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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 156
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 156 |
Hi everyone,
I'm usually writing about DS6, so thought I'd briefly introduce my DS-28months here. Like most of the other "2s" here, he could pass the general benchmarks for kindergarten readiness, even though he doesn't even qualify for 3 year old preschool for another year. As a second child, he doesn't get nearly enough 1-1 time, so his ability to pick things up on his own is obvious.
This semester, he is starting a 2 1/2 hour once/week early preschool class at our homeschool co-op. The class has 13 children who are 2 1/2 and 3 (he should be the youngest), and I'm co-teaching the first hour to make sure the bar is raised. (I'm teaching Story Stretchers, with theme based books, songs, and crafts/fine motor.) I think it's a good mix for him since I'll be there for 1 hour, and then he'll spend the rest of the time w/ the other teachers (where they focus on snack and gross motor/group games).
I am also trying something new with a few friends and starting a once/week 1-hour "unstructured school playdate." We're going to follow the "Letter of the Week" curriculum, and engage the kids in circle time, fine motor activities, etc. We've all spent thousands over the past two years with music/art/gym classes where we spend $15/20 hour, and we can do better on our own for free!
DS's third morning of the week is in our unstructured playgroup. I think this is the greatest thing a 2 year old could have. We have 9 kids, and they've developed so much in terms of social skills/the meaning of friendship/etc etc.
His 4th morning will be 2 hours at an hourly drop-in daycare that runs a low-level "preschool program." I think it's incredibly weak as a regular preschool and nearly all play-based, but perfect for him while my DS6 is at Spanish class.
Our 5th morning is at home, but DS is also crazy about the playcenter at our sports club, where they have a fabulous collection of toys and great ad-hoc art/gym activities for his age. He spends a few hours there every week, too.
During our "housetime," we don't do very much in terms of "academics" w/ DS2 because we homeschool DS6 and that is time consuming. DS2 doesn't get "exposed" to very much in terms of schoolwork because DS6 is studying 2-4 years above his level, but he does get to go to a lot of homeschool field trips and co-ops, which is always great, and usually sits in on our science labs and art projects. We do try to do a fine motor activity every day together, and he is starting to write letters and "play school." Otherwise, most of his day at home is simply normal play (Thomas, puzzles, and books, books, books. He's starting to read, and heads to books non-stop.) He does love ABCReading Eggs and usually begs to do that a few times a week, and likes Rightstart A and the easy activities in FamilyMath, but we don't do that too often.
I wish I could decide what to do next year. I really don't want him going off to school 5 days a week, but I haven't found a preschool that seems ideal. It's the same issue that we had with DS6: do we even bother to do preschool, or do we just continue to fill our days w/ enrichment activities.....
Everyone else's plan sounds great! I'm looking forward to hearing how it all goes!
HS Mom to DYS6 and DS2
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 701
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 701 |
gratefulmom, thanks for telling us about your little guy. He sounds amazing! What also sounds amazing is what you've set up for this year. It sounds to me like the best of all worlds where your DS just gets to have fun. Clearly he's picking up all kinds of social and academic skills while he's getting to play. If I were able to homeschool, this is exactly how I'd try to do it. So, congrats to you for setting up such a great, varied, fun, yet structured schedule! I look forward to hearing more about both your DSs!
She thought she could, so she did.
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 435
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Posts: 435 |
we had visitation day at my DD5's preschool and I actually felt a little worried since a five year old in her class couldn't count to 12, another boy couldn't say how old he was, and most of the kids don't speak clearly. I know if I said this anywhere else, I'd be flamed, but I was really shocked. This is a well respected school in a upper middle class town. Is this really normal development? My DD4 not only reads at an advanced level, but is way ahead in all other academic areas, even spelling and coloring / drawing, but because she has emotional issues and acting out issues, and I am assuming because she is small and even on the young side in her class, they won't move her to K and we can't find anywhere else to send her and I need her to go somewhere for her to have a social life and me to catch my breath since my husband is gone all the time.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,085
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,085 |
Twinkle,
Do you mind me asking where you live? Is it a rural area? Do you not have any other schools in your area such as Montessori or is it that you don't think a Montessori school would be a good fit for your daughter? And the only reason I picked Montessori is because they seem to be the other choice in most towns.
