Playful Learning: An Alternate Approach to Preschool

Rating:
Summary: Preschool for Homeschoolers and Others
Review: As a homeschooling family, we have chosen to bypass day care, preschool, and traditional school. This book reinforced our views on maintaining the special parent-child bond in childhood while incorporating the stimulating environment our children need for their mental, physical, social, and emotional development. This book won't sit on the shelf.

Rating:
Summary: recipe for a loving, atmosphere for pre-school learning
Review: I enjoyed reading this well organized and informative book. This book has helped me to provide educational activities that teach my child with fun play in a loving home. It has allowed us to introduce him to "school" in a positive nurturing environment. He is learning independence and social interactions without going into a daycare situation. We (several other moms and I) are now organizing a cooperative pre-school for our children in our own homes. The book provides background research, example lesson plans, general themes, and a Bibliography.

Rating:
Summary: Can't recommend it enough!
Review: If you're the parent of a preschool age child (3-5) and aren't totally comfortable with the idea of trusting these early learning years to a stranger, I'd strongly recommend this book. It is packed with encouragement for parents and tons of fun activities to do with kids. Although the authors advocate beginning (or joining) a co-op preschool at home, it's suitable for homeschoolers too. A co-op preschool may be something I consider at a later time, but right now we're just getting our feet wet with learning. I always thought I'd send my precious little one off to a swanky preschool when the time came, but he's 4 now and the time is here, and neither one of us are ready for anything like that. We're having so much fun playing and learning together. I always thought learning at home would be frustrating (for me) and boring (for him), but it's really not if you take it in stride and follow your child's lead for the most part. The first part of this book "exposes" the history of preschool and why it ever came into being (whereas kids used to start school in 1st grade), and why it may not be the best thing for your child. It's really sad the way we parents compete with the Joneses...we want our child to talk first, spell first, add first, read first...etc. And so many of us are afraid that not sending them to preschool will cause them to be "behind" when the time for actual school (or homeschool) comes. How many of us have felt like wanting to crawl under the carpet when caught up in a group of of mothers who incessantly brag about their children's accomplishments ("My Mary could read when she was 4"..."My Johnny could add when he was 4 and a half"...My Sarah already knows all the names of the planets, and she's only in kindergarten"...) This book deals with all of those questions and insecurities quite well. Hope you find it as helpful as I have!