Homeschool Chat

[LittleBlue22]

Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense

I get the workbooks from Wal Mart /Target or even the teacher supply store. There's simple dot to dots, or coloring matching pictures. Like the other poster said, have fun with her, even get computer games. I have a preschool program (recognizing colors shapes) from Disney with Mickey and the gang. Very simple and fun. Also, you can go online to PBSkids*org, or noggin.com and play there too. We're a techy kind of family so online works for us (along with constant internet supervision).

I don't homeschool, but I hope some of you might be able to help me. I have a 7 yr old, a 6 yr old, and a very active 2 yr old boy. Homework takes about an hour each night. I find it very hard to focus on school work for only 1 hour with a 2 yr old present- I have great respect for those of you who do it all day!

I would love any suggestions for occupying him during this time. I would happily plop him in front of a TV, but it doesn't interest him at all. Plus, he just wants to be part of what the rest of us are doing. Sadly, he doesn't stay still or quiet, and nothing holds his interest for long. Any ideas? Thanks!

I would have the older boys tag team play with the youngest brother. I have a 16mo old boy as well and I get my older girls to tag team watch him as I work with one or two other kids at a time. That seems to work for us. Also, maybe have him be on the computer as well. Maybe the noggin. nickjr, or pbskids would interest him too. If anything, there's fisherprice*com and some where on their site are simple banging games for toddlers. They just bang on any key and the picture or shape changes.

 

[Praise2Him]

God had his protective hand over my son from the start. In those early critical moments, everything was done perfectly (some of which by 11-14 yr old boys)!!! He also gave my son, and our whole family, a sense of peace and comfort during this time. The healing that has taken place is beyond what I was afraid to even ask for (so glad to have friends that could). We are so unworthy of God's goodness - I can certainly be sure to give Him the glory and praise.

That is an amazing story and I also praise the Lord with you

 

[Praise2Him]

My 20 year old unschooled daughter was accepted into Miami University starting January 2009! This was the first and only school she applied to.

When she was 16 she decided that she wanted to spend some time in Japan and study the Japanese language and culture. She did odd jobs, babysat, made beautiful jewelry for extra money. She started working at Limited Too at the mall when she was 17 and the day she turned 18, they made her a manager. This was her "senior year." (BTW-she hated LTD2 and left there to work at the Disney Store!--my kinda girl!)

She saved like crazy and made her dream of living and studying in Japan come true.


She went to take her placement tests today and scored in the 90's on everything.

Not bad for a kid that never went to school or used a curriculum. She learned what she wanted, when she wanted, how she wanted and for as long as it interested her. She was allowed to dream and do nothing when it suited her. She was encouraged to follow her interests always.

I am more proud than I can say.

Thank you for sharing - your story makes me feel a lot better. My DD is a Senior and although we have a curriculum we really don't do great about keeping up with it. But, she does read ALL the time and loves learning. She wants to go into Fashion Design and has taught herself how to sew. She also wants to study in Paris and is doing great with learning French. It's just so hard not to feel guilty about not finishing all the work and tests in the curriculum!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense

I agree with what everybody has said-she's probably doing enough! We used books from the time they were big enough to sit up in my lap. I am a book lover, so I feel it's never too early to introduce that to children.

Nuzmom~ What a wonderful Testimony for your son/family!! Praise the Lord that the boys-and the 17 yo knew what to do and prayed with him!!! That's so awesome--God gets the Glory!!!

 

[crl]

God had his protective hand over my son from the start. In those early critical moments, everything was done perfectly (some of which by 11-14 yr old boys)!!! He also gave my son, and our whole family, a sense of peace and comfort during this time. The healing that has taken place is beyond what I was afraid to even ask for (so glad to have friends that could). We are so unworthy of God's goodness - I can certainly be sure to give Him the glory and praise.

Wow! That's so amazing! It's really great that the boys were all so responsible when it happened. I'm impressed that the boys also remembered to pray. Even as an adult, I tend to panic first, pray later. Glad your son is doing well on his recovery.

 

[crl]

Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense

I agree with the others. With my almost 3 yr old, I'm playing games with blocks to do colors and counting. He is slowly making an ABC book where we take a notebook page and cut out things that begin with A last week then B for this week.

