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anniemm
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| Posted: Feb 13 2007 at 2:39pm | IP Logged
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Hi ladies! I have mostly lurked in the actual educational boards, even though I've posted in the fireside chat.
Right now, I have 2 girls, and my oldest is about to turn 3. Her sister is 15 months and we are expecting another one in July.
My question is this: where do I start as far as preschool-type learning goes? We have already made the decision to homeschool for sure, so I am resisting putting her in an actual preschool class. She is very routine oriented, so I know she would do well if we do something on a regular basis but I'm not sure what. It seems like such a different situation than what my children will have down the road, as they will have older siblings whose learning and activities will be engaging for preschoolers. I just feel like Felicity needs some kind of preparation for what is coming, even if it isn't a formal school day (even if it's for an hour a day).
Any suggestions would be great! I am reading out loud to her, and my husband has taught her a handful of essential prayers that she has memorized very quickly. But for her sake (and mine, because we are both routine oriented!) I'd love to put some sort of plan into action...I just don't know where to start! 
Thanks!!!
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Andrea
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Feb 13 2007 at 6:50pm | IP Logged
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Well, Andrea, I think most of us started out by using some sort of framework. It is hard to design your own program before you have experience using various materials and approaches. Plus getting the hang of your child's learning style and your own teaching style takes time. I started out MANY years ago using Five in a Row with my oldest kids. Through my experience with that curriculum, plus trials with other materials like CHC and others, I was able to eventually strike out on my own and do my own thing. A lot of the ladies here have used FIAR, Sonlight, or other programs before finally landing at Real Learning. So I would say choose a framework that appeals to you, use it for a time and see how it goes. The beauty of Real Learning is it blends beautifully with just about any program, making it easy to adapt to your specific needs.
Good luck! We are here for you!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Feb 13 2007 at 7:01pm | IP Logged
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Annie - you can get a great preschool schedule together yourself. If your daughter likes routine - maybe draw up a schedule where you do eg art on Mondays, fine motor activities on Tuesday etc...You can note down read alouds etc Some great preschool resources that I have used:
- Before Five in A Row
- www.letteroftheweek.com
- Sonlight preschool list - Janet and Amy have a free schedule
- Montessori type activities - check out the Montessori forum.
- www.starfall.net - a great phonics program online - my little guy has been doing this since he was 2
- Puzzles - my three year old can spend hours on puzzles
- Signing Time DVDs
- Letter factory and Math Circus DVDs
- File folder games
- good wooden toys and manipulatives set up for independent play (my little guy loves to choose, do and tidy up his activities)
I will post more - I will look at my plan for my 3 year old and see what to add.
I have found homeschooling preschool such a joy (I did not enjoy my older ones going to an external preschool)
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Marilyn
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Feb 13 2007 at 7:34pm | IP Logged
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My son is about to turn 3 and I 'will' homeschool him. I too have been concerned about establishing the routine/habit/accountability, so that this is already established for when we 'officially' begin. The blessing we have is that I run a family day care in my home and tutoring elementary students, so we already have something of a routine in doing activities with older children, caring for the younger children, and other things more similar to having a larger family already. This has also afforded me the opportunity to try out a variety of programs, ideas, materials with a variety of children.
I love both Theresa's and Marilyn's ideas above and am already considering incorporating the aspects I don't already use, just to see how it goes with the children.
What I have found works for us, in our own situation, is a combination of Montessori (MOST particularly focusing on allowing the children at least one long period of time each day to just choose their own work and do it, but also adding in some basic materials as interests arise), Real Learning and Charlotte Mason (didn't even realize we were doing things in this direction already!), with lots of reading, blank paper stapled together for the children to make their own books, and exploring their interests ('rabbit trails' as known by others on this board - I love thinking of our tangents as rabbit trails, rather than delays to what 'I' think we should moving onto) by providing lots of expansion experiences.
Example: Right now, the focus is on animals - a firmly planted interest that does not seem to be letting up anytime soon. My mother finally bought a nice wood barn for my son (rather than the cardboad painted scenery we've been using), and I've just finished covering a large box in colored felt to represent sky and ground, that will be used for storing the barn and animals when not in use. Every day I present some type of activity related to animals based on where each child is. I found a great set of Baby Einstein cards at a rummage sale that has nice photographs with the name of each animal and facts on the back - the younger ones love to match the animals to the cards, sorting them out - and the older ones copy the names down, draw their own animals, dictate stories to me about animals they wish they had.... whatever their little minds create!
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Feb 14 2007 at 6:26am | IP Logged
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MarilynW wrote:
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Sonlight preschool list - Janet and Amy have a free schedule
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I would be very interested in this. I have been thinking about Son Light for my preschooler for next year.
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Feb 14 2007 at 6:42am | IP Logged
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Andrea,
I am in the process of planning for my preschooler for next year. When my now 6yo was in preschool, I used mainly Montessori materials. It worked great! He usually just played while I did our morning "Table Time" with the big kids, then the younger ones and I all went down to the classroom where the Montessori Materials were. The other thing that we did then and still do is afternoon story time. This is a great habit to establish early! Sometime after they have had lunch and some active play, we have story time. This lasts as long as everyone is happy to sit still and listen to stories. I use Catholic Mosaic for books during this time as well as those suggested in Real Learning and books the kids find at the library that look appealing to them. After that we have quiet time when everyone heads to their rooms for either silent reading or a nap.
