Hi! I'm an at home mom of 2. My son Ben is 4, preschool age. Right now I am teaching him his numbers and alphabet and starting with writing. I try to keep it light and fun with games and activities. He also learns alot from watching shows like Dora and Diego and such. My daughter Rebekah is 2 and I'm still working on trying to get her to talk at all!! I know she can hear me, just can't be bothered talking. I would love any advice and tips from the moms and dads that have been homeschooling, especially when it comes to notifying the schools and prepping their curriculum. I live in NY and we are required to notify with an IHIP and then are to present them with a curriculum plan that we are following. I am already a member of my local LEAH group which has been very helpful. We also plan on joining HSLDA once I'm required to submit the IHIP forms. 

I am just finishing up our preschool year-should be done by the end of April at the very latest. We used Sonlights preK 4/5 program, singapore math K using pattern blocks (we will do the workbooks starting soon for K), Learn to Read, and I can read readers from the store up to level 3 though we started with the lower ones, A reason for Writing K, Leap Frog Videos: Letter Factory, Talking Words Factory, Storybook Factory, and Math Circus (you have to hunt for these any more in my area I found them at Target and also at Toys R Us), and some of the Kmon material-they have lets color, more lets color, let's cut all which we have used in previous years-right now we are using lets tell time and lets count coins. (I am able to those at Barnes and Noble though other book stores should carry them as well).

As far as doing a state form for your lesson plans that I have no idea as where I am in MT I don't have to do anything other than send a letter once my children are 7 on or before the first day of school to my county superintendent stating that I will be homeschooling them (letter of intent), submit a copy of their immunization records, and at the end of the year sign a statement stating that I met the agate hours (365 for K, 730 for grades 1-3, 1040 for grades 4-11, and 920 for grade 12-seniors here get out 1 week early for senior week in the public schools so that is why there is a difference in requirement) required by the state of MT and turn that in no later than July 31 of the following year (our homeschool year runs from July 1-June 30 but you have to be registered your first year by either Sept 1 or within 30 days of removing your child from either public or private school if you start them out in non homeschool environment and than later to decide to homeschool them). Other than when there are changes in the immunizations (7th grade I believe) I won't have to turn in another immunization record but will have to send the letter each year and the statement of meeting the hours. We are required to teach the subjects taught in public schools ie math, science, social studies, reading, phonics, ect but other than that have no requirements.

One thing that I will say is that Sonlight with the exception of the preK 3/4 program has your lesson plans all done out for you (the preK 3/4 program is a collection of books that you read in any order you want and just check off a list when you've read them-a lot of these are award winning books too).

I don't think it would be too hard to adapt a program like this where it is done out for a state form

Example from my daughters Singapore Math Pattern Animals Book

3/24 Do page 5 Good Pet or Not.

Objective: Classification and grouping

Steps:

Student will list in Alphabetical Order the animals that would make a good pet and the animals that would not make a good pet in their respective columns.

Student will choose 1 animal and cover it with pattern blocks than count and record the number of blocks required to cover that animal.

Objective: Writing about an Animal

Steps:

Student will research their chosen Animal

Student will write a 5 sentence paragraph with each sentence containing a subject and a verb about their chosen animal.

Skills Learned:

Sorting

Counting

Handwriting (unless you do as I did and have your child dictate it to you while you type it-than my child is barely 5)

Classification

Reading

Research

ect.

Hope this helps.

Tammy

I am just finishing up our preschool year-should be done by the end of April at the very latest. We used Sonlights preK 4/5 program, singapore math K using pattern blocks (we will do the workbooks starting soon for K), Learn to Read, and I can read readers from the store up to level 3 though we started with the lower ones, A reason for Writing K, Leap Frog Videos: Letter Factory, Talking Words Factory, Storybook Factory, and Math Circus (you have to hunt for these any more in my area I found them at Target and also at Toys R Us), and some of the Kmon material-they have lets color, more lets color, let's cut all which we have used in previous years-right now we are using lets tell time and lets count coins. (I am able to those at Barnes and Noble though other book stores should carry them as well).

As far as doing a state form for your lesson plans that I have no idea as where I am in MT I don't have to do anything other than send a letter once my children are 7 on or before the first day of school to my county superintendent stating that I will be homeschooling them (letter of intent), submit a copy of their immunization records, and at the end of the year sign a statement stating that I met the agate hours (365 for K, 730 for grades 1-3, 1040 for grades 4-11, and 920 for grade 12-seniors here get out 1 week early for senior week in the public schools so that is why there is a difference in requirement) required by the state of MT and turn that in no later than July 31 of the following year (our homeschool year runs from July 1-June 30 but you have to be registered your first year by either Sept 1 or within 30 days of removing your child from either public or private school if you start them out in non homeschool environment and than later to decide to homeschool them). Other than when there are changes in the immunizations (7th grade I believe) I won't have to turn in another immunization record but will have to send the letter each year and the statement of meeting the hours. We are required to teach the subjects taught in public schools ie math, science, social studies, reading, phonics, ect but other than that have no requirements.

One thing that I will say is that Sonlight with the exception of the preK 3/4 program has your lesson plans all done out for you (the preK 3/4 program is a collection of books that you read in any order you want and just check off a list when you've read them-a lot of these are award winning books too).

I don't think it would be too hard to adapt a program like this where it is done out for a state form

Example from my daughters Singapore Math Pattern Animals Book

3/24 Do page 5 Good Pet or Not.

Objective: Classification and grouping

Steps:

Student will list in Alphabetical Order the animals that would make a good pet and the animals that would not make a good pet in their respective columns.

Student will choose 1 animal and cover it with pattern blocks than count and record the number of blocks required to cover that animal.

Objective: Writing about an Animal

Steps:

Student will research their chosen Animal

Student will write a 5 sentence paragraph with each sentence containing a subject and a verb about their chosen animal.

Skills Learned:

Sorting

Counting

Handwriting (unless you do as I did and have your child dictate it to you while you type it-than my child is barely 5)

Classification

Reading

Research

ect.

Hope this helps.

Tammy