Pre-k at Home

Hi,
I am doing pretty much the same. I have a 3 year old and 5 months old. I got to Library every Wednesday. They have free Toddler time. On my way back I pick a l ot of books for her. Also I Play all ABC ans 123 songs for her on youtube. She is learning. May be you can try that too. You can also buy those scholastic series for ages 3 - 5.

Hi M.:

Let me start by telling you DONT BE AFRAID....YOU CAN DO IT! I am also a SAHM and I have 2 children who I homeschool. My son who is going to be 8 in november and my daughter that just turned 2. Its a great experience to see that your children have the knowledge of sooo many things and its all because of there mommy's. I did not think I would homeschool and I love it. If this is not something you want to do I completely understand and totally respect you for it. In regards to doing pre-k at home I think that is an excellent idea. I have a friend who is a 5th grade teacher and she tells me that she had her son stay home an additional year with his grandma bacause she felt he was not ready for school. Grandma taught him to read and wrtite before he went to kindergarden and she says that was the best decision cause he is a better student now due to the extra time at home.

Here are some websites that helped me at your sons age. If you need any additional information for teaching at home pre-k or later years feel free to contact me.

http://www.pre-kpages.com/circle_time.html (for ideas on how and what to do)

http://www.starfall.com/ (great website to learn letters and sounds and to read when he is ready for it. You will love this one)

http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/3878.aspx (more circle time info)

http://letteroftheweek.com/ (great resource for books to read and a entire curriculum to teach him readiness for kindergarden)

I hope this helps and again let me know if you need anything else. Oh and by the way everything I sent you is FREE!

Take care,
In His love,
Y. Figueroa

Proud wife and homeschool SAHmom!

I had the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons book-- I really wish I had kept it because now I have another kid!! it isn't for every child, though-- only if yours will sit still and enjoys that kind of thing. Some kids do better with hands on learning, which this is NOT.

I would NOT stress yourself over teaching preK. Set aside 20-30 minutes a day to do some sort of structured academic thing and just spend the rest of your day having fun and looking for teachable moments. I would do things like use sidewalk chalk to write the letters on the driveway and call out letters and have my child go stand on it-- if he already knows his letters then you can move to letter sounds, and eventually to spelling out words. The biggest concern with him not being in preK, in my opinion, has nothing to do with the "academics". I think the kids learn sooooooooooo much from interacting with other kids, ESPECIALLY when mommy isn't there. Hopefully you can find a church you are comfortable with once you move and maybe leave him the nursery while you attend service-- even if it's just that one hour a week. I know you said he was in day care before, but if he goes a whole year without preK, the transition into K will be a teeny bit more difficult for him if he's been with you 24/7 for a whole year.

Hello M.. I would go to the library and take out lots of books to read. Phonological awareness is important for Prek's to be exposed to. Books that have rhyming in it, songs that rhyme and have fun ways to teach phonemes to children (sing, sing, sing!). There is a bus toy that has the letters on the side of the bus and when you press them it gives you the sound of the letters. Math is also important and learning how to count. Cooking with him is a great way to expose him to math. VPK has standards that children should learn at preschool. If you can get your hands on one of those handbooks it would guide you through. Call the Early Learning Coalition at ###-###-#### and ask to talk to VPK department. They should be able to help you. Talk and read a lot to increase vocabulary. Expose him to writting as well with lots to draw, cut, glue etc.
I hope this helps you.

Your question concerns me. What can prek offer your child that you cannot? You can love your child. What's so nerve-wracking about that? You can sit down and read to your baby...you can talk to him. You love him by showering him with hugs and kisses. Are you a woman of Faith? You read scripture to him...teach him about God and Jesus. Children don't rely on us parents to entertain them every minute of the day. He will watch you do things around the house...he will learn from you. That's great that he can write his name and knows his letters and numbers. Way back years ago before there was such a thing as "pre-K," parents, especially the mom who was the primary caregiver was the one responsible for teaching the children everything she learned. I've been a stay at home mother for 9 years and I have 3 children, all of which stayed home with me up until their first day of kindergarten. They learned what they learned before they started school because of me...not because some stranger taught it to them.

I am sure they have preschool in VA, even if it is not subsidized by the state, no?

Hi M.,

I don't know where in VA you are moving to but there are so many things available there. If you want to respond with where you are going, I would be happy to send you location specific information. I am from Blacksburg, but also have lived in Richmond and NOVA (Northern Virginia). I also worked for Virginia Tech in Education so I've got a lot of contacts.

We can probably find you plenty of things to do for very little money.

Cheers,
C.

Don't Stress!!! Go find and get chummy with the children's staff at your new local library. They have numerous programs for children such as story time, sign language classes for kids etc. Get involved in a mom's group and take part in a few educational field trips. And remember kids learn through play! Get a recipe online for koolaid play dough and boom it's a math lesson (you have to follow measurements) and read, read, read. There are free online educational sites such as starfall.com for reading comprehension w/games and such. There are so many fun things to do and incorporate those shopping trips into your day to talk about, food groups (health), money to pay the cashier (math) and so on. Get creative and you'll do great. I've been a stay at home or work at home mom for years, it's the absolute best!!

