A Rant About the Kindergarten Checklist Pin

Okay Mommy friends. You might remember this post  where I shared some of the learning goals for Savannah between now and next year when she starts school. Well. In that post I had a pretty little checklist that I thought other Moms would find helpful so I pinned it.

The response has been overwhelming. Thank you to anyone that pinned, liked or shared this pin with a friend. I really appreciate it. The amount of people that "liked" this pin outweigh the naysayers and negative nancies. However, I would be lying if I told you I wasn't confused about some of these comments.

For starters, I would consider myself a good "Mommy friend". Meaning that I'm not critical of what my friends or other Moms choose to do with their kids. I have friends with kids in private school, public school and I have friends who homeschool. All of them made the decision that they felt was best for their child. Now. While I may joke with my friends about things (like how many of them think I should continue to homeschool and I already know I'm not 'bout that homeschool life long term - at least I feel that way now - things could change…) I don't ever make them feel like their decision is wrong. 

That's just not how I get down. If you like it, I love it. If you want to teach your child everything from the basics to multiplication and how DNA works all before Kindergarten - good for you. If you only want to cover the basics with your kid - good for you. And lastly, if you don't want to teach your child anything before they start school then do you boo but that's not how I operate.

As a stay at home Mom I feel that I would be doing my children a disservice if I didn't at least try to give them a stronger foundation for learning. I am home with them everyday. Everyday we have an opportunity to learn something. Sure we still play and have lots of fun but in my house education comes first. It always will. So, there's no point in waiting until they start school for them to learn that. They need to know that now. Those are the expectations we have for our children. 

I strongly believe that a child is capable of learning anything as long as their is someone willing to teach them. That willing person also has to believe that the child is capable of learning. He or she will also need tons of patience and a little time. 

I didn't create that pin to make anyone feel inadequate about their own decisions. I made it for parents like me that want to expose their child to as much as possible. Learning can be fun and is a great way to bond with your child. We are our children's first teachers. I will always push my kids to go above and beyond what the standard is. That is what you can expect to find here. 

Be a good Mommy friend and support what your fellow Moms are doing. This is the last time I will address the Kindergarten pin (here, on twitter and my email). Be comfortable enough in your decisions to not be swayed, upset or critical of what someone else is doing. 

Before I go I also just want to encourage everyone to not ever come for Savannah's (or BabyM's) mind again unless it sends for you. I would hate for you to meet "Ratchet Mommy". She isn't about being politically correct for the internet and I don't think she knows Jesus. 

Thanks again for all the positive support. It means more than you know!

Preschool at Home: Learning to Read at Home

I have decided that our main learning objective for the summer will be reading and handwriting. As you know I am constantly trying different things to find the right fit for Savannah and I. I also use all this research to form a blueprint for BabyM's learning path too. Of course, different kids respond to different things but at least by the time he is ready to learn to read I'll have a better road map for teaching him.

While doing a search on Amazon I came across this book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. The title alone peaked my interest. The promise states that all you need is twenty minutes a day everyday for 100 days and you and your child should have a nice foundation for reading. That seemed right up my alley. I can do twenty minutes everyday.


This book has been amazing. Not only does it teach your child how to sound out words but it also focuses on reading comprehension and handwriting. I did things kind of backwards with Sav. I taught her the alphabet and each letter's phonetic sound then I taught her sight words. I wish I had found this book before we did sight words. It hasn't really hurt her but I see now where it would have been better to use this book to teach her how to take the phonetic sounds she knew and turn them into words with these lessons. 
Hopefully I am saying this all clearly, LOL…
Anyway. I highly recommend this book if you are a parent that needs a road map. The book tells you exactly what to say to your child. It doesn't get much easier than that. It is such a joy to see Sav sounding out words and actually reading. We are only about a quarter of the way through the book and I am really pleased with her progress so far. After her lesson we sit and read a book together. She reads to me and I help her when she asks me to.
Has anyone else heard of this book? Have you used it? What did you think about it?
*I am not a teacher. I am not in the education industry. I'm just a Mom teaching my child at home. I did NOT get paid for this review. I purchased the book myself.*