What do you use for preschool?

[tlcspcarcetc]

I've got 9, 6, 4 and 2 year olds. It's nearly impossible to get the older kids stuff done because my 4 year old is always wanting me to do school with her. I'd love to, but I have no idea what to do. We are doing Reading Eggs some and she's enjoying that. She knows her letters and all of that jazz. She probably knows most of the sounds. Counts well up to 20...probably ' wouldn’t take much to teach her further. So where do we go from here? I pretty much need things laid out for me. I can teach on the fly for everyday life, but she wants to do "school" with her sisters. What works? We don't have a large budget, but could probably spend some.

[chepyl]

Brightly Beaming's Letter of the week it good and free. DD colors he letter on Monday, then her shape on Tuesday, the rest of the week I give her themed color sheets (to match the theme for the week.) On Friday we do a letter recognition sheet (pick all of the A's out of the page of letters). We also do a lapbook page for the letter.

 

I picked up a few workbook for $1 a Target and the dollar store. We do thoae activities. Mainly, she colors. With that, her fine motor skills are really developing. The color pages satisfy her need for school.

[weaver_67579]

Sing Spell Read and Write. they have pre-k but it sounds like you are past that. They do have a K-1 level. I also love KUMON books and we have loved the Mathematical Reasoning from Critical Thinking company.

[boscopup]

R&S ABC series is great for preschool. She may fly through them, as she sounds like she's probably ready for K level stuff. In that case, I'd probably get the GHI series too, as it's K level. These workbooks are dirt cheap (less than $20 for the entire series), and they teach some really good skills, such as coloring, cutting, pasting, tracing, counting, colors, etc. She could probably do them somewhat independently even.

 

As far as K level stuff... I really like Singapore Essential Math K ($7.50 for each of the 2 books), used with Cuisenaire Rods. Love those! For phonics/reading, I'm using Webster's Speller (free!), which I used to do at the white board. We read straight from the printed speller now, but the white board was fun, and he got to copy what I wrote (not by my choice, but he just wanted to!). I also started using the I See Sam readers (first 52 are free online), and he LOVES those! They are helping him get a little bit past the "sounding every single thing out" stage. ;)

 

You might also check Homeschoolshare and do the occasional lapbook with a book from the library. There are so many free resources out there!

[BlueSkiesAbove]

For my pre-k, I do a lot of (free) printables from the 1+1+1=1 blog. I do a new preschool pack every week and she really seems to love them.

[TracyR]

We love the Rod and Staff series. They are easy to use.

Also like the free printables from 1+1+1=1 blog m and Confessions from a Homeschooling Mom

[go_go_gadget]

Mine did a lot of Kumon books to develop fine motor skills, and learned the letter sounds and beginning blending with the Leapfrog Letter Factory and Word Factory DVDs. I also used the HWT chalk bits and boards to develop a proper handwriting grip, and have an entire living room full of Melissa and Doug. Once they were ready, we moved on to GDI Book A, RS Level A, SOTW, and so on. Our K program is described in more detail here.

[WeeBeaks]

Workbook stuff we like Rod and Staff and the Get Ready/Set/Go for the Code series (precursor to Explode the Code series). They have a pre-K handwriting one too from Handwriting Without Tears. I have used all of those over the years with various kids, along with BOB books and the like.

 

We read each day from books that used to be in Sonlight's P3/4 and P4/5 curriculum.

 

This year I sprung for Funshine Express kits for the last few months. She really really adores them. We don't do everything in the kits. They are really more for daycares and preschools than home use. I just wasn't getting to the crafty stuff at all though so we are doing this for a few months.

[Mrs Twain]

I bought a whole bunch of workbooks from Amazon. My preschooler has her own desk near my older kids' desks. She sits down and does her "school work" when her siblings are working. That keeps her busy for a little while. The workbooks are preschool/K math (mostly counting, dot-to-dot, writing numbers), and writing letters and simple words. My preschooler likes sticker workbooks, so I got a few of those.

 

You can start a reading program with your 4 year old if you like. I used 100EZ and it was great, and cheap, too.

[cagirlintexas]

WHat your preschool needs to know. Love this series and really easy to use.

 

Also Ready/Set/Go for the code

 

Handwriting without Tears PreK Program

 

Kuman First Steps Cutting books

[rocketgirl]

We're doing pre-preschool with my 3 year old, we include her with Bible & Apologia Science (early in the day) & sometimes history (altho that is late in the day so she's not always interested). But if she's not into it, she'll say, 'Ok I'm all done now' and that is fine, she is 3. She loves her Handwriting Without Tears stuff, Math U See (Primer) like her sisters and a variety of color/shape/math/letter workbooks from Dollar Tree. I have read many many times the advice, teach your littlest first & it works. We do 'calendar' time together with my 3, 7, 8 yr olds then when I give her my first 1 on 1 time while the older kids start "independent work" that satisfies her & she loves it.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I loosely use Weefolks but my 4yo paints, cuts, stamps, colors, does puzzles at the table with us and thinks it's school.

