Homeschool questions, and some fears

[theguidedheart]

My wife and I have two kids, a daughter almost 3, and a son almost 1. Before they were born, we were decided that we would homeschool. I was working full-time, my wife was not working. However she has returned back to work part time, 2 days a week, with her mom watching the kids during that time and during times when we are all together, the kids have NO attention span. This is starting to worry my wife, and she is beginning to have doubts that we can really do this. We haven’t looked much into it yet, and we are getting to the point where we will have to make a decision. We have already missed deadlines for preschool for our daughter, so we really have to think seriously about this. I personally, think its just the age of our daughter. She doesn’t have much of an attention span at the moment, and she can answer questions, or read with us for about 5 minutes before she starts getting excited and playing games, etc. I also work freelance on the side of my part-time job so am usually quite busy.

Does this sound like a situation not cut out for homeschooling? I can expand a little more on this, but have to make it quick right now.

Are there any good resources for homeschooling that I can look at online.

Even better, is there anyone here in the Atlanta area that can offer some advice, or local resources that help?

In advance, we both appreciate the help!

Thanks

chris

 

[kage_ar]

The oldest is three? Three year olds are not known for long attention spans When she plays games, play with her.

Start working on earning rewards for sitting still for one book to be read, etc.

The more interaction that your kids have with adults who talk to them, not with TV, videos or video games - the longer their attention spans and better their learning abilities will be.

 

[KCT]

Unless 3 yr old preschool is mandatory in your state, you have time to figure it out.

 

[Ali_formerJW]

My wife and I have two kids, a daughter almost 3, and a son almost 1. Before they were born, we were decided that we would homeschool.

Homeschooling/unschooling is a most awesome journey! You won’t be sorry you did it

First of all, remember that you are your child’s first teacher. No matter what schooling choices you make for them later in life, initially, you are the teacher. Children learn from the world around them whether you are having a sit down lesson or playing in the sprinklers outside. Look a how much she already knows, and she learned it from you!

What happens in preschool that you cannot do at home with her? I myself am not a big fan of preschool anyway, lol, so my thoughts may be a bit jaded They play, they nap, they have snack, they may do a little hands on lesson. Guess what, you are doing that right now! My kids always helped in the kitchen, we would take hikes in the woods and identify flowers, plant a flower/veggie garden. Yes, she may be three, and have a short attention span (which she should have at three) but she will get a kick out of doing short age appropriate lessons like that. And I bet grandma will love getting in on the action as well.

Lay a strong foundation, and your child will thrive. Do not doubt that you can teach your child!

Homeschool is not school at home. Remember that distinction. It is adaptive and flexible according to schedules and a child’s needs. What I started out doing in kindy was an extension of what we already did on a day to day basis. It just grew from there. Adding a little more as the child and years progressed.

HTH I’d be happy to answer more questions, if you like.

 

[nova147]

Toddlers and preschoolers have notoriously short attention spans. They learn everything from their interactions with the world – no formal teaching required! Because the world is so full of stimulation, little ones frequently get distracted from the tasks WE are interested in. But all the while, they ARE learning!

Talk to your kids about everything. When you go to the store, show them the fruits and veggies - talk about the colors and shapes. Count things as you put them in the cart. Narrate their day. The more children are exposed to language, the better prepared they are for formal schooling.

Read about homeschooling. You’ll find that even those who use fairly structured methods of educating their children don’t do so until the child is at least 5. The best preschools are play based, because PLAY is how children learn. Children cannot think abstractly until about 7, so they get all their information from touching things, trying things out. Dr. Raymond Moore and his wife (who are often called the grandparents of the homeschool movement) are advocates of the idea of “better late than early”. They suggest that early formal education is counter productive in that it doesn’t respect the way young children learn (by playing) and can discourage the child from discovering things on their own. (In my experience, the things I’ve learned because I really wanted to know them are the things I remember. But I have little memory of world history, because it was force-feed to me when I couldn’t have cared less.)

I highly recommend reading How Children Learn by John Holt. This is not a homeschooling book, per se. It is a collection of Holt’s observations of children and his thoughts on how best to teach them. How Children Fail is also a good book, but it is mostly about 5th grade children, so it may be less interesting to you.

