Ok~here is a question that has been floating around in my head for days and as soon as someone answers it, the light will probably come on and I’ll say, “Why didn’t I think of that.” But here it is. If you start a child off in Pre-S and/or Kindergarten just pulling your own stuff off the internet, books, etc. and then in 1st grade you switch to a bought curriculum how are you going to know where to start? What I mean is, I have been working with my 3 & 5 yr this year with stuff I just pulled together and now I am looking into next school year and looking at curriculums, and most of the stuff I find I am thinking “Wow, he can’t even begin to do that.” I feel like I have almost wasted the last six months and should have started off with a curriculum. Or if I keep just putting stuff together for the next couple of years, how am I going to know where to start with a curriculum when I do? Sorry, if I just rambled and asked a ridiculous question, wasn’t sure how to put my question into words. Thanks for your help, as always.
I understand your question. I had the same problem a few years ago when I finally switched to curriculum instead of unschooling and pulling stuff off the internet. I found that for my kids it was a MUCH easier transition than I thought because we just jumped in and started at the beggining of the curriculum. I thought it would be WAY too hard for them because I felt they were WAY behind, but I realize now that they were actually ready to move on and they picked up the stuff fairly quickly. I could tell in the beggining of switching that there were holes and gaps in their education but as we progressed through the curriculum I would fill in the holes and gaps and sometimes wew ould just take a day to learn stuff that I knew they would need to understand before we moved on. I would suggest just jumping in, but if your kids end up not grasping the concepts very well, maybe find a curriculm that is a grade level lower and start somewhere in the middle or end and see where they are. You might also want to think about having them take an assesment test (or since they are young you can take it for them) there are tests that you can print online. I can't remember where they are at though but I know someone else will chime in and I know they can tell you where to find them.
I agree with Minthia. Even if some of the curriculum they have learned it makes for good review. And if it is that they aren't ready as you say. Take more time working toward the curriculum you choose. My dd did Kindergarten in public school last year. In a way I wish I had kept her here as she has progressed so much farther at home. In Canada there are Senior Kindergartens for five-six year olds following kindergarten and that better prepares them for the heavier academics faced in grade one. Don't rush, take your time. So long as there is a steady progression forward then you are doing great
I found at that age it wasn't what they had already learned, but their ability to learn the material being presented. When my dd was 5, we spent almost the entire K school year trying to work through a phonics workbook. All of a sudden that spring, she literally looks at me and says, "OH! I get it!!! Letters make sounds!" :roll: I ended up purchasing Expode the Code at that point and she took off like there was no tomorrow. :lol: It's not what they know, but when they know it. I agree with Minthia, if they are at a place where they are ready to learn something, they will quickly learn whatever you feel like they missed before.
Well, think about it-if you're a SAHM then send your child to PS-it's the same thing really-and the majority of kids adjust to it quite well. Don't freak out just because you are homeschooling...at least your kids won't have to adjust to a new place, and new people too, just a new curriculum
Yeah, what they said! Just jump in. I sorta unschooled PreK through about end of 1st and then got a curricula. I found the Lifepacs were an easy transition from my method to something, and by 3rd grade we were springboarding and doing some of our own things... It's the child's ability to desire learning that helps them learn more than what is presented to them. I hope that makes sense!!!
I started out when my daughter was 4 by pulling free things off the internet and books I got at the dollar store. My daughter loved it, but then hit a point where she wanted to do "real school" like her older siblings. Like Brooke, I bought the Explode the Code Primer series and she also zipped right through it. That wasn't enough for her though, she wanted MORE. Every day she begged for more work. So I bought Math U See Primer and she loved it. She zipped right through it. I added A Reason for Handwriting, another hit with her. She just loves using work books. For this year I looked into all "real" curriculum for her. I spent every free moment on the internet researching what I thought would be best for her. I am not confident enough in myself to put together my own curricula for her.. yet. I am really happy with what I have chosen, and so is my daughter. I have found that I should only look at the first few pages of her workbooks, not the last pages. The end of the workbooks always look too hard for her, but as long as I think she can do the first few pages, she learns as she goes and by the end of the workbook she is doing those pages I though she couldnt with ease.
I agree that being in ps is no guarantee either! Ds 3rd grade was just pulled, and I'm running into things all over the place that he has no idea about... even when it's stuff I'm working on with dd in first. I'll also tell you that I'm finding I had done a TON of teaching even before I started homeschooling. Not so much math and reading (which I had left up to the teachers at ps.... arg!), but the social studies, science, some history, all of the health, etc my children already knew, or I know they can handle much more than they officially 'should' at their age levels. A lot of concepts for kids are on a 'skim' basis. I hadn't realized that when I taught my 1st grader about the food pyramid whoops! She's also probably the only 1st grader who knows that one of the differences between living and non-living things is that living things excrete (although she does say 'go potty' ). You might be pleasantly surprised as well
I teach prek in a family daycare here. And HS my youngest who is in kindergarten. I pull off the internet and copy out of workbooks for the prek and some for Delaney too. Delaney, I pulled together workbooks and blend them with activities and computer work. I haven't bought any specific traditional homeschool curriculum. For ME I need a guideline. So I emailed the school district and got their curriculum. I don't GO by that. But rather use it as a guideline on where we are at. Probably once I become more in the groove with this, I won't need that anymore. But, compared to the district, Delaney is FAR ahead of her other peers in this district. You could do that to get you started too. Just to see where your child is and what they 'should' be doing. If you are the type to take it literally then don't go there...LOL! When I teach my prek, I teach to their ability. NOT their age. So I have some kids who could be 2 and already knowing letters and sounds and on the verge of reading. And another child who is 4 and no where close to that! When I find a child "lagging", I might offer more work or one on one on that topic. With Delaney I started her off on kindergarten work in Sept. She flew through the work! Come Jan, I was ready to go shopping again! I went and sat and looked through all the workbooks and curriculum I could find and went with what would challenge her and yet not frustrate her. She is doing 1st grade work now! For HER, the kindergarten work was just too simple. And, since math came easy for her and language arts/reading took more work, I was prepared to even do kinder lang. art/reading and 1st grade math and science. But I was able to find something that worked for her ability and we ended up with 1st grade across the board. The point being.....go with where they are. Not the 'grade'. Look around at curriculum you might be interested in and compare it to your childs ability. And adjust subjects to level. Then keep challenging as they move up. They 'get' something...then move up the level! They don't....then redo the lesson.
