Bible
I have asked my husband to provide me with a list of what he plans for the kids Sunday devotionals to be. I will use that list and the kids and I will study the story or virtue more throughout the week. Bible is our longest subject each day, and will require a lot of preparation on our behalf. Using a mixture of simple story telling, puppets, crafts, and most importantly, scripture memorization, we feel that this is where the Lord has lead us in this "subject". I love how it unites our family, even though daddy works so much!
Math
We went with Horizons for math. I read so many great reviews on it, and didn't feel like any other curriculum fit my daughter's learning style so well. We love that it skips around and doesn't focus on a single idea each day. Mastery over memorization.
Phonics
This one has taken us awhile. I have not pushed reading on her for many reasons. We tried "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and she was pretty uninterested. In fact, she was pretty uninterested in reading all together last year. Over the summer she began to show much interest in reading, so we have purchased "All About Reading" for the year and think that she will enjoy all of the visuals as well as worksheets.
Handwriting
A girlfriend of mine suggested Start Write (an online program) for us. It is great! Rather than sitting her down to trace the same letter EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. we are using the software to create tracing pages upon tracing pages. Bible verses, days of the week, letters to family, we will be tracing a LOT. We will take it from there when she is ready to start writing completely on her own.
Science
For science we chose a mixture of Abeka and Answers in Genesis. Both seem great, and we will pick and choose as her interests develop.
Social Studies
We are not using a formal curriculum for Social Studies as it is not really necessary in Kindergarten. We have purchased books upon books from Amazon and will utilize the library according to our "theme". We are focusing on careers and community helpers for a couple of months, then the foundations of our country, and finally missions/people of the world to wrap it up. I intend on teaching her through reading books and talking to her, just like we did with Five in a Row last year. Like I said, nothing formal.
Tot School
Little man is all stocked up on some fun school "toys". My homeschool group is doing a sensory bin swap, which will make tot school that much more interesting for him this year! He will also join us for bible and the "extras".
"Extras"
We are going to incorporate a fun mixture of art, cooking, and music into her routine. Pinterest will probably be our curriculum of choice :)
We are also creating "stations" in our school room - a felt board, Leap Frog "tag" system, sensory bins, "creation station", Hot Dots station, and reading center will be utilized throughout the week to teach fun, independent learning.
We have had a lot of fun so far looking through and playing with all of this year's curriculum! Can't wait for it to really start!
Of course, we are very welcome to change as He leads us!
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails"
Proverbs 19:21
Thanks for sharing this - I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old. The oldest is ready for some kinder-type stuff, but not others. I am going to look up the StartWrite that you listed here. He is not very interested in learning to write.
ReplyDeleteYoung ones naturally learn when they are given the opportunity to explore and discover the world God made for them. You will have a great school year! I like the idea of learning stations - making resources and materials available will encourage learning activities.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely year you have planned. I've been using All About Reading for a couple years now, and love it. It's so solid, logical, and yet fun.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for sharing on the NOT Back-to-School Blog Hop.