Three Keys to Homeschooling in Kindergarten

This year, for the fourth time, I started a new student in our homeschool.  Wesley is officially in Kindergarten this year.  So, I thought I would take some time to do a post on a few of the keys that I believe are important in formal education at this age.

First, here is a bit of background info on my journey and change of heart dealing with early education.

When I started homeshcooling I was so excited to start.  I had fond memories of homeschooling as a child and couldn't wait to start homeschooling my children.  My oldest was almost five, but not quite.  I had a three year old and one year old to juggle and jumped in with both feet.  It didn't take long to see that my oldest was not ready for formal education and I was not fostering a love for learning in him.  So, after just a few weeks, we put away the textbooks.

When the next year rolled around, I had more realistic expectations.  With a slight change of heart toward early education, I decided to lighten the load.  We studied Phonics, Math, and Handwriting several days a week which took about 45 min to an hour each time.  I then created my own theme units around the days of creation to study Science.  We took a month to study each day of creation.  We read books from the library, did experiments, created art projects, and went out in nature to examine God's creation.  This was a fantastic year, but it was still a bit much for him.

After following much the same method for the next two kids, I have had another slight change of heart.  I have seen the negative effects in my older children of more formal education in the early years than they were ready for.  I would like to avoid this with my younger children and also want to make learning as fun as it can be.

So, here are my three keys to homeschooling in Kindergarten.

1. Keep it simple.  There is really no reason teach secondary subjects to your Kindergarten child.  They may learn it and it can seem impressive but it really isn't in keeping with the development of that age.  A simple introduction to the basics of Math and Phonics is really sufficient and will create the basic foundation for later building blocks of learning.  Then, if there is a topic that they love such as animals you can add in great books, art, etc..  But, forcing the extras at an early age can create resentment toward learning that will rear it's ugly head in later years.

2. Keep it short.  At this age attention spans are usually very short.  If they are loosing interest it is a sign that it is time to move on to the next thing...even if you didn't get through your lesson...haha.  Developing a love for learning is more important than the amount of work that they do at this age.  Spending about 30 minutes  3 or 4 days a week is really plenty. I schedule an hour for Wesley because he has the desire and ability (that most of mine did not have at that age) to sit longer so that he can write and color his work thoroughly.  But, he is free to stop after 30 minutes and go play with Abby and the littles in the loft.  Whatever we don't get done in that 30 minutes can surely wait for the next day:)

3. Keep it hands-on.  Children of all learning styles still learn best at this age by actually doing things.  So, keep things as hands-on as possible.  Use Math manipulatives, games, Play-Doh, and puzzles as much as possible.  It is also a good idea to have a learning rich environment in your home where your Kindergartener can learn through games outside of the formal learning time.

Wesley will sit near and listen to the books that we read in the afternoon from "Rome to the Reformation".  But he will be on a mat with a game or puzzle to keep his little fingers busy.

I am always amazed by how much my little ones pick up from being near us while we do school.  I believe that they listen best when their fingers are busy:)


What things do you do to help your Kindergartener learn?

Large Family Organization...the homeschool cabinet

Large families take an extraordinary amount of organization.  I feel like I am still in the early years of the large family and still learning the most efficient way to organize.  I thought I would do a series on the ways that I organize our large family.  Everyone is different in preferences on this sort of thing and there is no one right or wrong way to do it.  But this series will share some of the things that I do to make life easier around here. I will attempt to do a "Large Family Organization" post every Wednesday...we shall see...haha.

Today, I thought I would share how I organize all of the little things that we use on a daily basis for our homeschool.  I have tried so many different things over the years to organize but, it never seemed smooth and efficient until I did this.

A neighbor gave me this cabinet as they were preparing to throw it away.  It had no knobs, paint was scratched off in several areas, and the inside shelves were broken.  I invested in a little hardware and paint and refurbished this little unit for about $15.  It now sits in our kitchen eating area right by the table where the kids do their book work.  Easy access and doors that close were both essential for me.  Above is a picture of the outside and below is the inside.

On the top shelf, I put the workbooks and Teacher's manuals for individual work that we use daily along with a plastic box in which the kids place their completed work. This is mainly the Math and Language books.

On the middle shelf I placed several baskets (that I happen to already have from another organization project in another house).  I always try to utilize things that I already have in these types of projects...sometimes it works...sometimes it doesn't.  This time it worked...aahhh.  These baskets hold the crayons, pencils, colored pencils, glue, scissors, and paint.  There was even a place for the pencil sharpener (high enough to be out of the reach of the littles).  And, there was a media cut out in the back of the unit so I could plug in the pencil sharpener without having cords hanging out the front...icing on the cake!

