Preparing for K-4 at Home

The standard way to think of schooling is in terms of grade levels and public school calendars.  We have a little different view, we started schooling our children at birth and we "do school" everyday.  I count life skills on equal footing with traditional academic skills because everyone needs to know how to do laundry and cook meals!

However, each year I am more deliberate in selecting academic curriculum and keeping records.  We are still "practicing" school, I guess you could say, because my oldest child is four.  It is important to me to keep lessons light and short, but my methods are deliberate.  We will not officially declare our intent with the state of Georgia until the very last minute (although, I am looking forward to that teacher supply discount that comes with the letter of intent!). 

Papple starts preschool again in a couple of weeks...technically we're labeling it K-4.  I'm so excited to get our curriculum and supplies organized for the school year!!  Whew....I've been holding that in this whole time!

Getting out of the house!!  This year Papple will attend an enrichment program for homeschoolers that meets once a week.  It's not the kind of program where you drop children off.  Parents of the little ones are asked to stay on campus and help the children change classes.  That should be interesting since I have two toddlers in tow.  Can you picture me strolling them around the campus for hours?  Me neither...I have to come up with a plan...don't worry, I'll think of something!

We signed up for her classes earlier this summer and it was a very interesting experience.  It reminded me of signing up for college classes - banks of computers and long lines.  But Papple is signed up for some really cool classes with fantastic teachers.  Just to give you an idea, one class is called Geography Around the World; they explore cultures around the globe through children's literature and crafts. 

If I'm a four year old, I just show up for class, listen to stories and create messy art projects with my hands.  A four year old will have no idea that they are learning about different cultures and widening their  view of our world.  Nope, a four year old is just there having fun.  And that's the basis for most of our homeschool journey so far....we're having a nice time and learning is a side effect.

The other four days of the week Papple is home with me.  The serious goals for this year are to lay a strong foundation for early math and reading skills.  If you know me in real life the idea of me teaching math probably made you bust out laughing.  And rightfully so, I'm creative terrible in math.   But we're using that deficiency as an important starting point.  Here's what I mean...

I learned math the public school way.  Lots of worksheets and rote memorization.  I learned to count like this...1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.....wait for it......10,11,12,13,14...and so on.  Each number has a stand alone value. 

Big Apple is naturally gifted in math.  He has an inherent understanding of numbers that is different from the way I was taught.  He visualizes the numbers in values and groups. 

When I add 7 + 2 = 9, I think of two distinct values that reach a sum.  I rely heavily on memorization that those two values equal eight....(kidding....nine).  I don't think in terms of their quantity or the place they hold in real space. 

When Big Apple adds the same numbers he thinks more like this....seven plus two....seven is one five with two left over.  Two and Two are four.  Five and two, twos equals nine.  Not quite a complete ten. 

See the difference.  My method looks shorter, but in reality it can be very slow.  Big Apple can think through large sums very quickly using his method.  When working with large sums, I need a piece of paper and a place to carry my ones.  So while the traditional American method of teaching math looks more straightforward; in fact, it does little to prepare the mind for manipulating values.

So, we are opting for a method of teaching math used in Asian schools, our specific curriculum is called Right Start Mathematics Level A.  If you want to learn more about the program ask someone else...like this person, or go to the RightStart website.  As for us, I'll let you know how it goes when we get started in a few weeks.  

As for Reading, I'm S-L-O-W-L-Y teaching phonics using of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise and her daughter Sara Buffington.  Jessie Wise, along with her daughter "The Well Trained Mind: Guide To a Classical Education at Home" which is a resource that has derailed many a nice, public school family and tempted them into the homeschool abyss.  Consider yourself warned.

The backbone of school mornings comes from a wonderful book called "Early Education at Home: A curriculum Guide for Parents of Pre-Schoolers and Kindergartners" by M. Jean Soyke.  I fill in the math and language slots with our program of choice.  It helps keep our time organized and brings a sense of accomplishment with the completion of each day's lesson.

So, that's the plan.  It's all peaceful and organized in my mind.  But if last year taught us anything, it's that school, even "pre" school is anything but peaceful and it's a real struggle to keep it organized!  So, let's just see what happens when my static plans colide with our boisterious, headstrong preschooler.  Oh, this is gonna be good. 

Hugs,

Georgia Peach

ps...This post will appear in the Carnival of Homeschooling - if you came here by way of the Carnival link thank you for stopping by!   If you would like to read more from other homeschooling families click here.