Mary E Gates

>>For some odd reason, our society seems to think 5 the perfect age to
start "formal" education, >>
Seems to me they're expected to start at 2 or 3, so they will be "ready"
for kindergarten! anyone besides me remember kindergarten as a place to
color, sing songs, and take a nap?
Don't know if I ever introduced myself either. I've only been on-line
since April. "Newbie", that's me! I'm transplanted to Southeastern
Washington State from the greater Seattle metropolis. Am in my second
year of hs. Have two dd, Lisa, nearly 7 and Jackie, just turned 4. We
fell into unschooling about halfway through Lisa's "kindergarten". I was
introducing some phonics, but it was clear that Lisa didn't get it --
she'd just guess. So we spent our time going on field trips, cuddling up
with a good book, attempting to clean the house (never seem to finish
that one!), and talking about what we do. Dh is an inventor trying to
get a new project off the ground. I love to read & bake "healthy" stuff.
My wish list includes learning to play the piano and more sewing.
I also do La Leche League and sell DKFL books. If anyone wants to,
e-mail me directly about those.
Mary Ellen
Be absolutely determined to enjoy what you do.

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In a message dated 9/8/99 1:40:26 PM, megates@... writes:

<<Seems to me they're expected to start at 2 or 3, so they will be "ready"
for kindergarten! anyone besides me remember kindergarten as a place to
color, sing songs, and take a nap?>>

Yes! We had half-day kindergarden with a nap. My friend's son had full day
K (until 2 pm), with NO nap, and they were criticising the neatness of his
printing! I was flabbergasted! (A word I did not learn to spell in
Kindergarden. ;-)

Betsy

dawn

> K (until 2 pm), with NO nap, and they were criticising the neatness of his
> printing! I was flabbergasted! (A word I did not learn to spell in


this is precisely why, when asked what grade my 6 yr old is/would be in,
I hesitate. if i were forced to put him in an instituional educational
setting (IES--new acronym?), i would have kept him out of K last year (his
bday is in dec.) because his fine motor skills SUCK! His printing is
atrocious. Even I can't read it much of the time, no way a teacher could.

Of course, he comes by this "weakness" naturally.....*I* was kept off the
honor roll until penmanship was no longer a graded part of the curriculum
and eventually worked with an occupational therapist at jr. high age to
learn to write legibly. My dh, said child's father, writes like a 4th
grade boy, exactly as he has since he was in 4th grade and didn't ever
learn to form letters "correctly" (makes his circles backwards to this
day, and remembers getting his hand hit for it all those years ago).

However, outside of neatness, there is nothing in the K curriculum that
would challenge my son, nothing in the grade 1 curriculum, maybe some
reading in grade 2, and a little more in grade 3. But, if he were in most
typical IES's, his work would come back withthe words "REDO TOO SLOPPY)
written on it, regardless of the fact that he had just correctly
multiplied out 24x36 or diagrammed the circulatory system. I can only
tell his math problems (which btw, he chooses to do on his own
initiative--goddess only knows where *that* interest came from....not *my*
DNA that's for sure) are correct because I hear him say the answers or I
can ask him, "Is that a 2 or a 5?"

dawn h-s, who will post an intro soon

[email protected]

In a message dated 9/8/99 4:51:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time, ECSamHill@...
writes:

> Yes! We had half-day kindergarden with a nap. My friend's son had full
day
> K (until 2 pm), with NO nap, and they were criticising the neatness of his
> printing!

Really? I didn't realize K had changed that much. We had a snack and naps
and show and tell and crafts. And it was only half a day. K was the last
fun I had in school until college.

Elizabeth

Cindy Ferguson

ECSamHill@... wrote:
>
> From: ECSamHill@...
>
> In a message dated 9/8/99 1:40:26 PM, megates@... writes:
>
> <<Seems to me they're expected to start at 2 or 3, so they will be "ready"
> for kindergarten! anyone besides me remember kindergarten as a place to
> color, sing songs, and take a nap?>>
>
> Yes! We had half-day kindergarden with a nap. My friend's son had full day
> K (until 2 pm), with NO nap, and they were criticising the neatness of his
> printing! I was flabbergasted! (A word I did not learn to spell in
> Kindergarden. ;-)
>
> Betsy

Several years ago a friend told me about the entrance test to one
local very academic school here in Silicon Valley. Her soon-to-be
kindergartener was marked incorrect for answering 2+2 = 4 with his
'4' written backwards. She didn't enroll him in the school; we both
thought it was a bit much. I feel very sorry for the children attending
*that* school.

--

Cindy Ferguson
crma@...

Thomas and Nanci Kuykendall

Mary Ellen,

What's DKFL, and where are you in SE Washington? Are you in the tri Cities?

Nanci K. in Idaho

The O'Donnells

At 07:50 PM 9/8/99 -0400, you wrote:
>From: ECSamHill@...
>
>
>In a message dated 9/8/99 1:40:26 PM, megates@... writes:
>
><<Seems to me they're expected to start at 2 or 3, so they will be "ready"
>for kindergarten! anyone besides me remember kindergarten as a place to
>color, sing songs, and take a nap?>>
>
Oooh I'm really going to date myself with this one. I remember when we
didn't have to go to kindergarten! In fact, I didn't, I got to stay home
with my Mom and never knew the difference!

Leaving Mom in first grade was frightening enough for me thank you.


In His Service,

Laraine
praxis@...