Kindergarten: not enough to do

[Wind-in-my-hair]

WTM is a great resource for 1 through 12, but the K suggestions are slim: Do phonics, do handwriting, approximately 10 minutes of each, and casually do real-life math. Do read-alouds and audiobooks. We do.

 

Our formal school program takes only 15 minutes. Sometimes we skip handwriting, because he manipulates the lesson and tries to rush through it (once a Zaner-Bloser sheet is consumed, its consumed. Once I tried to erase his work so he could use the sheet again to practice, and he burst into tears and cried "You killed my letters!").

 

He is progressing well with reading. He is bored. He has a baby brother who interrupts our routines-- he needs tons of attention or else he gets involved in some fantasy game or mischief and we lose our connection to our work. I am begging for help. This feels like the beginning of the end of our homeschooling journey. 

 

[Ellie]

TWTM is just a suggestion. :-)

 

Well, there's no reason you can't do more for arithmetic. Grube's Method of Teaching Arithmetic is fascinating.

 

You could do Spalding, which includes handwriting but no worksheets. 

 

You could do something like My Father's World, or KONOS (Vol. 1), which would give you history, geography, science, arts and crafts, drama, literature--everything except English and math skills, based on godly character traits such as obedience, trustworthiness, attentiveness, and orderliness

[JessReplanted]

When my son was in K (and he was the only one I was homeschooling) we did a lot of fun stuff.

I remember learning about how pumpkins grow and creating a coloring thing that went with every phase.

We also did a lot of craft projects,  holiday activities, and rhymes/poems/songs.

It's really easy to find ideas on the internet for K.

 

He would also get easily bored and his sisters were babies as that point, so he didn't really have anyone to play with.

With my younger two, K had to be much more simplified.

[NoseInABook]

You can always add in more if your child is ready for it. My K-er is doing the group work in history, grammar, science, etc that my 1st grader is doing because he's interested. It's not one of his required subjects though.

[ErinE]

My dd took 30-40 minutes for K: 5-10 minutes phonics, 5-10 minutes writing, 10-20 minutes math. I was also homeschooling DS so that's all the time I spent one on one with her. DD participated in DS's history, science, and geography.

 

For math, we used Singapore Earlybird (I don't recommend it). Next time, I'll use Miquon, which you can purchase from Currclick. We also played games it's c-rods and cards, which my two eldest enjoyed.

 

You can create a unit study or purchase one. I like Five In a Row, but it was too much more for me with DS's work. Ask your DS what he wants to learn more about. Search your library's catalog for videos and books to use. For example, frogs:

 

* Read aloud non-fiction - Get easy readers about frogs and have DS read along with you. Get beautifully illustrated adult books and draw pictures.

* Read aloud fiction - Read funny, silly, or classic books about frogs.

* Writing - Write an easy sentence or simplify a harder one for DS and have him do it as copy work then draw a picture.

* Art - Get a book on how to draw frogs. Search the internet for frog crafts and do them.

* Cooking - Make frog cupcakes or cookies. If you don't like too many sweets, cook "Toad in the hole" (egg cooked in toast) or "Frogs on a log" (celery spread with cream cheese or peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins)

* Science - Get a tadpole kit. Watch videos about frogs and toads. Draw pictures showing the frog life cycle. Visit the museum if they have a frog exhibit. Go the zoo and look at the amphibian exhibit. Learn about unique types of frogs and toads.

* Math - count how many days it takes the frog egg to hatch and the days until the tadpole becomes a frog. Use hash marks. Make a chart. Count how many frogs are in the backyard or local pond.

* geography - color a map showing where frogs are located.

 

Essentially, take any subject he's interested in and try to think of an activity for reading, writing, math, science, art, history, geography, cooking, etc. If he can't give you can answer, make suggestions: sharks, dinosaurs, dogs, volcanoes, airplanes. Pinterest and Google can help you create a study without spending too much.

 

DD had a journal with blank space for pictures at the top and handwriting lines at the bottom. She used it for everything except math in Kindergarten and she loves looking through it two years later.

[MinivanMom]

We do follow the recommendation for 10 min each of phonics, handwriting, and math (along with reading aloud daily) . . . but . . . we don't limit ourselves to real-life math or to kindergarten level materials. My kindergartner is just finishing Singapore 1A right now. I try to limit her math time to 10 min or so, but she's ready for more advanced concepts so that's what we do. My oldest was reading at a 5th-6th grade level in K, so she didn't need any phonics instruction. I did more advanced writing with her. It's okay to increase the difficulty level if that's what your son needs. It's okay to increase the time spent if you feel like he is ready for that. It doesn't need to be a huge jump between K & 1; it can be a gradual shift.