For my next preschooler I am tweaking things a bit. He really wants to be part of "Table Time" and the crayons and paper I have been giving him aren't working so well any more. I am thinking about adding to the routine we already have established but am having a hard time deciding what to do. One part of me says I can just print off coloring sheets, mazes, cutting activities from the internet that he can do during Table Time. My other thought is just to purchase a couple of workbooks (the ones from Kumon out of the Rainbow Catalog look good). Whatever I decide, I will continue the Montessori part and the story time as well.
One other thing I would like to add this year is some sort of schedule or planned book list for our story time. I hope to focus on science a little more as my son who will be in 1st has become very interested in animals and such, and my preschooler loves anything the 6yo loves! I will also continue using Cay's Catholic Mosaic (it's wonderful!). I'm interested in the Son Light Preschool List that Marilyn mentioned above for this reason.
I'm not sure if this has helped much. I'm sort of rambling as I try to get my own ideas together. I'm finding that the great thing about homeschooling is that each year is fresh and new. The kids abilities and interests change and Mom has to change too. I love it!
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Feb 14 2007 at 7:19am | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
MarilynW wrote:
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Sonlight preschool list - Janet and Amy have a free schedule
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I would be very interested in this. I have been thinking about Son Light for my preschooler for next year. |
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Hi Becky
The link is SL Preschool
You have to join the yahoo list and then you have access to the files. There are 2 schedules now - Janet's (who originally set up the list when SL did not have a preschool schedule) which is in my opinion more suitable for older preschoolers/pk. Amy has a "theme" schedule. I have the schedules but as yet am not really using them - though I do have all the books.
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Marilyn
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Feb 14 2007 at 7:32am | IP Logged
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My just 3 year old has just turned some "corner". He is so interested in doing everything. It is amazing what he absorbs from the older ones - eg they have been using the Andrew Pudewa poetry memorization cd - and he just came out with the first 3 poems - I was so surprised.
My main advice would be to read aloud, read aloud, read aloud. Matt loves books - and now he loves books on cd. He loves to put on his sister's (bright pink) headphones and listen - we have purchased some Jim Weiss cds - and he has almost memorized the stories.
He is a geography fanatic like his older siblings - we play a lot of games like the Scrambled states, Name that Country and Great American Trivia. He suddenly took an attachment to the Scrambled States cards and maps - and he amazes us because he know all the states. We got him the big Melissa and Doug floor puzzles - US states and world - and he spends hours doing them and redoing.
BTW - this is my very sporty and active child - a few months ago he spent most of our school time running about and scoring "touchdowns" in the learning room, kicking a soccer ball endlessly around the living room, playing indoor basketball in the basement or just throwing balls for hours on end.
Some really good books that I am reading/rereading at the moment are
Awakening you child's natural genius - Thomas Armstrong (one of my favorites)
How to raise an amazing child the Montessori way - Tim Seldon
Michael Olaf catalogs
Sorry to ramble - I really believe in making the investment for the preschool years. (I sent some of my older ones to "good" preschools - only because that was the only way to get them into the local private Catholic school - and in my opinion I wasted my money as I have seen how much more they learn within a family and home environment)
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Marilyn
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Leonie
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I like FIAR and am sure that if I was working again with little ones I'd use Before FIAR.
I also used the Sonlight preschool booklist as a reading list for my youngest son when he was about three or four. Lovely books. We just read and drew and did art and activites and daily life - I didn't use the curriculum but the booklist was a good framwework for us.
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Leonie in Sydney
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Jordan
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| Posted: Feb 15 2007 at 3:40am | IP Logged
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Andrea,
My oldest is also preschool age. I have found the Preschool Series at Elizabeth's blog to be very helpful in giving me ideas. Here's a link to the first post in a series of six. I especially like the last one Practical Life with Little Ones.
Another thing I do that helps me is I keep a small dry erase board in a place I often see it and on it I list things I want to be covering that aren't things I'd schedule. Here, I'll list a song or two we are learning, a seasonal poem to read from time-to-time, a habit to be working on, a health & safety issue to talk about, etc. These are just reminders for me to be looking for teachable moments and to work them in naturally. When I feel we've adequately covered one thing, I'll erase it and add something new. This helps me to do something in these areas but to go at a natural pace that requires very little planning and no stress.
I hope to hear about what you end up doing. I'm always interested to know what others are doing for preschool since having an oldest at this age is different from having a preschooler with older siblings.
God bless,
Jordan 
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anniemm
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| Posted: Feb 15 2007 at 2:59pm | IP Logged
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Wow thank you for all the ideas...I am very interested in BFIAR and also the Sonlight reading list. Where can I get just the reading list? Or do I have to buy the whole program? I have looked at their website and I didn't see it, but I'll take another look. I need to read over the preschool series in Elizabeth's blog again...I read it several months ago, but I should again and print it out.
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Andrea
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Mama to four little girls (04), (05), (07), (09),& my 1st little guy 11/11
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Feb 16 2007 at 10:57am | IP Logged
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Andrea, I think that the SL preschool reading list is waht Marilyn linked above:
MarilynW wrote:
The link is SL Preschool
You have to join the yahoo list and then you have access to the files. |
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Hope that helps.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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anniemm
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| Posted: Feb 16 2007 at 11:22am | IP Logged
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Thank you Janette! Yes, I joined the yahoo group so that I could see the files, and I couldn't find just an exclusive list of the books, but the schedules for them. I just started plugging them into my Amazon wishlist and I saw that someone had done a SL preschool booklist already, so I just looked over that! I'm not sure if I'm going to go the SL route, but the booklist is very helpful so that I know what I should aquire/check out from the library.
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Andrea
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: I don't know where to start!
