Did you have a kindergartener like this? And how did you teach him/her?

[hlee]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm finishing up our first year of homeschooling, primarily with our eldest who did 2nd grade this year, and also with our second son who just turned 5 and is thus kindergarten age this fall. He would like to do "school at home" as opposed to going to kindergarten as the public school, so that's the plan for him...now I'm trying to figure out what to do with him!

 

He has progressed nicely through OPGTR this year, more than halfway through, so he is reading Level 2 books with relative ease and thus doesn't need a kindergarten language-arts program that focuses on identifying letters and their sounds. He has also been working on his handwriting this year so he can formulate his letters pretty well.

 

He's been working through Singapore Earlybird A and is just starting B, so we'll just continue that for math.

 

Many of the kindergarten curricula I've been looking at seem to not fit where he is academically, but at the same time I don't want for him to miss out on typical kindergarten activities that would be right for him in other ways. This year he joined in with his older brother on science, history, geography and Bible activities, but I did wonder if it would be good for this fall to have activities that are designed especially for his particular age group.

 

So, WTMers....what have you done for your children that are like this? I do like the idea of a stand-alone curriculum because I'm not yet confident enough in my own homeschooling/teaching abilities to put something together piecemeal for him. But I am feeling somewhat uncertain of the kindergarten curricula I've looked through (which includes Memoria Press K, MFW-K, Oak Meadow, Sonlight...)

 

I'd love any advice from you experienced homeschoolers! What would you do or what have you done?

 

Thanks so much,

Helen

 

(P.S. Happy Mother's Day to all! This is my gift from my husband today...free time to do whatever I'd like and here I am...I must really love these boards!)

Edited May 9, 2010 by hlee

[jenL]

I'm not overly experienced since I'm about to finish my 2nd year; however, it sounds like your son may not need a typical K program because of his abilities. You could always make him a K/1 student, but call it K. It sounds as if you've been doing a great job for him thus far by piecing things together.

 

If it were me, I'd continue with what you're planning for math with the anticipation of beginning SM 1A when Earlybird is done. I'd continue handwriting through copywork. You could begin with WWE1 or just choose short sentences from great literature for him to copy. WWE will also include narration. I'd continue OPGTR and add in ETC to reinforce the phonics. For science, I'd let it be free-flowing with nature walks & free choice to study whatever (animals, weather, whatever he wants). I wouldn't even touch history with a curriculum, rather, I'd continue let him join big brother. He can also join big brother for the other subjects as well if he wants. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this as long as he remains interested. I'd also do lots of hands-on, arts & crafts types of projects with him to get that kindergarten type of feel (if that is what you are looking for). You could do crafts for each season & holidays. And, most important, I would read & read & read to him. The Sonlight catalog offers great suggestions, as does the book Honey for A Child's Heart. Ambleside Online also has a great book list for the various grades.

 

K is a very easy year, and as others have told me, you really can't ruin it (unless you push too hard, but only you will know where that line is). Have faith in yourself! It sounds as if he's on an excellent path with all you've done to this point! :)

[Heidi]

I don't know what reading Level 2 is, but I would just read a lot of books on his level.

I like R&S's 1st grade phonics book for my very young Ker (we just started it).

I like the looks of Noeo science; lit based with experiments. I know you don't really need a science curriculum, but I'm looking at it because I need more fun stuff for the girls to do.

And we're focusing on Am. history for K & 1st, just reading a list of good books and stories (Beautiful Feet early Am. History, The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History, etc.) and adding in crafts from Time Travelers: explorers and colonial life kits. I haven't started this yet, but my plan is just to set aside a reading time maybe two or three times a week to read history books, and set aside a time time once a week to do a craft. I don't think it all has to be perfectly orchestrated; just fun and relaxed. That's my goal.

Geography: we're using Evan Moore's Beginning Geography. Nothing fancy, but they enjoy it.

And I make my own copywork using the zaner-bloser templates.

The copywork I give is usually a scripture that we're working on memorizing. Our Bible study is religion specific, so I can't help you there. (We're LDS). We read a chapter from our scripture readers everyday.

