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jhigdon
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| Posted: Oct 11 2006 at 2:57pm | IP Logged
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I posted on the Fireside Chat that we had enrolled my DD in private school because I felt homeschooling was overwhelming.
After much prayer and great advice, we are pulling her out next month.
I really, really like the approach Elizabeth talks about in her Realing Learning book, and want to implement something similar in my house for my DD.
We have the materials for Seaton, but I don't know if I want to use them because I felt overwhelmed by what had to be done.
She'll be pulled out of school two months in, so I may have some catching up to do.
Do you have suggestions for a ciriculum for a five/almost six year old?
She is a wondeful artist, has a real talent for it, express herself through her art, and loves to read (or be read to).
She is an auditory learning...as in so far with reading, we get the books on tape and she can pick them up faster than doing word rings and such.
Thanks!
Jen
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Marybeth
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| Posted: Oct 11 2006 at 3:46pm | IP Logged
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Jen,
I wouldn't say she was starting late since she has been in school. Do you think Seton will honestly work for you and your family? Do you need to stretch out the workbook and such so not to overwhelm yourself and your dd each day? My girlfiend did Seton is 2 weeks stretches b/c it worked easier for her at the time-being pregnant, bad back and a toddler.
We do a TON of reading each day. We do workbook pages because ds likes them. I write down what we do daily so when I think we haven't accomplished something I can see we have.
My worst part is comparing myself and ds to others. It never helps me and can make me feel very foolish and upset at times. I strive to keep my eyes on my own child and home. I'm learning and taking each day as it comes.
If you would like me to PM you a "typical day" schedule for us I would be happy to share with you. Keep in mind I have one child and my husband works at home so I have a MUCH easier load than you do each day. 
God bless you and your journey. Keep asking questions the amount of grace and wisdom these ladies have is staggering to me.
Marybeth 
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Erin
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| Posted: Oct 12 2006 at 7:06am | IP Logged
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Jen
Why don't you make a list of what skills you would like her to achieve and build from there. Make a curriculm if you feel you need one to fit you not the other way around. As I remember you have other little ones and a baby on the way.
For example at 5/6 you would like her to appreciate the richness of the written word, this is all part of learning to read. Therefore with her and the other children snuggle together and read quality picture books, there are many recommendations in the 'search engine' on the forum. Beatrix Potter is one that comes instantly to mind.
If you pick beautifully illustrated books from your library etc then use them also for her to copy for art work. Really stress her creative side particularly if that is her talent.
Keep life simple and just cover the 4 Rs, Reading, 'ritting, 'rithmetic and religion. Andyitng else is a bonus. And at 5 these don't have to be all covered everyday. Plan over the week. And if that doesn't happen don't worry. The biggest advice I could give in hindsight  is look at the bigger picture, if one day it feels like you only did a little bit and you are feeling down about it, remember that over ALL the years you are going to hs it adds up to bigger bits. On a daily basis it may seem like you didn't achieve much but at the end of the year you will be surprised at how much you did do.
Simple phonic sounds about 10-15 minutes a day is plenty. Make games out of it if you're inclined. If your energy is low that day don't stress. Goal is for her to read, now that may be achieved quickly or it may take years. All the vocab words, word rings etc are not necessary if dd is being immersed in quality literature. That simply takes care of it.
Keep maths short and simple also, at this age you may or may not use a workbook. There are so many maths opportunites to explore just verbally, setting the table, skipping down the stairs are easy ways to learn to count. After the basics book lessons should be short and sweet.
Writing can be kept simple too. Start with basic letters and progress to simple words. You don't need workbooks she can just copy your words. Don't even rush this yet unless she wants to do it.
Immersion in Bible stories, saints stories, religious crafts etc make religion interesting and something the other dc can join in with. Lots of fantastic ideas on the forum. If you have the energy celebrate some of the Feast Days, start out basic with what you can manage.
It is a great age, enjoy  Oh and I'm so pleased you found peace in your decision. 
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Erin
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Seven Little Australians
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jhigdon
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| Posted: Oct 12 2006 at 8:19am | IP Logged
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When I think about it, I don't know if Seaton will work well. I'll have to review the materials starting this week and really see if it's doable.
Thanks for the suggestions. I love the idea of using great picture books and then having her draw from there. She would just love that.
