Our IHIP

INDIVIDUAL HOME INSTRUCTION PLAN:


NAME OF CHILD: ______________
ADDRESS: __________________
Age: ___
GRADE LEVEL: Kindergarten

DATES FOR SUBMITTAL OF QUARTERLY REPORTS:
October 15, 2009, January 15, 2010, March 31, 2010, July 1, 2010. Annual assessment shall be a narrative report prepared by [PARENT].

Plan of Instruction:

Our educational method is a melange of Waldorf, Charlotte Mason and unit studies approaches. We emphasize nature study, living books, and hands on, experiential learning. Our tools and resources include, but are not limited to, those listed hereinafter: reference materials (atlas, dictionaries, globe, maps, encyclopedias, non-fiction books, videos, the internet), workbooks, worksheets, hands-on activities, experiments, projects, newspapers, magazines, frequent field trips, group activities, nature walks, books from our family library and from the local libraries, games, creative thinking, predicting/forecasting, gathering facts, classes and programs at museums, zoos, nature centers and similar venues, music CDs, abundant art supplies (clay, paint, crayons, pencils, sketchpads, felt, chalk, etc.), free play, conversations, and real life. We believe the world is our classroom, and eagerly avail ourselves of the wonderful cultural and educational opportunities available both here in Westchester and in New York City.

Primary instruction will be provided by: [STUDENT]'s parents, ___________ and ______________.

While, according to the New York State Regulations (100.10, subdivision e, 804, 806, and 808), we may only be required to cover and report upon the subjects of health, patriotism and citizenship, traffic, bicycle and general safety and fire safety and prevention in [STUDENT]'s kindergarten year, in light of certain peculiar circumstances now pertaining, we are choosing to report on additional academic areas as well.

Math is a combination of real life learning, manipulatives, workbooks and games which use mathematical concepts. One of the resources we use is Math-U-See. We will be learning to write ordinal and cardinal numbers, number sense, introduction to number line use, basic chart and graph concepts, telling time to the one hour mark, counting and sorting, basic addition and subtraction concepts, patterns, grouping into sets, and the concept of fractions.

For reading, we have an extensive home library and visit the _______ Library often. We will work on reading skills, including onset, rime, common blends, context clues, and phonemic awareness to read unknown words and will introduce spelling concepts and approximated spelling. We use Hooked on Phonics and Explode the Code Online. [STUDENT] reads picture books aloud, and will alternate pages with me in longer, denser books. We read a lot of science and nonfiction, poetry, and just plain fun books as well. We participate in an ongoing reading group with one of our homeschool groups at the Mulberry Street Library in Manhattan. We participate in the _______ Library's Summer Reading Game, which [STUDENT] successfully completed in August.

For history, we will discuss what history means, first in terms of personal and family history, and then in the broader sense. We will make a simple family tree and discuss ways that history can be recorded. We will discuss the role of the individual in family and community. We will be studying prehistory through living books, timelines and other resources. We will be using the Story of the World series by Susan Wise Bauer, starting with The Ancients, and reading corresponding living books, as well as doing craft activities, map reading and other projects relating to the cultures we are studying. We are also studying the Hudson Champlain Quadricentennial and the history and natural history of the Hudson River.

For science, we use living books as well as the Harcourt Science 1 textbook. We have several science experiment kits which we will be doing this year. We will explore the human body, animals (alive and extinct) and their classification, plants, ecology and conservation, geology and space. [STUDENT] is taking a ten session series of Mad Science classes called Crazy Chem which will introduce basic chemistry concepts as well as laboratory skills and safety. [STUDENT] and his father will be using the Gallileoscope Kit produced in connection with the International Year of Astronomy to study optics and to build a simple telescope and observe the stars. [STUDENT] also takes a nature class for homeschoolers at the ___________ Nature Center and participates in the River Explorers programs at Beczak Environmental Education Center in Yonkers. [STUDENT] is passionately interested in dinosaurs, evolution, paleontology, and living animals of all kinds. We collect bugs, raise caterpillars, watch ladybugs metamorphosize, and participate in citizen science projects through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We maintain several bird feeders, nest boxes, and are a Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. [STUDENT] enjoys subscriptions to Ranger Rick, National Geographic Kids, Kids Discover and Zoobooks. He watches educational programming on PBS, the History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Science Channel, NASA TV, Planet Green and Animal Planet.

For art, we experiment with watercolors, clay, crayons, pencils and other media, and will be using the Meet the Masters online art curriculum. [STUDENT] will also be taking a series of art classes through Private Picassos. At the end of the program, student work will be on display in a show open to the public. We attend plays, concerts and dance performances at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill and at the New Victory Theater in Manhattan (in which one of our homeschool groups participates as a partner). We will listen to a variety of music from different cultures and genres and will use music as a tool in other areas of study (e.g. science and math songs, songs about the Hudson River.)

We incorporate math, reading, penmanship and narration activities in unit studies of areas of particular interest to [STUDENT]. For example, dinosaurs, plants, the ocean, the Hudson River, and the human body will be launching points for poetry, penmanship, storytelling, reading, research, experiments and other activities centered on those themes.

We take a lot of field trips and take classes at nature centers, museums, and zoos with our homeschool groups. We are members of NYCHEA, Tri-County Home Schoolers and Homeschool New York, all groups which provide many educational and social opportunities for [STUDENT]. We are members of the American Museum of Natural History, the NYC zoos and aquarium, Historic Hudson Valley, Teatown Lake Reservation, and the New York Botanic Gardens, and make frequent visits to them, both as a family and with homeschooled friends.

For physical education, [STUDENT] takes swimming lessons in the summer, and enjoys nature hikes and park days with his friends. He plays soccer and basketball informally with neighborhood friends, is learning to ride a bike, and loves to run, hop on a hippity hop, and jump on his trampoline.

We will be covering Health topics such as good eating habits, personal hygiene, how the body works, physical fitness, basic human needs, self respect and self awareness, drug/alcohol/smoking awareness, and sun safety. We will also cover Traffic, Bicycle & General Safety, including memorizing name, address and phone number; safety rules and symbols; safety equipment; awareness of strangers; playground safety; personal and social skills which contribute to individual safety; how to access help when illness, injury, or emergency situations occur; and how to recognize potentially dangerous situations and know how to avoid or reduce their risk. We will cover the following Fire Safety & Prevention topics: how to dial 911; awareness of heat and burn hazards; awareness of how to evacuate in case of fire (including making a family escape plan and practicing it); identifying EXIT signs in public buildings and on public transportation; identifying fire fighters and other fire service workers as friends; and how to prevent fires. We will use internet resources, including the Smokey the Bear materials of the National Park Service, books, and appropriate field trips, such as the ________ Fire Fair. We will cover Patriotism and Citizenship by discussing and reading about the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and the principles upon which our country was founded, and by introducing patriotic songs and holidays.

Dated:
Signed: