Guest coettaholmes Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 I'm new to the forum here :seeya: and pretty much the entire idea of homeschooling so I'm looking for any and all websites, books, resources, blogs.......etc that you all and your kiddos love using for PreK. I've gone through some of the old posts that are similar, but there were a lot of acronyms for curriculum and such that I don't have a clue what they mean :blush: DS is 2.5 (will be 3 in Sept) and we haven't done anything formal at all. I'm just the type of person that likes to be (over) prepared and love having a plan and thinking ahead. Also if you have any recommendations for books I should read I'd love to hear that too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawlas Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I've also found that 1+1+1=1 blog has a lot of really great printables. My boys' favorite at that age was the monster truck die (and graphing the results). Book recommendations? The Well Trained Mind! ;-) Unplugged Play We also really enjoyed bits and pieces of the preschool level of the Handwriting Without Tears program (especially the wooden peices) With my up and coming PreKer (he'll be four in a few months) I'm considering All About Reading Pre-Level 1 Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNW Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I try to give DD as many new experiences as possible to expand her mind. So we go to lots of new places and stop by places on the way to something else. For example, we stop by the side of the road to look at a type of tree she has never seen, or something trivial like that. Then maybe I'll point it out to her in a book that week to help her connect things in her mind. I just want her to notice the world around her. It doesn't have to be necessarily a "kid" place. We just visit different types of stores, libraries in different towns...anything to expose her to new and different things. It's really fun. We just live life, but try to pay attention to stuff! http://www.starfall.com/ Book: Montessori Play and Learn http://www.amazon.com/Montessori-Play-And-Learn-Purposeful/dp/0517591820 Book: Art for All Seasons or something similar from the library http://www.amazon.com/Seasons-Simple-Projects-Holidays-Kidsworks/dp/1557346763/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369745760&sr=1-10&keywords=art+for+all+seasons We had a lot of fun exploring seasons and holidays and just paying attention to the changes around us. We would make decorations, make food to celebrate seasons and holidays, learn songs and poems, etc. Getting non-fiction book from the library about seasons and holidays was a good way to introduce DD to non-fiction. We would find poems that I would type or write out, and then we would make a craft or draw a picture to go with it. We kind of did "themes" but mostly I just took my cues from her interests. If she wanted to do workbooks/worksheets, I let her. But I never forced her to complete things that she wasn't into. That was just my approach with age 3/4/5 because I didn't want her to grow to hate "school." http://www.first-school.ws/ free printables, ideas, lots of theme stuff! Also, I find that the websites of Kindergarten teachers are incredible with ideas, photos, links, etc. That is just what comes to mind, but if you need more specific resources/ideas just ask! Fun times!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNW Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Also wanted to add that I love to plan ahead too. But I did find that having such a free spirit for a child left me a little frustrated at times because a lot of my "plans" didn't really work out. There wasn't enough time to do everything *I* wanted to do and still have time to do everything she was interested in. Sigh. Guess it's not all about me! ;) You might want to keep it in the back of your mind that it might not all happen as planned. Might save you a little disappointment if you're like me and you envision all these awesome learning experiences with DC. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeartatHome Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Hi, I'm also new to homeschooling and was so overwhelmed with all the information and options! After months and months of research I now know most of the acronyms :laugh: I didn't really start doing much with my daughter until she was 4 and even then it was super gentle and casual. Also, depending on whether you want Christian or secular will narrow down your choices/information quite a bit. Here are some great links/info I found helpful to me personally or that I came across during my research. Blogs/Links, etc... There are TONS out there but here are a couple to get you started and then a link to a list: Confessions of a Homeschooler: Has lots of free printables. She even has pre-school and K curriculum you can buy for a small cost but of course you'd need to print http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/ - Also has some great printable http://www.welltrain...chool-blogs/��- List of blogs that you can check out Books: I love all of Nancy Clarkson stuff and Ruth Beechick the 3'R's is very helpfu (at least it was for me). FYI that these are from a Christian perspective. Cathy Duffy's 101 top picks is sometimes a good place to start. Helps you understand your teaching style/philosphy a bit and gives you some info on curriculum. There are some books that point to a certain educational philosophy like Charlotte Mason philosphy called "for the children's sake or of course Classical The well trained mind. There is also the traditional textbook approach or a mix. (There are many books in these various categories of course but just to give you something to start with) If you have a library near you, you can probably check out alot of the books