BelleMaMa Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Hi! I'm new here and trying to figure out how to plan to After-school in the coming year. I will have a 3rd grader and 1st grader. They attend very good public schools. But as with any large school with large classrooms there is just a little missing. I want to develop a way to supplement what they are doing in school. As I said, the school is a very "high-performing" school, but I see little gaps in the classroom instruction. The teacher simply has to work with so many kids. I don't necessarily want to teach other subjects, but get the most out of what she is getting at school and then add to their natural interests that arise at the same time. I've had a hard time finding something to help me get started. Curriculums are mostly for full-time home-schooling. Halfway through the year, I realize my 2nd grader hadn't brought home any vocabulary. I am very scatterbrained (and they are too)...it's a dangerous combination. I need a very structured process that can help me prepare for this. What has worked for planning a year of after-schooling? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 A few ideas for that age: Practice math concepts using Cuisenaire Rods or similar manipulatives. Either do this as part of their homework, or using an extra practice or challenge math book, depending on where your child is in math. Encourage your kids to always write their homework answers in complete and correct sentences, to review grammar / spelling rules etc. I liked workbooks such as Wordly Wise (since you mentioned vocabulary), content reading (read a nonfiction selection and answer questions), and some simple math practice books to keep things fresh. Fun educational videos about science, history, geography .... Trips to museums, using their hands-on exhibits to get a little deeper in topics they are learning. Lots of reading aloud. While I didn't start audiobooks that young, that might be a good idea too. Agree with board games, card games, guessing / logic games.... Building projects that encourage the application of engineering concepts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deBij Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 At those ages I would want to ensure that the kids are getting their skills (reading, arithmatic). If those are being addressed at school then I would work on things that school often fall short on. So I: - read Story of the World (nice digestible sections) - do Art (pick a curriculum if that is what you prefer) - play boardgames (logic) - read aloud and have children read aloud (vocabulary and reading skills) - allow them to take a day off school sometimes for an educational field trip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 I use the calendar for ideas & tie learning to what's happening on it & in the world. MLK day just passed & we read a long passage from his speech. She had a field trip about Tubman & we pre-read her bio. along with a 'choose your own history' book on the URR. When she watched 'Greatest Showman' I supplemented with a bio on Barnum & 'behind the scenes' circus acts books. We got up for the recent lunar eclipse--it was cool! She's interested in hairdos & fashion so I'll pull up Google images of certain styles. She flipped through my checkbook today & we talked about its function. I walked her through pitching a tent when she 'set up camp' in the family room. I make a short list of topics I want to cover in a few weeks' time & put it on the fridge so I can refer to it often. I feel like my after schooling is willy-nilly but a strict schedule here doesn't work anymore. So instead, I grab moments when I can, hit my 'to do list' when I can, & follow her interests and questions. I'm a planner so it's against my nature to fly by my pants like this but these short spurts of learning give me a happier kid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 I wouldn't expect second graders to have specific vocabulary homework, tbh, and I probably wouldn't peg that as the focus of school-like supplementation. If you're feeling a lack there I'd focus on the big two: experiences and read-alouds. Read-alouds should be engaging and interesting first and foremost, but for vocabulary building you'll want to aim slightly above your child's reading level - and don't forget to talk about what you read! (Also what you watch on TV together, current events, everything really.) Experiences are things like trips to the zoo, to a play, to a museum, to the beach - or activities you do like cooking, learning to ski, art class, and so on. And, again, there's talking involved in the planning and after the fact. A trip to the zoo or museum should not be a forced march from beginning to end as rapidly as possible. Instead you should look in depth at some exhibits, read the informational guides, compare what you see there to what you know from elsewhere and so on - even if this means you only see a small portion of the whatever-it-is. This isn't structured, and I apologize. Calendars are the only way I managed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 On 25 janvier 2019 at 4:26 AM, Tanaqui said: I wouldn't expect second graders to have specific vocabulary homework, tbh, and I probably wouldn't peg that as the focus of school-like supplementation. If you're feeling a lack there I'd focus on the big two: experiences and read-alouds. Read-alouds should be engaging and interesting first and foremost, but for vocabulary building you'll want to aim slightly above your child's reading level - and don't forget to talk about what you read! (Also what you watch on TV together, current events, everything really.) Experiences are things like trips to the zoo, to a play, to a museum, to the beach - or activities you do like cooking, learning to ski, art class, and so on. And, again, there's talking involved in the planning and after the fact. A trip to the zoo or museum should not be a forced march from beginning to end as rapidly as possible. Instead you should look in depth at some exhibits, read the informational guides, compare what you see there to what you know from elsewhere and so on - even if this means you only see a small portion of the whatever-it-is. This isn't structured, and I apologize. Calendars are the only way I managed. I agree wholeheartedly with this approach! I like to be organized though & know 'owning' a word oftentimes required several exposures to it. I meld the 2 by keeping a running list of new words. This allows me to use the words repeatedly in various contexts so my child has a better chance of remembering them. Geek that I am, she also has a personal dictionary into which she enters new words from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 (edited) Nm Edited May 17, 2019 by Frances Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hs03842 Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 (edited) - Edited June 8, 2020 by JoyKM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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