How to make it harder?

[~Sunny~]

DD just goes through her school like it is no big deal. I chose Abeka because it was a bit harder than some of the others I looked at but still it isn't a challenge for her at all. Yesterday she was at my aunts who also homeschools and my aunt said to bring her school and they would all do it together. When I went and picked her up my aunt was saying how her school was to easy for her. So what do I do? I had thought about putting her right in 1st grade instead of starting K since it looked more her level but was afraid it might mess her up later or was afraid there might be something in K she didn't know that we would miss otherwise. Anyway I just need some ideas.

[teachermom_7]

I'm assuming by the last line your DD is in Kindergarten??

 

I struggled with the same thing earlier this year. My ds (5) went through ABEKA K3 and K4, so we naturally tended toward K5 for this year. When I received the books, I, too, was a little taken back by the "ease" at the beginning of the year.

 

One thing I've learned from my older one (3rd grader) with ABEKA is their year is divided into thirds ~ review / new concepts / review. If you'll look to about lesson 20 or so in the Kindergarten teacher guides, it gets more difficult and starts moving pretty quickly.

 

I wasn't going to do the review sections as my son already knows this information, but the more I thought about it, what would it hurt. He has the next 12 years of school to work hard ~ why not let him get into a "groove" with a little ease??

 

I will tell you I'm supplementing the phonics with the Phonics Musuem. It moves alot faster and is more interactive than the straight ABEKA program.

 

Math is still one area I'm not completely satisfied with, though. I ordered the Saxon K ~ entirely TOO easy!! I sold that and ordered Saxon 1 ~ started out okay but then moved entirely TOO fast!!

 

I went ahead and ordered the ABEKA math, but we're actually doing two (2) lessons a day instead of just one in the beginning. Again, the first 15 - 20 lessons are entirely review if your dd knows her numbers, but in math, I can see where the review is beneficial. They need that "drill" before they start learning addition and subtration.

 

I "feel your pain" and hope this helps a little.

 

I'm open to ANY other suggestions someone else may have for people in our position. I want to keep school fun and enjoyable, but want to keep focused on "learning," not "maintaining."

[Kim in SouthGa]

Probably the reason K5 looks too easy is because they have to work on the assumption that K5 will be the first year of school for many kids, since K3 and K4 are not required years. I will tell you that there is a huge jump in upper grades (2nd to 3rd was big, 3rd to 4th was huge), so if you want to keep with Abeka, I would say stick with it and just add extra reading. Are you using everything from Abeka? Maybe you could bump up the history and science with books from the library, dvds, computer games, etc. You can use the extra school time for field trips, service projects, etc. Things will get difficult soon enough, so just enjoy it while you can.:)

[~Sunny~]

The thing is she is not challenged at all by school. We are on lesson 30 and she still has no challenge what so ever. It is like she is learning nothing since she already knows it all. I just try to make if fun for her though still.

[Tammyla]

How is her handwriting? Does she form her letters and numbers correctly from memory? Is she reading yet or working on decoding? Determining the skills she has and those she needs to develope, will help you find the right placement and balance.

[PeterPan]

Have you tried condensing and combining lessons she can do easily until you get into material that is new or stimulating for her? There's no reason to repeat stuff she already knows. Use the book, don't let it use you. Nothing says you have to do Abeka K5 or ANY k5. Does she read yet? Teach her to read then let her read. Has she done basic math? Move her on to the next book. Don't let the materials hold you back. Homeschooling is not about being stuck in a "grade" and doing only that level of material. So for instance, she can do K5 handwriting (because that's age-appropriate and comfortable), 1st grade math, and totally ditch the phonics if she knows how to read. Or speed up the phonics if it's way too slow for her. Then start adding in some cool stuff like SOTW or great read alouds from SL or FIAR to spiff up your day. The FIAR guides have plenty of activities that will be engaging and creative for her. Or to get out of the box in a simpler way, you might get one of the guides from Moving Beyond the Page. I wouldn't do that for everything, but just to use one guide to supplement your time and add some fun would be good.

 

Don't hold her back! Combine lessons and get her through the easy stuff and into more challenging material. It's ok to have different subjects at different grades or places. You can do this! :)

[Jane]

Based on experience, here's how I handle this...

 

If you can look through your daughter's math book and honestly say, "She knows it all," I would move on to the 1st grade level. You can always do 1/2 the first grade book this year and the other 1/2 next year if you hit a tough spot. I alternate regularly between enriching lessons and moving forward. It's a balancing act.

 

With reading, I agree w/ the previous poster (Tammy), start teaching her how to read if she is ready. My K daughter is learning to read and loving it. Take your dd as far as she is able to go this year. When my children are ahead, it's no big deal to me if my children reach a plateau and we maintain until the following year. Personally, my children have always learned in "spurts" rather than a steady style at this age.

 

With handwriting, I find that all kindergarteners could use more practice, but I strive for SWB's goals: work up to 15 minutes per day and hover, hover, hover to make sure they are properly forming those letters and numbers. My K daughter is doing about 10-15 minutes of writing per day right now. That includes one sentence per day w/proper punctuation (taken from her phonics program) and work in her handwriting program. Some days she complains her hand hurts so I'm at the max of what she can do. I'm delighted that my hovering is paying off and those letters are *usually* being formed correctly. Every once in a while we have a "cutting" day where I give her work to cut out which always correlates with science or history. My goal is to build those fine motor skills which doesn't sound overly academic, but I know how important this skill/strengthening becomes later on in a classical education.

 

If you want, you can always add more read alouds too! I wish I had more time/energy for more read alouds.

 

HTH and enjoy your K year. As the years progress, the work will get harder. Enjoy some of the easy life now while you can. :)

[arcara]

Assuming she's reading and writing, I see no problem with advancing her in the 3R's subjects. You don't have to start a full 1st grade curriculum with science and history, but if you feel that she's ready for 1st grade level in some subjects, go ahead.

 

That's one of the advantages of homeschooling...going at your dc's pace, whether that be faster or slower. My oldest (age 8) is in 5th grade math, 4th grade grammar and reading, 3rd grade writing, and 2nd grade (soon to be 3rd grade) spelling. My 5-year-old is doing 1st grade, and she's doing very well! She insisted this morning on writing her own narration! She spells almost as well as my older dd and is also in 2nd grade spelling. She's actually reading 2nd grade readers and will probably finish 1st grade math in January/February. But, I tried starting her in Prima Latina with her older sister, and she really didn't like it, so I let her stop.

 

If you need to slow down at some point in the future, you will have plenty of time to do so!