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[Ericaand4kids]

Well we've been homeschooling for the past two years and for various reasons are sending the oldest two to public school this year. They will be in 2nd and 4th grade and it is suppose to be a really good school!

I will still have a 3 1/2 yr old home w/me who is ready to learn and a 7 month old. So I will do some preschool everyday.

But I can't decide if I want to add to the other kids school. Of course part of me wouldd love to, but is it practical? Of course they haven't started yet so I don't know what homework will be like. And I can imagine they are going to have more 'work' than they are used to here. So I don't want to give them more 'work'. I was thinking bible and spanish and/or sign language. Maybe do more under the pretense that I am just reading to them?

Also a big concern I have is what reading material they will come across in school. Right now my 9 yr old dd is an avid reader, she has recently read the little house series and most of the narnia series along w/some nancy drew and a few others. I always screen her books and I'm thinking I will not get this opp any more! What do I do?
I feel the same about my 7 yr old ds, except he is not the avid reader she is, he can read well, just doesn't care for it as much, so I know he won't be hunting down books in the library!

I'm not super strict, but don't want my her sweet innocence ruined
Wish I could protect them forever!
Thanks for any tips!
~Erica

[Breann in WA]

I always screen her books and I'm thinking I will not get this opp any more! What do I do?

I'm not super strict, but don't want my her sweet innocence ruined
Wish I could protect them forever!
~Erica

Well, I wish you luck with that!! IMnotsoHO, the fastest way to ruin that sweet innocence of your dc's is to put them into ps. It's been painful for me to watch the not so subtle (yet) changes in my 7yo over the last year - her first year in ps also. And it's been a struggle at times to try to keep her grounded in the foundation we've tried to lay for her in these 7 short years of her life. We can only hope we've given her the tools to deal effectively with the bs (pardon my language) that pops up everywhere in ps, and that she'll feel secure enough to come to us with her problems and make choices based on what we've taught her is right.

In that regard, because they're now in ps, we've really strengthened our focus on social issues (between her and her young friends and siblings) and moral integrity in general. It's been a bit of an eye opener to us in that we should have been teaching those things in a much stronger way all along, but at least they're still young and impressionable enough that we still have time to use various situations that arrise as teaching oportunities. And their social (and moral) skills are improving all around with that effort, so that's one positive. If left to the mercy of her new environment in ps on those points, I think things would be looking quite dismal for them. Their tendency to talk back, get snotty with us and with each other, the whining, etc. is much greater, despite all our efforts to mold tolerable, even pleasant, human beings!

As far as, should you afterschool your oldests? - my opinion is that when kids move from hsing to ps, it's much easier for you to incorporate asing from the get go. If you don't, and then down the road decide they need it after all, you may have a much more difficult time with them (they'll be more resistant, etc.). Kind of a "better safe than sorry" tactic, I guess.

There are threads on the asing board (I can't remember the subject line) about the various ways people implement their afterschooling routines. That's worth looking up.

Just keep your dc close and the lines of communication open. Know their teachers and friends. I wish you luck!

[Melinda in VT]

You can probably safely assume the public school won't cover Bible, but for other subjects, you might want to wait and see which programs your school is strong in. For example, my kids' school has a great writing program, so I don't need to work on that at home. But they don't do history at all in the younger grades, so I do that.

As for your daughter's reading, I don't think you will have as much control over her reading material as if you were homeschooling. If you have concerns about what she checks out from the school library, you can talk to her about what your family guidelines are and ask her to bring her library books home for you to see before she starts reading. If you have concerns about what she is reading during free reading time from the classroom shelves, you can send in a book from home for her to read during that time.

[LibrarianMom]

I wouldn't worry too much about reading materials. In grade school, books don't have s_x or language issues. There might be some attitude issues displayed by characters, but those can be opportunities for discussion. Provide lots of good books at home or from your public library pre-selected or selected with your daughter. Ask about what she's reading and what she likes or doesn't like about the books. When you hit middle school and high school is when you'll have more issues.

[sweetbaby]

Once you learn about the curricula plans from their teachers, you do some enrichment activities in the afternoons, summer or weekends. I did that with my oldest for years who had been in ps from k-6. As for reading material, I would definitely monitor and ask for a list perhaps. I have seen some items that I just didn't want my child to read so I had to voiced that concern in order to get an alternative. Pray all goes well. :)