avazquez24 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 YDD will be starting kinder when we start our school year in August, so I'm beginning to plan for her now. What would your ideal curriculum choices be for kindergarten? She knows most all of her letter sounds and has been reading some Bob books. She also has been working on HWOT pre-k program and as far as math goes has been working on learning her numbers, patterns, ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 100 Easy Lessons Explode the Code Kumon Workbooks Building Thinking Skills Undecided on math right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnwife Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 We are slowly starting formal phonics and math for our oldest now. Our choices are Miquon for maths and Webster's Speller for phonics (PP would be second choice). Everything else is done through read alouds and life. I don't plan any science or art or history. It just happens organically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Logic of English Foundations (probably B for her) Singapore and/or Miquon math How to Teach Art to Children continue HWOT or do a picture-word journal informal science and geography all the picture books you can carry home from the library :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 RightStart Math Bob Books - as many sets as makes sense for a year Progressive Phonics for when you need a break from Bob Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding plus some fun science kits Library books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Ideal...hmm... Lots of math manipulatives Stencils and a movable alphabet Reusable science kits - weights, magnets, rocks, microscope, telescope, snap circuits, seeds.. Lyra Ferby colored pencils, clay, dot markers, watercolors Musical instruments Geopuzzles, Haba blocks, cultural items Gross motor toys like a balance maze, swing, rocking scoop chair, jump rope, bike, rope ladder.. All of these things would be themed each month to a different country around the world, focusing on a different aspect of science, music, math and art and adding in cultural/fairy tales, a fine motor skill craft, and basic copywork or word building. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syllieann Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Aar for phonics Pal writing (NOT the reading portion) Right start math Mp enrichment Loads of read alouds Art? I wish I knew. My upcoming k will be using icdat Music? Another I wish I knew. Not sure what my upcoming k will do: either Hoffman academy or MMPT I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 (edited) YDD will be starting kinder when we start our school year in August, so I'm beginning to plan for her now. What would your ideal curriculum choices be for kindergarten? She knows most all of her letter sounds and has been reading some Bob books. She also has been working on HWOT pre-k program and as far as math goes has been working on learning her numbers, patterns, ect. If you have a tablet that can display PDFs, or can easily print things, then this blogpost YOU Can Teach a Child to Read has several resources for beginning phonics and reading. The early phonics practice readers included in the post are all free and linked up for conveniunce. Edited January 30, 2016 by mom2bee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto4inSoCal Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 This is what I decided for my twins who will be in kinder next year: Logic of English Foundations Right Start A MP Enrichment Some sort of art book Animal and insect studies (informal, lots of lapbooking for cutting and glueing practice) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 (edited) . Edited September 10, 2023 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 A bunch of great read-aloud books, a bunch of paper +crayons+scissors, a set of beginning readers, a sandbox, maganatiles, knex, wooden blocks, binoculars, a magnifying glass, a critter keeper box, an abacus, checkers, puzzles, dice, standard playing cards, uno, Memoria Press First Start Reading, a child sized apron and a stool so they can reach the counter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myloveisasailor Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Language Arts/Writing: 1. Handwriting Without Tears 2. AAR 1 3. Bob Books And...maybe some Usborne Readers. We read a lot. Art: 1. Djeco Chirp Chirp 2. Djeco Origami Animals 3. Usborne Fingerprint and Animal fingerprint activities 4. Kumon Cutting (he needs lots of work in this area) 5. Usborne Big Drawing Book or My Very First Art Book ? Not sure on this one ..or if I'm going to do drawing at all. 6. Something dot 2 dot. I know that seems like a lot, but i rotate days that i use each one. :) Thinking Skills 1. Logik Street 2. Pajaggle 3. Developing The Early Learner...possibly. The top two are things from Timberdoodle, as i used it this year and that's where i know to look for stuff like this. Math: 1. Rightstart 2 A 2. Mathematical Reasoning