What is your favorite Kindergarten curriculum?

[parias1126]

I'm adding a K'r this year and am looking for curriculum suggestions for everything (Math, phonics, history, or anything else). I have been enjoying my summer and just today realized I haven't even finished buying curriculum or even thought about it! I rearranged my entire schoolroom today organizing all the old and new books, cleaning like crazy, and it just hit me! I haven't done much of anything yet and we start school very soon! :glare:

 

I'm using HOD for my rising 3rd and 4th graders and am pretty set with what they will use, but I'm stumped for my K'r! What is planned out, easy to teach, and just flows??? I'm nervous about adding a third child to the mix this year.

[TracyR]

Out of all of the stuff we've used for K. I enjoy the Rod and Staff ABC series. I know Christian Light is coming out with a kindergarten series, its in its preliminary stages but they are selling it.

But its simple , all you need to do is open the books and go.

[SilverMoon]

The only pre-planned one I think I'd actually use is from Memoria Press.

 

Otherwise, not counting the very precocious one, my K kids got Phonics Pathways, a writing tablet, and a library card. If they clamored for their own schoolwork they got the big chunky workbooks from Costco.

[lotsofpumpkins]

My K'er is using Abeka K math (just the workbook, no TM or anything else) and ETC Book 1. He listens in on his older siblings' Bible, science, and history.

 

When he's finished with the math workbook, he'll go ahead and start CLE 100 because he's almost 6 and he's very ready to move on to 1st grade math.

 

He just finished ETC 1 yesterday, so I'm going to start R&S 1st grade Phonics and Reading with him on Monday.

 

He is an older K'er because of his October birthday, so he's been working on K level stuff for a while now.

 

I also really like the R&S ABC workbooks, though my K'er isn't really interested in them. My 3.75yo is loving them though. I might try the CLE Kindergarten materials with her at some point. (She LOVES LOVES LOVES school, and she is zooming through workbooks much faster than I expected.) I also look at MP and MFW K once in a while, but with several dc to teach, I'm not sure I want to do a full K program. My current K'er is happy with as little schoolwork as possible. My next K'er (the 3.75yo) would probably love for me to do a full K program with her next year (meaning 2013-14).

Edited July 29, 2012 by lotsofpumpkins

[parias1126]

Out of all of the stuff we've used for K. I enjoy the Rod and Staff ABC series. I know Christian Light is coming out with a kindergarten series, its in its preliminary stages but they are selling it.

But its simple , all you need to do is open the books and go.

 

Do you have a link for the CLE workbooks?

[4Hisglory]

My DD and I loved My Father's World K. I mean really can't wait to use it again LOVED. She wants to teach my youngest DD MFW K when it's time, she even saved her old work.

[TracyR]

Christian Light's website is http://www.clp.org

I think their website maybe having some issues ( or its my computer not sure) but keep trying.

[parias1126]

Christian Light's website is http://www.clp.org

I think their website maybe having some issues ( or its my computer not sure) but keep trying.

 

I'm having issues getting to their site as well. I know their address, but really meant directly to these books. :)

[Singingmom]

I am really loving doing MFW with my 5 year old. My just-turned-4 year old just started the Rod and Staff ABC books. He loves those, and when he finishes, we'll start MFW K with him, too.

 

Memoria Press has turned my head a few times, though ;) .

[Aurelia]

If I were to do it over again, I'd do WRTR or AAR+HWT and RS A, and either follow along with the older sibling or read lots of good books, like SL P4/5 and/or FIAR.

[raceNzanesmom]

MUS Primer

HWT K

AAR 1 (or pre, if not ready for 1)

R&S ABC workbooks, or similar

LOTS of good books, puzzles, art supplies, building blocks, outside time, etc etc, and listening in on big sibs reading.

 

ETA: All of that is open and do the next page and not too $$.