I know I'm asking a lot of questions but I have to believe you have some other choices. Perhaps you could find someone to come to your house such as a college student (if you live near a college) or even an older grandmother type because I really sense that more than anything you need some time to yourself. I understand the frustration of DH working all the time. I have one of those too.
And BTW ... I'm shocked by the description of the other children. By 4 their speech should be clear.
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 701
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Twinkle,
And BTW ... I'm shocked by the description of the other children. By 4 their speech should be clear. I just wanted to note that I have three kids, one HG+ and one HG, and all three of them have had varying degrees of articulation issues. My DS6, who is grade skipped and subject advanced, in particular, has some unclear articulation with several letters and letter combinations, but he is a very smart kid and says some spectacular things, even if he doesn't say them clearly. Also, most speech articulation issues aren't really "problems" until first grade or so say the speech pathologists. So, I'd be careful in trying to equate clear speaking with appropriateness of peers. OTOH, all the other issues with the kids seeming to be on an entirely different academic plane could be problematic . . . . When does she start school?
She thought she could, so she did.
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,777
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Joined: Jul 2010
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Yay! I bought Monopoly today. Ds loves Clue, so I thought the Monopoly has similar pieces. He's gonna love it. He love Yahtzee and Go Fish. It's just been me and him all day for the last three years. Now with the new baby comming I thought we could play long, lazy days of board games. This way I can sit quietly and nurse the baby and ds will still feel like he's getting my undivided attention.
Youth lives by personality, age lives by calculation. -- Aristotle on a calendar
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 741
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Posts: 741 |
I'm shocked by the description of the other children. By 4 their speech should be clear. Heh. My niece, who was the tiny-child-reading-Harry-Potter and the entering-kindergartner-doing-multiplication, was completely incomprehensible to everyone but immediate family at 4, and took quite a bit of close listening before your ears adjusted to the way she talked, but after that you could mostly get the gist of what she was saying, at 6.
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 480
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we had visitation day at my DD5's preschool and I actually felt a little worried since a five year old in her class couldn't count to 12, another boy couldn't say how old he was, and most of the kids don't speak clearly. If you are comparing these children to your own they won't sound nearly as clear and understandable as yours, ever. That's even included in assessments of speech problems, they expect the parent to understand much more than a stranger. My two year old is 100% understandable, but strangers often don't catch what he says. And half of what the other toddlers I know say I don't understand. Don't discount shyness either. My five year old can multiply, but if a stranger asked her how old she was she probably wouldn't answer. If a child's rue abilities were always shiningly obvious no teacher would ever need a hint from the parents.
Last edited by Tallulah; 09/10/10 09:35 AM.
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 435
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that's a good point. Our children always make more sense to us, but stranges often comment on how clear her articulation is and complex her sentences are so it is all I know. I don't mean to offend anyone with this. My two year old is also very bright but I don't think her speech is as clear as my four year old's was at that age, yet people are often commenting on how clear and advanced her speech is so when I hear four years talking in very simple ways with very simple language and very unclear, I worry my DD4 won't have kids to really have conversations with, but I could be wrong and I really hope I am! She can always talk with her teachers. She has three so she can chat with them. My DD4 can regress at times too and talk in a babyish way for attention and someone catching that might think that is the only way she communicates and underestimate her. I think I was just feeling a moment of panic when the curriculm includes learning one letter at a time and the shape of a circle and the number one: things my DDs did well before their second birthday. I hope they spend very little time on those sorts of things and just play, do crafts, and sing so that my DD4 won't be scratching her head wondering why kids older than she is are doing things she did as a baby.
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