I have a son who is currently in the VPK program (for 4 y.o.)he just turned 5, he enjoys it most of the time but does get bored with it. The teachers have mentioned that they need to find things for him to do while they explain and teach the other kids because he is advanced, he gets bored easily with parts....I am preparing to home school, researching curriculums and working on schedules, routines, and getting myself mentally ready for this change. He has expressed that he would like me to start NOW, he does not want to go back some days he just wants to stay home and have me teach him.... Do you have any suggestions that I can do in addition to what he is doing at preschool, Should I start Kindergarten work with him now, giving him something more challenging in the afternoons? He can spell some words, he recognizes letters on signs when we are out and about, he can sound words out, with prompts. I guess I am ready if he needs me to be. Any work book ideas, should I jump in and get some basic/core curriculum? Thank you.
Hi! thank you all for your insight and ideas, I did got to the library, and checked out "A Well Trained Mind", I understand the way the classical approach has been laid out, and am excited to read more of it. I have the contact info for our local and state numbers (FL) (HERI, FPEA) and I do plan to attend the local convention this summer. We have rented some more books and are really spending time reading and enjoying each other working on the routine, and some basic work books that I have come across through some of my mom's meeting and swap meets. he seems to enjoy looking through them and we are sounds out words. a little at a time and. Thank you again for all the suggestions I will be looking in to all of them, I do appreciate you taking the time to read my
For basic reading, I've yet to find a better program than www.starfall.com
k12 has some good stuff (super pricey, though)
Cultivating Dharma http://www.freemontessori.org/?page_id=9 is utterly phenom. Montessori albums can run into hundreds and even thousands. These are some of the better ones I've come across, and they're online for free (although if you print them out, we're talking over 1000 pages all told).
oh my, yes! and i'm so glad you're going to homeschool him. if you want a canned curriculum, please check out the waldorf ones. oak meadow, clonlara and ambleside are all good. but i tell you true, beyond helping you flesh out a structure, don't be surprised if you toss the curriculum and put your own together. no one program had everything i liked in every subject. all you need to teach your child to read is dr suess. math is easily begun in the kitchen. consider doing unit studies, in which you immerse yourselves in a subject of interest (civil war, robotics, goat-raising, astronomy) and build your reading, math, history and science all within it.
what a lucky boy!
:) khairete
S.
I homeschooled my daughter who is very advanced. Whatever area you are in, I would suggest looking for homeschooling groups in your area. Yahoo groups may be a good place to start. When we were in San Diego, our group was huge, and it offered a chance for a lot of interaction with other kids as well as some PE classes, music, language as well. In the Sarasota area there is a couple of groups as well. The Lakewood Ranch YMCA has a homeschool gym class. One curriculum I loved was Singapore math. I believe they have a K level. It has really given my daughter a good foundation as well as "mental" math tricks to help do math without writing it down. My 7-year-old can figure change quicker than most adults. If you have a christian background, there are also curriculums that have brought God into it as well. Just put "homeschooling" and whatever you are looking for in your search box on google and a ton of stuff will pop up. Also, check with the laws of your area. Some states are getting too much into our lives and dictating some really dumb homeschooling laws. Our group in CA had a fight with the state. They wanted to ban homeschooling and force us all to put our kids into public schools. We won! Finally, as he gets older, there are schools that offer part time programs if you want a couple of days in regular school. Good luck. It is the most wonderful experience to watch the development.
Go to Barnes and Noble (if you don't want to wait for it to arrive in the mail from Amazon--which is cheaper)... and get "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons". I used it with both of our kiddos. My son finished the book by age 4 1/2, my daughter was finished before her 4th birthday. They were fluent readers before they started kindergarten.
Reading is the start of all the other stuff. And this particular book (more like a workbook) spells out for YOU exactly what to say (and not to say) so that you can teach him how to read using phonics, not sight words. You don't need any special training--just read the introduction at the front of the book.
I loved it. It was a HUGE help to me and our kids. If he is asking you to teach him, then do so, and give him the ability to learn other things that interest him by reading about them.
ETA: It is literally 100 lessons. So he could start now and be done before kindergarten starts in the fall. So no issues with any other curriculum you might choose--except that you may end up needing a more advanced reading curriculum than would otherwise be typical. My kindergartener daughter was reading her older brother's old 2nd grade science books for fun and telling me how plants grow from seeds and what the parts are called--because she was reading about it on her own!
The lessons take less than 30 minutes each. And it is so simple and works amazingly well.
:)
I would suggest to you with all my heart that you check out K12 schools and see if there is one in Florida...there is one in almost every state. They have an extremely advanced curriculum. It's an online school...you do the work at home, the children participate in various online classes (at this age, only one or two a week), and you can work at your own pace.