HTH!

[Alice]

I used FIAR (Five in a Row) for K. I liked it because it gave some structure but was easily adaptable to our interest level and his abilities.

[gandpsmommy]

When my dd was starting her K5 year, she was ahead of where most children are academically. So, I just did what she was ready to do. We worked through FLL1, even though it was written for first grade. We had gone through a good portion of a phonics program when she was 4, but took a long break because we were selling our house and moving. So, we finished up the book. Dd progressed rapidly through Dr. Seuss books, then beginning chapter books, then onto novels like Charlotte's Web and The Boxcar Children by the end of kindergarten. We used Miquon math along with Singapore, to give her variety and more of a challenge. She had taught herself to write at age 3, so we used Italic handwriting to just make it prettier.

 

As for "typical" kindergarten activities, we relegated those to free time, of which there was plenty. Most mornings were spent playing with her brother outside if it was nice. She loves to make art and do craft projects, so we always keep lots of supplies on hand. She played with Play-doh, jumped rope, hoola-hooped, drew pictures, wrote little notes, etc. She also went to a gymnastics class one morning a week, and we tried to find other activities like homeschool library days.

 

Ds is just finishing up his K5 year. He needed to spend the whole year on the phonics book and spend more time learning to do handwriting, but he was ready for the first grade math book halfway through the year (we use Righstart now), and he usually sat in on dd's history reading and science experiments (as science is his passion). He has also become very skilled at doing narrations as he has heard so many of his sister's writing lessons!

 

Again, he had plenty of free time to paint, draw, climb trees, play on the swingset, dig up worms, carry around slugs and caterpillars, hit golf balls in the yard, etc. He also did a tennis clinic in the spring.

 

My approach to academics is to get done whatever the child is capable of and prepared to benefit from, regardless of their "grade." In this respect, I guess I would be considered rigorous. But we try to accomplish it in a very unschoolish sort of way. We read books in the hammock or under the canopy of the playhouse on nice spring days. I read Norse mythology to them while they built forts out of sticks, stalks, and leaves in the fall, and Persian folk tales to them while they built with wooden blocks in our family room in the winter. We often do math on the floor. We are loosely scheduled, but still manage to get a lot done each year.

 

Good luck in planning for next year!

[TracyP]

I am in the same position with my soon to be 5yo son. I have Math and LA covered but want something age appropriate for everything else instead of just following big sis. I was torn between FIAR and Galloping the Globe. I think they are both good choices for what you are looking for. I decided to go with GtG but I just ordered it so I don't know if it was a good choice.:D

[StartingOver]

When my dd was starting her K5 year, she was ahead of where most children are academically. So, I just did what she was ready to do. We worked through FLL1, even though it was written for first grade. We had gone through a good portion of a phonics program when she was 4, but took a long break because we were selling our house and moving. So, we finished up the book. Dd progressed rapidly through Dr. Seuss books, then beginning chapter books, then onto novels like Charlotte's Web and The Boxcar Children by the end of kindergarten. We used Miquon math along with Singapore, to give her variety and more of a challenge. She had taught herself to write at age 3, so we used Italic handwriting to just make it prettier.

 

As for "typical" kindergarten activities, we relegated those to free time, of which there was plenty. Most mornings were spent playing with her brother outside if it was nice. She loves to make art and do craft projects, so we always keep lots of supplies on hand. She played with Play-doh, jumped rope, hoola-hooped, drew pictures, wrote little notes, etc. She also went to a gymnastics class one morning a week, and we tried to find other activities like homeschool library days.

 

Ds is just finishing up his K5 year. He needed to spend the whole year on the phonics book and spend more time learning to do handwriting, but he was ready for the first grade math book halfway through the year (we use Righstart now), and he usually sat in on dd's history reading and science experiments (as science is his passion). He has also become very skilled at doing narrations as he has heard so many of his sister's writing lessons!