[boscopup]

I'm really enjoying our K line-up this year:

 

Reading: Dancing Bears and will do WRTR later in the year when handwriting is ready for it

Handwriting: WRTR handwriting instructions

Math: Singapore

Read-alouds: Sonlight Core P4/5

 

It's simple and hits the basics. The Sonlight core is basically just reading nursery rhymes, tall tales, stories from various countries, etc. It also includes some science. I know a library card would work just as well, but I needed something scheduled out for me so I would sit down and read. The only tinkering I do with the schedule is that I usually do the first half of 2 days, then the second half of 2 days. That way, we're not reading one 4-line nursery rhyme and then switching books. Some of the books have longer stories, and those are good for just reading one in a day though.

 

We used R&S ABC series starting when he was 3.5 (and he was NOT precocious in the least at that time... in fact, R&S ABC series taught him his colors and counting to 10, as he just could not learn them through living life like my other kids did). Books A and C are perfect for the 3-4 year old age range. D-F are more 4-5 year old, and G-I are more K level. I'm planning to get copies of A and C again for my current 3 year old, since he gets upset if he doesn't get to "do school". :glare: Oh, and the number writing instructions are fabulous in book C!!! They have a cute script to go with each number. That was so helpful for my son.

 

And for Singapore K math, we used Essential Math K, not the Earlybird one. Essential Math K is cheap ($15 for the year's worth of books at RR or CBD), and the instructions are right there at the bottom of the page with ideas for extra reinforcement. Book A is very easy, so many kids fly through that. Book B slows them down. ;) To these math workbooks, I added in a 100-chart with straws and coins to teach place value, then in book B I added C-rods and let him do all of his adding/subtracting with the C-rods. By the end, he knew most of his addition/subtraction facts just from using the C-rods to figure things out. He's a visual thinker, and I think he now has pictures of C-rods in his head. :D

[Holly]

I'm adding my 3rd child as well this year...I'm a little nervous! We were using HOD, but I'm re-trying Charlotte Mason this year. I'd really like to keep everyone together in the long run.

 

My plans for K are:

-Funtastic Frogs (I also have Miquon math if I can figure it out) :blushing:

-ETC Primers

-(McGuffey readers and ETC 1 if she finishes the primers this year)

-Rod and Staff--I'm thinking of starting her in book G...these are great for independent work and my DC love to cut and paste.

-FIAR--I'm planning on sticking to the manuals, so prep time should be minimal. It can be a bit much if you add on extra activities, notebooks/lapbooks, go-along books, etc.

-tagging along with the big kids on everything else as she sees fit. We'll be doing lots of reading, narration, fine arts studies, nature walks, etc. If this is too much, she'll be able to play with my 2yo. ;)

 

I thought about using HOD LHFHG, but I couldn't bring myself to spend the money on it when I already have FIAR. I'm hoping to spend 30 minutes teaching each child individually and another 1-2 hours or so teaching them together...I imagine it will be longer if we have nature walks, handicrafts, art projects, etc.

[Gentlemommy]

Preschool-

Rod and Staff preschool books A-F (? There may be more I can't remember)

ETC A-C

MEP reception year

playing with C-rods (watch the videos on Rosie's Education Unboxed site, or use the free pre Miquon book at nuturedbylove)

workbooks I found at the book store called 'I can cut!' or 'I can paste!' -great for fine motor skills.

 

*Not ALL these things mind you, but these were things I liked and used with both girls.

 

 

Kindergarten-

Etc books

MEP

Miquon

phonograms/handwriting ala WRTR

 

 

Science is basically just Nature Study at this point. Learning about our bodies, watching caterpillars, bugs, gardens growing, ect.

I don't worry about history. Dd2 is listening in on SOTW with dd1, but I wouldn't do it otherwise.

[alisoncooks]

Out of all of the stuff we've used for K. I enjoy the Rod and Staff ABC series. I know Christian Light is coming out with a kindergarten series, its in its preliminary stages but they are selling it.

But its simple , all you need to do is open the books and go.

