| Author | |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: May 29 2014 at 12:38pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
My third boy is 5 1/2 and will be 6 at the start of the next school year. His birthday is September, just beyond the cut off, and he will actually be on the older side for starting Kindergarten. He has always carried himself with an air of maturity beyond his years (which has admittedly made it challenging when he goes and acts his age!!), and his vocabulary and language is advanced, but he is not showing any signs of being an early reader.
My gut at the moment is that he will be a "slow and steady wins the race" sort of learner. This is FINE with me, but he is my middle child in addition to being my Eeyore, and I am frustrated because it does not seem to be okay with him. He has always asked for more and more school work to be like his big brothers, but he has no real interest in putting forth the effort to do it. I've given him workbooks at his level, but he gets bored with them quickly, but then begs for more, but then is irritated when I direct him to the books he already has. A different and "better" book is not the answer here, I am certain.
He went through the Easy-Peasy homeschool lessons that goes by letter and links to starfall and youtube as well as printables. He knows his letters by name. He liked this, and I think he enjoys work on the computer, but part of that is just screen addiction.
Meanwhile, my 8 year old is going through Sound Beginnings with me. I think is great for him, and I actually think it will be good for my kindergartener, too, but it is apparent to me now that they cannot go through the program together as I'd planned and started. This 6 year old needs more time with the phonograms before moving on.
And just as I was typing this and pondering just what to say and ask, he asked me, "Mom, why did K do more than me." I just told him because he is older, which is the truth, but I think he really wants more attention. For some reason he seems to see schoolwork assignments as a measure of love  
I sort of think that both he and the 3 year old are really begging for a letter of the week (more or less) curriculum, but I just don't like crafty things  We are gluten free, which complicates all the recipe ideas, and is it me or are these "cut pictures from magazines" projects becoming dated? Who gets magazines like that anymore? I don't  The only magazines we get are those that we keep to reference and reread. At any rate, I think perhaps he would be less hard on himself if I had work he could succeed at easily without comparing himself to his big brother, and I think the 3 year old just needs some attention--he gets into an inordinate amount of trouble!!! I'm just really frustrated that this is going to take effort on my part  My oldest didn't really need this sort of thing, and I don't fancy myself a preschool sort of mom He really just left me alone, going with the flow, until 1st grade when he worked on Explode the Code workbooks at his own pace.
I did buy The Wand from Bravewriter, but I now realize I will only be able to use it with my soon to be 8 year old this year. My 6 year old is just not ready at all to start blending, though I can see teaching the phonograms as very beneficial, especially since he needs time with ideas for them to sink in. I'd love to find a simple routine for working on these with him at his pace.
And I completely realize that by Christmas he may have hit a milestone that puts him on a faster track, but for now, I need him to be okay with plodding, and my energy is really needed with my 8 year old who is not reading fluently on his own.
Any thoughts on all this?
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: May 29 2014 at 1:23pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
What about a "mommy and me" sorta time. You don't have to do "school work" but a set time to do something with him. Whether it's having him rinse the dishes you wash or helping you shift the laundry or being the "dumper" when you're cooking. But by giving him more time doing stuff with mom (not necessarily doing crafts or things) you might be able to help him feel less need to "do school" to get time with mom.
And if he wants to do school then you can start counting or naming things (what letter does dish start with?) etc. So that he's using what he knows without needing to go onto the next step.
__________________
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
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: May 29 2014 at 1:46pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Oh you know something you can work on with kids not ready to combine sounds yet, is the sight words.. like the Dolch sight words. Simple flash cards is generally what I used. But since they have to just be memorized as words anyway it can be handy and won't undermine doing phonics stuff later.
__________________
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
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
|
| Posted: May 29 2014 at 2:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
My 4th was like this to some extent and it kind of caught me off guard. I don't do much formal AT ALL during these early years...and I was kind of hoping to continue to rock back on that approach for one more year. Yet it was clear last year that she was looking for something more.
I started by trying to identify those things we value in the early years:
** Time outside
** Reading aloud
** Beginning alphabet/reading as the child indicates readiness
** Beginning copy work - at first, just of a letter...then simple things like name, address, simple sentence prayers.
** Early numbers and counting
** Hand work and play
** I don't coordinate crafts here. (Even though I do love crafts!) But...I did include this child in Artistic Pursuits lessons and began teaching her dry brush technique so she could join in with us for painting in nature notebooks. This went a long way toward her feeling she was contributing in the arts.