 

Again, he had plenty of free time to paint, draw, climb trees, play on the swingset, dig up worms, carry around slugs and caterpillars, hit golf balls in the yard, etc. He also did a tennis clinic in the spring.

 

My approach to academics is to get done whatever the child is capable of and prepared to benefit from, regardless of their "grade." In this respect, I guess I would be considered rigorous. But we try to accomplish it in a very unschoolish sort of way. We read books in the hammock or under the canopy of the playhouse on nice spring days. I read Norse mythology to them while they built forts out of sticks, stalks, and leaves in the fall, and Persian folk tales to them while they built with wooden blocks in our family room in the winter. We often do math on the floor. We are loosely scheduled, but still manage to get a lot done each year.

 

Good luck in planning for next year!

 

 

:iagree: My son is doing a K - 1st. He is doing Sonlight K ( just the core ), Sonlight Science K, FLL, finishing up OPGTR, continuing with math. My son is a non writer yet, so we do work orally or I write for him. We continue to work on fine motor skills, but I see no reason to hold him back.

[squirtymomma]

My daughter is the same age, and in pretty much the same place as your son. My plan for next year is pretty simple. Every day we will:

 

Continue with OPGTR and checking out readers from the library for practice (I plan to go through the SL 2 Regular readers list). We will alternate, OPGTR one day, reading practice the next.

 

Continue with HWT 1 (she's almost finished with HWT K) and some copywork (using Bible verses and poems). Again, alternating between the HWT workbook and copywork.

 

Do Singapore EB (we haven't started yet, though she's figured out much of Kinder math on her own) and Miquon Orange. We'll do Singapore 3 days a week and Miquon one day a week.

 

Then, I plan to do these things weekly:

 

Nature walks, with some nature journalling and researching things that we find.

 

Read a fairy tale OR do a picture study, and then have her do a picture/oral narration.

 

Listen to various kid-friendly classical music pieces checked out from the library (Carnival of the Animals, Peter and the Wolf, etc) and move to them and paint/draw to them.

 

Read to her from the following:

Random House Book of Poetry

Complete tales of Beatrix Potter

Winnie the Pooh

The House at Pooh Corner

Uncle Wiggly's Storybook

Milly Molly Mandy

The Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit

Lion Storyteller Bedtime book

 

You'll notice many of the books are from SL P4/5.

 

I think for a Kindergartener who is already reading and has learned letter formation, you want to focus their LA on solidifying reading skills and on copywork and narration. You could, of course, do that with WWE1. I just decided to do narration with fairy tales, pictures, and music.

 

I'm choosing to wait on grammar/spelling until next year. My tentative plan is to do CW Primer with her next year, and then start more formal grammar/spelling in 2nd.

 

If you don't want him to just listen in with his older sibling, you could always pick SL P4/5 or SL K. The core is just lit/readers/history. I'm not sure what you're doing with your older one next year, or what you plan to do with this one after Kinder, and that will probably factor in your plans for this year as well.

 

I didn't feel like I needed an all-together program. We'll do the 3 R's every day, and then pick one of the weekly things to do each day. I think that should be pretty simple, even without a teacher's guide/schedule. Hope that's helpful.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

Sing, Play, Create! has typical Kindergarten stuff. Crafts, games and songs to go with picture books. There are 36 lessons, each with one topic and a craft, game and song for each. You don't have to go with this book, I just want to emphasize those three things. They are what a typical K is all about. Don't skip them!

[Osaubi]

I have been racking my brain trying to come up with a solution to the same question. My dd will be 5 in Sept. She didn't like OPGTR so she is doing the Reading Lesson and reading Bob books. I

 

found the original workbooks for Singapore Earlybird. She worked her way through those, but instead of moving ahead I bought the new version of Earlybird B and I am having her work through that before we move on.

 

She is also done with the HWOT K book so I moved her up to the next level.

 

I have looked at Moving Beyond the Page, but I have reservations about it. I decided to go with Homeschool Share website (like FIAR). I did with this my oldest and he really enjoyed it. I may also work through the Sing, Play, Create! that a previous poster recommended.

