Total Newbie Needs Advice

[Alicia64]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm brand new to home schooling with two five year old boys (six in April). I pulled them out of a "great" school at Christmas.

 

I've read Well Trained Mind and was both impressed and scared out of my you know what at the same time.

 

I need your advice. Here's what we're doing:

 

We're doing a lot of reading (I read to them). We're going through the Little House series, finished the Magic Tree House books and they listen to books on tape in the car. Roald Dahl books mostly.

 

But. . . what else should I be doing?? I thought the charter school I signed up with would give me ideas, but not so much. They're fairly loose, not very directive.

 

Don't laugh: I'm using curriculum books that I found in Costco that are basics for Kindergartners.

 

I do "word of the day" (and, but, said, he, she, bat etc.) that I write huge and tape in the kitchen and bathroom. Remarkably they're learning the words this way.

 

We're also watching the NEST DVD shows on Edison, Graham Bell, Lincoln, Helen Keller. Then read a book about each hero and then draw a picture of what stuck with them.

 

We also cook three or more times a week: pancakes, smoothies mainly.

 

I'm waiting for two fun math games to arrive that I ordered.

 

Do you have curriculum advice? I'm open!! I bounce back and forth between thinking, "why do I think I can do this?" and "oh, mellow out: they're learning."

 

Any curriculum or mental health advice totally welcome. (Also dh talked me into home schooling and is very supportive, but all of the grandparents are fuming which is a bummer.)

 

Thank you!!

 

Alicia

[King Alfred Academy]

Hi Alicia...welcome to the world of homeschooling and to these boards!

 

You mentioned your charter school not being much help to you, which is sad because that is what they are suppose to do...help, guide, and be a support. I live close to you and am involved with a great charter school (in Sac.). They are hands-off, believing the parents are in charge of their child's education, and offer a ton of resources. We even have a "support" group of moms who follow the Well Trained Mind and a lot of the school is moving in the Classical direction. If you are interested, you can PM me and I would be happy to talk to you about it. :001_smile:

 

Sounds to me like you are hands on and that is great! You are already doing narrations with them by having them draw a picture of something that stood out to them in the video. As far as curriculum, are you doing a phonics program with them? Playing around with math manipulatives? What about getting outside and learning about nature? Puzzles? Playing with Play Dough?

 

Anyhow, just a few things that came to mind. Feel free to get in touch with me if you would like to know more about our charter school.

[katemary63]

For me homeschooling is very, very rewarding and also what we consider to be the best of the alternatives for our DD7. It's not "hard". It just takes discipline and determination and faith that you are doing the right thing. I have a schedule of the academics I want to accomplish for the day. We check it off as it is done. We know that our day isn't finished till the list is finished. This keeps us on track so we don't always feel that we are "behind". Others homeschool with a much more "casual" attitude, especially at the younger ages, which is fine too. I like the accountability of a list. (I don't keep to a time schedule - just a list to finish.)

For Kindergarten, you should be deciding how you want to teach them to read. I used Abeka's phonics program. Others like different approaches. Most on this board agree it's best to teach phonics rather then sight words first. They should be learning the letters and what sounds they make. You should also be working on learning numbers and start printing letters and numbers. A lot of this you can do with workbooks if you want. There is also complete Kindergarten curriculum you can order.

You should check out if there is a homeschool co-op in your area. We use ours for PE, Spanish, Music classes and field trips. You will get lots more advice I'm sure. Most importantly, remember to have fun! My DD7 and I try to laugh as much as possible during school! You can when you are the only student!

 

Here are 2 good websites to order from:

 

http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php

www.cbd.com

[Amber in AUS]

I would start with a solid phonics program and math and anything else is wonderful but not essential at their age. Phonics will not only teach them how to read but will also help them with spelling too in the long run.

[razorbackmama]

I would start with a solid phonics program and math and anything else is wonderful but not essential at their age. Phonics will not only teach them how to read but will also help them with spelling too in the long run.

 

Totally ditto this!

 

Honestly I would scrap the word of the day thing. You want them to learn phonics, not sight reading. Here is a link to a thread I started about this sort of thing. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80680 My kids were taught phonics but ended up learning sight-reading because of the way they were taught phonics, and I am about to have to start doing remedial work with my 3 older ones. I don't want you to have to go through that! LOL! That would be my biggest piece of advice - steer clear of sight words!!!:tongue_smilie:

 

You also might want to add in a handwriting program.