Then I looked toward structuring *my* time in a way that allowed me to continue with our basic early years format, but in a way that allowed my child to feel more focused. A couple of things I did:
** Review where/how I spent my time during the day
** Made a list of those things that REQUIRE my flexibility...like the newborn, and those things that are pretty fixed - like meals.
** I mapped my day out in iCal (any calendar program will do) so I could visually see a map of the day.
** Re-evaluate how I budget my lesson time with all children - including this younger child in my time-budgeting now. (Doesn't have to be one big chunk of time - we worked for about 30 minutes in the morning, and another 30 minutes in the afternoon. That doesn't include our time spent together in Morning Basket time - so it ended up being a well-rounded day for this early learner - with some definite lesson time punctuated with outdoor time and independent work/play time.)
** Look for creative times to give focused time to older children - narrating during meal prep worked great for us last year.
** Identify habits I knew I'd need to work on to accomplish stretching our time-budgeting. The biggies for me were silence when asked, not interrupting, and independent work behavior (like knowing where to get things like puzzles, knowing to put them away when done, knowing that just because you're bored doesn't mean you get to interrupt mommy and someone else).
And the final rung for me was to identify some activities I could rotate on and off shelves that could be done independently - things like geography puzzle maps, tracing and coloring puzzle maps, lacing, moveable alphabet work, bead work, tracing, a favorite themed coloring book...stuff like that. Then, after our together-work time, I would identify that as the child's special quiet work time. She could choose something off the shelf, or go look at books quietly...or play with the baby while I worked with another child. These were her *can-do* choices.
During the day but after this child and I had our work time, if this child started to become vocal about wanting more one-on-one attention (this only happened at the beginning of the year - after a couple of months the structure of the routine alleviated this compulsive asking for more, I think), then I could instruct the child that Mom's time had to be shared with all the children throughout the day, and that she and I had completed our work time. I would ask her if she needed a reminder about her *can-do* choices - if yes, review...if no, smile and return to work with other child.
It was YET ANOTHER transition for me/our family...but...it ended up working really well. By the end of the year, my daughter no longer constantly asked for me to work with her - she was content with her work time, understood that it had become a regular part of our routine and she enjoyed it. I won't say she NEVER interrupted other work times, buuuutttttt....she definitely improved, and when she did interrupt I could just say, "This is an interruption and isn't fair to J. You have some things you can choose to do." And she'd understand. One more thing last year did was bridge the gap between my 3rd and my 4th so that next year I *can* plan more for them together.
Gotta run, Lindsay...and I can't proof. But, I hope something here gets the brainstorming ball rolling for you! 
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: May 30 2014 at 10:57am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks, Jen. That is a helpful overview.
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Maryan
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 02 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3145
|
| Posted: May 30 2014 at 2:05pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Lindsay, I'm not sure if this is helpful because I may have misread your question, so I'll just throw this out there:
Logic of English has phonogram flashcards, phonogram game cards and a book of phonogram games. I bought them and the game book as part of a kit back in 2011. They are a little bit expensive. You could just buy her game book and make the phonogram cards yourself.
I don't know how sound beginnings work because I've never done it. But I use these phonogram flashcards with my 6 - 9 yo. Then I dictate a list of spelling words to them from Reading Lessons through Literature (I even have my 9 yo doing this as review to make sure we didn't miss any basics).
NOTE: We do LOE's flashcards -- but we don't use her Essentials text book -- and we use the phonogram flashcards at a faster pace like RLTL suggests. I should mention that my 3 yo and 2 yo sit there sometimes and try to make the sounds too! So maybe that part will entertain your 3 yo.
Then the kids play Memory or Dragon (like Old Maid), Rotten Egg, Bingo, etc. with these phonogram cards to review! They love it. I only include the phonograms that they know. My 6, 7 and 9 yo all play together. And it is school work and takes time. Sometimes my 9 yo has other work to do, so he bows out of the game that day. Sometimes my 3 yo will hold the cards or the matches of the boys to make her feel like she is playing too.
It's very similar in concept to the Right Start math games? And my kids never fuss about it.
If you have an Ipad she has an app for the 74 phonograms and for Android she has one for A-Z. Doodling Dragons is the name I think. I haven't used them, but they have positive reviews.
I just throw that out there as possibilities of school "work" that really isn't work? But I truly find it very productive for their phonogram and reading work.
I've also checked out Reading Lessons through Literature put out by barefootmeandering with Logic of English.
