If you are a strickly TWTM homeschooler..

[mom2denj]

I have been really digging into my TWTM book in the last few days. Could you please tell me what your Kindergarten year looked like. I know that reading should is the focus, but I am curious to what others have used. Could you also share what you did in 1st grade if you have already been there. Thanks!!!

[redsquirrel]

I am also a big TWTM person...but I am not sure if you will call me 'strict'

 

For kindy..I do a two year pre-k and K program. For those two years I do 'unit studies'. I have weekly themes and work everything into those themes. I am not a big unit studies person but I found it really, really fun to do with littles.

 

So, I always did school 5 days a week. I covered the following subjects:

 

Math: Singapore early bird with one, MEP reception with the other. Miquon with both

Reading: Reading Reflex and ETC..Bob books, etc

Handwriting: HWT 'get set for school' at a very relaxed pace. Lots of Kumon tracing, cutting, folding, maze books.

 

For science and 'social studies' and art is where we mostly work in the themes.

 

Some weekly themes I used:

 

Dragon week

apple week

sun, moon and stars

dinosaur week

ocean week

whale week

fairy tale wee

Dr Seus week

bug week

frog week

snow week

Things that go week

All about ME week (birthday week)

 

 

So, let's say it is apple week, for 'science' we will read a book about apple trees, go apple picking and make apple sauce. For social studies we read about Johnny Appleseed (several different versions) and Apple Farmer Annie and any book about apples I can find in the library. Toss in a counting poem about apples and make some apple prints and Tadah! Call it Apple week!

 

We find places on the map, we read stories and food from other cultures (my Japan week was great). I just try to get creative and have fun. I made a lot of things like matching cards and games. Both my boys had lots of fun and it was a great intro to 'mom as teacher'. I treasure those memories now.

 

For first grade it is pretty much the standard:

Math: Singapore and Miquon

Reading: using same resources and easy readers etc

Handwriting: continue on with HWT at a relaxed pace (both my boys seem to come late to handwriting but it all works out)

History: SOTW and activity guide. We really work this!

Language Arts: FLL

Science: life science with a large variety of sources.

 

 

I am sure this is more than you ever wanted or needed to know,lol.

[Mama Anna]

I just looked at what I used for dd7's K.

 

Child's Book of Character Building (Discipleship)

OPGTR (Phonics)

Zaner-Bloser K (Handwriting)

Genesis (As a History prep - obviously, we're hsing from a Christian point of view - just reading aloud through most of it)

Mudpies to Magnets/Usborne's Pocket Scientist Blue Book (Science - I just picked one experiement/topic each week)

Saxon Math K

 

This took us 30 to 45 minutes each day, depending on the science stuff. Dd7 loved just about all of it. We worked on it in the mornings while dd4 was asleep. (She was only 1 back then, I think.)

 

HTH!

 

Mama Anna

[twacademy2010]

:lurk5:

[mom2denj]

Thanks for sharing! I would still love to hear what others have done. =)

[patchfire]

For my dd, who is now in 5th, we used OPGTR, Miquon, the first two or three books of Developmental Math, Handwriting without Tears K, and started FLL about halfway through the year, when she was reading well. We also tried to use Spelling Workout A (but that's a peculiarity of dd that it didn't work). We read books about science, took lots of field trips, played with her then-brand new baby brother, and did a year of "countries" very lightly--we'd read about a country, check out a book or two, and try to cook a dish from that country.

 

For ds, who is in kindergarten this year, we've been using RightStart, OPGTR, Miquon, Handwriting Without Tears, FLL, and started SWO A halfway through the year (and it works for him; I'm so pleased). We're doing science informally, though with a few more experiment kits (he has to do everything his big sister does, naturally), doing SOTW 1 at his & his big sister's request, and doing far fewer field trips. We also have a 2 year old baby this time around, instead of a non-mobile infant. :P

[Roses]

I follow TWTM very closely. For K, we finish up OPG, continue with Handwriting w/o Tears, begin Horizons Math level K, and read lots of books. Titles suggested in the Sonlight catalog, Jim Trelease's book, Books Children Love, and Honey for a Child's Heart are were we have gotten a lot of book ideas from. We also have lots of arts and crafts supplies on hand and listen to lots of different types of music. Beyond that it is lots of free time to play!

[SilverMoon]

.

Edited July 9, 2022 by SilverMoon

[AngelBee]

Great thread! :lurk5:

[Cami in UT]

For my dd6 K year, we finished up 100 EZ lessons, and did R&S Math 1. We read books from the library. Then whatever she absorbed from her older brother's history & science was gravy on the top. I took it really easy with her because at the start of the school year we had a new baby.

 

Next year for ds4 I plan to do 100 EZ, and start really working his numbers and addition to ten. Read lots of books and have him tag along with older sister's science & history (which he already does about half the time).

 

My primary goal in K is to get the kids reading and doing very simple addition.

[kalanamak]

I have been really digging into my TWTM book in the last few days. Could you please tell me what your Kindergarten year looked like. I know that reading should is the focus, but I am curious to what others have used. Could you also share what you did in 1st grade if you have already been there. Thanks!!!

 

I was low-key in K5. We finished EB and got 1/3 of the way into SM 1B. We finished pre ETC about the same time and got through the first book of ETC. We did all the phonogram cards in SWR and we may have started the lists. We read A LOT about the ice ages and pre-history (and watched Walking with Dinosaurs, etc). We did all the Vox Music Masters (kiddo loves music), the Kohl hands on preschool art book, and learned out printed letters. I think we were just reading the Bob Books as we got to 1st.

 

In first we did SM 1 A and B, ETC 1-3, the first 10 lists or so in SWR, PP, SOTW 1 (I did all the writing), RSO bio plus scads of hands on and read alouds, field trips to art museums to see ancient things, etc. like Getty Malibu.

 

Because my son was not solid in reading, I started some 1st grade work, like GWG and WWE in second, and then clocked through 1 and 2 of both of them in second.

HTH.

[Alice]

K:

Reading: OPGTR, Bob books, Nora Gaylos readers, a little ETC (ds didn't like although I did so I stopped)

Writing: Handwriting without Tears

Math: He did the EB books in preschool so I spent the first half of the year just doing Math games and Dot to Dot books and other fun stuff. Then we started a little of Singapore 1A the second half.

 

I also use Five in a Row for preschool and kindergarten. The 3R's never took more than an hour a day total. FIAR could take as much or as little as we wanted.

 

1st

Reading: Finished OPGTR (somewhere mid year), ETC and Beyond the Code, lot of read alouds and independent reading

Writing: HWT

Spelling Workout A and about halfway through B

FLL 1

 

Math: Singapore 1A and 1B

MEP math

Right Start math game and math games from Peggy Kaye's book

 

Science: Biology on my own, somewhat like the WTM lays out.

 

SOTW 1 with AG

 

And all the normal field trips, nature center classes and other extracurricular stuff.