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My daughter just started 4 year old preschool this year (she's a young 4) she has only been in my care (in my daycare home) in her life. When she started preschool she was already able to write her name, new her shapes (even the odd ones), recognized all but one letter, could write most of her letters, her colors and could count past 20. I never did any sit down at the desk type of learning with her. I provide a great environment and plenty of supplies for learning and I talk ( a lot) and the kids learn. She is already reading sight words and her teacher said she has no doubt that she will be reading by kindergarten. She has 2 older siblings and they were both the same way at 4 and reading before kindy.
She comes home every day and tells me about what they learned and so far it's always something she already knows. Most of what they do at pre-school is play and learn the same way they do in a good daycare (center or home). The main difference is they are all the same age. She has students in her class that used to attend my daycare and they are all in the same boat as her and doing above and beyond. The teacher also says they have good manners and love to help. I am keeping her there only because she is around other children her age.
I have all just turned 2 year olds now and after feeling a lot of pressure from parents I started Mother Goose Time this year. It's a great curriculum but it wasn't for me....too much to do and to little time to play! It lasted 2 months...they learned no more than they would have learned in my old program based on play and exploration.
Last week the kids made little foam turkeys with glue on feathers, eyes, beaks etc. and took them home. The parents were so delighted and loved them so much more than the finger painting pictures, free art with stamps, colors etc. that I normally send home. I guess they weren't here to see how horrible putting the turkeys together went. The littles sat at the table with the supplies in front of them and had no idea what to do no matter how many times I showed an example or gave instruction. In truth, I actually did 98% of each turkey and purposefully did not put things where they were supposed to go. Yes I did! Please don't judge me to harshly. If I would have sent home what the children did independently it would have been chewed on pieces of foam and feathers in a baggie and I have a feeling the parents would not have been so delighted! I told my husband I should just pre-make a few junky crafts every month to send home to keep the parents happy but to save the littles and myself the trouble of trying to do something they aren't ready for. I jokingly said it, kind of...you know what they say, when someone tells a joke it's usually part truth!
Anyway I guess my point is that the parents don't get how their children learn and they don't even question how their child who can't even put on his own shoes and puts everything in his mouth can glue foam turkey pieces together (even if the eye is on the back and the feather is on the leg). They also seem to think their child learned something from this daunting task that they don't get from free play art. I have started a packet on what we do and why we do it and included why we don't do worksheets and specific crafts until they are ready. I'm going to use it in my interview process to weed out the parents that just don't get it. It's going to be like a psychological test to determine mental disorder but it will determine a different type of crazy called LOOKWHATMYKIDDID!
She comes home every day and tells me about what they learned and so far it's always something she already knows. Most of what they do at pre-school is play and learn the same way they do in a good daycare (center or home). The main difference is they are all the same age. She has students in her class that used to attend my daycare and they are all in the same boat as her and doing above and beyond. The teacher also says they have good manners and love to help. I am keeping her there only because she is around other children her age.
I have all just turned 2 year olds now and after feeling a lot of pressure from parents I started Mother Goose Time this year. It's a great curriculum but it wasn't for me....too much to do and to little time to play! It lasted 2 months...they learned no more than they would have learned in my old program based on play and exploration.
Last week the kids made little foam turkeys with glue on feathers, eyes, beaks etc. and took them home. The parents were so delighted and loved them so much more than the finger painting pictures, free art with stamps, colors etc. that I normally send home. I guess they weren't here to see how horrible putting the turkeys together went. The littles sat at the table with the supplies in front of them and had no idea what to do no matter how many times I showed an example or gave instruction. In truth, I actually did 98% of each turkey and purposefully did not put things where they were supposed to go. Yes I did! Please don't judge me to harshly. If I would have sent home what the children did independently it would have been chewed on pieces of foam and feathers in a baggie and I have a feeling the parents would not have been so delighted! I told my husband I should just pre-make a few junky crafts every month to send home to keep the parents happy but to save the littles and myself the trouble of trying to do something they aren't ready for. I jokingly said it, kind of...you know what they say, when someone tells a joke it's usually part truth!
Anyway I guess my point is that the parents don't get how their children learn and they don't even question how their child who can't even put on his own shoes and puts everything in his mouth can glue foam turkey pieces together (even if the eye is on the back and the feather is on the leg). They also seem to think their child learned something from this daunting task that they don't get from free play art. I have started a packet on what we do and why we do it and included why we don't do worksheets and specific crafts until they are ready. I'm going to use it in my interview process to weed out the parents that just don't get it. It's going to be like a psychological test to determine mental disorder but it will determine a different type of crazy called LOOKWHATMYKIDDID!
) He was my first client so at first it was super easy, he was by himself!.. BUT now with other children, most of them way younger or developmentally slower than him its VERY hard to keep up with my curriculum goals.. now its self made curriculum and I've slowed things down a bit but i feel bad.. because as all of you have said.. the parents expect a certain standard. I think in the future , I will inform parents that I am focused on my kids learning new things everyday but if they are looking for a strict curriculum, MY family daycare may not be what they are looking for. This is why i STILL only have ONE 3 year old after 5 months..alot of kids by that age in my area are in regular school already or a preschool program.
). While the holiday crafts she occasionally does with my mom or her provider are cute, I don't feel too attached to them because, like you described, I imagine the adults are doing most of them. I like the weird blob that's a dinosaur and the pink scribble that's mommy sort of drawings better.
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