instead of purchasing them. If you want something planned out for you here are a few options: Heart of Dakota's (HOD) has a nice little pre-school curriculum which you can start at 3 or 4 years old. I'm actually going to use it for my 5 year old Kinder and beefing it up with age appropriate reading/writing/math. My Father's World (MFW) Five in a Row - if you like to plan this might be a good one for you - it's not as laid out as the above two. Not for me but a good choice for others. Rod and Staff or Christian Light offers some great little workbooks called ABC Readiness Series that color/cut/paste for fine motor skills if your kiddo likes workbooks later. He is still on the young side but maybe in a couple of years. They make a great supplement as well. I plan to use them alongside Heart of Dakota for my daughter. Anyway, there is alot more out there but I hope this helps you get started for now. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions. HTH I also wanted to add that the Williamson's little hands series has some great little art books for 2 - 6 year olds for art/craft type of ideas and activities (Alphabet Art, Little hands art book, etc.) I check these out from the library so you can try them out first before purchasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindy9 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I also love Confessions of a Homeschooler and 1+1+1+1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 I'm new to the forum here :seeya: and pretty much the entire idea of homeschooling so I'm looking for any and all websites, books, resources, blogs.......etc that you all and your kiddos love using for PreK. I've gone through some of the old posts that are similar, but there were a lot of acronyms for curriculum and such that I don't have a clue what they mean :blush: DS is 2.5 (will be 3 in Sept) and we haven't done anything formal at all. I'm just the type of person that likes to be (over) prepared and love having a plan and thinking ahead. Also if you have any recommendations for books I should read I'd love to hear that too! Montessori is by far one of my favorite things. Just a few (overwhelming :) ) resources for Montessori homeschool. There's SOOOO much available for Montessori homeschool. http://www.montessor....com/Home.html/ http://khtmontessori...ourse-syllabus/ http://lifemoresimpl...-materials.html Books I like Are Earthways for waldorf inspired natural crafts. Little Hands Art book. www.kinderart.com for art. ChildSized Masterpieces art cards. The mommyandme website has fun ideas for crafts. As does pinterest of course. Any good parenting or family magazine will give loads of good craft ideas as well. I really like Mudpies to Magnets and Everybody has A Body along with Montessori for science. Nature study with Outdoor Hour Challenge are fun. I love Peak With Books. Scholastic ebooks are good resources for fun games and activities as well. You can use a online booklists or a book like Read Aloud Handbook or Books to Build On or More Books Kids Will Sit Still For to get read aloud ideas. Sing Spell Read Write is a good preschool program for age 3. Lots of play with hands on math manipulatives. MEP reception is a gentle start in math. I think that preschool can be be really fun. What you will do may change in the ages 4-5 than the 2-3 ages. Age 4 you may want to look into things like Handwriting Without Tears.(Age 3s can do the wooden letters and other activities. ), Explode The Code. I think a 3 year old may even be able to do the oral work for learning the ABC sounds in the first section of Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading. The thing to remember about preschool age is that it's really easy and tempting to do too much. There are a ton of resources for these ages. You have to just jump in and try something, whatever works best for your family and child, and then put blinders on to all the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest coettaholmes Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Wow, thank you all so much for the links, books, workbooks etc recommendations! I can't wait to look at them all :hurray: With baby #2 on the way I am not entertaining any ideas of a schedule for his PreK activities because I'll probably be exhausted :laugh: I mostly just want a reference list of fun and or educational things we can do together once baby is here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 For later on, my kids love the Core Knowledge Preschool & Actitvity Books. For your age, I would say (and I recommend these to everyone) is the Maryann Kohl Books. Maybe toddlers & Twos, Mudworks, and Messy Art. and Later on look into Preschool Art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachrose Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 http://www.enkieducation.org/html/cm_d2_kindergarten_pkgs.htm This is a k program but there is enough materials in it to do a couple years of preschool and K. some favs Waldorf method introduces science through stories my favorite early book is Nature stories by Margaret Peckham another http://www.tiptoes-lightly.net/ http://littleacornlearning.com/sampleweek.html little acorn curriculum http://junipertreepuppets.com/books/ another vote for the book Earthways HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Umm_Zayd Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 These are really great links for planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rellybob Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Notimeforflashcards.com - lots of good book lists and craft ideas Activityvillage.co.uk - tons of printables, craft ideas Everythingpreschool.com - themes, lesson plans, coloring pages There's a few to get you started! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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