I use Essential Math Kindergarten (Singapore Math). To be honest, my 4 year old is flying through it. There isn't really much of anything in it she hasn't picked up through play yet. I'll tell you what the "A" book covers: Same, Different, and Sets (Most 4 and 5 year old can sort things pretty well and tell you what is different in a picture.) Sets- Just grouping things that are similar together. They do this with their toys daily. Counting to 5, Numbers to 5. - Being able to count to 5, identify number 1 through 5, and write the number 1 through 5. - Somehow, my daughter also picked this up on her own. Numbers to 10- the same as through 5. Number Order- Connect the dots, writing numbers in order. Shapes- They pick this up on their own, somehow, too. Patterns- bear, doll, bear, doll, bear... what comes next? Kids pick this up on their own, too. Give them a little practice and they are pros. Length- Using one object to measure another. (Ex. This pencil is how many crayons long?) You can do this without a book, and mine seemed to pick it up very quickly. Size- Big, small. Ordering things by size. They know this already, you'll see them doing it with stuffed animals and cars all the time, anyway. Weight- Heavy vs. light. Looking at a balance scale and seeing which is heavier. You can do this on a much more practical level without a book. Capacity- Which object can hold more? You can do this at home, and probably already do with sand, water, beans, whatever. Equal sets- If you have 4 people, and 6 pieces of chicken, are there an equal number of chicken pieces for each person? No. If you have 4 people and 8 ears of corn, are there an equal number of ears for each person? Yes. See. Easy without a book and most kids know this already. More and Less- There are 5 apples and 2 bananas. Which group has more? Which group has less? Kids already know this, too. A book might help you know what they "should" be covering, but the kids already know most of what is in the book. And what is in the book is just as easily taught without the book. Let them help in the kitchen, let them play, and they'll pick up just as much. Of course, my kids happen to LOVE worksheets, so the book is something they enjoy. But it isn't even close to being necessary.

We are doing Kindergarten this year. I tried to focus in on the necessities and not overwhelm them with too much. We use: Essential Math Kindergarten A&B (Singapore Math) OPGTR Kingfisher Encyclopedia of Animals That is it for really "core" stuff. We read quite a bit, and their history has been more from books, though I didn't really intend to start history yet, they just enjoy biographies written for kids. (Like "Abraham Lincoln; The Boy Who Loved Books" and "Odd Boy Out")

I had never heard of Sonlight, but recently received their catalogue. How does it fall in with The Well Trained Mind? Also, how does it differ from just buying the books included in the packages? Any thoughts (positive or negative or neutral) on Sonlight would be appreciated!

Awesome! Thank you so much. I've been having a hard time figuring out how Miquon and Singapore work together. I think I am going to start Miquon, and if it feels "lacking" I'll add Singapore. Is it easy for each child to advance at their own pace with Miquon and/or Singapore. I have a feeling my son will advance in math much faster than his sister (he just has an engineer type mind and she is more of a creative, literary type).

I have been trying to narrow down the possibilities of math curriculum for my littles. I like the idea of both Miquon and Singapore Math, but I am unsure of the particulars. I know some people do both together. Does this work effectively without too much hassle? Also, what age would you begin Miquon? Is there a certain skill level to achieve before embarking? Should Singapore be used with Miquon, or could you do Miquon alone effectively? My homeschooling friends all use Saxon and A Beka, so any help would be appreciated!

I suppose I should have said at some point that my DD is 4.

Pudding?! That is funny! I can imagine their fond memories of their early homeschool days! Ha! I've been using a simple handwriting workbook that MIL just happened to send DD for her birthday. It isn't arranged at all in a helpful way, but it works. She's been doing that after we do her reading lesson from TOPGTR. Once she began working on it, she also started copying any writing she sees. (She even made Father's Day cards for her grandfather's by coping "Happy Father's Day!" written on a piece of paper.) She also enjoys using a stick to "practice" in the mud. She is loving it! I am going to look into the Handwriting Without Tears program. I may add it in after she's been introduced to the letters. Is it a big deal right now that she learn to stay on lines/within lines and spacing and such? Or do you let them learn to write their letters and then teach them to write properly? :001_huh:

Thank you all so much for your replies. I am really wanting to take advantage of her wanting to write. My son has no interest in the writing portion of things, so I'm not doing anything with him yet. I'll look into a few of the programs y'all suggested! Thanks again.

I love the Usborne Beginners. I also love the Usborne internet linked encyclopedias. My only problem, per say, with the Usborne science books is they tend to not be entirely scientific throughout. What I mean is, say you are looking at a diagram of the human body, half the parts will be labeled scientifically (femur, sternum, patella, etc.) and the other half will be in layman's terms (arm bones, tail bone, hand bones, etc.).

Hello! This is my first post here on this forum. I have just started homeschool preschool with my two oldest. We've started The Ordinary Parent's Guide To Teaching Reading and I am liking it so far. I'm curious about what other moms (and dads) do about handwriting. My son is not interested and not ready for the writing portion of it all. However, my daughter shows great interest in copying her letter cards and writing her new letter over and over, even during coloring time. Did you let your child develop this naturally or did you implement a handwriting program at this point? (Thank you, in advance, for all your help!)

We only ate chicken growing up. And we only ate it grilled or occasionally baked. During the summer months, we only ate meat 2 or 3 nights a week. We would eat pork maybe once a month. We had some sort of salad as dinner at least 2 nights a week. And we never had pasta- ever. (That was the one thing I LOVED once I moved out!)

I love my Beco Butterfly. It is a soft structured carrier, not a sling. It has been a lifesaver! (I had a Bjorn with my first two, and it was okay, but the Beco blows it away!) I got mine at carrymeaway.com. They also have detailed pros and cons of each type of baby carrier to help you choose what is best for you.