The Gentle Kindy Plan, with an eye to rigor around age 8....

[pehp]

Hello everyone,

 

I'd love some advice from some seasoned homeschoolers. I'm new here, only a few posts already, and I'm doing some finalization of my plans for kindergarten. (DS turns 5 in June.) Right now he knows his letter sounds and we are starting to sound out two-letter words, very gently, kind of using OPGTR as a guide. He's about halfway through the MUS primer. He loves to write letters (?!) and frequently writes, although of course it's either ginormous or itty bitty chicken scratch--I just let him have at it and have fun. The only other thing we do is that we are sort of moving through history, looking at structures, b/c he is obsessed with buildings things (dad is an engineer)--we've looked at pyramids, stonehenge, now we're going through ancient rome and greece....just for fun. And not even in any planned way. "School" now consists of quick math, quick phonics. And we enjoy reading aloud.

 

I'm a believer in academic rigor, and plan to implement a rigorous program (details TBD!!!) in a few years. My thought is that I should start gently, focusing on the 3 Rs, right now, with an eye to introducing more rigor as he reaches age 8ish. (3rd grade-ish.) So with that in mind, here's what I was thinking for kindy--which we will probably officially start once he's done with his MUS primer......(so, maybe around his b-day in June?):

 

*Miquon Math, starting from the beginning....(10-15 mins, 5 days/week)

*continuing the phonics I'm doing now--my own little system, and continuing into simple early readers (10-15 minutes, 5 days/week)

*HWOT Pre-K, moving into HWOT whenever he's ready (maybe 3 days a week? for 10ish minutes?)

*we live on a farm: nature walks! nature study! (hours per day--we are fools for our vitamin D time!)

*read alouds of non-twaddly, living books (i'm going to use Ambleside/Simply CM as guides...) (30-60ish minutes per day)

*Maybe a Bible program--reading through the Child's Story Bible, and I am also considering CLE's little Bible books (a few times a week?)

*Classical Conversations--TBH, we are simply joining this because I REALLY want to hook up with some local homeschoolers. I figure we will have this CC morning one day a week in Kindergarten and first grade, maybe second, and then phase out--I just want to establish more social opportunities for him/us, and get plugged into the community here. So I will not be enforcing any of the CC memory work, etc. We're just gonna do it for fun. ;)

*Completely informal, CM-inspired art, music and poetry...I'm a classical music addict and a poet, so this is already a big part of our lives. Just for fun! Unscheduled, as the spirit moves me....

 

 

Questions I have:

 

1) does this look okay? not too much for a 5 year old?

2) Can Miquon stand on its own? I've seen many threads about people combining it with Singapore, but is that necessary?

3) HWOT--should I skip the pre-K and just do HWOT? He can color within the lines 'perfectly'--not because I taught him to do it, he's just a little perfectionist. engineer-y. ;)

4) I'm NOT doing any history or science...I figure CC will provide some of that, and I want to spend our 'concentrated' time on the 3Rs. I do think my son will end up being a math/science guy--and I feel strongly about rigorous math and science programs. But I'm not thinking I really need to do any science for kindy.....

5) any other input? I'd welcome it!

 

Thank you. What a blessing it is to have this forum.

[sagira]

I think it looks great - and fun! One thing that I like to add, but is completely up to you of course, is Geography and Cultures. An introduction to our world, different countries, the child's place in it, and so forth.

 

The other thing I like is a language.

 

Lastly, even though I know you want to avoid formal science, check out the pdf of BFSU Volume 1 for kids K-2. It's only 5 bucks. With you being on a farm, it's so easy and natural to encounter nature and opportunities for learning. BFSU is like a spine and a resource for explaining and getting kids to understand at their level. I believe it meshes very well with CM as well.

 

BTW, my dd is starting Kindy this fall :)

[missmoe]

Hello everyone,

 

I'd love some advice from some seasoned homeschoolers. I'm new here, only a few posts already, and I'm doing some finalization of my plans for kindergarten. (DS turns 5 in June.) Right now he knows his letter sounds and we are starting to sound out two-letter words, very gently, kind of using OPGTR as a guide. He's about halfway through the MUS primer. He loves to write letters (?!) and frequently writes, although of course it's either ginormous or itty bitty chicken scratch--I just let him have at it and have fun. The only other thing we do is that we are sort of moving through history, looking at structures, b/c he is obsessed with buildings things (dad is an engineer)--we've looked at pyramids, stonehenge, now we're going through ancient rome and greece....just for fun. And not even in any planned way. "School" now consists of quick math, quick phonics. And we enjoy reading aloud.