 

But at this age I'd just focus on reading, writing, and math. The rest is just gravy.:D

[arcara]

I agree with the previous posts. You should probably start with some phonics. They can't really do much else until they can read. Where are they in learning to read? If they don't know their letters or letter sounds, the Leap Frog phonics videos are great. If they're past this, there are several programs that people like...100 Easy Lessons, Phonics Pathways, The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. 15 minutes twice a day is great - one session "reading" and one session of games.

 

It's great that you're doing lots of read-alouds. That will encourage them to want to read on their own and will give them a great love of books!

 

Some short beginning handwriting lessons would probably be good. We like Handwriting without Tears. My son likes it a lot!

 

I don't worry about Math too much. It's nice if they know their basic shapes and can make patterns. It's nice if they can count and recognize numbers to 20, I think. Most 1st grade math programs are pretty easy to jump into without doing K first, but they do require some writing. My son could probably do Saxon 1 now, but he doesn't have the handwriting skills yet.

 

Phonics, Handwriting and math could take 30 -45 minutes per day at the most. And you can break it up throughout the day if it helps.

[Michelle My Bell]

Like everyone else, I recommend you go with Phonics & Math. Specifically I like Teach You Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons & RightStart Math which is full of hands-on FUN math. I would also recommend Explode the Code books or the preschool Explode the Code books for some handwriting / phonics work. I would continue what you are doing with the other things. Actually, not many "newbies" get it that you don't have to do school at home. You are already doing a great job!

 

Michelle

Edited February 8, 2009 by Michelle My Bell

[Aurelia]

You'll probably get as many opinions as there are people on these boards, :001_smile: but I agree with the others about doing phonics and math. We prefer ABeCeDarian for reading instruction after Ariel mastered the letters sounds with the Leapfrog videos because they teach all the sounds of "oh," for example, instead of one at a time. Reading Eggs is a good supplement, too. The program you choose is really up to you - other good ones are Dancing Bears, The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, or Reading Made Easy. Explode the Code is also good, some use it as a supplement and others use it as a stand-alone program.

 

A basic handwriting program is necessary so they don't develop bad/sloppy writing habits, but you don't have to do anything expensive. We use and like Handwriting Without Tears, but you can even use a wipe-off tablet from Wal-Mart if you need.

 

We use Right Start for math, which Ariel really likes - before this program we tried several programs that she loathed. It's a great program for kids who learn visually and aren't too keen on workbooks as it is very hands on and conversational. Kumon workbooks are gentle and thorough, for this level, too. Ariel has gained a lot of confidence with telling time and counting to 100 since she finished those workbooks.

 

Everything else is icing on the cake, and it's great that you spend so much time reading to them. If you want to add some science and history read-alouds, we like the "Read and Find Out" science books and pretty much any kind of historical/cultural picture books. To me, this age is all about exposure. I'm not sure if any of these ramblings help, :001_huh: but maybe you can make sense of it. I have gotten pulled away from the computer 4 times trying to write it. :tongue_smilie:

[Lovedtodeath]

Starting from the beginning, I would use the OG phonics in my sig which includes handwrting, or I would go with MFW K, also includes handwriting, phonics, integrated math activities, science lessons, and Bible (in K it is easy to leave the Bible part out, if you want.) I think that math games are the way to go for K. You might want to decide what you will be using for first to make sure you hit on the concepts that they will need to have down for that. (If you do MUS alpha in first, they just need to recognize and write from 0-9)

[Colleen in NS]

Echoing the others here, I would just teach (as efficiently as possible) how to read, let them practice reading, and read aloud to them as much as you can. And play around with math concepts, but wait til 1st grade to start a math program. And spend the rest of the day letting them play or help with your chores or doing fun things with them. Then you can have from now til Sept. (or summer, whenever you decide to start 1st grade) to get some more research done and planning for their future schooling.

 

Have fun, it's an adventure! :D

[Alicia64]

Wow! Thank you all SO much!! You women are awesome. I feel so much lighter.

 

Thanks, everyone, for all the phonics advice. My kids do know their sounds and how to decode. One boy is "already there" and decoding these words that I put up.

 

But I totally see what you're saying: that decoding is better than sight. I agree. I need to get back on track.

 

Does anyone like the BOB books?

 

Trying to pick curriculum for somebody who is so new is like being lost on the ocean. There's so much!

 

You've just been so helpful -- thank you!!