 

I have plans to look at the Kumon K books that are supposed to be out in June.

[mmpmelmack]

:iagree: My son is doing a K - 1st. He is doing Sonlight K ( just the core ), Sonlight Science K, FLL, finishing up OPGTR, continuing with math. My son is a non writer yet, so we do work orally or I write for him. We continue to work on fine motor skills, but I see no reason to hold him back.

 

 

we will be doing something very similiar to this, With Sonlight K SL science K OPGTR, RS A + B, and Miquon Orange, and my own cultures study My main goal is to get him writing indpendently, and increase his reading skills.

I wouldnt worry about what grade level he is and just follow where he is at, and do what he is ready for.

[Mert]

:bigear:

[hlee]

Thanks, everyone! Lots to think about with the great responses. To clarify something I forgot to mention, big brother will likely be doing MFW's ECC in the fall, and my 5 yo DS loves geography so I think he'll enjoy some aspects of that program. But I definitely don't want him to miss out on typical kindergarten activities, so you all have some good suggestions! Would love to see more if there are others with opinions or experience on this!

[Lovedtodeath]

We did Cultures for our K/1st combo year! We really enjoyed the book Around the World Art and Activities. You can see us doing some of the projects if you look at the album in my profile. There are also lists of books from ALA's Growing up Around the World. They may have some that are more age appropriate for your youngest.

Edited May 10, 2010 by Lovedtodeath

[Allearia]

I guess my question is, what typical kindergarten activities are you thinking of? Doing the daily calendar and circle time? How is his writing? With my first I went onto first grade materials, just tried to keep the time spent to a level more similar to kindergarten. He might be more advanced in reading but on age level with writing. At that age I don't see a huge benefit to a curriculum package.

 

My second will be starting "kindergarten" next year, he reads level 2 readers but doesn't do as much writing as his brother did at this age, but we'll just start from where he is and keep building skills.

[krismoose]

I suggest MFW K. You can just do the bible/science activities and keep on with your own math and phonics. We'll be doing that with my son soon...He's almost finished with The Reading Lesson and working slowly through SM 1a. He and his 3yo sister will really enjoy the activities.

[Hillary in KS]

From what I've read I may be the only one with older dc answering this question.

 

My third son is just finishing up kindergarten. His older brothers will be in 4th and 9th grades next year. I've homeschooled them all since the begining.

 

First off, if you haven't already read the chapter on kindergarten in "The Well-Trained Mind," please do so. SWB has some wonderful perspective on homeschooling at this age.

 

For kindergarten, we keep it simple: reading, writing, and math. And LOTS and LOTS of library books on all subjects and genres.

 

For reading, the goal is to have them reading simple books by the end of the year. They may not have the stamina to read longer phonetic-based books like "Cat in the Hat", but they should at least be able to decode most of the words in that book. Some children take longer to do so, and that's ok. 5 and 6 is still so very little. But aim for the goal. :)

 

For reading, we used "Phonics Pathways" and read through 1 page a day together. Once we got to 1/3-1/2 way through the book we begin reading stories from "Pathway Readers" once or twice a week for reinforcement and variety. (Pathway Readers are the readers used in Amish schools. Excellent books!)

 

Reading takes about 15 minutes a day.

 

For math we use Singapore Math. Both my younger dc had finished the Early Bird books before beginning kindergarten. So we just began kindergarten using Primary Math 1A and B. Math takes 20-30 minutes a day.

 

For writing, we focus on learning to write clearly and easily. Once ds knew how to write his letters, we began simple copywork of short sentences. He copied words and sentences from a paper next to him and from a board. We focus on increasing writing speed and fluency. Writing takes 10-15 minutes a day.

 

 

For Bible, we read from Vos' Story Bible, and from "Leading Little Ones to God. "(Schooland)

 

That's *really* it for kindergarten. you don't need to purchase science, history, grammar, etc. for kindergarten. Keep the days short and the work light. Include lots of time for reading together, art, and play. Check out a book of science experiments from the library and do them at home. Read together books on subjects your ds are interested in.

