This year E is 5 years old! Craziness… which means that next year he will officially be “school age” or, ready for grade 1. I have always felt that I would like to explore the option of Home Schooling (or Home Education) with my kids, even before I was a mom. Growing up I spent the first 3 years at home. While I can’t say I have too many memories of my school time at home, I can say that when I started attending school in grade 4, I really enjoyed it. I also had an amazing teacher. Out of my siblings, I think I may have spent the most time in school, or close to the most. For the most part I enjoyed my school experience. I think a lot of this can be attributed to my mom allowing me the time I needed to get comfortable with the idea of being at school… I was a pretty shy kid in group settings, and remember feeling so anxious when I was around new kids and adults. On a one on one basis though, I was a chatty kathy… that mostly connected with adults and kids that were a bit older then me.
As a mom, there are certain aspects of Home Education that really appeal to me. Matt and I talked about it a lot as E came closer and closer to needing to be aware of certain parts of the “school world” (letters, numbers, sounds, adding, order, patterns etc) And I have always enjoyed doing different activities that enforce some of the skills he will need for school. So, this year we decided to offer Kindergarten at home. There are some benefits to this that I have really been enjoying- for example, he is ready for some grade 1 material, and it is really simple to just move on to new subject matter, rather then him getting bored with things he already knows. The same goes for things he isn’t quite grasping, we can spend more one on one time making sure he is understanding the new concepts. Of course, for many, Kindergarten is mostly about peer interaction, learning to take instruction from a new authority figure, and the child having something special outside of home/siblings etc. It isn’t a required grade. There are many benefits to regular kindergarten. We looked into sending E to Kindergarten, but our personal circumstances just pointed to Home Schooling really making sense for us. I definitely see benefits and draw backs to both! (neutral statemnent)
This year, I started out just kind of “winging it” because in a lot of ways, E knows most skills you “need to know” in kindergarten. He has been able to count to 100, say his ABC’s, count by tens, write his name etc. for over a year. So, there are some things he knew. I bought some books at Costco last year, Learning Essentials the Canadian Curriculum Pre-K and Kindergarten. They cover some Math, Reading and Writing Readiness Materials. For the most part E enjoyed these. There was a bit too much tracing for his liking… but that is just the way he is! I still use some of the sheets from the Kindergarten book in sections that he hasn’t finished.
This year I picked up some more workbooks from Target by Kumon:
And some other books that focus on Writing and Reading Readiness. Some of these E ripped through. He wants to sit and do 10-15 pages at a time. However, I have quickly learned that E is beyond the stage of counting, and repetition. He doesn’t want to repeat the same things anymore, it’s “too boring.” So, it is time to be a bit more intentional about our curriculum. For Math we’ve decided to use the Math-U-See Curriculum. A good friend recommended it to me, and we are liking it so far. It honestly makes me think about Math in a completely different way! I find the teacher’s resources to be very useful. E is starting with “Alpha” I will let you know how it is going!
We are also starting the Explode the Code Series. (Phonics, Vocabulary, Writing, Comprehension) I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and I am always aware that I don’t want to be skipping important building blocks, so I ordered Books A,B,C and books 1&2 with the teaching resources. E has proven to be a little resistant to reading… he has it in his mind that it is “hard” (not sure why) so, I wanted to be intentional about covering our bases, because he also REALLY wants to be able to read. Upon receiving the books though, I realized that he is ready for book one. (after thumbing through A,B,C and the teaching guide. E also did a pre-test at the start of Book 1 which was a good indication he is ready for book 1) I’ll save A,B,C for G to start later on this year and next.
I have also found a great site that is really useful for tips about where to start, what to cover etc. It’s called 1+1+1=1 and is run be a Christian mom that home schools her three kids. I’ll admit I have a pretty relaxed approach, and not a ton of time to be thinking about theme weeks, crafts etc. So, her preschool and kindergarten printables add a lot of fun to the boys day! We have used the Lego, Snow Day, and Cars Printable packs as of late. There are honestly TONS to choose from and print off for free. She also has blogs about her own experience, and supplementary materials to purchase. I like that I can pick and choose things that interest my kids, involve current seasons or holidays, or go along with books we already have etc. They really enjoy these printable packs, and it gives me many options to get G involved. (he is 3.5)
I hope to be back over the weekend with some more details about what Homeschooling looks like for us! Do you homeschool? What works for you and your kids. Any favorite curriculum materials? What type of “schedule” do you keep? Afternoons seem to be when my kids are most attentive and eager, after they have had free play time, lunch and outside time!
-Miss Ash
You’re doing a great job Miss Ash!
thanks mamma!