 

I'm a believer in academic rigor, and plan to implement a rigorous program (details TBD!!!) in a few years. My thought is that I should start gently, focusing on the 3 Rs, right now, with an eye to introducing more rigor as he reaches age 8ish. (3rd grade-ish.) So with that in mind, here's what I was thinking for kindy--which we will probably officially start once he's done with his MUS primer......(so, maybe around his b-day in June?):

 

*Miquon Math, starting from the beginning....(10-15 mins, 5 days/week)

*continuing the phonics I'm doing now--my own little system, and continuing into simple early readers (10-15 minutes, 5 days/week)

*HWOT Pre-K, moving into HWOT whenever he's ready (maybe 3 days a week? for 10ish minutes?)

*we live on a farm: nature walks! nature study! (hours per day--we are fools for our vitamin D time!)

*read alouds of non-twaddly, living books (i'm going to use Ambleside/Simply CM as guides...) (30-60ish minutes per day)

*Maybe a Bible program--reading through the Child's Story Bible, and I am also considering CLE's little Bible books (a few times a week?)

*Classical Conversations--TBH, we are simply joining this because I REALLY want to hook up with some local homeschoolers. I figure we will have this CC morning one day a week in Kindergarten and first grade, maybe second, and then phase out--I just want to establish more social opportunities for him/us, and get plugged into the community here. So I will not be enforcing any of the CC memory work, etc. We're just gonna do it for fun. ;)

*Completely informal, CM-inspired art, music and poetry...I'm a classical music addict and a poet, so this is already a big part of our lives. Just for fun! Unscheduled, as the spirit moves me....

 

 

Questions I have:

 

1) does this look okay? not too much for a 5 year old?

2) Can Miquon stand on its own? I've seen many threads about people combining it with Singapore, but is that necessary?

3) HWOT--should I skip the pre-K and just do HWOT? He can color within the lines 'perfectly'--not because I taught him to do it, he's just a little perfectionist. engineer-y. ;)

4) I'm NOT doing any history or science...I figure CC will provide some of that, and I want to spend our 'concentrated' time on the 3Rs. I do think my son will end up being a math/science guy--and I feel strongly about rigorous math and science programs. But I'm not thinking I really need to do any science for kindy.....

5) any other input? I'd welcome it!

 

Thank you. What a blessing it is to have this forum.

 

I think you have a great plan in place! Concentrating on the 3-Rs now will pay off in the future. And yes, Miquon can stand on it's own. Especially for kindergarten. I'm not sure about the HWOT--way back when we used it I don't think there was a pre-K program.

 

Enjoy your little guy!

[Soror]

That is similar to our plan, very gentle in k and ramping up later. The only official things planned are Phonics and Writing. Basic math we will learn by games and through life, science happens all the time. Religious study at this point will be Bible stories, prays and hyms and of course there will be lots of good literature- picture books, fairy tales, nursery rhymes as well as listening along to various books with brother about history, science and everything else.

[boscopup]

Looks great! I don't think you need to change a thing. :D

 

HWT K book is fine now. You don't have to do the PreK book. I started DS1 with the 1st grade book to remediate, and DS2 (K next fall) has started the K book. It's a perfect fit. The 1st grade book teaches everything the K book does (letter formation), but gets into copying words and sentences faster. So I needed that for a 1st grader, but for a K'er, the K book is just right.

 

Oh, and watch that math/science/engineer guy... My oldest is one of those, yet he's fallen in love with history! :lol: I wouldn't have done history with him in K though. We started in 1st grade with SOTW1, and it's been great. We're pretty relaxed about it, and it's his favorite subject. :)

[pehp]

Thank you all so much! I appreciate the input. Maybe I will just do HWT and skip the pre-K. His fine motor skills seem decent for a 4 year old boy---but then again, he's my first child, so I have no idea what is normal.

 

I like the idea of geography and cultures--we have geopuzzles and we like to work those....doing some sort of 'around the world' study would be very neat. I'll have to ruminate on that one!

