[BensMom]

I guess since you're officially homeschooling, I'll officially welcome you to the board? Just kidding. Everyone's welcome, even those who don't have kids yet. Glad you've decided not to lurk, though. Jump right in! You said you're starting with free stuff you've found. Anything in particular?

[bookworm16_2000]

Thanks Chrystal! I've jumped in here a few times with comments on teaching math but mostly just lurked.

Since Allison has been bugging me to start "school" like the big kids from our homeschool group I have been searching the web for every available resource that is free for preschoolers. She's only 2.5 so I don't see spending a lot of money on something I can create for free. I've found Donna Young's website for handwriting, DLTK's website for coloring pages for the alphabet, the file folder farm for math concepts, and the Preschool Prep DVD series for colors, numbers, shapes, and the alphabet. She has been watching the DVD's for a while and already knows her numbers to 10, can count to 20, all of her colors and shapes, and can tell you what letter you show her (but can't sing the ABC song...). I'm just going to school a couple of days a week for an hour or so to start and increase as I get more comfortable in what I'm doing.

The more I look, the more it seems I will be starting kindergarten in a slow, gradual way because she's beyond a "typical" preschooler. This just solidifies my reasoning behind homeschooling- she needs an education that is designed for her, not the average child!

[BensMom]

Yes, I've seen your responses here and there (thank you, by the way!), but it's nice to have you join us as a homeschooler, too!

My 3 year old LOVES starfall.com, and we've found the paid membership well worth it, too. (There is a lot you can get for free, but he was bored doing that over and over.) He could spend all day on starfall if we'd let him. We limit him to about an hour per day usually. He's reading very well right now (2nd grade level) and is pretty good with math (K level). I've helped him a little here and there, but he has mostly learned on starfall. I prefer to teach as much or as little as a child wants until they reach the age that the state requires formal schooling. Some days, I'll spend an hour working with him, and some days, he'll just watch SuperWhy or play with legos while I'm spending all my time on the older one.

[bookworm16_2000]

Thanks for the suggestion of Starfall- we cruised it and she's in love! If I could get her to play instead of making me push all the buttons...

I agree- we're going to play school more than anything right now. If she wants to have school we will do it but if she wants to watch a Leap Frog movie I'm okay with that too. We have until 2017 (the year she turns 7) to declare our intent to homeschool to the county we live in and even then, it's a one page notorized form and a copy of her birth certificate (Arizona doesn't care what, if anything, you do with a homeschooler).