2brown1red Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) Hi everyone. This is my first post, but I have been a lurker on here for well over a year now. My daughter, who was 5 in May, will be starting K this fall. I have decided to follow the school calendar this year just to make it a bit easier. After millions of hours of research :001_smile:, I think I have decided on what to do with her. I would love to know if this is enough for K. My daughter went to a 2 days a week, 2 hours a day preschool last year, so this will be our very first time homeschooling. My daughter loves to read, though she does not actually read yet. She likes to be read to and to make up stories. She loves coloring and painting and her 'reading game' (Reading Eggs). She recognizes and can write all of her letters in upper case, and most in lower case. She knows a large majority of the sounds, but is not reading at all on her own. She counts numbers up to 50 consistently, but can go higher occasionally. She recognizes 1-10 and just randomly gets the higher numbers right. She can occasionally answer a #+#=# question the right way. She writes her first and last name, and a few other words like Mommy and Daddy and her brothers name, and if I spell out words she can write pretty much anything. She knows colors and shapes. Not sure if you need to know anything else. This will be my first year, and I was originally planning on going with a full curriculum that would have everything spelled out for me and planned, but as I researched more I decided to piece together a curriculum. So I would love any and all input. Thank you SO much!! Here is what I am planning on going with, but open for suggestions if this does not look adequate and/or looks like too much. Phonics/Reading: Funnix/Reading Eggs (and we have the Reading Raven App on our phone and IPad.) And I See Sam readers and TONS of read alouds. Writing:HWTK Math: MM1 and MEP (or possibly LOF or Singapore? I am SO not sure about this one) Science: Magic School Bus DVDs and life(nature walks and museums and the aquarium...) and possibly BFSU Art: Just finding fun arts and crafts online Geography: I was just planning to get a world map and go over basics of each continent, and then just go from there. (open to ideas about this as well) She will also be in dance, gymnastics, a sport, music and Japanese through the public schools, and hopefully a co-op. Thank you for any insight into our year!!! Edited July 10, 2012 by 2brown1red Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabrizia Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 That looks fairly similar to what I am doing with DS. I figure if it ends up not being enough I can always add more stuff in. We started last week and it takes about an hour to go through the subjects, and then he spends another hour or so doing reading and math games and I spend another hour or so reading to him throughout the day. As for Math I don't think you can go wrong with most choices, and I have heard good things about MM. It was my second choice after Singapore, but since Singapore is working for us, we're going with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatholicMom Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Sounds like you have your bases covered to me! I don't know what's involved in Funnix, but just make sure she starts not only doing phonics "work" but tries to read a little bit each day with age-appropriate beginner readers (like BOB books or I Can Read It! series or what have you). With my first child I think I focused too long/much on the phonics rules without giving him enough practice actually getting fluent with reading. For what it's worth. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2brown1red Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thanks Sarah and Tara!! Tara, thank you for that advice about having her read from the beginning. I was honestly not sure when to start that with her, so I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeldaRules Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 All you need to worry about for the first few years is reading, writing and arithmetic. If anything else gets done, it's a bonus. What you are doing sounds fine. Whatever math you use, make sure it uses manipulatives fairly often. I have a son in 3rd grade, and my daughter is doing K4 this year. I wasn't going to write anything down for her as far as lesson plans go, but I did while I was doing his. I am a big fan of cuisenaire rods. Pre-numbers math that turns into numbers math. It can be used all the way up to 3rd or 4th grade for multiplying and dividing. I also like the abacus to teach counting, adding, subtracting and multiplying. You can do dividing on there, but it is a great little tool. I have a curriculum for the cuisenaire rods - a bunch of cards from the 1970s and each card has a lesson on them. So between that and Saxon Math K, her math is planned. I will be focusing on the cuisenaire rods and abacus first and then move into the Saxon lesson plans. The lessons in Saxon are short, and they mention things the other two things may not cover. Some lessons are too simple for her, and I have skipped a great number of them for our plans. For my oldest, I used a lot of abstract math before numbers math came into play. Phonics I'm using Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading or just learning through playing. So much stuff gets done with just playing at that age, that is why I don't like to write down lesson plans, it kind of takes some of the fun out K. Science was child led at K. I would introduce things and he would want to know more about something else, and we would do that. It has been child led pretty much for 3 years. This year I am doing a specific curriculum. I do have BFSU and have had it for 2 or 3 years and haven't made it very far into it because we get distracted so much and he gets science at museum classes, co-op, we do experiments once a week with a friend...History and science at the young ages are very child led for me, and I recommend anyone to listen to what your child is interested in and go from there. :) Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2brown1red Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thank you So much vfnelson! I already have c-rods in my cart, but I am just a bit at a loss as to what to do with them. That was going to be my next question to the board, but that seems like a dumb question. I would love any links to more info about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Link for what to do with c-rods? You got it! http://educationunboxed.com/ Your plan looks good to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) We are having a great time using Five in a Row for geography (plus literature and art). I have volumes 1-3 and am just picking the books that are set in