Then we use RLTL spelling lists for dictation. (You can set the pace for how many lists to do per week) and then she has readers to go along with them in the same book. (I just have the ebook). Hmm... I should also say RLTL has their own cards that you can print out, but we have these and so far we have just found two differences. And I guess I would go with RLTL's additions to their cards.
It takes a short time with me. It's simple and then the games extend their school "time" but they don't need me there.
I think both are O-G programs.
Just sharing something that's working with us and providing my kids with some educational phonics fun. That does require me... but then it doesn't??
__________________
Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Maryan
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 02 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3145
|
| Posted: May 30 2014 at 2:08pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
By the way, my 7 yo is in first grade and was in the same position last year. However, he mostly was content to NOT do school work. My 6 yo who is a kindergartener (b-day in January) is just the opposite LOVES school work and is always looking for more, so the games work because the K feels like it's school work and the 7 yo feels like it's NOT!!
__________________
Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ekbell
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 22 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 747
|
| Posted: May 30 2014 at 8:22pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I've found 'couch time' to be the meat of my kindergarten program. This is when all children who are not ready to do their own reading join me on the couch and we first read the books I've selected for the youngest and then books for the older child(ern). We currently also listen to the Classics for Kids podcast once a week.
In K I try to pick picture or story books covering art, music, poetry, nature(books about animals and plants), and religion. With my last two K students I found a number of alphabet and counting books which fit.
My K students also usually listen into the next older child's science, geography and history books (this includes folk tales and the like) but they are not required to do so. Sometimes classic children's stories are part of couch time, currently they're being read at bedtime instead.
I find adding more challenging material at couch time to be good for my children who are ready for more but not yet reading/writing well. Not just more challenging books but also beginning narration, describing pictures, memorizing short rhymes.... Of course this works partly because it's being just like the older kids (although the cuddling may also have something to do with it)
As for workbooks, my current K student is blazing ahead in her math while at a standstill with her language arts. Clock time telling, money, measurement, shapes, simple fractions, sums......she's currently well into the grade one math book. Her older brother liked Ed Emberley's art books but he had better fine motor skills.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angel
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 22 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2293
|
| Posted: May 31 2014 at 10:30am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Logic of English has programs for younger learners now, called Foundations. We used Level A last year with my 5 yo who turned 6 in late August, just 8 days before our brick and mortar school system's cut-off. I really liked it. It was easy to use and wasn't fussy. There were lots of suggestions for multi-sensory activities that could be turned into a "letter of the week" program, but they weren't absolutely necessary to the program. (We didn't use many of them.) The program contains handwriting lessons, but we were using HWT, so we just skipped those. My ds liked the readers, which are pages with pictures to cut out and match to the words.
I bought Level B to use with him next year, which is supposed to be his 2nd grade year, but... he doesn't feel like a 2nd grader to me. I think he actually switches some time after January to the next level instead of in the fall like he's "supposed" to. He certainly wouldn't be at the same level for 2nd grade as my twins were this year... their birthday is in October, so they were 7/8 for 2nd grade, and reading really well. In fact, I often wonder if I should call them 3rd graders, but I think they will need that extra year of maturity in high school. Same with my 6 yo, but because of his birthday, I have no idea what grade to say he is in! 1st/2nd isn't what most people understand!
__________________
Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
Three Plus Two
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Maryan
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 02 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3145
|
| Posted: May 31 2014 at 11:20am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Another thought:
Maybe you can have a checkoff list of pictures of his school "work" -- like some of the activities that Jen Mack suggested?
So for examples a picture of a puzzle, ABCs, 123s, etc. and make a little notebook, so that he knows these games/activities really are his school work?? Maybe that would make it seem more official for him? And schedule one activity as _________ with Mom and have that be whatever you are doing with him??
All my boys have check off lists and I know I'm going to need something for my 3 1/2 yo next year for her "work," so I'm toying with that idea.
__________________
Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: May 31 2014 at 11:35am | IP Logged
|
|
|
That is a great idea, Maryan!
And the Logic of English materials look great, too. I will definitely get their apps but will look into their other materials, too. I think this one will be delighted with the Doodling Dragons. We are listening to Our Island Story all together next year, so maybe I can pull together the dragons and the knights and castles theme for the year. Hmmmm.
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: May 31 2014 at 11:40am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Ekbell, those are good ideas. Couch time has been tough, tough, tough this year  My younger two just haven't cooperated. But when we do read aloud and do things together, my Ker doesn't really *own it* as his school, so I will need a plan to go above and beyond. BUT morning time is a big priority for me in the coming year.
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Kindergarten--Motivated but not Ready