Knowing the letters and their sounds is good. You can work on sounding out words.

Mathematically, you can look for teachable moments with counting, next to, inside of, left, right, beside, outside.... spatial stuff. Also make patterns and figure out what comes next.

You could work on cutting carefully along a line. Do projects that involve cutting, gluing and coloring inside the lines. There's lots of lesson plan pages online.

I have homeschooled since my oldest was 3. Now my youngest child is 3. I use Abeka. The have great books for that age with lots of illustrations and pictures to color that keep your child's interest. Just remember to always be patient and let your child work at his own pace. I find that right at first you have to repeat lessons for awhile, then once it all clicks, you move on. A copier/printer comes in handy so you can use color sheets from the ABC book again.

Learning at this stage is about having fun. Check out Sesame Street! When my daughter was almost five we moved and the nearest school didn't have a kindergarden not did we qualify for Head Start but she was SOooo eager to learn I sent her to a retired teachers home (one hour a day), who tutored other children. s By the time she started first grade she could read and do simple math.

Hi M.,

First of all, don't be scared!!! I've been a SAHM since my son has been born and he will be 6 in September. Before he started VPK, I introduced him to Hooked On Phonics at the age of 4 and he learned how to read 1st grade level in 6 months with me. It's is VERY easy and fun. I buy workbooks from Wal-Mart they are by School Zone (price ranges from $4.00-$15.00-depending on if you get ones that come with CD's), they are located where you would find coloring books and reading books together. They have many different subjects such as Math (fractions, addition/subtraction, telling time, etc), Spelling, Language Arts, Social Studies and Science for all different grades. I've been working with my son on 2nd Grade Math and Spelling and he's not even 6 yet and he's doing great. You should try those with him because they are fun and exciting especially with the pictures on them, it's make it more intriging for them. You will be surprised how fast he picks it up. Good Luck to you and I hope this info helps you out. :)

Dollar Tree has some workbooks. I went to Target a couple weeks ago and they had works books, wipe off placemats, wipe off boards and So much more all for about a dollar! Age or grade appropriate! You can also find workbooks at Walmart, or your local pharmacy or grocery store. It doesn't have to be 6 hours of work a day, just a page from each subject 1 time a day. That is what I've done. Keep it Simple and fun, most come with stickers that you can reward their good work with! Good luck momma!

Go buy the book "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons". It is a workbook styled book. You can pick up a copy online at Amazon for under $12 or a brand new one at Barnes & Noble for about $20.

It is step by step (literally- it tells you what words to say) teaching your child to read. It is exactly what the name implies. One lesson per day, 100 days.

I did it with both my children. We did it about 5 days per week, and each lesson took us about 30 minutes. The time is dependent on your child. The lessons earlier in the book are much shorter (15-20 minutes)... by the end of the lessons (lesson 85 or so for example) they are reading a full page of print, so it takes a little longer.

My daughter started at 3 1/2 and was done by her 4th birthday. Reading easily, most chapter books.. WAY ahead of her peers. She brought me the book daily and requested her reading lessons, and sometimes we did 2 a day.
My son started about 3 months before his 4th birthday and finished about a month into K4. He also was well ahead of his peers in his reading abilities.

Beyond this book.. just take them outside and talk to them about the world!

Best wishes to you and don't STRESS...

Oh.. and the book doesn't teach "word recognition" at all. It teaches them how to READ: Sounding out the combinations of letters so that they can read words they have never SEEN before. AND it teaches them comprehension right along with it!

Hi M.!
Don't sweat it! Read! Read! Read! He's only 4. You don't have to rush anything. You can always get the little workbooks and coloring books from the dollar tree, when he's bored and want's to do something, but right now, what will help him the most is if you just set aside times and just read to him. Playdough is good for strengthening their hands for writing, and having him practice cutting out shapes with scissors will also strenghthen his hands.
I am a work at home and homeschooling mom of 2 out of my 4 children, (the other 2 are still too young), but I keep them busy with drawing, coloring, painting, playdough, cutting and gluing, reading time (on days you don't have time to just read to him, have him just look at books and magazines appropriate for his age).
My children also like to help me clean, and cook, so incorporate that. You don't have to have a ciriculum at his age. Everything you do is a learning time with him. Answer his questions in an open, honest, and loving manner and talk to him.
Oh, and my kids also like to play the learning computer CD-rom games. There are some good ones on the internet too. One is www.starfall.com, Nickjr. has one, and disney has one. A wonderful christian one is www.myplacewithjesus.com and that takes them through bible lessons.
Hope that helps! Enjoy having him at home! And let God guide you through the rest!
V.

Are you sure the primary schools do not offer Pre-K classes? Also, Virginia has a different program called The Virginia Preschool Initiative. I dont know where in VA you are looking to move, but it seems most counties have this program. However, I do not know the cost. I would suggest checking the school system first. Even if there is a waiting list, put your child on the list, as there generally are always students moving away throughout the school year. I did that for my son, and got a call in Jan. and he attended for the rest of the year.