 

I also appreciate the BFSU Vol 1 suggestion...I am going to check that out! THe price is right! ;)

 

I hadn't thought about a language for kindy. I was thinking of introducing Latin at 3rd grade-ish, and I am not sure about what modern language to teach, and when. My husband and I are both proficient in French, he knows some Finnish (!) but I think Spanish is really the way to go. Actually I have thought for several years that it would be neat to eventually hire a (native-speaking) Spanish tutor to teach the entire family, so we can learn together. May be a bit early for that-I'm not sure when we should go there!

[pehp]

I think it looks great - and fun! One thing that I like to add, but is completely up to you of course, is Geography and Cultures. An introduction to our world, different countries, the child's place in it, and so forth.

 

The other thing I like is a language.

 

Lastly, even though I know you want to avoid formal science, check out the pdf of BFSU Volume 1 for kids K-2. It's only 5 bucks. With you being on a farm, it's so easy and natural to encounter nature and opportunities for learning. BFSU is like a spine and a resource for explaining and getting kids to understand at their level. I believe it meshes very well with CM as well.

 

BTW, my dd is starting Kindy this fall :)

 

I was just poking around and am only finding this on amazon--is there a link to the pdf version? Somehow I can't find it, but that might be Late Night Brain interfering. :D

[leann_in_tx]

BFSU download

 

http://outskirtspress.com/webpage.php?ISBN=9781432706104

 

I found this thru his pressforlearning.com website. I looked once before and thought that it was no longer available at this price. Nice to know I was wrong:)

[ErinE]

I think this looks great. If you're interested in Spanish, my dd uses this book. I wish I had started her in preschool, but she's doing well with the worksheets in kindergarten. The workbook is colorful, without being too busy. Each sheet only takes 5 minutes and she loves learning the words. When she's papercrafting, she'll pick up a green crayons and say, "verde."

[ssavings]

Lots of people use Miquon as a primary math. Its just fine on its own. And quite gentle.

[5Bmom]

My DS is a young k. He will be 5 in july. We are currently doing what is in my siggy.

[JennW in SoCal]

Hello everyone,

 

I'd love some advice from some seasoned homeschoolers.

 

I definitely fall into the well-seasoned category and want to reassure you that the gentle start works very well. We focused on the 3Rs until 4th grade, really, using Miquon then Singapore math and a variety of language arts resources but no packaged programs. Copy work and their own creations sufficed for writing.

 

We explored their interests in depth through library books, craft projects and various outings around town such that I felt no need to introduce history, science or culture topics. I once read that leading an interesting life is the best education there is, and while I believe in the need for formal academics, in retrospect I have to say that my boys learned more from and were shaped by our non-academic endeavors.

 

As you progress to more formal academics, don't underestimate the power of exploration and creative endeavors. For instance, we never did any formal science until high school. It sounds shockingly lax, I know! But there was no need as my kids lived and breathed science and engineering, and much of their knowledge of history came through learning about scientific discoveries. Both flourished in formal high school science courses, with my youngest getting top grades in community college chemistry when he was 15.

 

Keep a journal of all you read and do. It will serve as a reassurance that your children are learning and it will be a precious keepsake when they one day graduate and head to college.

[SorrelZG]

I definitely fall into the well-seasoned category and want to reassure you that the gentle start works very well. We focused on the 3Rs until 4th grade, really, using Miquon then Singapore math and a variety of language arts resources but no packaged programs. Copy work and their own creations sufficed for writing.

 

We explored their interests in depth through library books, craft projects and various outings around town such that I felt no need to introduce history, science or culture topics. I once read that leading an interesting life is the best education there is, and while I believe in the need for formal academics, in retrospect I have to say that my boys learned more from and were shaped by our non-academic endeavors.

 

As you progress to more formal academics, don't underestimate the power of exploration and creative endeavors. For instance, we never did any formal science until high school. It sounds shockingly lax, I know! But there was no need as my kids lived and breathed science and engineering, and much of their knowledge of history came through learning about scientific discoveries. Both flourished in formal high school science courses, with my youngest getting top grades in community college chemistry when he was 15.

 

Keep a journal of all you read and do. It will serve as a reassurance that your children are learning and it will be a precious keepsake when they one day graduate and head to college.