A....maybe...he did the 3 year old book this yr for pre k and is now 3/4 of the way through the 4 year old book so i know he likes them. I do know that rightstart is enough on its own though. Steam 1. Tegu Steam 2. Maybe the robot programming game. I can't think of the name. Its by thinkfun. The tegu steam is pretty pricey , but i would like to have more than one option to do with him. Right now, I think we have four different options that we rotate. Science: Elemental Science...either Exploring Science or Intro to Science. Im for the intro but my husband says exploring science. Previously, i had considered sunlight, but i think I'm just moving away from that. We also did just purchase some national geographic junior books/magazines from a scholastic book order. I will be utilizing these as well. As a cross between science and health, i am going to do Usborne's look inside your body. I would love to have kiwi crates, but its super pricey. History/Geography. Once again, i had planned on going with sonlight, but now i think i am going to use the program from Elemental science that is for history/geography. I will also have What your Kindergartner needs to know, and I've always listed this as Language Arts, but I know timber doodle lists it has history. Health: Im thinking of using Horizons Health....i know that seems out of left field, but i don't really know what else is out there and its seems to cover basics and be simple to pick up and do. Oh, and I came across a book that if I remember correctly is called Discover My Plate. Im not sure if Horizons Health covers nutrition but I'm going to look into it further. Bible: Well, we go to church...or we did, but i broke my ankle in august, and we have decided to look for a new church. Since that occurred, I have been using a kids curriculum at home that they used at the church we went to, and honestly, i feel he has gotten more out of it than going to church. I have to purchase another one soon though, because we only have three lessons left. I never had a strong basis or start in church, so really I am learning along with him. Although sometimes the lessons have went a bit long i think, he is retaining what i have taught him so i like it. And, well we read the bible whenever he is interested, usually every night before bed. Id like to get him a daily devotional to do with him. I saw a couple recently... Growing With Jesus... 100 devotions and Fun Devotions for boys. They have one for his age. I also know there is a nighttime one for young boys, but i can't remember the name. Character/values/morals/etc: A few options... 1. The seven habits of happy kids. 2. A child's book of character building. I have already purchased the second version, and am going to purchase the first before next school year. 3. The children's book of virtues. 4. A little book of manners for boys (a definite!) . His manners aren't bad, but there are some things in this he could improve on, and i like the look of this book. A daily calendar he can do on his own, such as melissa and doug or other similar magnetic one. I bought dollar things from target this year and put it on poster board, but as i don't have any where to really set it up, its completely destroyed. I won't be doing that again next year. Quote MultiQuote Edit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcitedMama Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 I think phonics/reading is the most important. That's where we've spent the most time. Then fine motor skills so depending on where the child is working towards writing well. Third would be math. I think history is important so my goal was to give DS an overview to better understand the huge timeline from pre-history to modern times generally to understand somewhat where everything fits. DS is interested in STEM stuff so I've added that for him as interest led so I would say interest led to keep child excited about learning. In his case he's always asking for science and building and coding. I'm not artsy or crafty at all and the boring look of classic kids books that I've never read would never have interested me to read to DS so I'm really glad I bought MP K Enrichment. All of their books looked so blah compared to the bright pictures in the books I've bought so I wasn't expecting much from them and I'm very happy to report that I was very wrong! They've been very fun. They ask great comprehension questions and point out details in the illustrations that I never would have noticed. I know nothing about artists or composers so it's been fun to learn about them along with DS and he is retaining a lot more than I thought he would. It's amazing how many classical pieces I've apparently heard and could not have placed before. For me knowing I would never had done any of these on my own has been really great K. Plus it's pretty cheap. I can't wait to do it again with DD. Definitely not the essentials like the 3 R's but a great addition to making K more well rounded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Singapore math Essentials then into the