VickyO664 Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I am a new homeschooling mom. This fall will be our first official year! DD1 will be 6, DS will be 4 and DD2 is 1. I am looking to order Sonlight Core B for DD1, which includes the history/geography, bible and reading portions (language arts?). My question is, what else is essential for K? This will technically be her kindergarten year even though I am ordering a "first grade" curriculum for her. I was looking to do math as well (probably A Beka), but wasn't sure what I needed in addition to all of this. She LOVES to do work (she currently goes to preschool but begs me for worksheets, workbooks and anything else she can get her hands on when she comes home). I don't want to overwhelm her but I also don't want to miss out on something. Spelling? Foreign Language? Science? Thank you for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edeemarie Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Really any of your other selections would just be "extras" in my opinion. I think Kindergarten is all about setting a foundation in reading, math, and writing. Anything else is great, but I wouldn't say it is necessary. Just read lots of great books and enjoy your time together:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3peasinapod Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I am a new homeschooling mom. This fall will be our first official year! DD1 will be 6, DS will be 4 and DD2 is 1. I am looking to order Sonlight Core B for DD1, which includes the history/geography, bible and reading portions (language arts?). My question is, what else is essential for K? This will technically be her kindergarten year even though I am ordering a "first grade" curriculum for her. I was looking to do math as well (probably A Beka), but wasn't sure what I needed in addition to all of this. She LOVES to do work (she currently goes to preschool but begs me for worksheets, workbooks and anything else she can get her hands on when she comes home). I don't want to overwhelm her but I also don't want to miss out on something. Spelling? Foreign Language? Science? Thank you for your input! I agree, just focusing on math and reading and handwriting is the main thing for K. You might consider ordering Core A for her, though, depending on how much she tolerates no pictures and long, lengthy passages. You can still add in 1st grade level math and LA. To gauge which level core to buy, one should ask what length of books can she sit through and truly "get" it. Core B has some very difficult books, especially for a 6yo, even if advanced in other areas. Mostly, people recommend being in the middle of age range for each core. Core A is K, 1, and 2. Core B is for grades 1, 2, and 3. Try to look up some of the more difficult books on Amazon and read some of them. Core B books rarely have any pictures, and some of the books are very difficult to understand. I hope I've helped! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAM Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I would consider Core A as well. The problem is, if you stick with it, the Cores jump a lot in ability level. I'm doing Core B with a first grader this year and wouldn't have wanted to start any earlier. Sometimes I even think I should have started with Core A for him- and he's quite a bright kid. Other than that I think you're all set. We tend to just do 3R's here too, but I think next time I have a K'er I will do Core A with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bree Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 My first question would be do you read longer chapter books to your dd right now? And secondly can she read yet or write yet? If she is ready for LA 1 then you could add in AAS. My ds doesn't like to write a lot so that has been great. If she loves workbooks then I would order the ETC books along with the LA program. People like those even if they don't like the LA from Sonlight. I personally like SL LA K and 1. We hit a road bump at 2 but I think that is because of my son's lack of interest in writing:) You could also add in a handwriting program if you like. My kids both love the Science DVD from Sonlight that have the experiments on them. I would say as long as you have reading, writing, and math covered you will have enough for a K year. Art can always be fun to throw in there too. Right now the plan for my dd K year coming up is SL Core A, Singapore Math 1, Finish up LA k and move into LA 1, probably do science B with her brother or maybe Apologia. You've probably already heard this before, but Sonlight core B isn't a typical 1st grade program, it is more of a solid 2nd grade program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Essentials for K: Phonics/Reading Math Handwriting Quality picture books and literature to be read to them Plenty of time in nature Fun for K: Artist and Composer study Science History Foreign Language Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Reading, Math, Handwriting Everything else is gravy. My middle son will be 6 in November and next year will be his "K" year, though he's doing some K level stuff now. I'm ordering core P4/5 for him, because he would not be ready for the core A read-alouds yet. :tongue_smilie: And is it core B that had Detectives in Togas as a read-aloud? I read that to the boys when DS1 was 6 (advanced in reading and math), and it was over his head at that point. He read it himself last summer between 1st and 2nd grade, when he was 7, and he understood it a LOT more. So yeah, you really might think about Core A. Most people consider Core A 1st grade, Core B 2nd grade, etc. I'm using Core D on the young side (just started it at the end of 2nd grade and will be going into our 3rd grade year), and the same child - advanced in most areas - is getting it, but I can definitely see how it'd be preferable to hit it a year later. I'm attempting to spend 3 years to do cores D and E, and that would put him in the middle of the age range for core F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Essentials for K:Phonics/Reading Math Handwriting Quality picture books and literature to be read to them Plenty of time in nature Fun for K: Artist and Composer study Science History Foreign Language :iagree::iagree: Major on the majors. The rest is gravy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3peasinapod Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Reading, Math, Handwriting Everything else is gravy. My middle son will be 6 in November and next year will be his "K" year, though he's doing some K level stuff now. I'm ordering core P4/5 for him, because he would not be ready for the core A read-alouds yet. :tongue_smilie: And is it core B that had Detectives in Togas as a read-aloud? I