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*Lindsey*
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 9:17am | IP Logged
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DS will be 6 in November. Last winter he did 100EZ lessons and has been reading the 1st grade level Faith and Freedom readers from Seton. He also worked on handwriting and early number stuff.
We've been doing the MCP Math level K and he's flying through that so far. He does not know how to "read" the higher 2 digit numbers, as evidenced by DH asking him to tell him what time the digital clock said and he replied, "one two five." DH asked what 25 was and he just said "2 5", not twenty-five, so that is something we need to work on.
We've also been doing MCP Phonics level A and he's doing really wonderfully. It's not a struggle for him at all.
We are continuing with handwriting as well. We were starting with K level Science. I had planned to have him do 1st grade level spelling, religion, and history (all from Seton). I am wondering if that would be pushing it too much? He's excited and wants to do it, I just don't want it to be too hard and require a whole ton of stress b/c I have a 4 year old, almost 2 year old twins and a 4 month old baby.
I was also thinking that if he was in 1st grade this year, that would mean 2nd grade next year at 7 years old and his First Holy Communion. Would he be too young at 7.5?
I'm not good at making decisions and since he is my first I'm feeling a little lost as to how to proceed.
ETA: I know I'm better at reading/language arts than I am at Math. I would've loved to have been homeschooled so I could work at the level that suited me best. So I'm telling myself that if he is at 1st grade level with everything but Math, that's still "1st grade" for when everyone asks, "What grade are you in?!"
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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Quote:
2nd grade next year at 7 years old and his First Holy Communion. Would he be too young at 7.5?
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My 7 yr old recieved FHC and First Reconciliation this past spring.. she was 7.5 yrs and was doing just fine. I started her in CCD a year early because she could follow the directions and wanted it so very much. She has a fall birthday so really she was only starting a few months early. But we still report her as the grade she is officially so she's 2nd grade for school this year and third grade in CCD. So.. I also wouldn't say that his grade in school means that he must be that same grade for the sacraments.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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teachingmyown
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 2:27pm | IP Logged
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Lindsey,
When asked what grade they are in, my kids will reply something like, "I am in 3rd grade. Right, Mom?".  For us, "grade level" is just an arbitrary distinction. I just "advance" them each year while still working at their own pace. For some, they are way ahead in some areas. For others, they may not be up to "grade level" in one or two areas. Basically, their grade is appropriate to their age.
Hope that makes sense. 
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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ekbell
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 4:03pm | IP Logged
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I'm facing a similar concern with my dd who turns 6 this October as our parish has first communion in November!
I'm fairly certain that we'll wait a year for First Communion with her even if she *is* doing grade two work :-)
I don't think seven and a half is necessarily too young for First Communion but it shouldn't be that difficult to postpone if you find that he's not ready.
As for actual school work and grades I always give grade level according to age (since that is how the schools work around here) and the actual school work according to ability. I judge if I'm pushing the work too hard by how frustrated the child is, if the child is happy then it's OK.
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wifemommy
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 5:57pm | IP Logged
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6 in November is past the cut off for most states if you need to report. I would not and next year officially make him 1st grade only because in the end ie college most children would benefit from the extra year of maturity before college or work. Let him work on what ever he is comfortable with now and just keep moving forward you may need the extra "flex" latter. At this age the big thing is he likes it that sets a good base. -Annie
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allegiance_mom
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Seven is not too young for First Penance / Holy Communion. Catholic children are able to receive these sacraments once they attain the "age of reason." Most experts place that milestone at age seven for the average child.
Readiness for sacraments has nothing to do with academic grade level. However, in the US where children are given over to the parish school or religious ed program for sacrament prep, receipt of the sacraments has become attached to attaining a certain academic grade level.
The grade levels for receipt of sacraments differ by diocese, as they are set by each individual bishop. For instance, I made my Penance and Communion in grade 2 in the Archdiocese of New York. Confirmation was in the seventh grade (it has since been moved to eighth grade there). In Buffalo, where I live now, penance is made in second grade but the students have to wait a year to make communion in third grade. Confirmation is in grade eleven. So, just from comparing two dioceses there is a wide gap.
The best course is to work with your pastor and / or religious ed coordinator to determine when your child is ready for the sacraments. Each diocese, and sometimes each parish within a diocese, may have requirements for homeschoolers making sacraments in the parish.
