about a half hour before school doing:

 

• Handwriting: ZB Handwriting (1)
  
• Singapore Math (1A). We also have Math Mammoth and have been working with that a couple times a week too, trying to keep the topics coordinated. It makes sense to me, to show him as many different angles as I can, to approach a subject.
  

 

 

 

The work we're doing seems to coincide pretty closely with what they're working on in school (the worksheets that come home say "Pearson" on the bottom).

 

 

• FLL: Waiting for the bus, we go through FLL briefly (this seems easy for him) and/or review recent concepts.
  

 

PM

 

 

• WWE: One task (either copywork or narration) before dinner.
  

 

 

 

• At bedtime we do three things for about a half hour:
  

 

 

 

1. We alternate days, reading a section from either
   SOTW
   or
   DK's First Animal Encyclopedia
   .
   
   
2. We go briefly through the next section of
   OPGTR
   (right now we're going through their sight-words section) about twice a week, and on the other days we'll read a book of his choice (we alternate; I read left pages, he reads right).
   
   
3. I read to him from a more mature chapter book (right now it's Little House in the Big Woods).
   
   

 

Weekends

...are tough. I mean for us to review the SOTW and Science items we've gone over during the week, but my parents are snowbirds (winters in Florida) and they like to see him on weekends while they're up. When they leave for FL I'll be able to work with him more on the weekends.

______________

 

So, it's sort of exhausting; it's a full day for both of us. But I see he does seem to have plenty of playtime in the morning, at daycare after school, and in the evening.

 

Is anyone else trying this, to "ramp up" in preparation for full-time homeschooling?

 

My hope is, if we can keep up with this hectic schedule for now, "real homeschooling" will seem like a breeze to him (and me!). I'm wondering if this is a pipe dream, or if others have done it successfully.

 

Is there anything you folks feel that I'm missing, that would be wise to introduce now, so we get a feel for it?

[GingerPoppy]

I did something like what you are doing--when my daughter was in grade 4, I ramped up the afterschooling for most of the year, and then pulled her out in the spring. I did a high level of spelling/vocab with her, since their spelling was a cross between pathetic and nonexistent at school, and I did Singapore Math to encourage more problem solving. I tried to keep it light and fun (like doing workbooks in bed at bedtime and not being strict about how much got done). Of course, we did readalouds too, as well as all kinds of hands on stimulating activities in art, music, and science when I could. I'm glad I did, because I really felt the school wasn't giving her what they should have been in so many areas.

 

BUT... for a 6-year-old, I truly wouldn't stress about it too much. You'll be homeschooling so soon, and you have nothing but a vast future open before the two of you with plenty of time to achieve all of your objectives. In all honesty, there's no specific time line and nothing to prove, so I'd be inclined to reduce the work load a little so you don't burn him--or yourself--out before you get him home!

 

Oh, and just play on the weekends!

 

Have fun with it!

[Element]

Is anyone else trying this, to "ramp up" in preparation for full-time homeschooling?

 

...

 

Is there anything you folks feel that I'm missing, that would be wise to introduce now, so we get a feel for it?

 

Hello! We are also "ramping up" a first grader (dd6) in preparation for hs (in another year or two.) Math afterschooling is essential. Our district doesn't have a math "program" until 3rd grade; they just do worksheets printed out from wherever online. It's ridiculous. We also afterschool science because she loves science and they seem to only do it a few times a year in first grade. Other than that, I'm not too worried about her.

 

I can definitely see the benefit of afterschooling WWE. My ds (8, in his first year of hs-ing) had to start WWE a year behind and even working through Level 2 at grade 3 is challenging for him.

 

I'm not familiar w/the first 2 levels of FLL, but I would think you could drop that if you felt that one or both of you were heading toward a burnout. FLL 3 seems to go over everything, and my ds was able to go right into it (and has not struggled at all.) I've also never used OPGTR so I can't comment on that.

 

Are you planning on continuing on with ZB when you begin hs-ing? Many homeschoolers use GDI (Italic) or HWOT so you could drop ZB and begin a primer in one of those other handwriting programs if you wanted to. Other than that, it seems like you are doing more than enough to prepare your ds for hs. I definitely wouldn't add anything else, but that's just my own opinion.

 

I'm also very new at this (hs-ing and afterschooling) so I'm :bigear:!!

[Word Nerd]

If you don't feel it's too much and it's working for both of you, that's great. It's certainly not necessary to "ramp up" or do anything special to prepare to homeschool, though.

[bbkaren]

Thanks for the info--it's good to know that we're on track, although maybe a little heavier at it than we need to be.

 

I'll try not to fret too much about getting it all done; it sure is a busy week this way, and it's easy to worry about falling behind (although I realize, "falling behind who or what?")

 

Thanks again!

[3Blessings]

We plan to homeschool next year and have been after schooling to prepare. We are doing similar subjects.

 

After spending some time here I can honestly say that the reason I spend time thinking about it is because I hear that the first year is slow. I want to avoid that and have a smooth transition. Well, as smooth as possible.

 

God bless your preparations. I look forward to hearing how it goes for you. We plan to start in July, 2012.

[Shellers]

Since last March I've been working with my son before and after school on his reading and writing. He's 11 and has severe dyslexia. He was reading at a 1st grade level and now he's reading at a mid 2nd grade level.

 

I wanted to do a practice run with homeschooling before I pulled him out of school, just to make sure he responded positively. Clearly, he's thriving!

 

I plan on pulling him out of public school in the next two weeks. He goes to a very small rural school, we've had a kid or two enrolled in this school continuously since 1995! I'm sure I'm going to catch a bunch of grief from teachers for pulling him out. Oh well, I have to do what's best for my son and that's homeschooling. :) Thankfully, my husband is 100% for homeschooling.