A new unit study program that you can use with multiple ages at the same time.  Have fun, in a relaxed way!  Your child will hardly realize they are learning.

***If you are new, simply scroll down to the level you feel your child is at and work your way up***

(To get all the way to the beginning, you will need to click on 'older posts' to get to the beginning level. Scroll to the bottom, it's in very small print toward the right side)

You have made it!

Your child can read! :)

They know all/most of their kindergarten sight words!:)

They can add/subtract even when borrowing and carrying :)

So...what is next?

Good question...

There are a lot of different takes on this age. 

What do they need to learn?

Why should they use this?

I will tell you what I see and leave you to make your decision.

Currently, your child can add and subtract to the point of carrying and borrowing.

If you started at preschool, do you have any idea how advanced that is, already?

Many math facts will be learned  in regular life. 

A great example:

3>1   

This takes about 3 minutes to explain, if that.  There is no need for a whole lesson on this, let alone reviews or worksheets.

To put it a little more clearly, I'll explain it this way.  There is so much review in graded math  a gap here and there will not make a difference.  A 5 minute explanation will not leave anyone behind.

Basically what I am trying to get at is dodge the curriculums and textbooks.  You know what your child needs to review, take charge!

So what's next?

Well, for math: 

Why not teach them multiplication?

Their little sponge minds will soak it up!  They can understand it later.

The online math book I introduced earlier is great at introducing fractions.

I am going to leave you with multiplication.  Don't forget to review the sight words, but also introduce multiplication to the games as well.    Every once in a while add a review sheet on carrying and borrowing just to make sure they don't forget.  If they get the question correct, I wouldn't worry about it.  If they get it wrong, however, give them a question a day till they get it right again.

Make it fun!

Happy Homeschooling!!

****If you're coming here for the first time, scroll down to see where your child is at and start at that stage.  We don't do grades, so much as stages.  There are no ages.  Simply start at the stage your child is at developmentally.****

Before you start this stage, your child should be finishing up their letters or at least mid-way through.  At this point you can introduce them to writing out numbers.  While you're doing this, why not introduce them to adding as well?

Now if you started at the beginning you will know they have already been introduced to the concept of adding, especially if you are working on the math textbook I included. 

Now it is time to introduce them to writing it out!

I found this on a Montessori site years ago:

Why bother with 1+1.....just dive in!  This is a little difficult to type on a computer but I will do my best. 

8745323456654323456

1234323432344444442

Get a piece of graphing paper and line up the numbers. 

Add them together.
http://www.donnayoung.org/math/graph-paper.htm

That will be their one math problem a day.

It's that easy!
(just make sure there will be no carrying, not there yet!)

When they grasp the adding, they'll get two problems, one adding the other subtraction.
(again, no borrowing)

What's next?

Yes, carrying and subtraction!

NO

24

-19

DO

787766578

56787848

I like there to be at least 6 or 7 numbers, but you can write as many as you like.

It may seem like they'll get overwhelmed, but since they have done this from the beginning they really won't know the difference.  When their peers are in school spending a month introducing one additional digit at a time, they will be that far ahead. 

Keep doing the math book I gave you from the early 1900's, just a lesson a week or so.  That book moves quite fast so there is no reason to rush through it. 

Make this step your priority.

Happy Homeschooling!



At this stage your child should be reading and doing their other lessons regularly.  They should be comfortable where they are, no reason to introduce everything all at once!

Now...to move on:

Time to write!

Unless you're in a state that tries to control you, I wouldn't start this until age 7 or so.   Writing perfectly is not as important as writing legibly.  Here is a great online site to start at:

http://www.donnayoung.org/penmanship/index.htm

Don't worry so much about the numbers just yet.  Start at the bigger spacing, and when your child is writing good, make your way down to the spacing that is a little more narrow.  Just as in reading, start with Aa, and make your way down to Zz reviewing regularly. 

No reason to stress about writing words.  They will all be connected later.

Happy Homeschooling!!

******

For those of you just starting off, simply scroll down to the stage your child is at and begin.  I start all the way at the beginning.  There is no age, simply start when you feel they are ready. 