I am really unfamiliar with Phonics and what it entails. I have the phonics course from Seaton, so I may take a look at that. If I remember, it was a page a day, based on a four day a week schedule, so it wasn't alot.
Yes, with the baby coming in less than three months, I need to make it simple. The rest of the year will have to be simple as I've found nursing a baby for the first six months or so is, intense...for lack of a better word. My babies aren't great nursers in the beginning, so I'll need to focus alot of energy on the baby.
I'm happy with our decision. I guess I had to make a few mistakes along the way to realize what God wanted for us.
I know it won't be easy...I had this vision in my head of what homeschooling would be, and it was totally something different...I had visions of long lazy days of fun and peace in the house...not so much with two toddlers in tow.
If it gets hectic, that's fine. I'm not going to try to be a perfectionist anymore.
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Oct 12 2006 at 9:14am | IP Logged
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My younger two are 4 and 5 -- preschool and kindergarten. "School" for them is extremely laid back. We count, add and subract as the opportunities present themselves in a day. We read beautiful picture books over and over again. Right now, the coffee table is covered in Tomie dePaola books, books about autumn, and the books from the September and October Primary Cycle A (off the booklist in the back of Real Learning). I have never used Seton, but I would not even consider using them if I were you and had already felt overwhelmed by them before. Go with your heart! Read, listen to books on tape, play outside, play inside. As subjects come up, go to the library and see what's available. I have discovered many a beautiful picture book by browsing through the poetry and science sections of the library. Take the booklist in the back of Real Learning and read the books each month. Then check out additional books on the topics that "pop up" as you read.
If you really feel that you must follow a curriculum or plan, I'd check out Five in a Row. We've used this as a basic frame with our older two, and I've used it very roughly for my younger two this year. "School" has been in session since September, and we've studied Make Way for Ducklings (and made a basic lapbook) and Ping. We went to the zoo last weekend and the 5yo was thrilled to see so many ducks. The Five in a Row website has message boards that you can search for extra ideas, and the Rabbit Trails forum here has many good ideas for units too. This website has many pictures of lapbooks and projects tied to FIAR.
I would really focus on slowing down and enjoying the ride. You have a very full plate and a beautiful vision of what learning at *home* should be. When I first started homeschooling, a wise mother of 8 told me over and over again, "If they know how to count and know their ABC's, you're done with kingergarten. Just relax!" She was right...
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Dawnie
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| Posted: Oct 12 2006 at 9:38am | IP Logged
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I really like CHC's Kindergarten Lesson Plans. The plans are set up around a 4-day week and the core subjects took my dd 30 min. or less each day to complete. There are lots of suggestions in the lesson plans for more relaxed-type learning. As a new homeschooler w/ a new baby and a toddler, I really appreciated having everything laid out for me already.
It didn't seem like we were doing a lot, but by the end of the year, I could see that my dd had really learned a lot and she was ready for 1st grade!
I taught most of Kindergarten from our living room couch while nursing a new baby and keeping an eye on a toddler.
The other suggestions here are great...I hope you're able to come up w/ a plan that will work for your family! Oh wait, I KNOW you'll be able to come up w/ a great plan!
Dawn
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Visit my blog!Water Into Wine:Vino Per Tutto!
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saintanneshs
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| Posted: Oct 12 2006 at 11:08am | IP Logged
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Hi Jen,
Welcome to the world of homeschooling! It's a GREAT place to be! Just don't expect it to look or feel anything like what public school has been for your daughter.  (And this is a good thing ...a little intimidating and overwhelming at first, at least for those of us who crave structure and dare to dream of days of teaching without interruptions! hah! )
Anyway, I say all this because I used to teach K in the public schools here and loved it and made the mistake of expecting homeschooling to look like "school at home" when actually, 4Real Learning is a MUCH better fit for us. You might end up liking the Seton books but for me they were too much seatwork.
It looks like you've already got lots of great ideas and resources to check into, thanks to the great ladies on this board.  In addition to 4Real Learning, I'd also recommend Karen Andreola's A Charlotte Mason Companion. It really inspired me as to the overall goals of what I'm trying to do each day, lesson-wise (really helped me to see the forest because I have a terrible tendency to stumble over each and every individual tree ).
