abc & 123

There has been lots of school talk in our house over the last week.  During Christmas vacation, we took a break from our daily preschool.  Last week we hit the books pretty hard.  The twins were thisclose to knowing the entire alphabet.  I told them we were going to work really hard and if they tried their best, they just might know all their ABC's by the end of the week.  To which Jack replied, "Then we'll be grown ups!" If only!

Logan managed to learn the entire alphabet. And Jack is close with only four letters stumping him.  So this week our hard work will continue. And we will add number recognition to the list.  They have pretty much mastered colors & shapes, which is great.  Once they have memorized the alphabet and can write the letters, I want to move to letter sounds. The last two months of preschool this year will be all about sounds.

Seeing how much they lost in just two weeks during Christmas break made me realize I am going to need some kind of plan for the summer. We are unsure of our exact accommodations this summer.  Josh has been looking at beach houses, and I have been looking in town where we're from.  We're sure something will come up that will fit.  Wherever we stay, we will need to make time each day to work on the things we have taught the boys thus far.  It would be too disheartening to start all over again in the fall!

Aside from current school (learning our numbers & letters) we have also been talking about what the future holds for our little four year olds.  I will be homeschooling. Of that we are certain. But the big question is whether I will start kindergarten curriculum next year, or if we will do another year of preschool.  My intention had been all along to start them as kindergartners in the fall, after having turned five in June.  But after discussion with Josh, who has a July birthday and was sent to school as a fresh five year old, I am having second thoughts.  My dad, like Josh, was sent as a July-turned-five kindergartner and he hated it as well, so my parents held my little brother, who has an August birthday, back a year.  I think this was good for him both socially and academically.

I do like the idea of another year to work on nailing down letter recognition, writing and sounds, as well as working ourselves higher in our counting and number recognition.  Sometimes being the only one who really sees them on a regular basis is hard.  I worry that I am biased or unable (as parents sometimes are) of seeing my own kids clearly.  

Can they focus well?

Do they listen?

Are their coloring/cutting/writing skills on par?

This morning I looked up the recommendations for kindergarten skills, and there is a mighty checklist.

{The ones in BOLD are mastered by Logan & Jack}

• Identify some letters of the alphabet
• Grip a pencil, crayon, or marker correctly
• Use scissors, glue, paint, and other art materials with relative ease
• Write his first name using upper- and lowercase letters, if possible
• Count to 10
• Bounce a ball
• Classify objects according to their size, shape, and quantity
• Speak using complete sentences
• Recognize some common sight words, like “stop”
• Identify rhyming words
• Repeat his full name, address, phone number, and birthday
• Play independently or focus on one activity with a friend for up to ten minutes
• Manage bathroom needs
• Dress himself
• Follow directions
• Clean up after himself
• Listen to a story without interrupting

When planning school each week, we do worksheets with shapes, colors, numbers and letters, using my yearlong lesson plan that I drew up in August.  We do a new letter each week, so that is our main focus.  The colors, shapes & numbers last anywhere from two to four weeks, so we have more time to work on those.  We are up to "T" in the alphabet, and once we hit "Z" we will begin reviewing all the letters and focus in on beginning sounds.

I also want to focus on writing their last name, recognizing some sight words, learning rhyming words and memorizing our address & phone number. (Per the advice of our kindergarten entry checklist)  

This year we introduced Tag Readers to the boys, and they love them.  They are like a magic wand {of sorts} that the twins use to read books to themselves as well as play games with the books.  They had three books to start with {thank you Aunt Julie!}, and we bought four more for Christmas, so they have quite the collection now.  It makes me happy they enjoy them so much.

The boys' love of books makes me anxious to start kindergarten and delve into some reading curriculum so they can start reading to themselves. But I also know that I want to meet them where they are developmentally, and not push the envelope, so I may have to wait.  

Through these discussions, I learned, from Josh, that in Alaska you don't have to start school until you are seven years old. Kindergarten is not required.  So in terms of answering to the state of Alaska, I am not responsible for deciding for nearly three more years.  Of course we will not wait that long. Both Logan & Jack will start kindergarten either this fall or next.

In the meantime, while we're trying to decide, I will keep researching, and working with the boys on the skills they have yet to master.

This week we have really been bringing homeschooling into every aspect of our day.  We are asking the boys what letters are on their books, their movies, their toys; and I have been taking time each afternoon to play games that reinforce what we are working on in school each morning.  I think it's those extra moments, reflecting on what they have already learned, that allowed Logan to finally master the alphabet. It makes me so proud of him!

I will be sure to keep you posted as we make more decisions about homeschooling.

This whole parenting thing carries so much pressure!