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Parenting & Farm Kids:  Am I the only one...  |
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Peanut
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jennifer
Waverly
Virginia
USA
603 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 06:44:49 AM
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who cannot understand why we push our kids so hard? Someone was complaining to me that her kid's preschool "naively" focuses on emotional growth, manners and life skills rather than academics.
My oldest child didn't even GO to preschool (my youngest is going because her dad, my ex, insisted) and my other kids won't go either. Not too long ago there was no such thing as kindergarten, much less preschool and the people of those generations seemed a lot more self-sufficient and intelligent than a lot of people since the proliferation of preschools.
I just can't wrap my head around this need for competitiveness and making children grow up too fast.
"What is a farm but a mute gospel?"
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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emsmommy5
True Blue Farmgirl
1547 Posts
Angie
Buckley
WA
USA
1547 Posts |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 07:45:28 AM
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I loved my pre-school, but it was more of a socialization place than an academic place. We sang songs, danced, did mini plays (Like the Billy Goats Gruff) and played played played. Oh! I have such happy memories of that place. I think we worked on the ABC's but I don't remember writing or worrying about counting or things like that.
I figure kids are going to have to deal with the "real world" soon enough, let them enjoy the sunshine and playtime!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
Please come visit Nora and I our our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 07:53:23 AM
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Looking back, I wish I had kept my little one home longer and not entered her into pre-k at four or even kindergarten at five. She had a birthday that would have allowed me to keep home longer. She did great academically, but emotionally, now I think it would have been easier on her to stay at home. Being an only child, I thought she would want to be with other children, but time has made me think "if I could do that again".....I would have let her start kindergarten at 6. Just a word of advice from someone who has been there!
Now she is keeping her own little girls at home for as long as possible. I am glad.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Feb 14 2008 07:55:54 AM |
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 08:45:27 AM
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I finished my degree a couple of years ago in Early Childhood Education and I am hopeful about the future of the field. I went to a really great program whose educators were very progressive in their thinking. Everything we learned has an "official" and "fancy" name, but the gist of it is the future of ECE is not to have children sit down with worksheets and learn facts by rote. The program I worked in met with every parent and found out what they were looking for for their child and I was heartened by the fact that a lot of them didn't have academic goals. One mom wanted her child to learn kindness and compassion and we sat together and figured out what we could do at school that would move him towards those goals. It's a lot of work for the teachers to keep 20 different sets of goals in mind everyday while planning activities and managing 20 3 year olds, but it is important. Our classroom taught the kind of things that good moms want their children to learn at home - respect, compassion, etc. The difference is, the moms (and dads) in our program were all in college, trying to better themselves and couldn't be around all day to monitor and teach what they wanted their kids to learn. These preschool years are so important - they are a learning window- for life skills. Most kids, ideally, learn these things in a family setting, by example, at home with mom. But when Mom has to be gone all day 5 days a week, that window doesn't wait and it's a good thing to have the kids in an environment where they can hope to gain some of the same experoemces. Home is first choice, but when they can't have that, a quality preschool is a close second. It's too bad societal trends have most moms out of the home, but it's a reality. My goodness, I've just been on my soapbox haven't I?
Farmgirl Sister #98
Check out my new online store
http://www.shopthefrontier.com/VFstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=79&osCsid=6be4b25bf9555031c6e2e86bbde23dba |
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tziporra
True Blue Farmgirl
234 Posts
Robin
Seattle
WA
USA
234 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 08:59:30 AM
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Hi there!
My oldest is just four, and I keep her at home. Planning on skipping kindergarten as well and making the big "first grade" decision year after next.
We focus on a Waldorf-style preschool philosophy in our home. Waldorf preschools focus on making an atmosphere as home-like as possible. Kids bake, do laundry, tidy and get lots of pretend play. When I read that, I was THRILLED, because it sounds just like my HOUSE!!!! Hee hee hee..... Also, Waldorf preschools supply only "natural material" toys, which makes my life much more pleasant in my home - no plast-flashing-light-over-stimulation here, just lots of blocks, soft dolls, and wood trucks. It's great!
Anyway, just a thought that not all preschools push academic programs on their kids, but if that is what parents want, they can certainly find it.
Best,
Robin |
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Peanut
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jennifer
Waverly
Virginia
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 09:05:05 AM
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I'm not against daycare/preschool by any means. My girls had a wonderful babysitter who had been a preschool teacher but academics weren't forced on them.
In Richmond, there are preschools that require applications, entrance exams and interviews... with the KIDS!