different countries. It is a random order and certainly won't cover most places, but I have loved seeing what my kids have gained for PreK, K and 1st. ETA: I just saw your location. I imagine it would be hard to find many of the books recommend for FIAR in your library. Edited July 10, 2012 by Acorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2brown1red Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Link for what to do with c-rods? You got it! http://educationunboxed.com/ Your plan looks good to me! Thank you SO much!! That is what I needed. I feel so silly, but I have honestly never even seen cuisenaire rods, so I have no clue what to do with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QTMom Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 It looks great! I wish I had Kindergarten to do all over again with my 2 kiddos. I would have made it so much more fun. We did a boxed curriculum and it was so much to cover for them. I look back now and think that I would do things so much differently. It sounds like you have spent a lot of time researching and built your perfect curriculum. Try to enjoy your year. It is very rewarding and if something doesn't work for you, you can always find something that does. It sounds as though your daughter has already started learning some of the K skills, so she will probably do great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2brown1red Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 We are having a great time using Five in a Row for geography (plus literature and art). I have volumes 1-3 and am just picking the books that are set in different countries. It is a random order and certainly won't cover most places, but I have loved seeing what my kids have gained for PreK, K and 1st. ETA: I just saw your location. I imagine it would be hard to find many of the books recommend for FIAR in your library. Yeah I seriously considered FIAR, but I think I would have to buy all of the books and that is pretty pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlcc Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I ordered this Cuisenaire Rod Idea Book for my PK4. It hasn't arrived yet though, so I can't give particulars. I also ordered The Verbal Math Lesson. We'll then follow with Singapore. We also have and use BFSU. You could definitely hold off until 1st Grade for that. Have you seen Wee Folk Art? For geography, I would simply use a giant world map puzzle, teaching continents, oceans, etc. There is also a DIY felt continents map. I too would not use a boxed curriculum again for K. Interest-led learning is fantastic and joyful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeplessnights Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Your plan looks good, but if you're just getting started out, I would recommend starting slow. The key is to get into a school "routine" that works well for your whole family. Mostly by trial and error, you will probably find the best time to do your seat work and the best time to do your more active activities. You will discover how to include your youngers and when you need quiet time to concentrate. And then, of course, this will change as everyone gets older. Enjoy your new endeavor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie131 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I think that looks like a great curriculum. You can see what we are using for K in my siggy (DS2). Our focus is the 3R's and he is tagging along with my older DS for the rest whenever he is interested and whatever he does will be considered bonus as far as I'm concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellesmere Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Thank you SO much!! That is what I needed. I feel so silly, but I have honestly never even seen cuisenaire rods, so I have no clue what to do with them. The videos and booklet linked above are good. Here is a blog (not mine), too. Have fun! I was in your shoes last year and we all learned a lot (and are still learning) about what worked and what didn't for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in LV Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 We just finished our "K" year - so much fun! I kept it pretty simple like you're thinking to do. We just did MEP for math with supplemental activities (living math books, games, etc.) and it's been working out really well. My son was also really into geography. One of his favorite things to do was play with his wooden US jigsaw puzzle, and he normally isn't into puzzles. Just from playing, he learned his states & capitals. You might consider picking one of these up to have around in case it catches her interest. Since the K year still involves a lot of playing, I would suggest pulling out a new "educational" item each week & just have it available. Things I would just "set out" included a geoboard, base ten blocks, wooden shape tiles, a balance, a fractions birthday cake game, a tangram puzzle set and random puzzle books & workbooks. The new items always caught my son's interest, usually for an extended period, and if he wanted to pursue them further, then I was available to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 (edited) You might check into Evan-Moor Everyday Literacy: Science. We really liked it for K. Maybe hold out on Geography until after your first semester (after your DC learns to write) and then check into Evan-Moor Beginning Geography. It's been great for us! The way they teach it just make sense to a youngster. Here's a couple of links from my blog... http://bluehouseschool.blogspot.com/search/label/Everyday%20Literacy%3A%20Science http://bluehouseschool.blogspot.com/search/label/Beginning%20Geography PS - We liked Scholastic – Non-Fiction Literacy-Building Booklets & Activities (ISBN: 0439567211) for Social Studies. Edited July 11, 2012 by pitterpatter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 That looks very similar to what we do. We have been using mm and mep both of which dd likes. For extras I use a lot of scholastic ebooks. They have $1 sales often. We did a farming one and have several more going right now. My girls like to be kept busy and enjoy crafty stuff and drawing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Well, I'm going to say that I think MM is "generally" too much for a K'er. Obviously some kids will be able to do it, and I have never schooled a girl, but it is a very paper/pencil based math with lots of problems and small writing spaces. The concepts are also true to grade compared with some math programs that are more frequently used ahead of grade level. IMHO, it is not the best choice for most K'ers compared to some of the others like MEP, Singapore, Right Start, Miquon, etc. but YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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