Check out homeschooldiner.com and catholichomeschool.org. From those pages, you’ll finds tons of other places to get information.

Good luck!

 

[gardenswithkids]

My wife and I have two kids, a daughter almost 3, and a son almost 1. Before they were born, we were decided that we would homeschool. I was working full-time, my wife was not working. However she has returned back to work part time, 2 days a week, with her mom watching the kids during that time and during times when we are all together, the kids have NO attention span. This is starting to worry my wife, and she is beginning to have doubts that we can really do this. We haven’t looked much into it yet, and we are getting to the point where we will have to make a decision. We have already missed deadlines for preschool for our daughter, so we really have to think seriously about this. I personally, think its just the age of our daughter. She doesn’t have much of an attention span at the moment, and she can answer questions, or read with us for about 5 minutes before she starts getting excited and playing games, etc. I also work freelance on the side of my part-time job so am usually quite busy.

Does this sound like a situation not cut out for homeschooling? I can expand a little more on this, but have to make it quick right now.

Are there any good resources for homeschooling that I can look at online.

Even better, is there anyone here in the Atlanta area that can offer some advice, or local resources that help?

In advance, we both appreciate the help!

Thanks

chris

Almost 3–that means she’s 2, right? (unless she had a birthday since you posted.) Please don’t get discouraged about homeschooling based on the behavior of a 1 and 2 year old children.

.As I sat with my older homeschooled children and my toddler this morning, I thought about your thread. If I hadn’t seen my older children grow and mature, I might doubt that my toddler would ever be capable of learning anything from me. I think that might be why so many people enroll young children in pre-school–because they doubt their ability to adequately teach their young child. I know that’s what I feared with my oldest child. One of pre-school teachers’ biggest advantage over new parents may be that they see a variety of young children everyday so they don’t stress out about the behavior and development of normal children. Don’t stress.

From what you wrote, your 2 y.o. (almost 3yo) sounds pretty normal. Keep reading her short stories she enjoys, and her attention span to listen to stories should develop over time. Do be careful about how much tv, even children’s tv, because that can interfere with the development of a child’s normal attention span. (If grandma’s watching her, you may not have final say in the tv during the day.)

As to your work schedules and if it will work out with homeschooling, your children are still far away from the age where most states’ mandatory education laws apply. Working parents can homeschool but it can get a bit more complicated. You don’t know what your work situations will be like at the point when they reach mandatory education age, so I advice you not to worry at this point.

 

[theguidedheart]

Wow these have been some great replies, I REALLY appreciate all the feedback, and I am going to forward this to my wife, I know this will calm a lot of her anxiety about this. I will also look into the book that was recommended, and I appreciate that recommendation.

As far as the last post, you are right, I don’t know what our work schedules will be at that point, thanks for putting reality into perspective

Any other reading recommendations, or online resources anyone may be able to recommend would be great as well.

So say our daughter turns 5, and its time to really get serious about the home-schooling, where do you start?? We don’t really know where to begin. Where do you find out WHAT you should teach, and when, and how much? Are there certain state-set criteria we need to meet?? Is there a place where we can get textbooks based on her level, etc?

Thanks again for all of the kind encouragement!

chris

 

[kage_ar]

The Home School Legal Defense Association has links to every state’s regs. Google them to find out.

There are many great choices for cirruculum, I would suggest you begin with Seton or Calvert. If you can find a homeschool conference in your area, go, you can see all sorts of options.

 

[Truly_Beloved]

I’m just going to steal all of kage’s ideas and give you links for them.

The Home School Legal Defense Association has links to every state’s regs.

Chris, you’re in Georgia, right? Click here for Georgia’s page.

There are many great choices for cirruculum, I would suggest you begin with Seton or Calvert.

Have a peek at Catholic Heritage Curricula, too. Still structured, but not as intense.

Oh, I almost forgot… Seton and Calvert.

If you can find a homeschool conference in your area, go, you can see all sorts of options.

This year, the 2009 North Georgia Catholic Homeschool Conference was in April, but you can always try for next year!