Please share your kindergarden / Pre-K school experiences...

Hi

We've been looking at preschools for a second year of preschool and we're not where the old one was. the old preschool was awsome, the kids got to learn purely from explorative play...

can anyone share their schooling experiences with Kindergarden or Pre-K?

Do you think the activities the school is doing with your child is developmentally appropriate?

I just want to get a feel for what everyone else has experienced...

thanks
bz

 

Dakota has been in day care almost since we brought him home since we both work fulltime. The first day care he was in was otatlly play and no learning whatsoever, but he was tiny then. He was there until he was 2 years and a few months. We took him out when they broke his arm. Then he went to a private home. She promised that she did not allow tv and that they worked on educational activities and free play. After a while we figured out that he was watching tv all day long. He was coming home singing all the commercials and talking about programs we do not let him watch. We stopped that and put him in another center. From the first day he was bringing home papers that he had colored or things that he made. There is not a day that goes by that he comes home without something. This year he moved up to the Pre-K class. Now he is working on writing letters and learning their names and things like that. In the year that he has been in this center, he has learned the whole abc song, the names of all the colors, how to count to 15, and how to recognize some of the letters. Of course we have been working on this stuff at home also, but not like the day care has. I really like this center for the most part. We have had a couple of bad experiences. A little girl was molested by a juvenile staff member. But the center took immediate action and the perpetrator was quickly arrested. They notified all the parents and were very apologetic. We also are upset by the fact that during freeplay they allowthe kids to play with power rangers and sometimes the coloring pictures are of power rangers or barney. Other than that, we love it. He will stay in this center until I take him out to begin homeschooling.

Kathi

 

You're going to homeschool, Kathi? Awesome!

I REALLY want to homeschool. It's sooo important to me that she's not hindered at all in her learning by a classroom full of kids not on her level, or if she's not on their level....

 

Zach has been in Daycare since he was 2 years 3 months, and really has done well from the very start. We started Potty Training shortly after he got there, and they helped alot, and he has not had an accident since 2 months after he got there--when he was out of pull-ups totally. He did Pre-K last year, a year early, becuase he was bored in the baby class, now he's doing another year of Pre-K, because he is still too young for Kindergarden, he knows his ABC's, can identify all of his letters, colors and even blended colors, can count to 30 without a mistake, then he jumps to 80 all of a sudden..LOL , knows most of his address and is working on his phone number, as well as a bunch of other safety stuff, he uses his scissors like a little champ, colors in the lines, he's so anal about that (ha), and writes his ABC's, name and numbers on anything he can get a hand on LOL. He's trying to spell everything right now, and wants to read anything he can find...of course it's alot of repetition of what we or the school reads to him, but it's learning!! I didn't put my older boys in Preschool like I did with Zach and I feel bad now because I don't think they were quite as ready as he will be, but they still did very well. Some Centers are absolutely Wonderful and really do a great job with the kids, but they seem to be harder to come by.

 

Yeah, we want Dakota to learn the true history about the world. Not just the junk they teach in school. And we don't want him exposed to all the negative stuff they deal with in school today. We already have to deal with some of it. One of the teachers is giving him the "Mr. Policeman is our friend." stuff. For a long time his favorvite saying when he saw a cop was, "Bad cop, no donut." Now he tells me it's a "good bad cop." We teach him that no one who carries a gun is good. But day care is trying to convince him that it's okay for some people to have guns. He also now believes that there are good power rangers and good bad guys. I just don't like it when they try to undo things that we have taught him. We teach him our moral values. i.e. No one should have guns. They try to turn it around to being a good thing. Our political beliefs are not the same as the day care either. We think it's fine for Dakota to wear his President Poopyhead t-shirt. The day care tells him the president is wonderful. Can't wait until he doesn't have to hear this kind of stuff.

Kathi

 

I've worked in a daycare... i'm knockin' anyone here and i'm not a mother ... BUT the police in kids eyes are "good ppl the Fire men are good ppl and the ambulance ppl are good ppl nothing wrong with that . But the gun thing is wrong . no daycare should tell lil kids anyone can carry guns. Is that what makes it right for a kid to go shoot another.