 

I always try to make sure that my K child has my undivided attention while we do schoolwork. I have found that this is very important for building good work habits and good attitudes. We start schoolwork at the same time everyday, we work in the same place, and we complete work in the same order. K-er does not get down from the table until all of the work is done. This is my 3rd k-er and I have always had a baby. I find that sitting down to work right when I lay the baby down to nap is the best way to eliminate potential distractions.

 

Personally, I only require my kindergartners to work for 45 min or so. The rest of the day is theirs. I feel that play is still a very important part of learning for children this age, regardless of how academically advanced they are. It's important to learn how to play and how to fill your own time. It's important to have time to play with other kids your age, to play with siblings/cousins of different ages, and to engage in solitary play. I also read aloud and plan age-appropriate projects that go along with our reading (art projects, planting a garden, baking bread, making butter, raising butterflies, etc.), but I still leave most of our daily hours for play. I think we as a society greatly undervalue free play.

[boscopup]

There isn't a whole lot to K, but if he's wanting more, feel free to add more. You're in charge, not WTM. ;)

 

Get regular paper out to practice writing, if the ZB page isn't enough. You might also practice writing in other mediums, like salt, sand, or shaving cream. My oldest's private school K class put shaving cream on their desks to practice writing. They enjoyed it a lot. :D

 

Also, take this time to get out and about while you can. Is there a park nearby? Any good field trip spots (zoos, museums, etc.)?

 

Last year, my middle son did K for about 30 minutes, and then had another 30 minutes of read-alouds. That was it. It was plenty for him. I let him go play when he was done. This year, he has more work in first grade. I've still limited his subjects (seatwork includes math, phonics, and reading... then we have history and science as content subjects, plus some "fun, harder math" as a separate math session). His seatwork probably totals an hour now, and then the content subjects are read-alouds and occasional projects.

 

How old is baby brother? When I started homeschooling, my youngest was 18 months old. That is a terrible age for homeschooling. :lol: They're into everything and need a LOT of supervision. I tried to do most things during his naps. Sometimes I'd teach with him in my lap. I just did what I could and didn't worry about it. I knew he wouldn't be little for too long. Now, 3 years later, he is a 4.5 year old who sits nicely at his own desk with some K workbooks, and he'll actually work on them independently for a VERY long time. He even reads the instructions in his math book and follows them. :D He's not at all a problem during homeschooling now. He'll still sometimes sit in my lap when I'm teaching another child though. ;)

 

Oh, and for math... I use Singapore Essential Math K at age 4 and start 1st grade math at age 5. All of my kids are mathy (both parents are mathy), but if they weren't, I'd use EM K at age 5 no problem. You don't HAVE to just do casual real-life stuff for math. You can go ahead and start a math curriculum if you want. Most curricula have K programs. What math program did you have in mind for 1st grade? And where is your child in math currently? Is he counting past 100? Is he adding/subtracting? Or is he figuring out multiplication and negative numbers and just about ready for square roots? :lol: I have one child who learned a lot of his math via oral discussions in the van, and then the other two have done best with workbooks combined with manipulatives as needed.

[Mom2TheTeam]

I don't require much more of my K'ers.

 

But, we do MFW K and my kids love it.  If you do the program as written including the projects, it takes 60-90 minutes.  And, it's really fun.  ;) 

 

My current K'ers did it with their older brother 2 years ago.  So, we aren't doing all the projects.  They just do the LA and math portion.  I have added in Explode the Code and ZB handwriting book for them because they ask for more.  But, they are learning a lot just with the MFW K program.  I didn't add any more to it for my older.

 

Oh, I agree you don't have to follow MTW to the letter.  Add more if you need more.  But, keep in mind, it's just K.  They have many more years to learn it all.  ;)  The foundations of phonics/reading, writing and math are most important at this stage.

[ElizaG]

The traditional early childhood activities, such as:

Poetry, storytelling, singing, percussion instruments, hand-clapping games, dancing, other physical activities

 

Painting, drawing, coloring, using modeling clay, paper folding, cutting & pasting, basic hand sewing and knitting

 

are sometimes dismissed as "fluff" among serious homeschoolers, but they're about as classical as you can get, in the sense that they've been a foundational part of children's lives for countless generations.  (Scientific research seems to back this up, too -- for example, look at the links between music education and math ability.)  

 

Maybe I'm in my second childhood, but we could easily spend hours on "kindergarten" in our house, and I think all of us would get a lot out of it.  :-)   

[PeterPan]

Try using a metronome set to 54 bpm while he does his handwriting.  You can download a metronome app for free.  Or incentivize him to slow down by rewarding him with a skittle for each word he writes slowly and carefully.  Whatever language he speaks, use.  

