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Thursday, August 27, 2015

Xavier's Kindergarten


Xavier is my kindergartener this year.  He's 5.5, all boy, very eager, and a lovable combination of silly and serious.  He's only 14 months younger than Cate, but I have no plans to combine the two now or in the future--we'll save his Year 1 for next year, when he'll be six.  This year, he's enjoying the riches and readings we do as a family as well as a little time carved out just for him.

He has three slots on my checklist each day:

:: 15 minutes of either math lesson (RightStart Level B) OR reading lesson (CM-style)
:: 5 minutes of either writing (learning letter strokes on a chalkboard) OR another fine motor activity (cutting, puzzle, lacing, etc -- these usually stretch longer than 5 minutes)
:: 15 minutes of a read-aloud from the Year 0 shelves (though Cate listens in too)


He also gets a bit of schoolish time in other ways over the course of the day:

:: He listens to about 20 minutes of an audiobook daily with Cate while I do school with the Big Kids.  Right now they're working through the Little House series again, and then we'll move on to Jim Weiss and some Year 1 free reads.
:: The Big Kids spend a few minutes reading either Beatrix Potter or Winnie-the-Pooh to him two afternoons a week while I get a little extra school time in with just Cate.
:: He joins us for our family work, including Morning Basket readings, picture study, music study, poetry, and Italian.
:: He listens in on Cate's daily religion readings as she prepares for First Communion.
:: He loves our nature study outings and keeps his own nature journal, which he takes quite seriously!  :: And obviously he joins the littles too when I sit down in the late morning with a short stack of picture books.

Basically, he occupies his "middle child" position in the family quite happily by being involved with everyone doing everything. ;)  The rest of his time he spends outdoors or in imaginative play, and he's also apprenticing under his big brother to take on some new chores later this year.



He doesn't have his own binder or pencil box yet (those are special privileges reserved for the Year-1-and-over crowd around here ;)), but he does have a couple spots where he keeps his things:


his small "kindergarten box," like Cate's last year...


...and the ottoman in our family room, which has during-naptime-only activities he can pull out while I'm working with the older kids, including puzzles, pattern blocks, lacing beads, and the like.


When I get a chance, I'll give a closer peek at his shelves, which include not just kindergarten-ish read-alouds but also my favorite picture books for the Year 0 crowd.

16 comments:

  1. I have a few questions. :) Do you *make* him sit and listen to audio books? I think it's a great idea! I'd love to make it required, but is that too harsh? And does he *have* to join you for your Morning Basket time? My 5 year old has the option right now; most days she does join us.

    Also, when you read board or picture books to the littles, assuming they're capable of picking their own books, do you let them? Or do YOU choose them?

    I guess these questions are all kind of the same question! I constantly waffle between choosing them myself (or making them listen to a book *I* pick) and letting them do it. Letting them do it can be time-consuming and cause problems as i'm sure you know so I'd love it if you said you chose them so I wouldn't feel so bad! HA! ;o)

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    1. I do make him sit and listen to audiobooks--it is his only "rest time" for the day, which he needs. He and Cate take their blankets and pillows into the office and I play it on the computer in there while I work in the other room with the big kids. They never fuss about it because they really love the audiobooks and I think they enjoy the bit of downtime too. :)

      We do our Morning Basket time mostly over breakfast, so he is by default there for that. ;) But for the part we do after naptime school--no, he definitely doesn't have to join us. He is usually the one begging us to do it just because he loves all those "riches," but there have been a handful of times that he wanted to play instead and that's just fine with me! His one-on-one Mommy time (the part I actually schedule) is also completely optional, but that's like the highlight of his day. ;) I only have it on my schedule to make sure that *I* make time to do it, not because it's mandatory for him.

      When I read aloud, I usually choose the books unless they have a special request. Like you said, it just takes too much time to get them to choose and settle in. But the big kids read to the little ones incidentally throughout the day and usually let them choose their own books. Same with my husband: he always says to the littles, "Everyone pick a book!" and they all run to the bookshelf and come back with their selections. :)

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    2. Thank you! I think I need to find some better audio books for my 5yo...something that holds her attention more.

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    3. I do think it's harder when only one kid is being sent off by herself to listen--Xavier does like that Cate joins him. (This is one of those times when having a big bunch of kids close in age actually makes things easier! LOL) They make a little nest with their pillows and stuff and it's really cute. :) But last year, I just had him curl up on the sofa with a favorite couple of toys or books, and that works too. And fyi, I'm planning to include a list of our favorite audiobooks for this age in my post about my favorite picture books in case it helps. ;)

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    4. I was so excited for this post and now I can't wait for this next one :) Thanks again for taking the time to write all this down, it is so helpful! I have another question. Does Xavier try to sit in on Cate's Year 1 books? How do you handle that? Thanks!

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    5. Hi Katie! He goes in and out for a couple of the readings but doesn't sit formally for them. I honestly don't think he'll remember that much of them a year from now, partly because he's not playing *super* close attention and partly because he isn't allowed to narrate them, so I'm not too worried about it. :) I do try to do Paddle, Herriot, and some of the ones I think he'll particularly like when he's not around to "save" them especially for his Year 1, just in case. ;)

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    6. Oooh! Great! Looking forward to that post!! :D It's interesting right now--with the ages I have. Don't get me wrong--I really love it! But figuring out how to squeeze school in in between all the mishaps and what-nots is...interesting! :) I wouldn't have it any other way, though!

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    7. I know just what you mean, Catie, trust me. ;)

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  2. Thanks for sharing a peek of your Kindergarten plans, Celeste. Xavier seems like such a happy kid. Love the tree picture in particular.

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    1. He really is, Dawn. He is so easy-going after my gifted-and-challenging oldest son and perfectionistic-and-dramatic older girls! :)

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  3. Yes, please make a list of audio books for this age! I have a 5.5 yr old son, too, and have yet to find one that captures his attention. I also love that you don't "force" his schooling. I have a few things set up for my boy, but for the most part he prefers to be outside running, jumping and climbing. :-)

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    1. Xavier isn't all that picky about audiobooks...though he loves to run and climb too! :) I'm going to try to have my little list up later this week!

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  4. I loved that age - & the photo of Xavier in the sand!

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    1. I feel like I say this about every age, but I really love five year olds. They are just so full of eagerness and enthusiasm, and they still retain a touch of baby-hood. :)

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  5. How do you teach your kids to read?

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    1. I have a sample of a CM-style reading lesson here:
      http://joyouslessons.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-very-simple-reading-lesson.html

      I use a combination of these kinds of lessons plus easy readers plus lots of reading aloud plus short and low-key sessions and a positive attitude. ;) My oldest two really did teach themselves to read for the most part, and I'm teaching my next two (6 and 5) right now.

      For more on CM reading lessons, check out Amy Tuttle's Discover Reading--it's a great resource!
      http://www.discoverreading.net/

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