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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 22
Junior Member
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 22 |
Hi, I recently found this site myself and agree its nice to have some folks to talk to. My DD is 11 now and I remember the days of discovering how different she was. The best thing you can do is make sure she knows its okay to be herself.
My child was also a very early reader. We didn't do workbooks and a lot of her learning was drawing words with sticks in the sandbox and adding and subtracting acorns and rocks. Let her natural curiousity lead you and you'll be fine.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 356
Member
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Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 356 |
Welcome littlewisestone and wendy!
I was really struck by your sister's comments, wisetone. Is she very competitive with you? I'm sorry she can't be supportive of you and help you out, especially if she's been through something like this.
What a remarkable little DD you have!
I offer no advice, but I can say we just found a play-based daycare for 3.5-5.5 year olds that accepted my 28 m.o. DD. She is learning to be with others and has some access to the material the 5 year olds are working on. However, she is not there to learn facts and figgers so much as she is there to learn to "be" with others and run off energy. I can still work on her self directed learning pace at home. I arrived at this decision with a lot of insight from this site.
All the best to you and your DD!
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 26
Junior Member
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OP
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 26 |
Thank you everyone for your comments.. like one person said.. it takes a weight off to see others in similar situations. I feel like I've been a drifter- trying to find my "own people." LOL! I'm glad I've found them.
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 26
Junior Member
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OP
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 26 |
BTW... I would like to clarify for anyone wondering...
My "Half Preschool" will consist of craft projects, story reading, counting, making patterns, worksheets, Starfall.com and others like it, phonics practice, board games, puzzles, word games etc.
Nothing that she is uninterested in will be done or pushed. So far we have done all of these things in a random, unstructured way and only when she has specifically asked. Lately, however, she has started asking to do school and every day I get requests from her such as "Write me a sentence Mommy. I'll read it to you." She WANTS to learn and so I plan to take all that we've been doing at random times and just do it a certain time each day. I'll make up a weekly list of activities and I will let her choose what to do that day...AS LONG AS SHE IS AMENABLE TO IT!
Before I had kids I was 100% against "early learning." Every child psych or child development class I took told me parents who "pushed" their kids (esp. those that sat an infant up to show them flashcards... those that drilled their kids) were wrong wrong WRONG. What I never stopped and thought about was that sometimes there are exceptions and "early learning" is not always a bad thing. I have never shown either my daughters flashcards nor drilled them with anything. They learn through playing and repetition...
"Here Lady Bug, have the BLUE ball."
Before I became a SAHM I was a preschool teacher. That is where the worksheets come in. I have many Preschool/Kindergarten books full of them. One day to keep her busy I handed her two and a box of crayons for her to color them with. Yeah, well, instead of coloring them.. she completed the worksheets...on her own, without any help. (which was kindof freaky in a way) She loves them and asks to do them almost everyday. Hence, worksheets are on the list.
I war with myself over "structuring" her learning... Against all my preconceived notions about young children I have come to the conclusion that as long as she is enjoying herself and happy than I will do it and let her control the pace.
Please forgive me if I sound defensive.. I just don't want to be labeled as "one of THOSE moms."
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 47
Junior Member
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Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 47 |
Welcome. Your daughter sounds delightful. I just want to second Austin's recommendation to read the Deborah Ruf book, Losing Our Minds. It is a terrific resource and gives some very specific advice on schooling and much, much more.
I'm not at the same stage you are now, my DS is 10 and DD is 9, but you've come to the right place for guidance and to write freely among those who will "get" you and your daughter. I'm still pretty new here but I'm so glad to have found this place too.
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,032
Member
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Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,032 |
"Yes, I know, God works in mysterious ways, that's for sure". Presented with a big smile and nodding head, it generally stops the questions in two ways. If the person you are speaking to doesn't believe in God, they are left with the feeling that if the conversation continues, so will their conversion. If they do believe in God, all they can do is agree! Either way it usually stops them. I love it!! I guess I've always been pretty laid-back about ...well, everything... but specifically the "wow, he's so smart!" things. I just say "yeah, he's a nutty kid" or "yup, he just taught himself all that stuff, I didn't do it." And if it's the parent of a child who obviously isn't GT, I've been known to say "oh yeah, he learned to read by the time he was 2, but he still isn't potty trained (until 4)" or even to this day, "yeah, but he still can't ride a bicycle (at 6)." I don't do this in a way that is mean to him, but with a laugh that says, hey, everybody's good at something.
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