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Allegiance Mom in NY
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Mom to two boys, 14 and 8, and one pre-born babe in Heaven (Jan 2010)
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*Lindsey*
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| Posted: Sept 01 2009 at 6:10am | IP Logged
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Thank you all! I talked with DH last night and we agreed to just keep on doing what we're doing.
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Lindsey
Mama to DS (11), DD(9), twin dds(7), DD (5), DS (4), DS (3), and 5 angels in heaven.
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Mimip
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| Posted: Sept 01 2009 at 7:16am | IP Logged
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teachingmyown wrote:
Lindsey,
When asked what grade they are in, my kids will reply something like, "I am in 3rd grade. Right, Mom?".
Hope that makes sense. |
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Molly, this just happened to us yesterday
I would just continue what you are doing!
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In Christ,
Mimi
Wife of 16 years to Tom, Mom of DD'00, DD'02, '04(in heaven) DS'05, DS'08 and DS '12
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Stephanie_Q
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I am doing most of what you are doing...with my daughter who just turned 6yo. I thought I'd teach her alongside her sister, who is dong all the 1st grade stuff, but she's not ready to sit still and pay attention for that long.
We used CHC "Little Stories for Little Folks" last year and she is an excellent reader, but her handwriting is terrible. She can DO Spelling 1, but all the writing is a struggle, so we're working on Kindergarten handwriting and she's doing the Spelling "for fun".
I thought she'd be able to do the 1st grade Math but, again, it requires a lot of handwriting right at the beginning and she is not ready for that, so we're zipping through Math K. She knows her phonics so well that we're not doing much formally with that. She is not doing English 1, although I think she could...she'd rather just read.
My girls are doing Religion 1 together and my 6yo is sitting in on History 1 and Science 1 (odd weeks are History and even weeks are Science according to the lesson plans) and we're adding "fun stuff" to those subjects in the afternoons.
As for the "First Communion" question; "...in the US where children are given over to the parish school or religious ed program for sacrament prep, receipt of the sacraments has become attached to attaining a certain academic grade level." like Allegiance Mom pointed out.
My particular problem with this is that my June-birthday 7yo COULD have been a 1st grader last year and in 2nd grade this year...we held her back because she wasn't ready, and now she won't be receiving until she's 8-going-on-9, whereas I had a June birthday but started school "on-time" and received when I was 7-going-on-8 as a 2nd grader. I'm not sure what they'll let us do with our K/1st grade 6yo when she's doing 1st/2nd grade work next year, but the indication I have gotten is that they'd make her wait - just in case we decided to send her to school and they put her in 2nd grade and all the other kids in her class were still preparing it would be too hard and unfair during the (daily) school Mass for her to receive with the older kids. 
ETA:
*Lindsey* wrote:
| I had planned to have him do 1st grade level spelling, religion, and history (all from Seton). I am wondering if that would be pushing it too much? He's excited and wants to do it, I just don't want it to be too hard and require a whole ton of stress b/c I have a 4 year old, almost 2 year old twins and a 4 month old baby. |
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We have to take a lot of breaks to give my 4yo and 2 1/2 yo boys the attention they need and I was overwhelmed the first week at how LONG we were in school. (It's better, now). We're also going to have a newborn in 3 months...and this is my first year hsing, so I kind of know where you're coming from.
If he likes writing and is a good reader, I don't think it would be too much to add Spelling 1. Also, I wanted to point out that Science and History are "every other week" subjects for Seton, so if you wanted to add History, you could do it that way. I don't think the 1st grade Religion + "Jesus and I " is too hard...but you might want to start with the Kindergarten Catechism if you haven't done any 'formal' religion, yet. It is very solid: 13 chapters (CH 1 is prayers to learn) 54 questions that mostly correspond to the "New St. Joseph 1st Communion Catechism" and you move through it very slowly so you're not necessarily adding a "daily" subject to sit down and teach. From what I've observed so far, Relgion 1 reinforces and expands a bit on everything in this text.
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Stephanie dh 6.01
dd 6.02, dd 8.03, ds 3.05, ds 12.06 at Catholic school.
dd 12.09 at home.
Baby boy due 10.13
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Starting to doubt what we had planned
