I am still here too, even though all mine have graduated. I try to help out new homeschool mom's when possible.
Homeschooling Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and was checking about the active thread i found you. I'm the mom of a home schooling son.
I'm bad about checking in. Need to come here more. But, both my girls are through school and out working. I'm back to work full time, so don't have much time for computers anymore. But, love coming here to check on my old buddies, who help me get my girls through school with all there great ideas. Miss you all.
My question is slightly off topic. My daughter will be going into kindergarten this fall and I have not prepared her the way I would have liked. Do they need to know how to read before entering? I'm just worried she will be too far behind and it will be a struggle for her.
Welcome, Hallshelly! No, she doesn't need to be reading before kindergarten. And many teachers get upset if they CAN and complain about it (go figure!). But usually they have a kindergarten pre-registration and will "test" her. Keep in mind that at that age, kids are all over the board. Some are reading very well, and others don't know all their letters yet. One of the advantages of homeschooling...you can start where a child is at, and work at her own pace.
Hi Hallshelly, Yup, it's true i do agree with Jackie, homeschooling is the better option for the child's education especially at the beginning of the school. May be your kid didn't learned anything before enrolling into a school, no matter she can learn it very well with you and the teacher's help. Your role is the major role in your child's education, know the topics which she is interested in, if she is interested in the stories then improve her knowledge by saying some stories. If she interested in games then ask the curriculum designer of the home school to include games in the curriculum ( games that include learning letters, simple words, identifying images ) then you kid will definitely show interest in the studies and she will become a good scholar.
I would agree with this...but it's not always the case anymore. I remember when my youngest sister went to public school K, 30+ years ago...they were taught their letter sounds with The Letter People. I only remember playing in the kid kitchen when I was in K. Fast forward to 2015...my niece goes to public K and she had to already be reading. They can't advance to 1st grade unless they can write a full paragraph in complete sentences. It's crazy!! So, it's best to find out through your local school district...and ask if they do any preK screening. But, of course, I'd recommend homeschooling. :angel:
OOOH!!! OOOH!!! I actually taught with the Letter People when I student-taught Kindergarten!!! LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!!! And I recorded it, and eventually used it when Rachael was a preschooler. This was the old Letter People; they redid them at one point.
Earlier it was like that but the scenario has changed today. My sister's daughter home schooled in Forest Trail Academy where my son is studying his high school. The girl is so sharp and learns very quickly, she is in kindergarten and learned all the letters. sounds interesting and she can recognize the objects by their pictures and spell out the names.
I loved the Letter People so much that I found copies on ebay to show my kids thinking they'd love it too...but sadly, 70s TV just doesn't have what it takes to keep the attention of kids born in the new millennium. The grainy picture and poor sound quality aside, it was badly dated with the psychedelic swirls with the disco-beat music...LOL! I'm learning that, with the exception of books, I just can't successfully recreate my most treasured childhood memories for my own children. When I try, I end up ruining them for myself! Sorry...that's off this thread's topic...couldn't resist jumping in on the Letter People talk though! :lol:
The Letter People are great. I have a boxed set that has all the individual 45's that sing all the songs, plus workbooks and the light up Mr. S. It's pretty cool. "And I've got funny feet, funny feet, funny feet, funny feet Mr. F, that is I. Feet that flip, feet that flop, flip and flop, never stop, flap-a-doodle, I can fly"... Good memories. LOL! My youngest is 11 and I still can't part with it.