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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We don't do Kumon.  I actually like the math curriculum.  We "supplement" with weekly trips to the library, museums, nature centers, zoos, and musical performances.  We have books all over our house and we encourage and facilitate reading (and while I suggest and provide classic literature and books that might provide a bit of a stretch, she is allowed to read whatever she wants.  Reading is a skill that improves with practice, and I think a love of reading serves her best in the longer run.)  We read together and talk about books.  We watch documentaries.

I think that kids tend to need more time for independent play, to use their imaginations, and outdoor time.  Running around on the playground, exploring our neighborhood, hiking, etc., are really important to us.

As for grammar and writing, we encourage journal writing and letters to grandparents.  We also tell stories together and write them down into books.  For assigned writing projects, she writes a first draft, I review and discuss it with her, choosing a few key things to focus on, and then she re-writes it, so everything goes through an editing process.  [/quote]

How do you have the time to do all this with your kids? Do you stay at home, work part-time? Do you kids not go to after-care or participate in structured extracurriculars?[/quote]

I work full time.  My kid reads in the morning before school, at aftercare, in the evenings and on weekends.  Most Friday nights, we watch a documentary.  We go to museums and the library on the weekends.  "Fun" writing is done in the evenings and on weekends, as are lots of drawing and other craft projects.  She's in a structured activity twice a week.  I don't think of it as taking that much time, really.  We don't have her in tons of stuff, because I don't think that's good for kids, so we have free time to play and read and so forth.  [/quote]

I'm sorry, but this just doesn't seem real.  At our house, and most other families, the morning is pretty much hand to hand combat to get the DC dressed, eat breakfast and out of the house.  And I can tell you this, there is nothing "fun" about trying to get an exhausted, cranky 8 year old to write a journal entry or a friendly letter to grandma.  I think the PP is right - they are subcontracting out most of the parenting because I just don't see how they can have the energy to do all this.  A piece of advice - it's fine to be doing something other than parking DC in front of the iPad but you need to savor some downtime as well.  Not everything should be geared towards advancing the education - and here's another secret, if DD doesn't go to Harvard her life is not over.[/quote]

Seriously?  First of all, my kid has plenty of downtime.  The point of not having her in a million ECs or doing a ton of worksheets is precisely so that she has lots of downtime.  Her life is massively under-scheduled compared to her peers.  I don't subcontract out my parenting--I clean my own house, do my own laundry, go shopping for my own groceries, and cook my own meals.  And I don't give a shit if she goes to Harvard or not.  I'm sorry you don't have time to take your kids to the library or museums on the weekend, but please stop projecting your shit onto me.  [/quote]

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