"What is a farm but a mute gospel?"
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 09:58:21 AM
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I was a stay at home mom with my children for 10 years, and I remember enrolling my eldest in Junior K when he was 4, and the teacher was horrified that he hadn't been to some sort of preschool, "just had stayed at home with me" in her words! He did just fine, graduated, and is now an apprentice mechanic! Neither of the other two children went to any preschool, either, and they are both honor students at high school. Stand your ground, and don't bow to outside pressures!
Lori |
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GaiasRose
True Blue Farmgirl
2552 Posts
Tasha-Rose
St. Paul
Minnesota
2552 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 10:24:07 AM
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we unschool for the very reason that children are overscheduled according to adult schedules...I really really really despise that children are treated like mini robots....lets get them to be agreeable little worker bees...GRRR
[size=1]
~*~Brightest Blessings~*~
Tasha-Rose
Farmgirl Sister #88
Blogs: http://gaiarose.wordpress.com
http://womonandsprout.wordpress.com
http://youtube.com/profile?user=GaiasRose
Homepage:
http://ForestFaeries.etsy.com
"Joyful chaos, working in tune with the seasons, telling itme by the sun, variety, change and self-direction; all this wwas replaced with a brutal, standardized work culture, the effects of which we are still suffering from today." - Tom Hodgkinson in 'How To Be Idle' |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 10:56:44 AM
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My son is in daycare and they focus a lot on reading, creativity and fun- which I love!!! I alreay see competition among the PARENTS, which I just laugh at how competitive it can get. I think if you make is obvious to a child (and we all know, they can tell when we are tense or upset or pushing them) that they must do better, I think it starts them off on the wrong foot. I just clap, cheer, and hug even when he sticks the play do up his nose. I did get a very nice compliment from his teachers about how he is doing and how happy he is. That is all I want!!!
Cheers,
Heather
FARMGIRL #90 |
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La Patite Ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
623 Posts
Jenn
CA
USA
623 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 4:32:39 PM
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Although we had a great Christian pre-school for DD, that taught mostly social skills in prep for K, I see so many parents wanting others (teachers, daycare providers, etc) to raise their kids. The time to teach kids manners, kindness and compassion comes long before they enter any kind of school. It is so sad to see so many adults incapable of parenting their child. And, the child is the one who suffers for it in the long run.
Parents don't realize that kids reflect the way we talk and act with them. If parents and adults say please, thank you, I'm sorry, excuse me and so on kids will do the same. But, if parents just bark out orders and are short with their kids, the kids will turn out the same.
This is why we have so many screwed up kids and adults. |
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Lavendar fields dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
1032 Posts
little monkeys mommy
washington
USA
1032 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2008 : 11:43:09 PM
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b0th 0f my girls went t0 presch00l the 0ldest went because she was behing in her s0cial skills and when tested sh0wed that she was alm0st tw0 years behind mentally. i kn0w that if we w0uldnt have put her in the pr0gram that she w0uldnt have made it in sch00l and we held her back a year in presch00l s0 she is the 0ldest in her class but is thriving. she is a very artistic y0ung lady and can s0metimes l0se track 0f time with her drawing(the teacher is great with her) instead 0f writing the st0ry that g0es with it. my y0ungest went t0 presch00l cause she wanted t0 be like sissy and the teacher there was just a j0y t0 w0rk with s0 hers was m0re 0f a s0cial thing. she is n0w in kindergarten and is d0ing g00d but her first c0mplaint at the beginning 0f the year is all we d0 is w0rk w0rk w0rk. i think that we maybe sh0uld have held her back a year like we did with her sis but she is very well adjusted n0w. s0 in my 0pini0n six is better t0 enter kindergarten but it als0 depends 0n y0ur child and y0u kn0w what is best f0r them.
lavendar girl
http://lavendarfieldsdreamer.blogspot.com/ |
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CountryBorn
True Blue Farmgirl
1545 Posts
Mary Jane
New York
USA
1545 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2008 : 2:23:39 PM
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My kids didn't have a preschool. The grandkids went to a really wonderful one. They were so happy there and the teacher was fantastic. They did numbers and letters, which both of them all ready knew anyway. But the playing with the other children and all the games and the art work were great. They also put on a Christmas program that was just so cute. They always welcomed the parents on field trips. They did an Easter program too. Plus the cutest "graduation" ceremony and assembly for the parents followed by a picnic.My daughter and their father were so glad they let them go. It was only 3 days a week and just in the morning. The kindergarten teachers were so impressed with their social skills and their love of learning. They both asked where they went to pre-school. It was just such a positive experience we loved it.Actually kindergarten was great here too.Yes they learned but they had such a good time too.