Primary math sequenceExplode the Code (Primers then into numbered books) and adding in OPGTR once comfortably blendingThe Joy of HandwritingCasual but Consistent Exposure to: FLL & Poetry memorization Living Science & Prehistory via books and shows Spanish (Little Pim, La Clase Divertida, etc) Lots of Art time with a variety of media Playing around with recorders Wendy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 My ideal kindergarten program would include lots of outside time, lots of time with friends, lots of time playing games, lots of time for pretend play, lots of open ended art time, piles of read alouds. And then, a tiny bit of... Miquon Orange Some handwriting program Whichever phonics floats your boat (I like Progressive Phonics as a good first try, but I've found that most people use a few different phonics programs before landing on "the one") 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 If you are planning on following the WTM history rotation in elementary, you might want to consider an overview of some of the kinds of topics typical elementary social studies includes. For us, since we are in America, I wanted to be sure my daughter had some exposure to basic American holidays, major figures (who is George Washington kind of thing), and symbols (Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, Uncle Sam). There are plenty of easy, fun ways to do this at that age and I didn't want her to have others look at her funny if she didn't know something like that which was expected to be common knowledge or to miss them on any testing (we have to test yearly once the child is 7). We used field trips, some historic site websites (like Plimoth Plantation) for games and activities, children's books, and the like. Doesn't have to be anything super formal. Throughout elementary, I liked looking at the "What Your ______ Grader Should Know" to pick up things like that which we might not be covering in our history rotation. Our library has the whole series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbes Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Lots of read alouds, baking, playdough, outdoor play, imaginary play, relaxed phonics at her level of readiness, handwriting practice at her level of readiness, a box of math manipulatives (we have MUS blocks), lots of art supplies, occasional museum/experimental farm/etc visits. My ideal implementation would be to have these available and to include them in our days as came naturally. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Ideal...hmm... Lots of math manipulatives Stencils and a movable alphabet Reusable science kits - weights, magnets, rocks, microscope, telescope, snap circuits, seeds.. Lyra Ferby colored pencils, clay, dot markers, watercolors Musical instruments Geopuzzles, Haba blocks, cultural items Gross motor toys like a balance maze, swing, rocking scoop chair, jump rope, bike, rope ladder.. All of these things would be themed each month to a different country around the world, focusing on a different aspect of science, music, math and art and adding in cultural/fairy tales, a fine motor skill craft, and basic copywork or word building. My ideal kindergarten program would include lots of outside time, lots of time with friends, lots of time playing games, lots of time for pretend play, lots of open ended art time, piles of read alouds. And then, a tiny bit of... Miquon Orange Some handwriting program Whichever phonics floats your boat (I like Progressive Phonics as a good first try, but I've found that most people use a few different phonics programs before landing on "the one") Lots of read alouds, baking, playdough, outdoor play, imaginary play, relaxed phonics at her level of readiness, handwriting practice at her level of readiness, a box of math manipulatives (we have MUS blocks), lots of art supplies, occasional museum/experimental farm/etc visits. My ideal implementation would be to have these available and to include them in our days as came naturally. Yes, yes, and yes. :) I do like a little informal geography thrown into Kindergarten. Food is the best. :D And a huge sandbox. My kids lived for their giant sandbox for years. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathmarm Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 The energy to keep up with the kindegartener in question. Everything else is gravy. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Either Logic of English Foundations (for a squirly/non-motivated kid) or Reading Lessons Through Literature (for a motivated student with the ability to sit for 15 minutes at a time) for language arts. Miquon for math, with lots of Education Unboxed games. Lots and lots of reading out load (including children's poetry), beginning memory work with basics like your address, family birthdays, favorite prayers or nursery rhymes, and as much time outside as possible oand maybe even some nature drawing. Plus if there's motivation, some kind of content. My oldest for example really adored ancient mythology so we studied Egypt, greece, and Rome in long meandering units. My next bio son loved Wild Kratts so every week we chose an snimal, watched a corresponding episode, checked out library books, and then made a page (drawing and a few facts narrated to me). At the end of the year he had a really great animal encyclopedia of his own design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Lots of read alouds, including mother goose type poetry, for phonemic awareness, even if she is a beginning reader already Math play, like Peggy Kaye's Games for Math, or a fun K level math program if she seems interested For writing, strengthen shoulder and arm muscles by playing with hardwood unit blocks, painting on an easel etc, dance for rhythm (French schools use movement to prepare for writing) Visit different types of places in your town, shops, nature hikes, ethnic festivals If you want to do science, keep it simple, like measuring shadows, or keeping track of rainy/sunny days Play groups or park time If you do classes, I would suggest kid type music, art. If the teachers are well trained to do age appropriate activities, these can be great. They will have more musical 'instruments' than you. They will clan up after art. Pretend play' lots! Outdoor time, lots! There have been a lot of articles recently about how getting an early start may not put kids ahead. It may in fact cause them to burn out by 2nd grade. I don't know if this is true, but just saying. For you: Read Jim Trelease, Read Aloud Handbook Read Last Child in the Woods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 We are having an amazing K year and I feel like our choices were perfect for us this year! AAR1, HWOT K, for math we Singapore Essentials followed by Math Mammoth, but Right Start A id excellent and if I wasn't teaching 3 I would have used that. And Memoria Press Kindergrten Enrichment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) Rod and Staff ABC series. Here is the 1st half. Five in a Row for great reading and fun snuggle time. Sample here. Laurie Toys and Puzzles. Lots and lots of play time. Edited January 31, 2016 by Susie in MS 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Some math, some phonics. Tons of time outside, arts, crafts, music, read-alouds and play time. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Right Start Math A AAR 1 Let's Read and Find Out science books Maybe Nancy Larson K Picture books about history to go along with older siblings Picture books and short chapter books for read alouds for lit Piano lessons Art projects and painting with older siblings A good story book Bible A whiteboard with lines to practice handwriting And ideally a student teacher helper to do crafts and fun hands on things. The above plan is what I am going to do with my K this upcoming school year - minus a student teacher/helper. Though I really want a mother's helper for the messy projects and entertaining my littles. Sigh. Wishful thinking. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I have a formula I follow when coming up with K material (and I follow it somewhat for preK and 1st as well). Fun hands-on math lessons--several programs would fit this. Two of my DC have used Saxon K, one Singapore Earlybird, and the other used Funtastic Frogs. Some days they just played with pattern blocks or other manipulatives for their "lesson". R&S preschool workbooks--my DC have really enjoyed these. They've generally done 2 books per year from ages 4-6. They also like Kumon workbooks...the cutting & pasting ones have been popular here. Workbooks are great for when they want to "do school" like big siblings. Currently DD uses R&S when the others do copywork. Phonics--For K, my DC are usually learning letter sounds with a workbook like MCP K or ETC Primers. After that, I prefer something with little writing. We use McGuffey readers...they are usually ready for the Primer during the middle of their K year. Sometimes we add in an inexpensive phonics workbook here too. Some sort of enrichment. There are unlimited possibilities here. We've used FIAR, Wee Folk Art, or just read good books. Sonlight has some nice book choices. Barefoot Ragamuffin has a free preK/K literature program. Also things like cooking, pretend play, art projects, etc. My younger DC haven't done as many enrichment activities because they join in more with the big kids' lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Handwriting of some kind Phonics Pathways and McGuffey Readers Education Unboxed and SM1 if ready Lots of read-aloud, lots of coloring time, lots of helping in the kitchen and around the house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAttachedMama Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Jesus Storybook Bible AAR HWT Math (Right Start or Singapore) Lets Read and Find Out Books (or Magic School Bus plus experiments and videos) Around the world study (memorize continents and oceans to a song and read folk tales or picture books from some of the countries) Around town field trips (visit bakery, library, fire station, police station, city hall, construction zone, factory, etc.) Poetry reading for fun Sonlight read alouds 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto4inSoCal Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) Now that I think about it, the *ideal* kindergarten wouldn't be using what we are using . In our house we have a 6th grader and a 5th grader so I have to accommodate all of my kids. If I could though I would spend the day coloring or drawing, nature studies would be awesome and just reading lots of books. Right now with my 4yos I buy lots of imaginative play items and building toys like marble runs, magnatiles, legos etc. They love playing with them and it is so great for their developement. Oh and I love the strewing idea's. Placing educational items at random places that your kids play so that they can discover them. Edited January 31, 2016 by Momto4inSoCal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esse Quam Videri Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) LITERATURE— FIAR selections, The House at Pooh Corner, Thornton Burgess books, The Real Mother Goose, James Herriot’s Treasury for Children READING— movable alphabet, phonogram cards/tiles (learn these first), BOB Books/early readers, then onto simple progression into beginning chapter books if child moves quickly WRITING— Sandpaper letters, sandbox for letter practice, wide-ruled notebook practice starting with shapes and lines and then moving on to write through all phonograms MATH-- C-rods, clock manipulative, geometric shapes, place value cards, education unboxed videos, whiteboard PRACTICAL LIFE/HABITS— Montessori inspired practical life focus, so kiddo learns self awareness, to get dressed, tie shoes, get himself water, enjoy cleaning up and things being in their place, etc. Lacing cards, lots of cooking and baking SCIENCE— living science with units focusing on simple concepts— gas, liquid, solid; classifying living things and maybe classifying vertebrates; life cycle of frog (hatch tadpoles); life cycle of butterfly (hatch caterpillars); Montessori style matching cards/photographs of different trees with real leaves/nuts, puzzles learning parts of flower, playing with magnets, etc. Using Let’s Read and Find Out Science books and other selections to correspond. MUSIC— introduce sections of the orchestra and individual instruments/their sounds through hands on exposure/play and listening to musical selections. Introduce 2-3 composers (Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Mozart maybe) and listen to their works often. Learn 2-3 hymns and 1-2 folk songs. Lots of free dance with contemporary worship and colorful silks. ART— Learn color wheel (Montessori style), free play and simple projects with paint, chalk, clay, markers, colored pencils, oil pastels, mixed media, foil, tape, mosaics, etc., Play with famous art matching cards GEOGRAPHY— Wooden geography puzzles, orally identifying continents and oceans on globe, sensory trays that introduce music/art/food/photographs of different countries and cultures FRENCH-- Immersion/language exposure as much as possible, Little Pim DVDs for fun BIBLE/DEVOTIONAL LIFE— Read through Jesus Storybook Bible, discuss openly whatever the Lord is teaching me in that season, Prayer Wall (pictures of friends/relatives/strangers from all over the world, choose one every day and pray together), prophetic art notebook for any pictures/words/verses kiddo feels lead to paint/draw and discuss, 2-3 service projects in our community (food kitchen, nursing home, etc.), Seeds Family Worship CDs for memorization OUTDOORS— All afternoon, every day, no matter the weather-- playing in the creek, building forts, collecting eggs, picking fruit, gardening, climbing trees, making up elaborate fantasy games… etc :-) Edited January 31, 2016 by Esse Quam Videri 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 This thread makes me want another kindergartener. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 This thread makes me want another kindergartener. Would you like to borrow mine? Lol. I'm finding it hard to juggle several grades with little people in tow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 My ideal kindergarten year would include a child that always obeys , lol. Oh, a maid too. In my heart, I really want to do Oak Meadow next year, or maybe even just some subscription boxes like ivy kids and kiwi crate, but I don't know. There is also something called mother goosetime .com. It is a subscription and it looks like a wonderful preschool in a box delivered to your door once a month with tons of crafts and projects. I would love something like that for kindergarten. i love being crafty, I just hate putting it all together. I want someone else to do it for me!