 

I have CLE's Kindergarten II, and I really, really like the looks of it and can't wait to use it! Note: I have not used it, it's for my youngest's K year. I wrote a little about it here ---->

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=369511

[Pamela H in Texas]

Mostly, I'd just fold the Kindy in with the 8yo. Projects, coloring pages for history reading, hearing the science reading, feeding the fish in the science unit, whatever would be done together. Then when 8yo is writing summaries or whatever, the Kindergartener would be done with that subject for now. We have various activities set up for the two younger ones (geoboard, pattern blocks, some preschool things like matching, pre-writing, etc). At some point, the Letter Factory and Word Factory videos can be used.

 

Of course, then you have 3Rs instruction. Past the 20-60 minutes for that, I'd let the rest be fairly optional. They'll pick up a lot just being around. And they'll probably join in a good bit of the time also anyway :)

 

Anyway, I expect that my Kindergartener will do a great deal of the work in my signature. My preK'er will probably be doing a lot more of the folder game type things we have set up while I work with the other two.

[...................]

FIAR

[Dinsfamily]

If I were to do it over again, I'd do WRTR or AAR+HWT and RS A, and either follow along with the older sibling or read lots of good books, like SL P4/5 and/or FIAR.

 

I'm really enjoying our K line-up this year:

 

Reading: Dancing Bears and will do WRTR later in the year when handwriting is ready for it

Handwriting: WRTR handwriting instructions

Math: Singapore

Read-alouds: Sonlight Core P4/5

 

It's simple and hits the basics. The Sonlight core is basically just reading nursery rhymes, tall tales, stories from various countries, etc. It also includes some science. I know a library card would work just as well, but I needed something scheduled out for me so I would sit down and read. The only tinkering I do with the schedule is that I usually do the first half of 2 days, then the second half of 2 days. That way, we're not reading one 4-line nursery rhyme and then switching books. Some of the books have longer stories, and those are good for just reading one in a day though.

 

We used R&S ABC series starting when he was 3.5 (and he was NOT precocious in the least at that time... in fact, R&S ABC series taught him his colors and counting to 10, as he just could not learn them through living life like my other kids did). Books A and C are perfect for the 3-4 year old age range. D-F are more 4-5 year old, and G-I are more K level. I'm planning to get copies of A and C again for my current 3 year old, since he gets upset if he doesn't get to "do school". :glare: Oh, and the number writing instructions are fabulous in book C!!! They have a cute script to go with each number. That was so helpful for my son.

 

And for Singapore K math, we used Essential Math K, not the Earlybird one. Essential Math K is cheap ($15 for the year's worth of books at RR or CBD), and the instructions are right there at the bottom of the page with ideas for extra reinforcement. Book A is very easy, so many kids fly through that. Book B slows them down. ;) To these math workbooks, I added in a 100-chart with straws and coins to teach place value, then in book B I added C-rods and let him do all of his adding/subtracting with the C-rods. By the end, he knew most of his addition/subtraction facts just from using the C-rods to figure things out. He's a visual thinker, and I think he now has pictures of C-rods in his head. :D

 

:iagree: I could have written this post. I've done this K lineup twice and will be doing it a third time in in 2013. I use SWR instead of WRTR. P4/5 is perfect for a K'er and adds fun into the day.

 

My dc have all finished Singapore Essentials a month or two into the K year so we do Horizons K and the Singapore PM1A to finish ou the year. We also add in Miquon Orange.

 

Since I have older dc, my K'er can do extra science and Latin with us voluntarily. Latin (SSL) became ds6's favorite subject last year. My oldest didn't have any of that and we had a very nice year.

[janie_ranae]

Here's a link to the Rod & Staff books at Rainbow Resource: Rod & Staff Preschool. I think most people are referring to the books found in the packages Set of 6 (or 7) Preschool ABC books.

 

I think they are called the ABC books because as the difficulty level increases, the book begins with the next letter of the alphabet. A - Adventures with Books, B - Bible Pictures to Color, C - Counting with Numbers...Hearing & Helping, Inside & Outside. Although the books A-F seem to be the more popular ones. (I hope that makes sense...)

Edited July 29, 2012 by janie_ranae

[Susie in MS]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FIAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

Used as is (open and go), with Rod and Staff wkbks on the side.

