what grade should I call the kids? (for AWANA & co-op)

[melissamomof3girls]

It doesn't matter to me so far as our curriculum goes, but for AWANA and co-op and all the strangers who ask, what grade should I say?

My oldest was 10 in Feb and I think she's square in 4th grade, but the other two I'm not sure?
DD2 was 8 last Nov, would she be 2nd or 3rd?
DD3 was 6 last Oct, would she be K or 1st?

I get so tired of people asking and my girls looking at me for the answer .

[TrueGRIT]

I think with birthdays being when they are - in the fall - I would go by when you started them on official K, 1st, etc.

A friend with children having fall birthdays did that. Her early October b-day, she started the year dc turned 5 (so now, at 9 she considers child 4th grade).
Her dc with late Nov birthday she waited a bit, and considers the now 6yo Kindergarten. My children make it easy with Spring b-days.

With homeschool I know it usually doesn't count what grade level they are working because most children are doing 2-3 grade levels at once.


Just one of many ideas to ponder.

HTH some.

[lissiejo]

We go by the public school schedule for those things to make sure they are with their peers. This has been fine with my oldest two, but my youngest will probably be a year ahead academically because of when her birthday falls. I'm okay with that

[laurapella]

In WI, the cutoff for PS is Sept 1. Going by that, they would be K, 2 & 4. I don't know what your state says. That being said, I fully intend on starting my 4 yo (5 in Dec) this fall. I just won't tell the state about her until the next year which will become her "official" K year . HTH!

[holdinon]

We don't do Awana or co-ops, but for Sunday School classes, we go with what they would be in if they had gone to school. I have 2 with summer birthdays (our cutoff is Sept). I would have "held them back" if I had been sending them to school, so I "held them back" for church classes. (I did not hold them back for homeschool, as we just go on their level anyway). We do this for maturity purposes (and also, most of the people around here hold their summer babies back anyway--especially boys). So the kids in their classes are their same ages for the most part.

[melissamomof3girls]

Thanks ladies! That was part of the confusion, here in Michigan the cut-off was early Dec, but now they are changing it to Sept like most other places.

[MomtoJGJE]

We also went with what they'd be in public school. They are the same basic ages as your kids (10 this month, 8 in Jan, 6 in Oct) and are 4th, 2nd, and K

[netpea]

I always went by what grade level work I thought they were doing until now. We recently enrolled our second child in public school . She was 10 in October. According to the Michigan guidelines she could have been 4th or 5th. I placed her in 4th even though I had considered her a 5th grader for homeschool. I don't think it much matters what grade level you choose for them. Just make your best assessment and go from there.