 

On the bottom shelf are baskets holding white and colored paper and stencils, stamps, etc..  My kids do quite a bit of drawing/sketching...especially when I am reading aloud to them.
 

The three drawers on the bottom are where my three older kids can store their personal school items when they are not doing book work.

 

On top of the cabinet, I placed three more baskets with items that we use a little less frequently like Math manipulatives, extra art supplies, and larger bottles of paint.

Before, I had these things organized in our "homeschool closet" in a bedroom with all of the curriculum that we are not using this year but will need in future years.  The problem was that if someone broke a pencil, it took a trip to the other room to remedy the problem and chances of being distracted were high.  Now, everything that we need is right at our fingertips without having to leave the room. 

I am SO pleased with the result...especially for the price.

I keep all of our "unit study" books (Bible, Art, Music, History, Literature, Science, Geography, "read aloud", etc.) in a large crate next to the couch where we all lounge in the afternoons to learn while the babies are napping.  Here is a picture of this...not so lovely but what works at the time.

I then keep our school music cds in a little basket inside the entertainment center where they are handy and yet out of the reach of the littles.  Here is a picture of that.

Now, to organize the shoes and socks...haha!  Actually, that will be my next post in this series:)  Look for it next Wednesday!

Map skills at the zoo.

We like to go to the zoo...and often.  Now that we have our annual pass, we can go for free as often as we like:)


We also like to learn hands-on and out of the house when we can.  So, I look for ways to incorporate different types of learning into the zoo trips that we take.  This makes each trip unique, keeps the zoo interesting,  and helps us maximize the learning.


Today we went to the zoo and I decided to focus on "map skills".  What better way to learn "map skills" than at the zoo with a map in hand!  I like to let each child pick an animal that they want to see, find it on the map, find where we are on the map, and then route out the way to get there.  It is so much fun and the kids really get a kick out of being the one "in charge".  Everyone gets a turn and it takes us most of the day.


As we were coming up to the zoo the kids wanted to stop and look at the fish, turtles, and ducks from the bridge.  Here is a shot of them looking at a huge goldfish.

And, here is one of my Abby girl...so grateful that the Lord decided to give me a daughter!

As soon as we were in the gate, I gave Wesley the map and let him choose the first place that we would go.  I showed him where we were on the map and let him choose something that he wanted to see.  He chose the snakes and frogs.

He studied the map for a while and then, with a little help from older siblings, he pointed us in the right direction and we all followed.

The Arizona trail is always a favorite for the boys:)

 

So glad we don't have this in our backyard!

After that we decided to have lunch and play at the tree house.  This place is usually a stressful place for me to let them play as there are several different entrances and exits and it's hard to watch them all.  Abby got away from me as a toddler and it took us and our friends a while to find her...all the while, I am thinking about how close we live to the border, etc..  Since that day, the tree house has never been the same to me.  But, this time, construction was going on behind the tree house.  There was a fence around the area and therefore only one way to come and go...nice:)  So, the kids were treated to a rare opportunity to play at the tree house.


After lunch, we walked the African trail to get updated pictures of Wesley holding his toy safari animals in front of the actual animals at the zoo.  He requested this when he found out that we were going to the zoo,  Then he ran and packed all of the plastic animals in a back pack for the trip.  You can see the old pictures on a previous post by clicking here.  Funny how much he remembered the previous pictures and really wanted to take them again:)  You just never know what little thing will mean the most to each one of them and what they will remember.  Here are the updated pictures.  You can't really see the giraffe in his hand as it is camouflaged by the real ones behind him.

 

 

 

Actually all of the "real" animals are hard to see...you have to know where to look but to him they are wonderful pictures!


Here is one of Seth playing with a giraffe in front of the giraffes.  These are great realistic plastic animals that we picked up at Wal-Mart for $1 each several years back.  For a few days following a zoo trip, they become the favorite toys of the preschool kids:)

Brennan and Abby both wanted to go to the "barnyard" area next, so they mapped out the way to get there and led us along the paths.  Here is a picture of Wesley and Abby studying the map together.

Nathan then wanted to see the Bald Eagle...one of his favorite animals at our zoo...so he led us there.


Here is a great picture of all five of the older kids checking out a small pond on the way.  The photographer in me loves it when they all get together like this on their own:)

You can see my little free spirited two year old trying to jump right in!

Ransom just hung out for the day but seemed to really enjoy the excitement that he sensed in the older kids.  Although he doesn't look too excited here...haha!

So, an entire day was devoted to learning and practicing map skills, and enjoying a beautiful December Arizona day...the best time of year to be in Arizona!


What things do you do with your family to learn outside of the classroom?