I am so excited to finally announce what I am using for this upcoming school year! I have been perusing and researching material for over a year. You would think that since I taught K, I would have it down, but being at home and knowing my son's level of learning, I don't. In fact, I felt like I was flying on the seat of my pants all this year during PreK. We had many ups and downs. Suffice to say, it was a great year, but I can see that homeschooling is going to be challenging with two very different children and the dynamics of sibling interaction.
I tried to design this coming year with a lot of things we can do together since my daughter is more able to sit and do things at the table as well as listen during our morning circle time. I will be combining Bible, Science, History, Writing, Reading Aloud, Crafts, Field Trips, Sign Language, Cooking and various other things. Both kids will be in Awana and we also joined a Homeschool Co-op so I think we will be quite busy!
So here is what I have chosen.
Kindergarten: For my son
Reading-
BOB Books Set 3 and 4,
The Reading Lesson, books from the
Reading List for Kindergarten (Kirstin Joy Awake) and
Hooked on Phonics for 1st Grade (we finished K). We'll start working with BOB books and The Reading Lesson.
Language Arts-
Language Lessons for Little Ones Volume 2
Math-
Math Lessons for a Living Education Volume 1
Handwriting-
Printing with Pictures A and B
Social Studies-
Berenstain Bears Year Long Lessons
Geography-
Usborne Children's Picture Atlas
Extra Work-
RRSK- from 1+1+1=1
Rod and Staff GHIJK series
Daily Learning Notebook from Confessions of a Homeschooler
Preschool 3's: For my daughter
Character Concepts for Preschoolers which includes Character Qualities, Bible Memory and Character Drill, Bible Doctrine, Personal Application, ABC's, Writing practice, Craft Projects, Preschool Projects, Field Trips, Recipes, Skills, Science/Nature and History for Preschoolers from the Boyers (at Character Concepts)
Together:
Bible-
Jesus Storybook Bible and Crafts from Blessings Overflowing
Character Concepts Lessons- See above
Science-
Magic School Bus Series and various topics of our choice
History for Preschoolers- Character Concepts (see above)
Writing-
Nellie Edge (Kindergarten- Sing, Sign, Spell and Read) and
Preschool/Kindergarten Writing from This Reading Mama and The Measured Mom
Cooking-
Teaching Your Kids to Cook and
Kids Cooking Activities
Read Alouds- We are reading The Boxcar Children, but I hope to add a few more in there. Wow, I think if I had to get through a list that I found I would be reading all day every day.
As always, this is probably way more than I can chew, but I do have a plan in mind that involves lots of cuddles on the couch, playing outside when weather permits, sharing what we learn with daddy and having a daily quiet time so we all take a break from each other. And most of these lessons are 10-15 min max so we have lots of breaks and stuff to do in between that will keep us from sitting still for any length of time (if that is at all possible...NOT!).
I am very excited to get started, but I'm glad I have the summer to plan.
Starting in the Fall, I hope to give quarterly updates. I don't feel I can possibly share all that we do, but I do post some things on Facebook as often as I can even if I don't write a blog post. Life is SO busy with little ones and mine have a lot of energy!
There are SO many options out there. It was really hard for me to narrow it down. But I feel that these resources will help me give my children a great start to their schooling.
And remember that each homeschooling family is unique. What works for one family might not be for another family. That is what I feel is the true beauty of homeschooling is to do what is right for your family! Don't copy me, but if you find some good ideas from what I share, try them.
I'm pretty happy with what I picked for this year, but I'm constantly looking for what will work best for each of my kids. They both learn differently, but I want to do as much as I can to work with their learning style. Glad I'm down to 2 kids in my "classroom." I can truly tailor the day and teaching to meet their exact needs. Can't you tell I'm really looking forward to homeschooling?
Have a great day, Shonda