 

As far as things to do in K5, we did a country study and started a survey of american history.  I can't remember if we started latin then or maybe during the summer headed into 1st?  As soon as they are bored and can read, start ramping up and add in things.  In your case I'd consider adding science.  The American Chemical Society has some fabulous books that you can read and implement together without much trouble.  https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/publications.html  Such happy memories of doing those!  :)

 

We also did the Discovering Great Artists books, FIAR (just read and do on a rainy day), etc. etc.  Find things that seem fun to you and do them.  Do kits, work through a book, anything you like.  

[PeterPan]

The traditional early childhood activities, such as:

 

Poetry, storytelling, singing, percussion instruments, hand-clapping games, dancing, other physical activities

 

Painting, drawing, coloring, using modeling clay, paper folding, cutting & pasting, basic hand sewing and knitting

 

are sometimes dismissed as "fluff" among serious homeschoolers, but they're about as classical as you can get, in the sense that they've been a foundational part of children's lives for countless generations.  (Scientific research seems to back this up, too -- for example, look at the links between music education and math ability.)  

 

Maybe I'm in my second childhood, but we could easily spend hours on "kindergarten" in our house, and I think all of us would get a lot out of it.  :-)   

Yes, we used the BJU music curriculum and dd did a lot of work with Sculpey...  

[Punchie]

My DD was bored w the 3Rs for kindergarten as well. We added in logic, Spanish, geography, and art.

 

How old is baby brother? Could you put together little work boxes for him to do while at the table? Or maybe put bowls of water on the kitchen floor w/cups and measuring spoons (I do this, with a bunch of towels underneath).

[MrsH]

Is the problem that he's not doing his bit of seatwork in a satisfactory way b/c he's bored with it, or is the problem that there isn't enough other stuff going on for him to keep him happy throughout the day?  Or is it something else entirely?  I'm seeing some good suggestions here for both scenarios, but it might be helpful to have more clarity about the issue. 

[ondreeuh]

We did K stuff last year (K4) and this year (K5) we are doing mostly first grade work. WTM is just a guide - definitely bump it up if you want to! If you want to stick with WTM suggestions, you can start FLL and/or WWE now if your kid is ready.

 

We double up on LA, science, and math and it still doesn't take longer than 2 hours a day if we do everything. Since my son goes to full-day PS kindergarten, we do about an hour in the morning and up to an hour in the afternoon. He needs the structure and still has down time. It helps that his kindergarten includes lots of play time.

 

For math we do one program (Horizons) for maintenance/review and another (Singapore) for conceptual learning. We use Sonlight Science A (their kindergarten level) even though we are secular homeschoolers. It uses Usborne books and provides a good jumping-off point for crafts, videos, supplemental books, etc. We use Daily Science 1 just because it is easy and my son likes it (and it does push essential vocabulary). We use the McGraw-Hill LA program that is available for free online, and I use Evan-Moor's Daily 6-Trait Writing 1 book for more focus on composition.

 

Evan-Moor has really nice books - look at the monthly theme books. Scholastic also has some great eBooks and there is a dollar sale going on now. Teaching with Favorite Arnold Lobel Books was fantastic. There are lots of other Teaching with Favorite ... books as well. http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/

 

 

 

 

[Tonia]

Everyone has great suggestions for adding more but I wanted to mention that you shouldn't forget about your own education. Use the time while they are young to read and study in whatever areas you are lacking. And don't forget that lots of play time for a five year old is more beneficial than seat work.

[AmandaVT]

We're doing a good bit of academic work, but we're mixing in a lot of fun stuff. Here's yesterday for example: 

 

Yahtzee (his current favorite game)

Math

Read The Cricket in Times Square together

Play with blocks - build castles and have his dinosaur knock them over

Look at the timeline and read about the Jurassic era

Do a lesson in AAS and then play hangman on the white board

Do a page of handwriting

Make muffins

20 min of quiet reading for both of us while the muffins bake

Do a page of lollipop logic

He played his keyboard while I washed the dishes 

Play outside, drive to town, go for a walk to the bridge he likes to play "pooh sticks" on and throw sticks for awhile

Go to Panera for lunch

He played outside for 30 min or so

Bath time

Quiet time (1 1/2 hrs)

 

So we get a fair amount in, but there's a lot of other stuff mixed in. 

 

 

[Korrale]

How about introducing a book like draw write now. It is basic but covers drawing and writing. He can spend more time coloring his drawing.

How about adding books like the Kumon Let's (fold, cut, paste) series. A sheet from each won't take long to do but it gives him some practice with fine motor skills.

