Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Kindergarten Curriculum

We are rapidly coming to the end of our school year.  This is always such a fun part of the year.  The kids (and myself) get so excited with each subject that is completed.  I love brand new curriculum at the beginning of the year and finishing books at the end.  It is October through March that is hard. :) One of the hardest parts of homeschooling (especially if you are new to it) is deciding on curriculum.  It really is through talking to other moms, researching, and reading blogs that you even begin to put a dent into what can seem like an overwhelming mountain.  This will be the close of our fourth year homeschooling.  When we first started I was introduced to ABeka by a fellow homeschooler and friend.  She reassured me that it was a great curriculum that would definitely cover everything my kids would need.  Over the years, we have branched out but I still really like ABeka (especially for the younger elementary kiddos).  Listed below is the curriculum I used this year for my kindergartner.




Kindergarten Curriculum **Just a reminder:  This is the curriculum that has worked for our family.  Every family and every child is different.  With that said, it is always great to see what others have used (positive and negative). Bible:   This year we used a combination of daily devotions and Sunday school homework (sent home by our church).  I also love the Jesus Calling for Kids.  It was a great spring board for sharing and conversation.  I also spent quite a bit of time teaching the kids how to look up books, chapters, and verses in their Bibles.  Last year we learned the order of the books for the New Testament with a fun song.  This year, I would announce a book and they would have to tell me if it was from the Old or New Testament.  Then we would move from there, finding the specific books, chapter, and verse. Handwriting:   A Reason for Handwriting - Level A.  This was another suggestion from a fellow homeschooling mom.  I have really enjoyed this curriculum.  Each week there are four days of handwriting (working with a Bible verse).  On the fifth day, the child writes the verse on a decorative page.  Then they have the option to color the page.  I used A Reason for Handwriting with all three of my kids (various levels for each child). Spelling:   All About Spelling - Level 1.  As much as I liked this curriculum, we did hit a point after Christmas when it was just too much for her age.  I believe most people start Level 1 in 1st Grade.  However, it did give her a great jump start on phonograms.  We will re-do this level this coming year for 1st Grade.  For the duration of the year, we worked on blends, special sounds, and sight words. Letters & Sounds:  ABeka Letters & Sounds K5 .  This has been a great book.  I have been extremely impressed with how it taught her to identify and mark vowels, special sounds, and blends.  It also reinforced the phonograms that she covered in All About Spelling.  Math:  ABeka Number Skills K5 She absolutely loved this math book.  Most days, she would ask to do more pages than I had originally assigned.  She breezed through this curriculum.  In Feburary, she completed the book.  Since she was so excited about math and she had mastered the Kinder curriculum, I allowed her to start the ABeka: Arithmatic Grade 1 book. Reading:  ABeka Phonics Readers She really enjoyed these books.  I also thought the progression through the year was right on track.  We also spent time working on sight words each day during reading time. Geography:  Road Trip U.S.A.   from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  All three kids worked on this curriculum together.  It was a great "trip" across our country with fun facts, state flowers, animals, landmarks, and food.  She also learned all 50 states and capitals with a super fun song.  Calendar Time: We spent a lot of time on calendar skills each day.  I bought a huge wall calendar a few years back.  It has probably been one of the most used items in our classroom.  I also incorporate a lot of activities from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  Here is a link to a post I wrote at the beginning of the school year, show our exact calendar area:  Calendar Time. As far as Science goes, I allowed her to chose if she wanted to sit in on the lesson I completed with my sons.  Also, if it was a topic I wanted her to hear, I would pull her in to sit with them.  She always participated in any experiments the boys were working on. We are blessed to attend a wonderful Christian co-op on Fridays.  This year at the co-op, she was able to take three fun, elective type classes.  The classes she chose to take were Cooking, Lego Club, and Books Alive.  Co-ops are such a great experience for both kids and moms.  I am so thankful we joined two years ago. :) So there you have it, our Kinder curriculum for this school year.  I hope you found it helpful! :)

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