It has really helped me to see what other moms were doing here with their same-age children, so here's what we do for my kindergartener (and we only do "school" 4 days a week, one of which includes a morning at co-op, which is strictly extra-curricular...and I feel like this is plenty for him):
Reading (every day, a lot!) This is our favorite thing to do together. We are constantly reading, together and apart. We finally got around to buying book baskets like the ladies here have recommended, just 2 weeks ago...yea! We now have 1 basket for thematic picture books that go with our units (filled with books about colors for the 3yo since we're taking a break from our thematic units this month), 1 for religion (filled with picture books about the saints), and 1 for seasonal books (filled with books about harvest and autumn, apples, trees, etc.) The boys pull from these during our "school time" and they take the baskets back to their Quiet Time areas when the little ones are napping. We are listening to Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder on a CD that plays while we're in the car. At naptime I read to each child individualy (yeah, it takes a while but I LOVE it) and the older ones read to me. My 5yo is reading from the Seton readers (he really likes them) and I'm reading Winnie the Pooh to him. Elizabeth's 4Real booklist is excellent and goes monthly, so it's easy to keep up with if you're not sure about what constitutes "living books."
Writing=Phonics 3x/week (10-15 min. lesson)...we did Letter of the Week in Preschool, so he knows his letters/sounds and we are just reviewing them and learning to write them in Little Folks Letter Practice from CHC. He likes to find things around the house that start with the letter we're working on too and play with the electronic speller. Last week he pulled out Blueberries For Sal and spelled all the 3-letter words he could find into the speller, all on his own...so funny!
Math 4x/week (10-20 min. lesson)...we do one area of math a month and Geometry is what we're doing for October. We did Fractions in Aug/Sept. We read a picture book from the library (a living book) and then do something fun with it. Sometimes I just turn the kids loose with the manipulatives and they learn so much from playing. We also do Calendar (purchased from the local teacher's store) each morning, which takes 10 min. and cover all the math skills a K and 1st grader need to know. We have a K math workbook but only pull it out once in a while for practice and my 5yo LOVES it. He begs for it, actually...that, and the flash cards we do once a week for 10-15 min. or so with the 6yo.
Religion (15 min. 3x/week) : We read bible stories, saint stories and do Catechism lessons and my little guy narrates them back to me & illustrates them in his Journal.
Nature Journal (1x/week): We take walks and find something to photograph, draw and narrate about at least once a week. Most of the poetry we do gets glued into our nature journals.
Art and Music (30 min. 1x/week) are extra, but I try to fit them in too if I can. (I admit it...these are too much fun for ME to pass up! ) There's lots of great resources in the library if you want to "plan" art projects. Most of ours are seasonal and the art we look at for appreciation is whatever goes with our thematic unit.
And that's it. Sounds like a lot, but really it's only a small fraction of the school day your daughter is used to. In the beginning I felt really pressured to fill that time up with plans, and I could have if I'd insisted on loads of unnecessary seatwork, but I'm glad I quickly learned that quality is better than quantity. I still tend to overplan, but that comes more from my excitement and getting carried away with wanting to learn about things that are beyond my boys for right now. I'm trying to just enjoy doing things with them while they're little (like reading and walking in the leaves and baking cinnamon rolls). After all, we're learning all day every day, aren't we? And I'm so thankful for these boards and the advice I've received here...such wise women guiding us on this journey!
__________________
Kristine
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jhigdon
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| Posted: Oct 14 2006 at 8:04am | IP Logged
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Thanks so much!
You know, before I even ordered Seaton, I had seen the CHC materials because I got the magazine. I fell in love with their stuff, but in my state and county, if you aren't under an umbrella school, they require you to have a portfolio and they review it on a quarterly basis. I thought that would be too much work, and since they considered Seaton an unbrella school, I just went with them...thinking it would be less work..but in the end it wasn't.
I may have to go back to CHC's website. I loved their stuff.
I can't WAIT to start school! A friend and I were chatting about this yesterday and she said if I hadn't had gone through this whole mess with putting her in private school, I may not have been so convicted about homeschooling.
Now we know that it's God's will for us...I just wish I didn't always have to learn the hard way! LOL!
Jen
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Circ for Kindergarten when starting late?