[anmom]

I second Confessions of a Homeschoolers K4 program. It is very inexpensive, but you do have to print (and laminate if you desire), but was well worth it IMO. My PreK DD loves it and is learning alot. We also so the Ready to Read program from The Moffatt Girls blog as well, again inexpensive, but will have to print, but LOTS of fun!

[SorrelZG]

My own 4yo is content with what I do "on the fly" - memory work (nursery rhymes, verses, calendar, etc) when I do them with my oldest, phonics/reading instruction on the whiteboard when I have a spare few minutes, a little Professor B Math (no paper work involved), and a page from a workbook that's got some tracing and/or coloring or some such something involved. Sometimes I'll give her "work" such as playdoh or math manipulatives for example .. as long as I call it work and "school" and act like it's not optional, she's content to feel like she's not being neglected.

[Crimson Wife]

My 2nd child had speech & language delay and I had good success using the Core Knowledge What Your Preschooler Needs to Know Activity Book with him. It would've been overkill for my oldest, however. I also used MEP Reception, Hooked on Phonics, and Handwriting Without Tears Pre-K when DS was ready for those.

 

I'm planning on using these resources again with my youngest child, who is autistic, when she's a bit older.

[stm4him]

We use Saxon K for Math (little to no writing but they love doing calendar like the big kids and playing with the manipulatives), Building Thinking Skills Beginning, AAR Pre-Level 1, and we have also used Rod & Staff's preschool and kindergarten books for fine motor skills. Memoria Press is coming out with a preschool program sometime in the new future and I plan to use that probably instead of R&S. I will keep the other programs, though.

 

stm4him

[momto2Cs]

Lots of reading aloud to your pre-K'r, crafts and easy art projects, matching letters with sounds, time playing outside, coloring pages, counting activities--Ithink the more hands-on at that age the better. As for resources I agree with the people that recommended Letter of the Week and What Your Preschooler Needs to Know. I'd also recommend Kinderart for good arts and crafts, maybe Starfall. Keep it light and easy at that age!

[La Condessa]

Beginning Mathematical Reasoning from the Critical Thinking Co. I bought this early because I found it for a good price, and then my daughter saw it and begged to start. Now she is begging me to do 'maff' every day.

[MeganW]

The Learning Box Preschool - it's the definition of open & go, with GREAT crafts!!! We LOVED it! So much so that I thought about ordering it for another year even though we are way too old at this point! Fun books, fun activities, and GREAT crafts! Did I mention the crafts? You open the month's curriculum workbook to that day (Day 2, etc.), find the baggie labeled Day 2, and everything you need is in there - if you need 2 green pipe cleaners and a scoop of rice, it's in there! Awesome for those of us who would never get it together enough to collect it all!

[Rosie_0801]

We've just finished a Letter of the Week type study, and are frequently watching an alphabet dvd and reading alphabet books so she doesn't forget again.

 

We've just started a new routine of MEP Reception and Kumon workbooks. She's starting speech therapy soon, so when I know how to do that, I'm hoping to combine it with a British speller along the lines of Websters. I'm not sure how we'll go with that, so I have a few other things lined up in case; braille letters, because she likes letters so much, and A Note for Children. Some of the activities in the latter will be too hard, but some will be just fine.

 

Rosie

[*Lulu*]

My pre-K-er loosely participates in the group work listed in my siggy, and is in on the read-alouds and such. He even memorizes some of the shorter passages and poems that the older kids work on. (Or sometimes he will pick up a couple of lines and walk around reciting them so that he can hear people say how clever he is. :001_rolleyes: )

 

For his individual work: we work on fine motor skills with Montessori-inspired activities, mathematical skills with manipulative materials, alphabet awareness and beginning phonics with everything from Starfall to magnet letters, and other age-appropriate education-lite activities. I throw him the occasional worksheet, but most of his work is hands-on.

 

He loves sensory tubs and other open ended activities so I tend to give him two or three things each day that I can spend 5-10 minutes sitting with him directing his interaction and then leave him to play independently while I work with the other kids.

[Mergath]

I've got everything that we do listed in my sig. :001_smile: We don't do it all every day, and we're probably going to phase out the AAR program because dd is past it now. We've also been doing the Core Knowledge books for preschool and K, and dd has a newfound obsession with puzzles. A few twenty-five piece puzzles keep her busy for hours.