 

If he wants to sit in on other subjects with your older son, that's fine. I often made extra copies of what we were doing in history when my k'er wanted to listen in.

 

Have fun! Keep it light! :)

[EKS]

I would just teach him where he is academically. Most kindergarten activities are designed to teach kids how to behave in a school situation. I'd just "do school" for an hour or two every day and then go play.

[Lovedtodeath]

From what I've read I may be the only one with older dc answering this question.

There is one more:

:iagree: My son is doing a K - 1st. He is doing Sonlight K ( just the core ), Sonlight Science K, FLL, finishing up OPGTR, continuing with math. My son is a non writer yet, so we do work orally or I write for him. We continue to work on fine motor skills, but I see no reason to hold him back.

 

I do have to say though, I decided not to do MFW K because after we started it I realized DD was beyond it. I wish I had stuck with it. There is nothing wrong with using a K program.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

the goal is to have them reading simple books by the end of the year. They may not have the stamina to read longer phonetic-based books like "Cat in the Hat", but they should at least be able to decode most of the words in that book. Some children take longer to do so, and that's ok. 5 and 6 is still so very little. But aim for the goal. :)

The Cat in the Hat is a book written to support sight reading. It is not leveled for a beginning phonetic reader.

[Hillary in KS]

The Cat in the Hat is a book written to support sight reading. It is not leveled for a beginning phonetic reader.

 

I would agree. However, I was trying to think of a common book in most homes that had many phonetic words in it.

[Hillary in KS]

There is one more:

 

 

 

Thanks! I missed Jana's post! :)

[Lovedtodeath]

Thanks! I missed Jana's post! :)

 

I would agree. However, I was trying to think of a common book in most homes that had many phonetic words in it.

OK You are forgiven.:D

[Hillary in KS]

OK You are forgiven.:D

 

Hee! Hee!:D

 

Thank you! :lol:

[EppieJ]

Some fun resources that provide great hands-on fun:

 

Scribble Cookies

Mudworks

Kids Create!

 

We also did a lot of file folder games (do a google search for some ideas).

 

It also sounds like you might enjoy lapbooks or something similar. We used History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations in K. Ds still enjoys looking thru what he created then.

[brownie]

Do what your child is ready for academically...just don't expect to necessaraily move through it at the pace of an older child bc he may not want to sit still as long.

 

Read a lot. Do some math. Do some handwriting/copywork.

 

Then provide plenty of fine motor stuff. Just keep a box full of options. Even if you're not crafty (like me). ds5 loves to cut up magazines. Gardening magazines work well. Playdoh. DS loves sticker mosaics I got on rainbow resources for keeping his hands busy while we do something that maybe outside his interest, but I'd like him to sit in on (a family read aloud). He actually loves to play with snap circuits and is excited to participate in science experiments. Legos. Mazes. Drawing on the easel or dry erase board. He's even been enjoying a magnetic 5x5 sudoku we have.

 

Brownie

[Susie in MS]

I wonder too what sort of K activities you are wanting. When I think of my K experience I remember Duck, Duck Goose and finger paint. :lol:

 

For my dd I have been using :

 

~~Phonics Pathways (Just begin where your child would place)

 

~~Informal math like counting, simple adding, stuff like that.

 

~~Rod and Staff ABC series- has cut and paste , etc

This is actually K level and not Pre as advertised. Samples here:

http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/item/1-10020-G/?list=Rod_and_Staff_Preschool

 

~~Five in a Row :001_wub: uses wonderful picture books. Bounces off of them and does one subject per day. Easy to use, chose activities that fit your child's abilities, fun.

Samples here:

http://www.learningthings.com/categories/FIAR.htm

Scroll down, they are not in order. Check out FIAR NOT Beyond FIAR.

 

~~And of course things like play dough, finger paint, etc

[Susie in MS]

Oh and I wanted to add

 

If you let your child use a dry erase board, be sure to get the Crayola Washable Dry Erase crayons!!

 

No smell,

no dry pens,

and NO STAINS!!