 

Did anyone else read the Little House series and come to the conclusion that "Ma" is the saint of all saints? I can't do anything in the kitchen any more without thinking about what that poor woman went through just to make a meal!

 

Colleen ~ thanks for the "have fun" comment. I couldn't agree more. I'm worried we're having too much fun and not doing the other!! :iagree:

 

Alicia

[Lovedtodeath]

The end of MFW K has children decoding three letter words, and reading simple stories with a couple of sight words. So it sounds like you are doing fine. I taugh my daughter to read with game suggestions and just throwing simple rules at her (like silent E and some phonograms I remembered like "oo"), so it is possible to do it without a program. You'll need to decide what phonics to use next year. There are several online that are free (in the earlier linked thread, Elizabeth B mentions them) if you are interested in using those.

Edited February 8, 2009 by Lovedtodeath

[Michelle My Bell]

I see someone mentioned handwriting. If you decided to go with a handwriting program, I can't recommend Pentime handwriting enough. You can buy it from Rainbow Resource. It is REALLY inexpensive, very nice looking and good quality. I use it for all of my children.

 

Michelle

[ElizabethB]

You've got a lot of good phonics advice, that saves me some typing! I like all the phonics programs mentioned. (I've tutored remedial reading with phonics as a volunteer since 1994, so I have a lot of phonics experience.)

 

You don't have to do much in K, I never spend more than 30 minutes a day total last year for K.

 

My parents were very skeptical about the whole homeschooling thing, now they like to brag that their granddaughter can read War and Peace! (They were amazed, also, when I told them at the end of the year how little time we were doing school for. So was my husband, actually! But, they couldn't argue with the results.)

 

For phonics for K, I worked with my daughter for 10 minutes max a day on the whiteboard, working through Webster's Speller.

 

Here's a thread on how to use it:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70153

 

The link below for Webster's Speller also explains how I used the white board with it, I found the white board much more fun than working out of a book for that age. (Especially if you use different color pens and let them pick the color for the day.)

 

You could also try Blend Phonics on a white board, it's free online at Don Potter's web page. It's really simple to use. The white board really held my daughter's attention. Also, doing spelling helped cement the sounds in her brain. You can do oral spelling or "written" spelling with magnet letters if writing is still painful.

 

http://www.donpotter.net/ed.htm

 

After 5 months of 10 minutes a day with Webster's Speller, my daughter could read out of the KJV of the Bible!

 

Last year for math, we just did Math-U-See. It was helpful at first, but stopped working well this year, now we're doing Singapore math. She's really good at puzzles but not so quick at learning math facts, the puzzle type challenging problems in the Singapore Math Intensive Practice workbooks are great for her, she's enjoying math again. They also have fun things to color, she loves drawing. She has a set of prismacolor colored pencils that are not for her 3 year old brother to use that she only gets to use for school or special occasions. Singapore math explains things in several different ways, which is helpful for her. Who would think that you would need to explain addition and subtraction several different ways, but I've found that she doesn't understand it unless I do!

 

The only other thing I did last year for K was Bible reading (I read, she listened most of the year, at the end of the year she sometimes read out of the Rhyme Bible. It's written at the 4th to 7th grade level) and science. Last year we did A Beka's 2nd grade science book. Again, the first half of the year I read it to her, the last half we took turns reading paragraphs.

 

This year for 1st grade, I'm using a variety of library books for all science but chemistry, the chemistry I'm using is below. I really like it.

 

I second the recommendation for rainbow resource. I would get a print copy of their catalogue, but I would also look online, they have sample pages of almost everything they carry, it's nice to look at what you're getting before you see it.

 

I would also go to a homeschool conference to get ideas for next year and look at actual books.

 

If you can't attend one, I would order the $40 CD from the Northern Virginia conference, you get dozens of speakers' talks on mp3, it's well worth the money.

 

http://www.novaconference.net/register.shtml

 

(We were in Virginia 2 years ago and I attended the conference. I'm in Arkansas now, but we're moving to Santa Monica, California this summer. We'll be driving right past you after visiting relatives in the Pacific Northwest!)

 

You can do it! It's not that hard!! I find it easier to teach than to get my children diaper trained. My daughter was reading 3 letter words before she was potty drained. We're working on our son right now, he only knows his letter sounds and names and how to spell a few words, but he isn't potty trained yet. (I offer this as helpful advice all the time, but mostly it just depresses my friends who have un-potty trained children.)