[teachmejoy]

Teach me Joy. :) It's on sale right now on Currclick.com...

[POPAcademy]

We started Adventures in Phonics,which is K work,but she loves it. I also picked up some little workbooks from the Dollar Tree and Christian Book. We did Thinking Skills,Following Directions,Mazes,Dot to Dot,Alphabet,etc. She really likes going through the workbooks,and we spend about an hour a day on it. It was really inexpensive,as the workbooks were 1-2 dollars each.

[craftyerin]

My kids are all pre-K (two 3.5yos and one 4.5yo). We do AAR pre-level, HWT pre-K, and are reading the SL P3/4 core. We rarely do more than 2 of those on the same day, and are VERY loose right now, during the holidays.

[Mommy_of_4]

I am keeping it simple with my 3yr old dd.

 

Starfall

Lots of coloring pages

lost of cuting and pasting.

Lots of reading to her

[krismoose]

Memoria Press is coming out with a preschool program sometime in the new future and I plan to use that probably instead of R&S. I will keep the other programs, though.

 

stm4him

 

I don't mean to hijack, but is there somewhere I can find out more about this? I can't find anything on the MP site.

[hmschooling]

LHTH and/or Teach Me Joy, We Choose Virtues, Reading Eggs, and fine motor/art fun is Pick and Draw

 

ETA: Almost forgot we also use the Rod and Staff workbooks and Developing the Early Learner

[JKKJ04]

My dd is 4.5 and my oldest and ready for school. We are part of a local classical conversations group, we go over all the memory work, dig deeper where she is interested and read picture and youth books about the history. We did HWT get set for school at the beginning of the school year and 100 easy lessons but moving to IEW PAL program. Also MUS Primer. Alana memory verses. Beyond that reading books, puzzles, starfall and other fun games.

[arliemaria]

I just did a google search for Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten and found their book list here: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEQQFjAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.memoriapress.com%2Fforum%2Fattachment.php%3Fattachmentid%3D52%26d%3D1318941105&ei=5UrkTuGPGZGDtgfstNTnAw&usg=AFQjCNG3aMUFyXQ1JXWARoAt8qDSJ8a9Jg

[savmom]

My dd really enjoyed the 3-5yo curriculum (free) from Hubbard's Cupboard. There are science/art activities, Bible, suggested library books, too much to mention.

 

Another site we use now (that I really wish had been around when my ds was little) is Head of the Class. It is a free complete online prek-5th grade curriculum for every subject! The best feature is that you can customize it for each child. So, if you have a child who can read at a 3rd grade level but needs 2nd grade math, no problem. Maybe you only want your oldest to do math & language arts, no sweat. Want more math every day & less art/geography? Customize it! You can even set the lessons in a particular order (all addition lessons before place value, only certain history lessons, etc). It is wonderful! There are even printable worksheets (if your kids like that sort of thing ;)).

[homeschoolkitty]

Thank you for posting about those links... I looked at it and I am in the process of reading it...

 

And there is so much good info here, hard to say anything else that has not been mentioned here.

 

I know my lack with my LO is that I don't do much going outside and ooo and awww over a bug or a flower... though I try...

I like Starfall for little ones, but I am amazed at how Reading Eggs has helped my child.... yet I have to pay attention at what it is getting done, as I've noticed my kid wanting to know what happens if the wrong answer is chosen...

Also cought him just clicking and that is it...

 

kids like coloring pages, you can jazz it up with water colors.... I got a set of water colors from the dollar store, the ones that are for party favors. Great buy.

 

Use an empty box, or cloths basket and put sissors there and all the junk mail that needs to be shreeded. older kids love the special place and I make them find a letter. the younger ones just like cutting... I say cut the lines... so they try.

[krismoose]

I just did a google search for Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten and found their book list here: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEQQFjAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.memoriapress.com%2Fforum%2Fattachment.php%3Fattachmentid%3D52%26d%3D1318941105&ei=5UrkTuGPGZGDtgfstNTnAw&usg=AFQjCNG3aMUFyXQ1JXWARoAt8qDSJ8a9Jg

 

Thanks, I followed your suggestion and found a couple of threads on the MP forum, the most recent saying that they're hoping it may be ready late Dec/ early Jan, and to just keep checking the website. :)

[teachmejoy]

I absolutely LOVE We Choose Virtues! I have reviewed them on my website here:

 

http://teachmejoy.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=13&zenid=7989c2d61724abac28a04828876c8353

 

 

You Can also get 15% off your order if you use the link below and code: VIRTUE15 at checkout.

 

http://www.wechoosevirtues.com?ap_id=teachmejoy

[OK Family]

:lurk5: We're doing Rod and Staff ABC series for now.