:D

[Tracy]

We are just finishing K with my 5yo. Here is my blog post about our original plan, which includes a link to another post about how it got tweaked.

 

I think that FIAR is a really good basis for a curriculum for an advanced Kindergartner. You would need to supplement math and make sure to spend time having the child read to you. We use FIAR for copywork, since Grasshopper was already writing. But everything else that you do is icing on the cake.

[Susie in MS]

 

I think that FIAR is a really good basis for a curriculum for an advanced Kindergartner.

 

The book claims it is for 4yo too. I have been doing it with my dd since she was 4. I don't consider her advanced. But we don't do the advanced activities. Just the simplier ones. When we re-row we will catch the others. :D

[Tracy]

The book claims it is for 4yo too. I have been doing it with my dd since she was 4. I don't consider her advanced. But we don't do the advanced activities. Just the simplier ones. When we re-row we will catch the others. :D

 

Yes, this is why FIAR is so good for a gifted kid, especially one that is particularly gifted in only certain areas. There are always both simple and advanced lessons to choose from. And sometimes, you might choose to completely overlook a topic like math (FIAR's weak point) and spend two days on social studies or science or whatever looks particularly yummy:drool5: that week.

[Susie in MS]

Makes perfect sense!

:D

[LynnG in Arizona]

I suggest MFW K. You can just do the bible/science activities and keep on with your own math and phonics. We'll be doing that with my son soon...He's almost finished with The Reading Lesson and working slowly through SM 1a. He and his 3yo sister will really enjoy the activities.

 

This is what I was going to suggest as well. I have a 4.5 yo daughter in almost the same boat, and I just want some age appropriate activities for kindergarten age. I'm not a very creative/crafty person at all, and if left to my own devices I will do ALL academics with my poor dd. I need something to remind me to do the occasional craft, silly song, calendar time, etc.

 

Since you already use MFW, this might be a great choice. Everybody I know who has used the MFW Kindergarten program describes it as very sweet and age appropriate for kindergarten. Yes, the academics will be too slow for your son, but you can just focus on the other subjects (mainly Bible and science, which tie together), and add it a few "fun" activities like their butterfly garden and ant colony. Even if you ignore all the phonics and math in the program, it will still be a fairly inexpensive choice.

 

Another possibility is getting the Memoria Press kindergarten guide. Again, you could ignore the math/handwriting/phonics portions and just do the many other science/social studies/enrichment options. They schedule a classic kindergarten literature book each week, and sometimes the activities will tie into them.

 

Still another option is to look at Heart of Dakota's Little Hearts program. In a way, this might be perfect for you, because the author wrote the program assuming you would pick your own phonics, handwriting, and math programs. That would leave you with some Bible, crafts, activities, children's lit, and enrichment.

 

*All* of these options are really fairly reasonable, cost-wise, even if you don't use the full program.

 

These are the three options that I'm really considering for my daughter. :)

 

HTH.

[squirtymomma]

I'm also not totally sure what you mean by typical Kinder activities, but if it is what I think you mean, that stuff gets done more informally around here. We have a toy shelf with lacing cards, tangrams, card games, pattern blocks, cuisenaire rods, puzzles, sequencing cards, peg mats, etc. I rotate them out as each kid's developmental stage changes.

 

If you're looking for fine motor/craft kinds of things, we've really enjoyed the Kumon cutting/pasting/craft series of workbooks here. Also the mazes and number games (dot-to-dots and color by numbers).

 

We tend to cover gross motor with gymnastics classes and outdoor play. We do Musikgarten classes off and on, and I'm a trained MG teacher, so that stuff happens fairly naturally at our house.

 

It seems like the simplest thing for you to do is just cover LA and Math at his level and let him do ECC with big brother. I know my 5 year old would love the geography stuff. I'm guessing ECC has some good activity/craft ideas as well. With the reality of a 3rd (who will be born in a month or so) coming, I'm leaning more towards combining my older two as much as possible (read-alouds, history, science) and just doing skill stuff on level for each of them (in my long term plans).