1) Kindergarten is all day everyday. Ok, so I guess this has been happening for a while, but WHAT? I'm not thrilled about this.
2) The school district I am in is very very good, but lots is required the first year. I guess preschool is now like kindergarten and kindergarten requirements are now closer to 1st grade standards. So instead of preschool being an option it is more like a requirement.
3) The private schools (that I was so excited to look into) are outrageous in price. Having gone to a private Christian school myself for elementary school, I was hoping to have that option for our girls. However, with the prices I have been seeing, even if we decided to make it work financially I feel like we should be saving that money for college. If we decide to send a child to Christian school pre-k to 12 we will have spent over 175,000 per kid before college. Does that sound crazy to anyone else? It kind of does to me.
4) I have met more home schoolers in this area than I have ever met before. Homeschooling is so big that at least half of the friends I have made so far home school their children.
SOOOOOOOO
We really haven't made many decisions yet. We still have lots of time, but I do know this.
1) I miss teaching.
2) I want to spend as much time as I can with my girls before a stranger has more time with them in a day than I do.
3) I want to have a big part in teaching my girls so that when we come to high school they can still see me as a partner in learning with them.
4) Learning and growing consist of more than just reading and writting. I want spiritual growth and God centered lessons to be a big part of thier learning.
SSSOOOOOOO
As I said we haven't made any real decisions yet, but we have made one. I will homeschool pre-school. Many of the mothers I know who do have kiddos in school started when they were little. The schools here or day cares start early lessons around 2 or 3 years of age. With so many of my new friends as home schoolers I have heard of lots of resources for lessons and have started to think back to my experience teaching in a kindergarten classroom as well. So all of this thinking paired with my excitement to get back into doing something other than moving or cleaning has equalled a week of getting lots done.
So first of all. to all of you who are still saying preschool already??? I agree it is too early. So I am not pushing anything. ( As a teacher I don't think that pushing a child to learn works...but we can discuss my theories about educational strategies someother time) So far I have created a few 'games' that she is welcomed to play with or not. I am just trying to provide educational experiences during play a bit more intensionally than before. So far we have done movement classes (which really has been something I've done with 2-3 year olds for a long time and have been doing with Angela for a while.), colors, numbers, and starting shapes. There is a website I've found (http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/) that has a link for what she calls Tot School. It is all about giving opportunities for your toddler to learn, develop motor skills, and be creative. I guess the key is to let it be child led learning and more about experiencing learning than being drilled about skills. These are learning stragies I've always been excited about. It is fun to actually have a chance to do them with my little girl.
So here are some of the little projects I've done this week. The first ones are what I call folder games. I came up with these based on some of the activites I would do with my kindergardners. The last two are par at of a tot pack that I downloaded from the sight http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/
( The last picture is just me being a proud mommy and bragging. I showed her how to trace the lines, but didn't think she really would. I just thought she'd color...go Angela!)
3 comments:
Carla, it's so great to hear some of your adventures!! Haddie started kindergarten this year, and I made a similar decision to preschool at home. I just wasn't willing to 'give up' my role or my time with them just yet. It was definitely a journey for both of us, but I am so glad we did. It is such a miracle to watch your own child develop and change and when things start clicking I was just amazed. Now that Haddie is in kindergarten, I treasure the time I had with her and am enjoying being able to do the same for Sierra and Brooklyn. My role with Haddie is still very important, but I do appreciate the opportunity having her at school gives me to focus attention on the other 2 girls. Great to hear from you; I'd love to connect more soon.
Jac
Wow, good for you! My only advice is to be sure to take some time for yourself too! My sister-in-law had a group of friend who all rotated preschool homeschooling between their houses. She loved it.
$175,000?? That's ridiculous! You could buy your girls houses with that kind of money.
Kudos to you for being flexible and willing to explore other options! I'm so glad you're having fun with your girls. :)
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