******

Once you're in the routine of doing your work, try adding on a few other subjects.  For elementary, I wouldn't really take history or science very serious.  Let me explain.

In grade 1,

(and I'm not saying this is where you child is now, but just as an example)

they study history.

In grade 2 they do the exact same thing they did in grade 1, but a little more in depth.

In grade 3, they do the same as grade 2, but a little more in depth.

Science is the same. 

Why waste your time???

That's not to say you should drop the subject entirely.  But don't feel like you need a curriculum.  Go the the library, get books!! 

Just make it fun.

My favorite approach is "learning through TV".  I'm not discouraging reading, but maybe watch one show during snack, and another during lunch.  It's what I call, 'accidental learning'.

(For a complete set, click link attached to pic)

https://www.youtube.com/user/LibertysKidsTV

Watch these in order. 

This is a fun cartoon.  Kids will learn history with out even realizing they are doing school.

For science, I would recommend 'Magic School Bus'.

(for dvd click link attached to pic)

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=liberty+kids

If you're going to add the library into your practice, you could also get a book that has a common theme as the show.

For example:

You watch Magic School Bus for snack.  The show is about rocks and gems.

Before bed, you sit down with your child and look at a big picture book of all the different types of rocks.

Or maybe the show was about butterflies.

You read a fun, colorful picture book on butterflies together.

Still not enough?

Here are pics of some of my favorite  activities.

Butterfly Garden

Order the larvae, and watch the butterflies grow! 

Grow a frog

You can order your own frogs and watch them grow.  Best of all, if you have tadpoles anywhere in your yard,  throw them in there and do it again!



Yes, they have it:
(the pic has changed, but it's the same) 
Raise your own Chickens/ducks!

Have eggs delivered and watch them hatch.

****Just remember to have a plan of what you're going to do when they hatch.  A local feed shop will probably be able to take them if you can't raise them on your own.

Grow Ladybugs

You guys get the idea.  These are all ideas to get your children more involved in their science show.

Keep this in mind.  Kids learn best through what interests them.  How much more do you retain when you are interested.  I remember several tests in school.  I studied, I remembered all the facts.  I took the test.  How much did I retain? 

Next to nothing.  I had no interest in it.

Make it fun.  Accidental learning is the easiest way to teach!

Start with these two.  I will list actual books a little later.  There is no reason to overwhelm your child with a bunch of subjects.

Happy Homeschooling!!



Congratulations to all that are keeping with it!!

I would just like to add that those of you that are wanting to send your children to school, they do expect them to write.  Unless you live in a state that still has the 'play as you learn' lifestyle for kindergarten, with recess and a fun, socialized lunch, they do expect them to write nicely even to pass.  It wouldn't hurt to give them a head start.

I didn't do this with my youngest, and I thought all the stories couldn't be true about kindergarten.  They must do some fun, right?  I soon got a message on her penmanship.  (In all fairness, her writing was much better than mine at her age, but to them it was failing.)   It didn't look perfect.  Why would it?  She was 6!  But schools these days want robots, and if it is not perfect, they will toss them aside.  Enough with that, though...I could go on for hours!

It is important that you teach your child to spell and write their name.  That is the top priority.

Teach them your phone number.

Teach them your address.  Some schools will expect them to write it as well.

Teach them to write all numbers, correctly.  Unless you live in a state that understands that age, there is no 'close enough'.  There is only one way to write a letter and number. 

I am not sure how to make this fun.  In all fairness, I don't feel a 6 yo is ready to learn writing as part of their curriculum, let alone have it critiqued by someone who more than likely didn't write much different than your child is doing at that age.  So I will leave this up to you.

Copy work is a common class in some home school families.  Simply have them copy a word three times.  You could even give them a little candy or sticker for the words they do correctly.  When they get all their letters corrected, or maybe even a short two, promise to take them to the park or something.  This may have them practicing on their own.  Give them a reason to want to learn themselves.

If you're interested in my suggestion, and this is for you that feel the need to send your child to school, do kindergarten at home.  That way you can start the writing process when they're ready, and it will only take a few months to catch up with their peers. 

I will leave this up to you.

Happy Homeschooling!!