MJ
There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. Freya Stark |
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2008 : 2:38:59 PM
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Neither of my kids went to preschool, I couldn't afford to send them. They were both in daycare at my ex's Mom's daycare while I worked full time. Even had I wanted to/been able to afford to send them, there wouldn't have been a way to get them there.
She didn't do much other than turn on Seasme Stree now and then.
Now that they are older, only one activity per child.
I am more concerned about them doing something they LOVE, and being home for dinner every night, than to spend my life running from one place to the next and over scheduling them.
I figure they are pretty well rounded anyways.
Not too worried that they couldn't take underwater basket weaving or snipe hunting as after school activities. LOL
Much happier that they are in Dance and the boy used to be in Soccer. Now he works.
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
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Rebekka Mae
True Blue Farmgirl
965 Posts
Rebekka
Moscow
ID
USA
965 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2008 : 6:08:06 PM
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I am thinking of waiting until Bella is six for kinder, she is in a very playful preschool with lovely teachers now and enjoys it but I feel that she might benefit from a year of dancing and playing and gardening at home before more 'serious' school begins. She is very clever and chatty beyond her years but perhaps that makes people feel she is ready for things that are a bit too sophisticated- maybe she needs an extra shot of playtime. Then again, I do need to visit the kindergartens here as they may be led by wonderful teachers who know what kindergarten should be- places for play and baking and painting and stories and wash day. Plus her two best friends will be in kindergarten next year so it may be good for her to go with them.....
Hooray for Waldorf Robin;) Did you know there is a great waldorf homeschooling yahoo group run by the MOST wonderful teacher Mrs. Marsha in Portland? I think it is waldorfhomeschoolers...let me know if you can't find it and want to. I went to folk art classes at Marsha's school and she is pure magic...plus the files on the yahoo group are more valuable than anything I have found in a book.
Warmly, Rebekka
www.bebebella.etsy.com
As a woman I have no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.
Virginia Woolf |
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Cindy Lee
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Cindy
Sparks
Nevada
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2008 : 07:31:51 AM
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| Some people believe that their children are report cards for their own life and they REALLY want straight AAA's. They will be disapointed when this system doesn't always work! |
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2008 : 07:58:39 AM
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My baby is seven months old, and I already have been asked about my plans for pre-school. Apparently, some parents put them selves on waiting lists several years ahead? THe only reason I can think of a SAHM sending her kids is for socialization. Maybe a karate class or some T-ball would be an answer for us. I think I am creative enough to keep him home for pre-schooland possibly kindergarten. The smartest kids I ever knew went to a Waldorf school.
When I was little, I could read at an early age, and got put in with older kids at montessori, had no friends, because I was a little kid, and I hated it. In kindergarten, I got put into a group of kids who were, "readers," while the other kids got to run around and play. So I pretended to not know how to read anymore. I don't want to do this to my boy.
Farmgirl Sister #91
Make cupcakes not war! |
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tziporra
True Blue Farmgirl
234 Posts
Robin
Seattle
WA
USA
234 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2008 : 9:10:53 PM
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Rebekka -- I get lots of Waldorf homeschool ideas online -- including from the waldorfhomeschoolers website!
I got a lecture Friday night from a close friend about the whole decision-to-skip-kidergarten thing. Sigh. "I certainly hope that if you are not sending your child to kindergarten you'll make sure she knows how to read before first grade so she won't be behind all the other students..." kind of thing. I know it was well-meant, but what if my daughter is READY for reading before first grade????? It's ridiculous to insist she know how to read before she is five.
ARG.
Not that I don't think she will be ready -- she's just four now and can read the beginning-type phonics book, but only when she wants to. I just don't want to have to educate my daughter on someone else's schedule. Maybe we are back to the homeschooling idea for real. Grg.
Best,
Robin |
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greentea
True Blue Farmgirl
76 Posts
Alicia
Wisconsin
USA
76 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2008 : 09:10:26 AM
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Well, my son is signed up for pre-school, and he's 1.5 years old. If I wanted a decent preschool, I had to get on the waiting list. My definition of a decent preschool, is one that focuses on music, and life skills, not a pre-K.
My son's blog (designed to keep in touch with Grandma and all her friends:
http://babycork.blogspot.com/ |
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Parenting & Farm Kids: Am I the only one... |
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Am I the only one...
