Anyone homeschool kindergarten and first grade ????

Question

I am considering homeschooling my children,, Does anyone have any suggestions or any tips. They will be in kindergarten and first grade.

Answer 1

I have homeschooled two other children and now currently have a 6 yr old.

We don't use pre-packaged curricula for this age; we pick up some workbooks and print up some free online worksheets for practice in basic skills, however we like to take a more experiential approach to education. We like to provide a stimulating environment with at least as much time in active, hands-on activities and exploring as seat work.

We go on a lot of field trips, we look up  a lot of things, we read and talk a lot with our kids, watch educational TV or whatever else turns them on. We'll go on a nature walk, find something interesting, look it up in a field guide or bring it home to look up on the interenet. The kids get an idea in their head like "how does this work?" or "why does this happen?" and instead of telling them, we'll say, "let's see..." and figure out a little experiment or project. We do a lot of art and music, a lot of physical activities and building and cooking and kitchen chemistry, and put them in some classes with a local co-op, take advantage of library programs and local theater and community centers and museums and  such.

We like to go by the philosphy of WB Yeats: Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

Answer 2

Well, I agree with checking out the laws for your state.

But then let the fun begin. Homeschooling this age is so great, it's a continuation of all the fun stuff they did as toddlers, with cool aspects thrown in. At this age, it's all about learning HOW to learn, not stuffing their brains with a bunch of factoids and such. What they do learn will be incidental, but build a solid base first!

When we first started, I had a fifth grader, second grader, first grader, kindergartener, and one in preK. Two years later (almost three!) we're heading in to having another one in kindie, and my original preK is heading into second grade!

I can assure you that children will learn without all the expensive programs and extensive books and carefully preplanned circle times and meetings. The library is a wonderful place, and your children's librarians will be able to help direct your choices, as well as those of your children. I can go in and say, "Look my third grader just finished reading Spiderwick Chronicles, and really liked it. What's something that will challenge her a little bit, follows the same genre, but will broaden her horizons?" And she'll know. It's their job, it's what they do. If you don't really trust them, read this

http://www.booknutsreadingclub.com/choos...

then follow the guidelines at

http://www.cbcbooks.org/readinglists/

Answer 3

my bff's mom is accually homeschooling all her kids

5-watever

anyways

its really good cause i grew up to that

then started public school smarter than everone else

it gives you a head start

Answer 4

My son is now in 2nd grade, but I homeschooled him for 1st grade also.  I would say an excellent foundation in the Bible (if you are a Christian) and reading are essential.  Also, children need to become extremely comfortable with numbers, counting, etc.  Once a child learns to read fluently, learning other subjects is a breeze.

Do a lot of read alouds, fun/hands on activities, field trips, etc.  Make sure the children have fun learning, are not bored, and realize that obtaining knowledge does not have to be pure drudgery.  This will lead to a lifelong love of learning and thirst for knowledge.

I hope this is helpful.

Answer 5

I homeschooled my oldest for K and we are now homeschooling first grade.  My main suggestion would be to keep school fun and not overdo the book work.  For my son's K year, we did about 30-45 minutes of formal work per day.  This year we are doing about 1-1.5 hours.  My son is on or above grade level in all areas.

We use A Beka for math, phonics and language arts, and we read books, complete projects and go on field trips for everything else.  Next week we are going to a special program at the symphony for elementary kids.

I would also suggest you tailor your chosen curriculum to fit your child.  My son is a quick learner and enjoys workbooks, so he completes the worksheets each morning, and I explain concepts as necessary.  I only turn to the teacher's manual if I need tips for teaching a certain concept.  This has worked out well for us.

I would also suggest you limit TV, computer and video games, and have lots of interesting books and materials on hand.  Since we stopped watching TV frequently, my son has come up with so many creative projects and activities.  He'll pull out a science book and ask if we can do a project, or build models with legos or Knex.

This week he asked me if he could do a hot chocolate sale in the neighborhood so that's another project we're going to get started on.

Homeschooling K and 1st grade is so much fun.  It has been an awesome experience that I wouldn't trade for anything.

There is information here about teaching certain subjects in the course of daily life:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Here's a link where you can find just about everything you need to know about homeschooling:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com

Answer 6

I've hs'ed for 10 years,and when my kids were that age the only curriculum I could find that was NOT preschoolish was A Beka [I am referring to reading and math].  There are probably more out there by now that are good.  It depends a whole lot on how much money and time you want to spend and what subjects you want to cover.  If you have a local homeschool group, it would be a good idea to attend a few of their meetings to talk to other moms, and I am betting some of them would let you see their curricula.  Also, starting in March or so a lot of groups will have used book sales and that might help you.

You DO need to buy readers for both kids.  I have known people who just wanted to teach their kids to read by checking out library books, but to find books that are on your child's exact level, as many as you need, when you need them - that is *probably* not possible, and if it is, it will probably not be worth the time you will spend on it.

Answer 7

I homeschooled my daughter since preschool.  It is pretty simple, you can find workbooks from walmart or on ebay.  Go on field trips in your home town, read, watch magic school bus they are great learning aids for science

here will help for couse studies

http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?cur...

check the laws of your state here

http://www.hslda.org/laws/

and read some books on homeschooling like

Ultimate Guide to homeschooling

Homeschooling for Dummies

Homeschooling the early years