 

:001_wub:

[FairProspects]

My favorite K materials are:

 

Phonics: First Start Reading, SRA Phonics, & Memoria Press Readers (MP K Phonics)

Handwriting: HWOT K

Math: Miquon Orange & Singapore Essentials B

Literature: We have loved the AO Year 0 and Year .5 lists.

Edited July 29, 2012 by FairProspects

[kesmom]

My recommendation for K is OPGTR, Singapore Essential Math B and HWT K - plus the library for great literature (check FIAR, Sonlight etc... for booklists) as well as non-fiction books on their favorite topics.

 

I also like the R+S workbooks, but the whole set was overkill even for my workbook-loving child. For my other kids I will probably get books C and G for the math teaching and book F for the cut and paste skills.

[brendag]

Here is what I have planned:

 

Blend Phonics/Webster's Speller w/lessons from the Phonics Page

RightStart A - Finish the second 1/2. We do 1/2 lesson each time.

Handwriting using Peterson Directed

BFSU

Reading - A lot of read-alouds

 

We then add in 1 of these every day - Artistic Pursuits, cooking with mom, Lollipop Logic and Library time.

 

PLAY TIME!

 

Brenda

[southcarolinamom]

1. We loved Horizons Math in K and 1st.

2. Beautiful Feet's Learning Character through Literature

 

Most of the other stuff I used was BJUP, which, if I could do it all over again, and had the $$, would have picked Sonlight instead.

[parias1126]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FIAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

Used as is (open and go), with Rod and Staff wkbks on the side.

 

:001_wub:

 

I have tried to view the samples of FIAR on their website and it's not showing up for me. Wondering how I would see a sample. Hmmm..

 

Maybe it's only temporary and their site is having issues.

[Susie in MS]

I have tried to view the samples of FIAR on their website and it's not showing up for me. Wondering how I would see a sample. Hmmm..

 

Maybe it's only temporary and their site is having issues.

 

I don't know why they haven't placed good samples up, but you can find very limited samples at Rainbow Resource. On this page you will find the different vols all the way from Before FAIR, FIAR vols 1-4, Beyond FIAR vols 1-3, and the book packs (you can use the library). If you click on a vol of interest you can see the one page sample.

 

Now I just did a google and the FIAR website has something I don't remember seeing before (maybe I overlooked it). This page has a link for each subject and gives detail about how they are covered and a sample of what it would be like in the manual. But the RR samples linked above will give a realistic view of what the format is like.

 

Hope this helps.

[craftyerin]

I have the following planned for our first trip through kinder this year:

 

FIAR

HWT

Phonics Pathways

still fleshing out math. I was planning MEP-R and cuisenaire rod play, leading to Miquon in the spring, but one of mine really doesn't like MEP so far. It might not last.

[Mom0012]

I used SL K with my dd, along with RS A (which only has something like 60 lessons) and A Reason for Handwriting. Then I got the Judy Press craft books from the library, she tabbed the projects she wanted to do and I made sure I had the supplies. She was able to do them almost entirely on her own and had such a blast.

 

I was overenthusiastic about homeschooling when my kids were little, so once we finished SL, I used MFW K, but mostly just for the fun science activities.

 

She had such a wonderful K year.

 

Lisa

 

ETA: Oh, and I forgot. Of course we spent about 20 minutes a day learning to read. I used Funnix for that.

Edited July 30, 2012 by LisaTheresa

[Priscila]

My Kindergaten curriculum is simple. I cover only three subjects: reading, writing, and math.

 

Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading

The Complete Writer: Writing With Ease

RightStart Mathematics Level A

 

We do school every day and cover all subjects every day. It probably takes about 45 to 60 minutes from start to finish. And outside of that, I'm reading her anything that interests her. Everything else is extra. :)

[lea_lpz]

I am using:

MFK 2nd Edition Deluxe Package

Singapore Early Bird Math B

Handwriting Without Tears K

La Clase Divertida Level I

 

She needed some more practice with math and handwriting so we just recently added HWT and Early Bird B.

 

This is more then enough to keep us busy.

 

Also spend about a half hour on preschool with my 3 year old, so school will generally take us two to three hours with preschool time included.