Edited February 8, 2009 by ElizabethB

[YHZNS]

I would probably stay away from a complete boxed curriculum for now. It would probably be overkill and would be too expensive for what you would get out of it. We started K with a complete program and I found it involved a lot of busywork. Also, it began to feel like school at home. Now, we are focusing on learning to read as well as introductory math concepts. I originally taught my daughter to read using the key words method and wish I had just started with phonics. We tried several programs and are finally very happy with ABeCeDarian. We supplement it with Primary Phonics workbooks and storybooks. Some other things you might like (depending upon your kids' interest) are the Kumon books of mazes (Animals, Things That Go, Around the World). I mention these books because you talked about picking some workbooks up at Costco... this is where I found them. My daughter loved doing a maze a day. She also liked the Kumon book of Amazing Crafts.

 

Rebecca

[usetoschool]

As I was reading through all of the posts I couldn't help thinking, holy cow, if I had to start this over today I would be totally overwhelmed. We started homeschooling 18 years ago and there wasn't much to choose from. You are lucky but it would be really easy to drown. Most curriculum has sample pages on the website. There is no rush to pick curriculum - spend a lot of time looking and looking again and comparing and thinking. And reading and asking here. How fun, I envy you.

 

And we love Bob Books. Great little first readers.

[Lovedtodeath]

Oh yeah, you probably have something for handwriting from Costco. I don't think that you can really mess that up in K as long as you are doing something. It sounds like you are doing great for this year. Now start planning first!

 

DD liked the Nora Gaydos books.

[amyco]

I really like the Bob books! I had the entire set. My son really liked them too, and even now sometimes we'll quote them: "Matt sat. Sam sat."

 

I agree with the other posters that you should focus on reading and simple math skills. But mostly, have fun being home with your children! It sounds like you are already doing some great things!

 

Amy

[Aurelia]

Does anyone like the BOB books?

 

Trying to pick curriculum for somebody who is so new is like being lost on the ocean. There's so much!

 

Did anyone else read the Little House series and come to the conclusion that "Ma" is the saint of all saints? I can't do anything in the kitchen any more without thinking about what that poor woman went through just to make a meal!

 

Alicia

 

 

We liked the BOB books through about set 3. We're halfway through set 4 (I bought all 5 sets early on) and while they cover the material, Ariel would rather read Go, Dog, Go or The Cat in the Hat. They're a little more complex, but she's confident enough to try to read from them and they hold her attention better. We also used some of the Nora Gaydos readers, we have a level 1 set and a level 2 set for variety.

 

I agree about the ocean of choices. This is only our second year of homeschooling and the first year that I actually picked out curriculum individually. We tried several things - 4 math programs and 3 reading curricula to find our fit, but now I feel like I know what I am doing and made my picks for the upcoming year with much more confidence. There is a really learning curve, but it gets so much easier once you get your feet wet and try a few things.

 

And Ma Ingalls...if I were in her place, I'd have gone insane. :willy_nilly: I don't know how she managed to do everything so gracefully with a husband and 4 daughters. I can barely cope with one!

[LadyAberlin]

A couple of programs for Phonics that seems to get good reviews are The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Reading. It was put out by the ladies who wrote The Well Trained Mind and also people seem to like McRuffy Phonics. It looks like fun. You might want to check out homeschoolreviews.com for curriculum reviews. Also cathyduffyreviews.com is great as well.

 

As far as grandparents go, just give them time. I was homeschooled 3rd through 12th and my grandparents weren't thrilled either, but they are fine now. My mom was educated at a small country highschool and went to business school to be a secretary. So she had no formal training and I graduated from college with honors, my sister is about to graduate from college with honors and my mom is still homeschooling 7 of my siblings. So she did just fine with no formal teaching experience and you can to.

[samba2nite]

Greetings Alicia...looks like we are both here in the big tomato. For my five year olds I am working on phonics, alphabet memorization and basic counting math. I have no set curriculm other than what my 8 year olds twins did at their former private school. I take what I liked and duplicated it and them agument. The youngest team will start kindergarten in september and I want them to be ready. The youngest set are english as a second language so phonic and alphabet stuff is huge.

 

We read every night. I have all four narrative after I read to them. We just bought the sonlight core 1/2 program and am moving them over to that using SOTW which they love and beg me to read to them.

 

At this point I would be called an afterschooler instread of a home schooler for the older two since they are in PS fulltime and in the evenings we read and discuss history, literature and science. The three areas they love but to not to get learn in second grade PS.

 

samba