I so love CM's recommendations for the early years. Since CM didn't recommend much formal instruction or seatwork to begin until age 6, what do you guys who live in states where kindergarten is required submit to your umbrella school or dept. of education? That is, if you follow CM recommendations for having the child learn good habits, observe nature, play outdoors lots, hands on math, and such for the early years. I'm asking a year ahead a whole year since my dd is 4, but curious. I recently found out that children are required to register for K in our state (I knew our law required that children register for school by the year they turn 7, but didn't realize that K had to precede 1st grade even if a parent waits until then to register a child).
CM Kindergarten plan for states that require reporting for K
(6 posts) (5 voices)-
ibkim2
MemberPosted 9 months ago # Report Post -
Hi, we did K last year with our two 6-year-olds. We are in a state where we can regeister with the LEA or with a cover school. We chose the latter.
We used Math on the Level for math (very CM-friendly and hands-on and use of manipulatives) so I put that.
We used Alpha-Phonics some and just Bob books and some other readers. I think I just listed Language: Reading and Phonics and maybe a couple of the above-mentioned resources. I also used a copywork book--LightHome Pubs A to Z Animals so I listed that in language as well.
We used CLP Nature Reader K and James Herriott's Treasury as well as nature walks and journals, but I just listed the two books.
Other than that, DD takes ballet so that was PE and DS takes taekwondo and that is his PE, though both are very active just in the backyard and love the outdoors.
I think that was the gist of what I listed, other than keeping a running list of books we read aloud together. HTH
Posted 9 months ago # Report Post -
CindyS
MemberWe had to register for Kindergarten. I would just jot down on a calendar what we did. Math was all hands on; counting, word problems, baking, measuring, telling time. The little one will do things on their own; there will be writing, and questions/discussions, read alouds, lots and lots of art, and science can be all nature, but I'm not even sure science in required. Just keep track of what you do in the normal course of your day (sticking to the minimum that is required for records so that you don't wear yourself out recording everything) . It really does take so little to fulfill the requirements.
Blessings,
Cindy
Posted 9 months ago # Report Post -
Did you check the actual laws of your state, and not just a summary, about the part that K had to precede 1st grade even if you wait until age 7 to register? That doesn't sound right to me...
Well, for a state that requires a K year (I'm assuming you figure to register her at age 5 then?) - it might depend on what subjects are required... but I'd so something like this (of course, depending on what you plan to do...) I'm using the 4 subjects generally wanted here in Canada.... (The amount of educationalize you want to use may vary...)
Math: - Become familiar with numbers with practical applications. [may want to be more specific.... ie, be able to count to xx (30 is used here in the schools) understanding one-to-one correspondance, etc...]
English: - Know the letters of the Alphabet and be familiar with the sounds they make. Listen to various works of literature (might want to include a few examples...) such as "The House at Pooh Corner".
Science: - Observe the world and nature through hands-on learning
Social: - [this will vary a lot, depending on your plan] - Learn about other cultures through hearing stories from "33 multicultural tales"... OR - learn about the neighbourhood through trips to stores and other businesses.
If you can find it on your State Gov't site (I can on our Provincial one) and see what the school actually expects their students to do - it really is very little in Kindergarten! If you can't find that, World Book (the Encyclopedia company) has a page on their site with expectations (in general) for various grades...
You could always find out if there are any Unschoolers around - they are usually VERY good at writing reports to sound impressive with every-day experiences.!
Posted 9 months ago # Report Post -
We have to send the child or declare homeschooling at age 6. Our children were 6 and 5.75 when we started last year, so yes, we had to register as Kers. Now for people who start their kindergartner at age 5, they do NOT have to register here. They can technically register as a 1st grader starting at age 6.
But if you delay until age 6 for K, here, you do have to register. Hope that makes sense.
Posted 9 months ago # Report Post -
HollyS
MemberI registered one of my DC for K...I think there was a way around it, but since I was already registering an older child, it was the best way to go. We had a few required subjects and I just listed topics we would discuss. Health topics included dental care, nutrition, safety, PE, etc. Science topics included animal habitats, seasons, sun and moon, etc. I did use workbooks for phonics and math, but I probably could have used topics here as well.
I also used this site as a starting point to find possible topics to cover: http://www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study . I think you can teach all of these through reading and discussing the world around them. We were also using FIAR and I listed this as our main curriculum. Our old state (we moved since then) was a homeschool-friendly one and actually didn't have any authority to "disaprove" of our curriculum, so you may be facing different guidelines that we had.
Posted 9 months ago # Report Post
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