How we did the early years to Kinder

We finished Kindergarten level last January, and we’re now in the middle of vacation. We plan to start his 1^st Grade on April. Here’s the long and short of our ‘Early Years’, and how we’ll do it all over again with the 2 younger siblings.

Charlotte Mason’s method was the closest fit for our family. I liked her concepts of the art of gentle learning, and how it seemed so natural-- developing good habits, getting acquainted with nature, exploring with the five senses, growing in their spiritual lives, and playing outdoors. (See SCM Preschool guide).  We patterned our curriculum after Mater Amabilis Preschool (MA).  Sometimes we used  a sprinkling of other methods and materials, as each method offered something appealing. During holidays, and on very laid-back days, we shifted to unschooling.

The early years are formative years. For us, this was about bonding with the kids, and starting them with the right habits, character and faith formation. We read classic read-alouds to them while they sat on our laps. Play (see more play & learn activities) was definitely encouraged. When it comes to toys, I preferred the classic wooden toys for them.  They explored outside. We listened to children & classical music CDs.  And we talked to them a lot. We had no television, and they were not allowed electronic gadgets.  A parent’s self-improvement was also critical at this stage for character formation because these things are caught and not taught. We also got to know their personalities, and learning style better.  For this stage, I would also highly recommend Before Five in a Row. 

For Kindergarten, we used Catholic Heritage Core Curriculum, a couple of its elective materials, and we continued to stay close to MA as much as possible, and also unschool, and continued the things we've been doing for preschool.

Resources:

• Education Is
• The Early Years: A Charlotte Mason Preschool Handbook
• The Unschooling Handbook
• School starting age:  the evidence

Birdwatch 1

The pied triller below is now under the care of the 2 boys.

It was found in our lawn this morning, unable to fly.  According to M1 it was safer for the bird to be kept inside the house so it will not be run over by cars.  M1 identified the bird right away, with its black eye marking, as we browsed through Birdwatch.ph's galleries (our bird @ Gallery 5- Family Campephagidae, also pied triller).  We made sure we were looking at the right picture by also checking on the shape of the beak and the color of the plumage.  What we learned is that the bird feeds on insects it catches on the ground and while it is flying.  We also listened to samplings of its song and calls on the internet while our actual live bird is still weak to make lots of its own noise. 
Photos taken by M1.

Dear Kitty,

 
Today we finished our last chapter of The House at Pooh Corner (we've also read all of Winnie-the-Pooh).  It reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes.  And a childhood long gone by.  It made me think of oppressed children and their lost childhood.  And it made me think of children the ages of my sons stuck behind the school desk.  And now I think I know what the [homeschool] moms meant when they say that the worst day in homeschool is still better than the best days of school.  Although my kids are not yet reading words on their  own (oh, but they do read!  why else would they like opening books?!) and doing their math operations,  I celebrate these days of Legos and backyard explorations; and the comfort of having a brother for a constant companion; and the pretensions of being a peregrine falcon and of being a manta ray; and evolving interests, from cars to animals to dinosaurs; and of getting dirty with mud and more dirt; and the reluctance of taking a bath at the same time refusing to finish taking a bath; and the fascination with experiments without a hypothesis to prove or counter.  And as I send them off to bed, I wonder until when will your tail provide a soothing passage to sleep.  I think of your future and the days when you will turn to memory and nostalgia.  Because these, too, will pass.  But until then, I'm glad to have given them the opportunity to live their days like Christopher and Calvin in the land of enchantment and imagination. 


J