read that to the boys when DS1 was 6 (advanced in reading and math), and it was over his head at that point. He read it himself last summer between 1st and 2nd grade, when he was 7, and he understood it a LOT more. So yeah, you really might think about Core A. Most people consider Core A 1st grade, Core B 2nd grade, etc. I'm using Core D on the young side (just started it at the end of 2nd grade and will be going into our 3rd grade year), and the same child - advanced in most areas - is getting it, but I can definitely see how it'd be preferable to hit it a year later. I'm attempting to spend 3 years to do cores D and E, and that would put him in the middle of the age range for core F. Core B does have Detectives in Togas, and that's one of the easier books! :lol: Mountain Born and Understood Betsy are very difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 We are just finishing up Luke's kindergarten year and I agree with focusing on reading, writing and math. We also used ambelsideonline.com for reading lists and ideas. They have book lists for history, science, literature and geography that are even schedued. They also have composers and artists to study. We have both loved it and he has learned a lot without the pressure of text books. These are all stories, it's easy to catch up or skip something you don't like. Hth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I wouldn't start spelling until after your child has finished phonics and is a fluent reader. That could be in K but more likely will be later on. Science is "gravy" in K. Song School Latin is a fun & gentle intro to Latin but again it's "gravy". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 (edited) Core B is VERY high for kindergarten. We did P4/5 for kindergarten with my older 6/ almost 7 year olds, and it was perfect! We ditched their language arts almost immediately - it was terrible. We really just used Sonlight's schedule for readalouds. Other than readalouds, you need: - phonics - handwriting - math If you get to other stuff, great! If you don't, that's fine too! You don't usually start spelling until they are reading well (I think most people start in 1st grade). Edited April 25, 2012 by MeganW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Essentials for K:Phonics/Reading Math Handwriting Quality picture books and literature to be read to them Plenty of time in nature Fun for K: Artist and Composer study Science History Foreign Language :iagree: You can see that I use P4/5 for Kindy in my siggy. I have advanced kiddos in math and reading FWIW. I love the read alouds in both P4/5 and Core A and consider them too good to miss. Some in Core A are pretty heavy. Twenty and Ten and Apple and the Arrow come to mind. Ds8 loved them as an older 6yo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 I use The Core Knowledge K-8 Sequence each year to determine a baseline of what I put into my curriculum. Of course you can add more to that. You can donwload it free here. You can look at the K and 1st grade lists to give you ideas or goals about what to teach. Foreign language is great at this age because they are such sponges. I check out Muzzy DVD's and other resources from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 IMO, handwriting and phonics. A lot of people will include math here, but there are just not a lot of math skills that a first grade programs assume. (I was really surprised when my dd's first grade curriculum spent time teaching how to count, for example.) They should learn how to count, how to measure, shapes, possibly some very basic addition with manipulatives, calendar, time. There are probably some things I have left out, but my point is that all this can be done with games, and you don't need a formal program for it. If you do use a formal program, I highly recommend one that does not utilize worksheets. There are a small percentage of kids that like them, but most kindergartners are just not ready for them. I used FIAR for K, because it gives a peek into lots of different topics in a very informal, simple way, and on a level that is useful for that age group. With my next K'er, we will be doing SWR for phonics/handwriting and FIAR. I may supplement with BFSU for science (don't care much for FIAR science) and with literature-based geography that I put together. I probably won't do formal math until 1st grade (except that ds4 loves numbers, so his interest may necessitate a more formal program). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LearnLaughLove Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 For us it id Phonics/Reading Math Handwriting Science Social Studies Art Music Health Literature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Reading, writing and math are essentials. Fun to do: nature study, calendar time, and picture book read alouds. At the beginning of the year, my dd had no interest in history, science, music, or geography. Now that she's older, she's participating more in the extras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 The only two subjects we have done consistently this yr for K have been: reading/phonics and handwriting. We did add math in eventually, but even now, we might do it anywhere from 3-5 times per week. Fun subjects - art, geography, logic, science kits, Spanish (which we started ab 2 wks ago at DD's request). Other than Spanish, the other fun subjects are done sporadically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 For me, the goal is to get dd reading and loving books and reading. Loving school, working on habits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Well, I agree with most everyone here that literacy and mathematical concepts are the "must do" subjects, but of course how you do them is up to you. You could do it all through play and games, or use oral instruction, or workbooks. Personally, I think of K as a preparation for first grade so I think it is "essential" to help the child develop the skills they'll need to move on to first grade. If you're planning a first grade with a lot of seatwork, then K is a good time to gradually build up your child's ability to follow a schedule and stay in his/her chair. If you're planning a 1st grade program that is built on oral work, then developing the ability to listen carefully is important. I'm doing K4 next year with my son (December birthday) and since he is SO wiggly, one of my goals is to get him to sit in a chair at least for a little bit. I also want him to get into a routine or schedule, so the he knows that it's "school time". Not every family has this goal, but for us, keeping school time a bit separate from play time makes things easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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