Hi everybody, I am new to this site and would love some advice. I am in the third week of kindergarten with my ds.....One of the things I would like to know is how long do you generally stay on a topic in a subject. I had bought one of those 310 page k-workbooks, you know the kind, it has a little bit of everything........well, nine days later, my son has it finished minus 5 pages on money(I wanted to do +/- first so he could learn to make change and really count money not just recognize it)......this was on top of phonics/spelling/science/art/karate/and social studies. Now the moms I know (who's kids go to ps) say that I need to go over things again and again and again and not move him on to 1st grade math like I did.....My thinking is that if I do that then I am dumbing down his education. So how long do YOU cover something? Also, I have a few ideas for science but I'm having some problems coming up with ideas for social studies. For him the Farm/City is too basic. What I started doing is learning about the state we live in and plan to move on to the states were different family members live. I would also like to incorporate holidays to learn about different cultures. Really I guess I'm trying to give him a good foundation for more detailed studies as he gets older. Am I on the right track? Sorry if this is long....I just have many questions and thoughts running around in my head and am having a hard time getting them to you! LOL! Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated. Peace
Stop listening to the other moms. Their experience is limited to the school world and isn't of any help to you. The simple fact is you can take your time. Since you're homeschooling things can progress at your son's rate rather then the arbitrary rate of a classroom. Keep in mind also that one of the most important things you can do to give him a strong foundation is simply to give him lots of time to play. It's play that's going to be key to his intelligence and intellectual powers in the future, not whether he conquered pie fractions at 5 or something.
Welcome! Your child will go over things again and again. Just not in the way these moms think it should be done. Every year, most curriculum covers old and new work.
Thanks for the welcome. Dawninns- I agree about the playing ....it is my son who can't get enough of math and science. If I go take a shower or make dinner he'll get out his workbooks and just go to town. I wish he was as willing to practice handwriting! We are currently spending about 2-3 hours a day on learning but it is broken up over the course of the day and we only do the three R's everyday the rest is done in rotation. However I don't want to hold him back either and if he is excited to learn something or work on something, I let him. Plus much of his science is done outside in the yard or at the park exploring things around him wich is the same as playing as far as he is concerned. I will definetly try to stop listening to the other moms, I think sometimes it is just hard to not question yourself when you start something new.
Welcome to the Spot! My son who did K last year also loves math. For his K year, we did Horizons Math K and it was a great fit for him. It tends to be a bit more advanced that some math programs or at least it was compared to what my older girls did in ps K. He did finish it before the end of the year and then we did some other things. He's now using Horizons 1st grade. If you're interested, you could check out www.aop.com and check out the scope & sequence. They begin "carrying the one" during 1st grade...something my girls didn't do (not that it's essential to do this in first grade by any means). I also like the way K intro'd skip counting and its association to the different types of coins. Welcome again!
Welcome Amy. It sounds like you have a good grasp of things. You know what is best for your ds and when he understands something. If he is into math and science by all means let him go for it. They are sponges at this age and if you foster that love of exploring and learning he will never get bored with it. We are using apologia for science the thing I love about it is you can work it for different ages. I am using both Abeka and Horizons math different kids different preferances. The hand writing will come be patient. Do you have a homeschool group in your area? That may be some more support for you. You can always come here too. This is my hs group.
