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joann10
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| Posted: Feb 23 2011 at 9:17pm | IP Logged
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Now what to do? Kim (4) can read the whole first Faith and Freedom reader----Luke (5) can read "Mat sat"---Kim is a year younger than Luke. Now how do I school them? I wanted to school them together....
We have started kindergarten work because I knew they were ready, but Kim is proving to be a little learning sponge, leaving Luke far behind.
Suggestions appreciated.... 
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 23 2011 at 9:45pm | IP Logged
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I would do them together a lot of the time.. they'll probably still like a lot of the same things.. so the same stories read to them. Just because a little one can read it doesn't mean they'll get all the nuances of meaning in it so I wouldn't hurry her on too much.. but I wouldn't hold her back in other things either.. I guess individual work give them to their ability and join them up together for things you can do together like read alouds, and nature study and such.
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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: Feb 23 2011 at 10:00pm | IP Logged
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I'm wondering about this too, Joann. I have two 4 year olds: Vincent is older than Gianna by 3 months. They're both technically entering kindergarten this coming year, but I'm planning to keep things very informal for the first couple years. However, Gianna taught herself to read just before she turned four and is now a fluent reader. Vincent can sound out short words but hasn't internalized phonics rules like Gianna just naturally did and has a long way to go, I think, before he is reading anything but Bob books on his own. 
I'm sure he'll eventually catch up in his reading--he seems to be an average learner, so I'm not worried about learning problems or anything. But Gianna is advanced in many other ways too, and I am wondering how that is going to cross over into their schooling down the road. Right now, Vincent doesn't mind all that much that his sister can read and he can't, and he's fine asking for her help. However, I'm not sure how long that's going to last.
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joann10
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| Posted: Feb 23 2011 at 10:16pm | IP Logged
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One positive is that Luke insists on doing schoolwork if Kimmy is "doing" school. If it weren't for her, I expect that he wouldn't want to do any school yet. (although I do want him to sit and do a little "school" a day.) Kimberly is just so ready, at 4, her fine motor skills are much more advanced that Lukes and is writing quite well. He struggles in this area. (And I wouldn't think anything of it if is weren't for little sister going ahead by leaps and bounds.)
With my health, I am already struggling with the 3rd (ADHD) and 5th grade work, plus the little bit of kindergarten, but I need to find more child led learning for the littles, especially Kim.
She gets bored without something to keep her brain busy, and when I am working with the big kids she is right there, looking for her own work...I just can't keep up with her.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 23 2011 at 10:27pm | IP Logged
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So.. do you have a couple of older kids that can "do kindergarten"? you can give each older child one of the little ones to come up with activities for and then help the littles do them.. and you just approve them.
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CrunchyMom
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Maybe some fun workbooks on their different levels? When my oldest is doing Explode the Code, the other two (even the two year old) want to work in their books as well. My two year old is content with any old book he can scribble in, but there are also plenty of preschool books with bright pictures and things your son could likely take on if you were offering a more advanced book to your daughter.
So, perhaps find some parallel activities where they can sit working together doing sort of the same thing, but just choose the materials according to their ability to work more independently--especially since you are spread so thin with the olders.
Maybe they could work handwriting together, but your daughter could have a more advanced set of work while your son worked specifically from printed traceables or Draw Write Now.
Since kindergarten is so relaxed anyway, I would think that their working on the same subject independently (perhaps with some older children helping them read directions and such) and not necessarily on the same phonics/math/handwriting concept would work. At least it does here. Then, with stuff like religion, read alouds, etc... they can still easily be combined.
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JennGM
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| Since kindergarten is so relaxed anyway, I would think that their working on the same subject independently (perhaps with some older children helping them read directions and such) and not necessarily on the same phonics/math/handwriting concept would work. At least it does here. Then, with stuff like religion, read alouds, etc... they can still easily be combined. |
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I was thinking along these lines, Joann. If you think of a classroom situation, there are different levels of reading, so the "reading groups" get separated at different points and that is more individualized, but the rest of the schooling is all together.
ETA: I'm not advocating classroom approach, just this example was helpful for me to remember.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Feb 24 2011 at 9:20am | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
CrunchyMom wrote:
| Since kindergarten is so relaxed anyway, I would think that their working on the same subject independently (perhaps with some older children helping them read directions and such) and not necessarily on the same phonics/math/handwriting concept would work. At least it does here. Then, with stuff like religion, read alouds, etc... they can still easily be combined. |
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I was thinking along these lines, Joann. If you think of a classroom situation, there are different levels of reading, so the "reading groups" get separated at different points and that is more individualized, but the rest of the schooling is all together.
ETA: I'm not advocating classroom approach, just this example was helpful for me to remember. |
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 I'm adding my  for this thought! I was thinking the same thing!
Even with a new reader, you're likely to still be reading aloud some of your other books while your new reader practices their independent reading skills with one book (like continuing on with a Faith and Freedom reader). So for that time, your reading lesson for that child will be to listen while the child reads to you. Then, you shift gears and spend 10 - 15 min. and offer a simple phonics lesson to the emerging reader....and the rest of the work is still together. OR....loved the suggestion to have an older child do some of the work with the littles! This works great here because the older child gains experience leading and teaching, while the younger enjoys older sibling time....and I have time to work with someone else.
I would just not make a gigantic deal about one child being a reader. Kimmy's reading now. Great. Moving on to the next step for her. Luke is reading, too, just not at the same level. Also great. Moving on to the next step for him. It's my experience, and I'm sure you've seen this Joann, that their reading abilities all catch up at a certain point, so you're just going to help Luke and Kimmy get to that independent reading point gently and at their individual pace, on their own timelines, without much ado when one passes or laps the other.
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Topic: Now what do I do?
