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| Date: From: Subject: | 3/15/2012 2:34:50 PM Vicki Bentley--HSLDA Early Years: Homeschooling the Young Learner |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru the Early Years Newsletter March 2012--Homeschooling the Young Learner ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ Encouragement and support right in your home ]------------------- You can hear from top speakers like Lou Priolo. Dianne Craft, and John Rosemond in your home, at your convenience. Check out HSLDA's @home e-vents! http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?id=456 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Parents of Young Children, Do you sometimes second-guess your "credentials" to educate your child at home? Parents, you come into homeschooling with the greatest qualifications: a deep love for your child and a vested interest in his success! You Can Homeschool! You've already been homeschooling your young child--you've taught him to talk and you've taught him a variety of basic skills and character lessons. If no one told you that your child had to go off to school, what would you be doing with him? What are you already doing to motivate, stimulate, and teach him? Explore ways to simply expand what you are already doing in the context of that natural relationship--sort of a "learning lifestyle." Most young learners (especially preschoolers) want to play with toys and pretend, so let them! This play is their work - their early learning; it may look easy to us, but it's not all easy to them, and it is developing their thinking skills and providing life experiences to give them a frame of reference--sort of like hooks on which to hang their future learning. But you pick the toys, so you shape the play. Provide your child with stimulating, age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate toys such as Duplos or Legos or building blocks, thinking skills puzzles, art supplies, and life-skills playthings. Everyday activities are helpful for your child's brain and skills development. For example, working puzzles is a pre-reading skill. Having him help put away his things in an orderly fashion is classification and organization - basic science, math, and English skills. For basic academics, foundational math encourages everyday mathematical thinking: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14054 counting and sorting objects, cooking - measuring and pouring, or dividing the pizza, counting out the M&Ms. Even setting the table is one-to-one correspondence! Everyday language practice http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14055 includes alphabet puzzles, notes to grandma, telling you about his latest adventure, or cuddling up for read-aloud time. Don't be afraid to select reading material that slightly stretches your child's attention and reading levels; his receptive--or listening--vocabulary is generally higher than his reading ability. Choose a variety of books, from classic children's fiction, to biographies, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14056 to poetry, to exploration of the wonderful world http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14057 around us. And if that's not structured enough, there are guides to help you plan a few activities based on some of those library books you are reading together, or on other interests your child has. Because these are all things that happen in the context of everyday living and his everyday play, it's much easier to move at the child's natural pace and in his learning style. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14058 Visit our curriculum section http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14059 for more everyday activities to create an intellectually stimulating environment on a shoestring budget. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14060 Studies show that developmentally, young children benefit from physical and creative play... building, pretending, exploring, discovering, trying out their ideas. While an outlined, structured plan is not a necessity, many parents feel more comfortable having some specific goals, so I encourage you to have age- appropriate and developmentally appropriate expectations. In "What Should I Be Teaching?" http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14061 you'll find a few resources with suggested cognitive skills/concepts lists based on a traditional K-12th grade structure, to give you a starting point. An hour of one-on-one instruction is about the equivalent of three hours in a conventional setting, so for preschool through kindergarten or even possibly first grade, an hour of one-on-one, structured learning time is usually plenty, supplemented with educational play and exploration. (Of course, you'll want to be aware of any specific legal requirements for your state.) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14062 What about Extracurricular Activities for Young Learners? What does your child enjoy doing? An art or music or creative movement class might be a great outlet and inspiration. How much of a time commitment is it? Start with a short-term activity such as library craft day or the monthly kids' project day at the home improvement store--activities your child can enjoy if it's a good day, but if today hasn't been such a great day, you can skip it and just go next time. Also, what's the focus of the class? At this age, you're looking for low-pressure activities to let kids explore their options, get out some energy, learn some new basic skills, and develop godly character. Don't overcommit or overstimulate your early learner. Keep your family's schedule in mind. Is that class at a convenient time, or is it going to disrupt nap routine or mealtime or bedtime? Not all kids are ready for this level of outside commitment, so just use your judgment and don't feel pressured. Waiting a few years generally won't stunt her progress if she is truly gifted in, say, music or dance. But if your child is ready to step out, then with the right focus, a well chosen, low-pressure extracurricular activity can complement her cognitive learning. Remember--you can homeschool! Vicki Bentley Scripture: "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." Proverbs 20:11 (NIV) Resources "You Can Homeschool thru the Early Years!" (article http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14063 and brochure http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14064 ) "What to Do with a Child Before Age Ten" by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14065 "What to Do with Your Preschooler/Early Learner" by Vicki Bentley http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10353 "Mommy, Teach Me!" by Barbara Curtis http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10354 "Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready" by June Oberlander http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10355 "What Your Child Needs to Know When" by Robin Sampson http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10357 "The Virginia Home Educator, Preschool Edition," Vol 16, Issue 4 http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10346 "The Smarter Preschooler: Unlocking Your Child's Intellectual Potential" by Renee and Mike Mosiman http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10350 "Keeping Preschool in Perspective" (The Homeschool Handbook http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14066, Nov/Dec 2011 issue, page 18 ) Additional Preschool Resources http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10351 Insight "We're not trying to do school at home. We're trying to homeschool. These are two entirely different propositions. We're not trying to replicate the time, style, or content of the classroom. Rather, we're trying to cultivate a lifestyle of learning in which learning takes place from morning until bedtime seven days each week. The "formal" portion of each teaching day is just the tip of the iceberg." (Steve and Jane Lambert of Five in a Row http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14068 , as quoted at Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14067 ) Convention If you're at a convention http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14069 this season, please stop by the HSLDA booth so we can meet you in person (and it's a great time to join HSLDA or renew your membership!). "10 Ways to Get the Most From Homeschool Events" (Teaching Home e-magazine, February 2012) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14070 "Getting the Most Out of Your Homeschool Convention" by Vicki Bentley http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=14071 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can only do so much... No one can be everywhere at once. And you can't be at home, teaching your children, while monitoring your state's legislature. Through electronic legislative services, HSLDA is monitoring state legislation for you -- watching and listening carefully for any proposed laws that could erode your right to homeschool. Join HSLDA today-we'll watch out for your future. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1942 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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