 

 

I found this encouraging and now I'm off reading your blog. Reading about your sons is inspiring. :)

[MeganW]

I WOULD start with HWOT PK, b/c it goes fast! We have done the PK books several times, and are about to start the K book again. Even doing everything outside the workbook, it just, well, it goes fast! By starting with PK, it wouldn't be quite as repetitive.

 

I started CC with the same intentions as you. In the beginning, my kids were utterly bored when presented with facts that meant nothing to them, so I started checking out books about the facts from the library. For example, the week before we learned the Christopher Columbus sentence at CC, we read about him at home. Same with all the areas except grammar & Latin, which we have chosen to skip this year. Now, my kids LOVE the material at CC, and they have memorized probably 90% of it, even though I have done nothing but check out/read books, and play the CD in the car. If you asked them their favorite things they have learned this year, that CC material is going to be the first thing named every time! So we have gotten a LOT more out of it than I expected!

 

For Christian ed, we have really enjoyed "Leading Little Ones to God". "Big Truths for Little Kids" is another we have heard really good things about, and we plan to jump into that next.

 

For readalouds, check out some of the many lists you can find online:

- Ambleside Online

- Sonlight (we have LOVED the books from the P4/5 list this year, and gotten much more out of them than we would have a year ago)

- Five in a Row

- Core Knowledge

- the readaloud lists from the many packaged kinder programs like Memoria Press, Hearts of Dakota, etc. etc.

[Ruby Rose]

Eta sorry, posted on wrong thread.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Ruby Sue

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I think it looks great - and fun! One thing that I like to add, but is completely up to you of course, is Geography and Cultures. An introduction to our world, different countries, the child's place in it, and so forth.

 

 

:iagree: There are so many topics that can be covered with a stack of picture books from the library (and no pressure, lessons, or schedule...just snuggle time on the couch or looking a pictures during quiet time). Some of my favorite quality picture books are non-fiction: biographies of a wide variety of people, events, science and math topics, etc. We also check out a huge number of culture-rich stories and myths. I posted a list of geography/culture related picture books a while back at Simple Homeschool, but you can find other lists online, or just browse your library.

 

If you have the time and energy (and a decent library), I would highly recommend looking for a few picture books on the CC memory topics. Again, you wouldn't have to have a schedule, detailed lesson plans, or push for memorization (although you might be surprised what your son picks up or what he chooses to get really excited about). Just have them available for read-aloud time.

[pehp]

I definitely fall into the well-seasoned category and want to reassure you that the gentle start works very well. We focused on the 3Rs until 4th grade, really, using Miquon then Singapore math and a variety of language arts resources but no packaged programs. Copy work and their own creations sufficed for writing.

 

We explored their interests in depth through library books, craft projects and various outings around town such that I felt no need to introduce history, science or culture topics. I once read that leading an interesting life is the best education there is, and while I believe in the need for formal academics, in retrospect I have to say that my boys learned more from and were shaped by our non-academic endeavors.

 

As you progress to more formal academics, don't underestimate the power of exploration and creative endeavors. For instance, we never did any formal science until high school. It sounds shockingly lax, I know! But there was no need as my kids lived and breathed science and engineering, and much of their knowledge of history came through learning about scientific discoveries. Both flourished in formal high school science courses, with my youngest getting top grades in community college chemistry when he was 15.

 

Keep a journal of all you read and do. It will serve as a reassurance that your children are learning and it will be a precious keepsake when they one day graduate and head to college.

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH! This is one reason I love hearing from people like you, who are 'farther along' the journey! The bolded bit about an interested life is exactly what I think and I love that you put that--thank you for the reassurance. I love seeing what other folks are doing at this level, but I have to restrain myself to keep it simple!

 

The bit about the copywork--here's one question I have. I have no idea how to teach handwriting, really. I've been letting my son copy from my work (or I will dictate things to him like the grocery to-do list)--and I keep thinking "is this enough? does he need to actually learn to write *properly* yet???".....when do you really need to get into the mechanics of how to write properly.

 

I love the idea of keeping a journal. I should do that. I have a blog, but it's not totally homeschool-focused. THank you for that tip!

[pehp]

And thank ya'll for the tips on CC and the link to the lists on Simply Homeschool--I will check them out!!!

 

This is very valuable to me.