 

[labdogs42]

Here ya go!

Homeschool Legal Defense Association web page for Pennsylvania:
http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/PA/

listing of homeschool support groups in your area (a great resource):
http://www.home-school.com/groups/PA.html

Thanks!

 

[sha_lyn]

nuzmom......... I don't know know what to say. I'm so glad his recovery has been so quick. I can't imagine what those first few days were like.

cerberus.... lots of great advice so far. I would also suggest working on gross and fine motor skills, hand eye corordination etc.

I found several sites with fun activites doing a yahoo search.

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...e+motor+skills&y=Search&fr=slv8-tyc7&ei=UTF-8

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...s+motor+skills&y=Search&fr=slv8-tyc7&ei=UTF-8

 

[Ashley Kees]

Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense

Hi! We started homeschooling both DD at 3. Every day we did alphabet flashcards, and I picked up a "preschool" worksbook at Walmart for $10, and they did the anywhere from 1-4 worksheets per day, depending on how they felt about it. We worked primarily on colors, shapes, numbers and counting, holding the pencil correctly, staying inside the lines, stuff like that. I went and got science and social studies related kids books at Half Price books (10% discount for homeschool teachers, by the way!) and we read at least one "learning" story a day. Total sit-down "structured learning" time per day was around 45 minutes total. That doubled by the age of 4, DD5 spends about 2-3 hours a day now. I let them tell me how much sit down time they want each day.

The rest of pre-homeschool was learn-by-live; children's museum, science museum, kids day at the art museum, PBS, nature walks, etc.

 

[Ashley Kees]

I don't homeschool, but I hope some of you might be able to help me. I have a 7 yr old, a 6 yr old, and a very active 2 yr old boy. Homework takes about an hour each night. I find it very hard to focus on school work for only 1 hour with a 2 yr old present- I have great respect for those of you who do it all day!

I would love any suggestions for occupying him during this time. I would happily plop him in front of a TV, but it doesn't interest him at all. Plus, he just wants to be part of what the rest of us are doing. Sadly, he doesn't stay still or quiet, and nothing holds his interest for long. Any ideas? Thanks!

Hi! My son is almost 2, and most days he still takes a nap for about 2 hours, so most of the schooling is done during that time. When he is awake, he sits at the table with us and mimcs us. For example:
If the girls are doing flashcards or Hooked on Phonics, he does his own little flashcards with me, and I let him play with them.
If the girls are doing math, I let him play with the manipulatives
If the girls are doing worksheets, he is coloring pictures from his "workbook" (coloring book)
If the girls are reading stories, he listens, too!

Get him involved, it's never too early to start learning.

When he gets bored or out of control, he plays with toys in his room, or Daddy takes him outside to play.

 

[prittfamily98]

I am pulling my 10yoDD out of school. Her last day is Friday Dec 12. We are headed
((just me-mom-and the 3 kids-hubby can't go do to work))to WDW on Dec. 14th .
I am so sick of how my DD is being taught by the teacher and what she is NOT being taught and what she is being taught. My DD went from A's to B's and C's. To top it off the teacher has done nothing. I have sent notes, had conferences with the teacher and principal and NOTHING!
I have all my paper work in order for the state(Fl).
MY biggest problem is curriculum. Oh MY there is so much. Abeka is so popular but I don't want everything to be centered around GOD.
Does anyone have any curriculum suggestions?
Thank you for the thread Disney and Homeschool...I'm excited.

 

[graygables]

I'm a huge fan of Hands of a Child lapbooks. Easy-peasy, fun to do, builds your portfolio as you go, kids enjoy it, I enjoy it. They come in many subjects and they frequently have sales. I joined their "club" for year-round savings, plus lots of free printables and projects. I do all of ours in PDF, so I can print as many as I need and don't have to pay for shipping.

For math, we are using Math U See. LOVE it, too. Lots of good repetition and reinforcement.

 

[Family Loves Disney]

just subscribing

 

[kesharn81]

well i am new to this..

 

[storybookmum]

I didn't realize this was here.

I'm going to have some reading to do, I see!