Give him a tray of Montessori inspired activities, lacing, pouring, sorting, etc. or just give him some playdoh and a hammer.

All of the above he can complete on his own.

 

But together you can read him selections from a book like What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know.

[Korrale]

How about introducing a book like draw write now. It is basic but covers drawing and writing. He can spend more time coloring his drawing.

How about adding books like the Kumon Let's (fold, cut, paste) series. A sheet from each won't take long to do but it gives him some practice with fine motor skills.

Give him a tray of Montessori inspired activities, lacing, pouring, sorting, etc. or just give him some playdoh and a hammer.

All of the above he can complete on his own.

 

But together you can read him selections from a book like What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know.

[Hunter]

Sign up at the Ambleside Online Forum, and check out the Year 0 suggestions.

https://amblesideonline.org/forum/

 

Public School Methods Volume 1 has a nice section on kindergarten.

http://books.google.com/books?id=CYoYUOy6KGoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:iWtt9JSiG4cC&hl=en&sa=X&ei=F3h9UqLzLaX94AO4z4DADQ&ved=0CEYQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Montessori Grammar

https://archive.org/details/montessorielemen027888mbp

 

Montessori Geography

http://www.childandme.com/files/PLGeography.pdf

 

A Kindle full of nicely formatted vintage read alouds. I have all of these on my cell phone.

Heritage History Young Readers Collection

http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage-store.php?pid=curriculum

Yesterday's Classics

http://www.yesterdaysclassics.com

Gateway to the Classics Collection

http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/_ebooks.php

[GPMommy]

For K we usually do phonics (phonics pathways), math bju 1, handwriting, bible study drawing based curriculum, science, geography, unit study, Spanish, art. We also do calendar, read alouds, songs, sing ABC's, go over colors, shapes, etc.

 

For the handwriting I prefer to make copies to go over trouble letters more than once or just really get them comfortable with each letter.

[kbutton]

I make up handwriting sheets to go along with phonics for extra writing practice. Maybe your son would enjoy writing more if he could write some of the words he reads. Not everyone likes to practice just a letter or two at a time. My son likes to write but used to rush through it. He has trouble making the handwriting strokes permanent, and he eventually realized he wasn't remembering them. I sit with him to be sure he always makes the letters the same way (sometimes we do them on the white board with huge arm motions), and he now he likes to take his time and make the letters nice. It also helps that his curriculum tells him to circle his best letters.

 

We used Math-U-See Primer as a preschool program (we didn't write it down), and we extended those principles as well. Primer is the one level in MUS where you can skip around based on interest. My son even learned to tell time (MUS has a fabulous method for this). We use Miquon now. Education Unboxed has great videos for math activities if you don't want to do a lot of written work. There is no rule saying he can't keep moving forward if he's ready.

 

Read about anything and everything that interests him.

 

If the baby is a serious interruption, plan things in short spurts like you are doing now, but maybe make up a couple of workboxes that he can do without you when you need to tend the baby. My little guy loved to play with MUS decimal street on his own. I made number cards so that he could do it alone. Or, give him a timer that he uses to check back in with you when you are finished with the interruption.

[RootAnn]

Once I tried to erase his work so he could use the sheet again to practice, and he burst into tears and cried "You killed my letters!").

 

Had you thought about using "large motor" for handwriting? Using a finger in a saltbox? Marker on a white board? Arm in the air with big "air" letters? 

Eventually, pull out regular paper (using two lines so there is a mid-line like in ZB's paper) and see how he does. (I don't actually start handwriting until 2nd semester K year.)

 

Our K is very short on seatwork. 15 minutes of phonics & 15 minutes of math

Ds1 also has some Bible reading a few times a week and crafts when he wants them. He's asked for the coloring pages & to participate in history (SOTW2 this year), but that's only because I'm already doing it with the olders. I don't do history/science with my Kers usually.

We do fort building, big Lego blocks, play-acting ("dress up class" for the girls, usually sword fighting or animals for the boys), cooking class, etc. 

 

There is plenty of time to ramp up the seatwork later, IMO.

[newhsmom]

We really enjoy Five in a Row at that age. The books are great and you can decide how many of the activities you want to complete.

[reign]

Do you want more academic ideas or keeping busy ideas? We have sit down work but it doesn't take that long. Our extras take all day though. I wish we had a couple more hours a day. My oldest doesn't do great with large chunks of free time. She needs guided activities (lessons) to break up her play time. So after memory work and seat work is done we usually cycle through free play, guided lessons, reading, and art.

 

What we call "lessons"

Song school latin

History (prehistory)

Science (zoology)

Art history

Music

Geography

Science experiments

Crafts