That has happened in Detroit. A lil boy liked a lil girl ... but the lil girl didn't want to sit next to him at circle and at the craft table. That made the lil boy furious. He was quite upset so he went home told his grandpa and his grandpa gave him a gun and he went to school the next day and shot he little girl. Instantly killing her.

THAT IS DISGUSTING!!
the grandfather got 12-15 yr for it . because he showed the lil boy how to use it
and the lil boy is now in foster care

 

That is horrible!!! I was talking to the director at our daycare today about how so many kids are turning out to be because of the parenting or lack there of in the homes anymore. I was starting to feel like I was doing something wrong with my older boys especially becasue we were SO involved in everything they do, they go NOWHERE unless we know where, with whom, who will be there, will there be parents, etc, etc...they don't even go off of our street without proper supervision...but now I feel good because I know that I have GOOD kids with good values, morals, etc. and that I don't have to worry what THEY do everytime they are out of my sight. Now if the teenage years don't kill me, we'll be okay..HAHA!

 

My kids had good Nursery School experiences. They were not in day care, our preschool and nursery schools were about 2 hours a day, 2 days a week for 3 year olds and 3 days a week for 4 year olds.

I did the teaching at home, as most of my kids were way ahead of what they were teaching in preschool, but that's OK, as preschool that is only a few hours a week is more about socializing than actual acedemics. I felt that I could do more appropriate acedemics than a class full of 20 or so kids. But, there are no kids Sage's age in our area, so Nursery School was very good for her, so she could make freinds ect.

My kids then adjusted to Kindergarten very well. Our District has a more old fashioned :"play oriented" K plan, so it worked well, and they only have half day Kindergarten, which I really perfer. (I like being with my kids, and I felt they did better being home with me for most of the day, so I was glad we only had half day Kinder.)

At teh age of 3 or 4 there are So many developmental differences between children, that it is nearly impossible to do acedemics, unless the class is really small. Sage's class was only about 15 kids, and there were still too many levels of kids (from kids who could read at 3, like Sage, to those who were barely verbal) that I was glad it was mainly Play Oriented.

We have "home schooled" in our own way, but our kids do (did) go to public school. It was harder when I had 3 kids, only a few years apart, to teach acedemics in detail, but you can always read to them, even if they are all diiferent ages. Sage was the most interested in Acedemics, I also had the time to teach her to read, (other kids in our family were older) and she had the NEED to learn and the drive to do it, so she learned well. Every child is different. Some kids are ready for prereading stuff at a year and a half, others aren't until they are 3 or 4 or even older.

Preschool isn't for every child. But, some kids really like it. You have to be confortable with the people doing it, and your child has to enjoy it. It isn't neccesary, but, many children benefit. Some children simply aren't ready to separate from mama, even for a few hours at three years, so these children should wait. Others are ready. It's a decision that should be based on each child's individual needs, desires and abilities. Always make sure you sit in at a day or so of the school before signing up, they will, of course, probably try to impress you, but you can get an idea of how they handle discipline, acedemics, disagreements, freindships, food preferences, learning styles, and each child's individuality.

 

I'm worried myself, about Moire. Schools around here don't seem to be play oriented in the early years, and even then, if she's far advanced above the level of other kids in her class, I don't want her to act out or be bored. I want her to have social activities, but not at the cost of her drive to learn!

 

HippieFreak, you can provide all kinds of social opportunities for Moire. But she will only have one childhood, (in this lifetime). Make it the best you can. If the schools can't or won't meet her needs it up to you has her parent to make sure they are met.

Kathi

 

When i lived with my sister and brother in law, i would always watch my little nephews for them. My oldest nephew who started JK walked into the class as proud as can be and loved the class especially asthe weks went on he came about to know get along with tis little girl. My sister and the little girls mother talked and my nephew played with her. Very cute!! When Vday came a long my nephew asked my sister in the bathroom. "So mama when i hand out valentine's day cards, can i get roses for Talia and can i take her to Mc Donalds on a date, i'll make sure i'm a nice boy". he only wanted to get Talia roses and just give everyone cards!!! they remained 2 yrs after that!!
it was the cutest friendship a 4 yr could ever have!!