I've been homeschooling my girls from the beginning - they've never been to school. From Caroline's grade 2 year (she's in 5 now) we've been using Sonlight - we're almost finished Core 3, but we modify it for use as Canadians, which stretches it out a long way!

I run a homeschooling group in Windsor, Ontario, called Family Village Homeschooling Association, and I write for Homeschooling Horizons Magazine (Canadian publication).

We use lots of other material, of course - hard not to spread around. Caroline's using A Beka for LA and Meredith uses MCP Phonics and sometimes Explode the Code. We use Apologia Elementary for science, and Right Start Math for both girls, which we love.

I'm glad to have the connection at the Disboards for homeschooling, too, that's fun.

 

[mickeyvixie]

Hi all...havent been on for a while...school stuff, you know how it is.

There is a new board available for those you who use K12 with Agora in PA.

For now it is a public board but parts may become private for protection of the kiddies. I personally dont post anything too incriminating

Anywho....here ya go. I am the same name over there.
http://s1.zetaboards.com/AgoraParentsForum/index/

 

[Ashley Kees]

I am pulling my 10yoDD out of school. Her last day is Friday Dec 12. We are headed
((just me-mom-and the 3 kids-hubby can't go do to work))to WDW on Dec. 14th .
I am so sick of how my DD is being taught by the teacher and what she is NOT being taught and what she is being taught. My DD went from A's to B's and C's. To top it off the teacher has done nothing. I have sent notes, had conferences with the teacher and principal and NOTHING!
I have all my paper work in order for the state(Fl).
MY biggest problem is curriculum. Oh MY there is so much. Abeka is so popular but I don't want everything to be centered around GOD.
Does anyone have any curriculum suggestions?
Thank you for the thread Disney and Homeschool...I'm excited.

Hi there! Anther secular homeschool family here. We have no problem with religion, but we choose to homeschool secularly for many reasons. I made a LOOOONG post a couple months ago on this thread about secular resources, many of which probably don't apply to you, it was for another state, but there may have been something for you if you want to check it out. Here's some more:

1. I use Saxon Math, Hooked on Phonics, Hooked on Spanish, Grammar workbooks for the appropriate grade level from Walmart (for now), books (novels and biographies) as well as citizenship workbooks from Mardel (not Christian-based) for social studies, and science-related kids books (Magic School Bus, Charlie Brown encyclopedia) and a grade-appropriate science experiment book for science (also from Mardel). My kids are younger than yours, but that gives you an idea.

2. Find a curriculum fair in your area, if you can. Most have passed, but some start back up in early spring. They can be a little overwhelming, but the secular materials make up a small percentage, so it's a little easier for us!

3. The Homeschool Place - an online store that carries both Christian and secular materials.
http://www.thehomeschoolplace.com/

4. The education section of Half Price Books. I find great deals here, and since everything is used, you can actually LOOK through them and see if you like them!

5. Here are some general secular homeschool resources for you.

Secular Homeschool (national):
http://secularhomeschool.net/

Secular Homeschoolers Association of Florida:
http://oursheaf.org/

Florida Parent-Educators Association: (has a wealth of information, plus a calendar of events)
http://www.fpea.com/

Northwest Florida homeschool convention:
http://www.nwfhc.com/

Florida Homeschool groups (including secular)
http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/Florida.html

Florida Groups, events, and activities:
http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/show_state.asp?st=FL

Good luck!
Ashley

 

[Denine]

Hi to all the new people.

We use Calvert which is not religious. We do use Horizons for math which is supposed to be Christian, but I have seen very little reference to religion.

 

[Ellester]

Children's Books is having their annual winter sale. I have found their prices to be about the best anywhere. Just wanted to put it out there for anyone who can use it.

www.childsbooks.com

 

[cerberus]

Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense

I wanted to say thank you to all that answered my post!!! Thanks for the few new ideas too!
It sounds like I am on the right track and I am guessing we have made good progress because she can count to 20, knows almost all her ABCs (she misses occasional letter like L or N), she has her basic colors down. We now started working on counting things like someone here posted, so that has been fun.
We do 1 hour on the computer once a day. Does anyone have anyother good free sites for toddlers/preschool other than starfall? We have Reader Rabbit and I just ordered Jumpstart.