Just to give you examples of how advanced the curriculum is...
In K History, my daughter learned the continents, MANY countries and cultures, and various rivers and mountains throughout the world. Now, in 1st grade History, she has learned fairly in depth about ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and we are currently studying Greece.
Their phonics program is excellent...my daughter, who is in first grade, is reading at a third to fourth grade level and I attribute this to their excellent phonics and language arts programs. They are exposed to everything from fairy tales to classic literature, classic and modern poetry, and everything in between (think "Danny and the Dinosaur.") :) My daughter is getting ready to start 2nd grade language arts. She is a semester into 2nd grade math, in which she has been adding and subtracting 4 digit numbers both traditionally and in her head, and is getting ready to start multiplication.
This also shows an example of how they can work at their own pace.
When I started her in K with our K12 school, I was concerned that it would be too easy because I had already done two years of homeschooling with her, from pre-K through 1st grade curriculum that I had purchased. I was so shocked to find out how advanced (but doable) their curriculum is...really great.
One of the perks is that the school provides you with the curriculum for free (this includes science lab equipment, all the books to read, all the text and workbooks, a globe, art supplies, and a computer/monitor/printer.) They even pay for return shipping on the things that have to be returned...they send you the UPS labels and you just ship course books back when you are through with them. (Of course, you keep workbooks, consumables, etc.)
I so highly recommend this school that I can't say enough about it! Even to do it for a year or two would give you a clear idea of what it takes to educate your child thoroughly at home to see if you want to tackle it on your own. I love the fact that I no longer have to design curriculum or worry that my child will be missing some key component come state testing time. Our K12 school, MNVA, has one of the highest accreditations in the state and continually pass the "No Child Left Behind" markers. :)
When my son started kindergarten, and I was homeschooling him, I was told by the company that he can start first grade as soon as he learns to read. So I taught him to read and off to first grade we went. I would start him now. Why have him in pre-k if he doesn't want to be there and is ready to start with you. There are many good curriculums, it depends on which way you want him to learn, you want to teach him and how he learns. Learning to be flexible is the best way to start. You cannot prepare for the most part, just begin and be ready to learn as you go. Good Luck! It is the best years of their life to spend with them!
Go to the library and check out some books on homeschooling. My favorites are The Well Trained Mind, a Charlotte Mason Companion, and Educating the Whole Hearted Child.
We have a state homeschooling convention in May that I've never been to but heard good things about. It's in Orlando. We also have a smaller but pretty good local homeschooling convention at the Prime Osborne in June or July. Try to go to one of these. They are informative and you can check out different curriculum.
Check ot the FPEA website and HERIJAX for good local info.
For K I would focus on a good phonics program ala 100 Easy Lessons, Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, Saxon Phonics or something similar. I use Ordinary Parents Guide and about halfway through I add in Saxon Phonics 1. I also use the preschool Explode the Code books. I think they are called Get Ready For the Code. My kids enjoy them. We also do a simple math book for K. Just learning to count, write and recognize numbers and some fun manipulative play to demonstrate addition and subtraction. If they are ready I might use a K handwritting book, but I don't sweat HW in K.
Other than that lots and lots of reading. Books about whatever he's interested in. Different types of animal books, books about machines, poetry books, I Spy books... good books. Nature walks where you talk about what you see, games, helping mom out around the house and in the kitchen.
Preschool, 1st, and 2nd are my favorite. Lots of fun. I have 6 kids aged 14, 11, 10, 8, 6, and 1. We've been homeschooling for 6 years in April. Its a great journey.
I really like the Abeka program for phonics. You could get some of their material to start on the phonics and he should be reading 1st or 2nd grade reading in no time. Their spelling is good too. I don't know if you are thinking of this sort of thing or something else you had in mind.
We used to love time4learning.com when my son was younger.
Check FLVS.net (very similar to K12 mentioned below) - a free online school in Florida (for FL residents). They may not have elementary school for your county but it's great place to start looking for info.
Good luck and have fun!
If you want to use your own stuff then I think that
www.schoolzone.com
and if you want him to do some writing then I would go to
www.Kidzone.com and there you can make up your own writing pages
and he can trace words or the alphabet, whatever you would like for him to trace.
My son uses this website everyday so that he can write his name or other things that we choose that he can write.
It is great.
When he is ready for K I would try this free public school online called
www.connectionsacademy.com
I homeschool my children in Connections Academy and we love it.
I wish you the best and have fun.
Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons, it works.
What Your _____ Grader Needs to Know Series
A Well Trained Mind
Why not start now?
I use a hodge podge of curricula.
Decide if you want to go Christian or secular or if it really doesn't matter.
Our Grammar book is heavily Catholic, our History book is more secular.
