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jonesfamily08
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| Posted: June 15 2015 at 10:19am | IP Logged
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Hi! I'm new (introduced myself briefly in the Tea thread). I have a 4 ½ year old DD I'm hoping to start a Pre-K program with. I have a DS who is 21 months younger, so he'll be 3 when the school year starts and along for the ride.
I know many people say you don't need to do any school with Pre-K, and several of the programs don't start till K. But, I want to to "get my feet wet," build confidence that we can do this, and begin to be more intentional about my interaction with my children.
I need a "curriculum" of sorts to keep me on task, because I am NOT creative. But the Seton or CHC or other Catholic full Pre-K curriculum don't seem to fit with my interest in other materials I've found. Am I crazy to blend things from the get-go with no experience?
I have purchased a used copy of "Little Saints" and it's on it's way. But I was considering introducing some "Get Ready for the Code" and/or "Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" for pre-reading/reading. I discovered Angelicum Academy which seems to use many resources I'm curious about. Has anyone used it? I can't gather from their website exactly how it works.
I also love the idea of unit studies for the little kids. I'm sure there's more controversy over whether it's a good style as kids grow, but it seems perfect for littles and for working in some liturgical year training. I'm not sure if Little Saints is actual unit study, but it seems to follow weekly themes, which I think would allow me to bring in a lot of outside material that is sparking my interest. Many of those are Usborne books. I bought my daughter two (one about tigers and one about cats) and she loved them. As a child, I would have PORED over those types of books, so I want to incorporate that kind of thing into anything I do.
I know I'm rambling...but to summarize: Anyone used Angelicum Academy? How does it work? Anyone used Little Saints? Thoughts on any of my crazy ideas?
Thank you so much!!!
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: June 15 2015 at 11:19am | IP Logged
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I really think the most important thing to do with little ones, in addition to working on good habits, is to establish a family culture around reading. I'm definitely in the camp that you don't *need* a preschool curriculum, but English Lessons Through Literature Level 0 is a free curriculum that offers some structure for making that happen.
I also think the best resource for preschoolers to learn their letters and sounds and early reading are the original LeapFrog videos, The Letter Factory and The Talking Words Factory. They are superior to the newer videos and delightful.
Angelicum's lists are good and available online, and I draw from them often, but I don't think you would benefit from their lesson plans at this age. Just keep reading good books and hone your own skills in building your family library and becoming a connoisseur of good literature.
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jawgee
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| Posted: June 15 2015 at 12:53pm | IP Logged
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Something you might be able to do with both of your children is Five in a Row. It is a gentle unit-study approach to quality children's books. I did it with my youngest two this year and they really enjoyed it.
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Aagot
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| Posted: June 15 2015 at 1:39pm | IP Logged
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Welcome!
I did use Little Saints for my first 2 (with a tag along little sister) and really enjoyed it. Now looking back it probably wasn't necessary but we had a good time with it. It was structured enough to keep me going and flexible enough to keep me sane 
My big suggestion would be to prepare all of the material over the summer and put in some sort of file box (I used a portable plastic one we had on hand). That made life really easy. I also marked in the book whether our library had the suggested books or not. If I had tried to do the prep each week, it wouldn't have gotten done.
Another great resource is Moira Farrel's Home Catechesis Manual ages 3-5 at Our Father's House If you would like to make the Mass material, Lacy at Catholic Icing has good ideas.
HTH
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3ringcircus
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| Posted: June 15 2015 at 10:58pm | IP Logged
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There are also Preschool Prep videos and accompanying materials. They would give the meat and potatoes of pre-reading and you can fill the rest of your day with more play & exploration based activities (and good literature read-alouds). A general Montessori and/or Reggio philosophy resource might give you a jumping off point for enriching your environment. I have been very happy with Project Based Homeschooling by Lori Pickert. The nice thing about preschool is that since you shouldn't spend much time on formal seat-work, you can really delve into learning in more real-world ways.
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Aagot
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| Posted: June 15 2015 at 11:33pm | IP Logged
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Oh I forgot a really fun resource is My Montessori Journey . She isn't blogging there anymore but it is a treasure trove of fun, educational ideas.
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guitarnan
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| Posted: June 15 2015 at 11:59pm | IP Logged
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Lindsay is right, in my opinion...reading together is the best possible foundation. I am a huge Jim Trelease fan (I've even attended one of his talks) and I can't say enough good things about the benefits of reading aloud to your children - at any age!
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Aagot
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| Posted: June 16 2015 at 7:19am | IP Logged
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amongst lovely things
Has the Read Aloud Revival with great podcasts and book ideas.
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jonesfamily08
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| Posted: June 16 2015 at 1:31pm | IP Logged
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Thanks! Several of these I knew about, but many I didn't.
I didn't know about the Home Catechesis from my Father's House, so that's neat!
I'm hesitant to do any video based learning at this point, because my 2 ½ year old son is OBSESSED with any movie/DVD/device. I know they can be tools, and I'm DEFINITELy not opposed to them, but I need to wait till he can branch out.
And the main reason I feel I need a curriculum is because he will not sit still to do a story. Not even a short one. So, while simply reading good books seems like it would be a great, easy, peaceful activity...it only is if I don't have DS around. I need a bit more activity till he calms down. I think this non-crafty mama needs to involve more crafts, songs, activities.
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SallyT
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Can he color/play with lego/play quietly with a truck/build blocks . . . etc . . . while you read? I have two boys who were both quite kinetic as littles, and while neither of them was about to snuggle up to me to hear a story, they would listen while they played.
I also used audio books a lot when my older son (now 17) was a preschooler. It might take him a while to get involved in a story, but I noticed that when the tape was on (it was tapes in those days!), his play got noticeably quieter. At the nursery school he attended, one of the teachers pointed out to me that whenever he wanted to tell her something important, he had to be running up and down, or hopping (like doing hopskotch) while he talked, which was a sign of a kinetic learner. Movement was just how he processed things -- not a sign that I shouldn't give him stories to process!
Even with a child always in motion, now is the time to start introducing the idea of listening and enjoying a book together. Just don't require him to sit, and you may be surprised by how well he really can listen.
Sally
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countrymom
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| Posted: June 16 2015 at 2:39pm | IP Logged
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I use
this
and
this
for preschool. Not what you are asking about at all, but we really like it 
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jonesfamily08
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| Posted: June 17 2015 at 4:48pm | IP Logged
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Sally-up till now, he only throws/scatters legos, so I put them away months ago. He will occasionally play with his trains, and since it's been a few months, I need to break out the legos again. I just need to keep trying!
Countrymom-I like the tangram exercises with that math program! My daughter already likes an iPad app that does tangrams.
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countrymom
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| Posted: July 03 2015 at 10:29pm | IP Logged
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jonesfamily08 wrote:
Countrymom-I like the tangram exercises with that math program! |
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If you are not into doing their whole math program, you can just get a
Tangram book
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: New Homeschooler with Pre-K Curriculum Ov