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdybird Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 My Ideal K Curriculum: Varies by child, ;) I've only homeschooled one K, because my two older kids went to school for K due to me working at the time and juggling multiple littles. Last year, my K boy was already reading, writing, and ready to do serious school so he did all first grade level stuff. This year, my K boy is still doing Pre-K. So I guess next year he'll be doing "real" K level stuff. --------------- My Tentative Plans for K Next Year: READING/LANGUAGE ARTS: Ambleside Online Year 1 (currently doing Y0) All About Reading Level 1 (probably just supplemental usage) Mom-made Phonics Games MATH Singapore Math Essentials and Earlybird Kindergarten Mathematics Kumon G1 level workbooks Math Minutes and other drills SCIENCE RS4K Chemistry and experiments with siblings. Lots of books. HISTORY Story of the World 1 (next year we restart the cycle...) Lots of books. FAITH This is up to DH, since I don't teach subjects related to this. Probably some Daddy devotionals and Seeds Family Worship and other scripture memory songs.FOREIGN LANGUAGE Fluent Forever Spanish. This is DIY, using resources I've made for my kiddos. Little Pim Spanish Spanish language DVDs from the library. ART Artistic Pursuits Ambleside Online artist rotations Drawing Lessons with DD (she wants to teach her little brothers how to draw so that they can help her realize her dream of making her own anime...) PE continue Tae Kwan Do, Irish Dance, and Ballet lessons free play at home MUSIC continue piano lessons 2x weekPENMANSHIP Handwriting Without Tears, Kindergarten level and maybe grade 1OTHER Lego Lessons with DS1 Train time if he's still into that Speech Therapy starting in May Summer Sports camp in July Cub Scouts, maybe ----- Most of this is probably doable, with the exception of Artistic Pursuits. Probably not going to happen because I am just not that sort of hs mom. Not crafty and frankly, only DD has any real interest in art at this point. DS2 isn't ready for a formal art curriculum and basically just likes to paint and scribble. So formal art would be a stretch for him. A lot of what is on here isn't so much an ideal for him but is realistic because of my older kids. He'll study what they study and we'll do the best that we can to make sure that he makes progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 At least 2 hours of daily outdoor play. At least 2 hours of daily read aloud time (audiobooks count). Break this time up into 4-6 chunks throughout the day. At least an hour of craftiness...painting, playdoh, cutting & pasting, paper sloyd, etc... I prefer free-style, Give them ideas and then let them craft while I cook dinner. Reading & Writing lessons. See my siggie. I just finished the Pre-Primer, which is a prep for learning to read through the Treadwell Readers. Miquon Math. Games! At least 3 hours per week. Give me a first grader who knows how to entertain themselves, enjoys listening to good books, plays fair at games, is confident with numbers 1-10, knows all letters and their sounds AND how to form them, and can blend CVC, CV, and CVCE words...and we can breeze through learning the 1st grade material and more. I would add in memory work, but I don't like that to be schoolish in Kindy. Sing lots of songs and have fun with all sorts of poetry. 5yo children memorize without effort when they love something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Quite honestly, nothing. Too many studies out there proving the damage of early academics. So, really, the "ideal" Kindergarten is nothing but play based learning. Exploring math through daily life and games and manipulatives. Lots of reading, singing, outdoor play, arts and crafts, being exposed to fine art and classical music, working on fine motor skills with printing (in flour, sand, on chalkboards, whiteboards and lastly pencil), cutting, coloring, pasting practice. Learning letters, phonics etc... through hands on ways - flashcards, tiles, alphabet magnets, as you sit and look at books together, even those Leap Frog videos etc... Nature walks, field trips etc... Some parents need a curric to lead into lessons exactly as you described. Ex. Miquon Math is hands-on exploration with numbers. For a mom who has been an academic student herself without any experience teaching 4-8yo children, it can be difficult (or just anxiety producing) to pull math off of a worksheet and *do* it. Having a curric, like Miquon, say "This is a great way to teach." gives mom confidence that the goal is the child's learning and not completion of worksheets. Five in a Row is another curric that takes what some mothers do as second nature and scripts out the moves. If a mom feels uneasy "just reading aloud," try FIAR. Then do these sorts of activities as they come up with other books. Most children will begin to come up with their own questions and ideas after rowing a few books. Reading? Many moms don't remember how they learned to read and there is so much angst about doing it according to the experts (at the time???). I love the basic CM method for most kids, but most modern moms feel uncomfortable about it, feeling they will miss something crucial. Ironically, they often do miss something crucial as the price of using a curric that is completely divorced from actual books. So...I agree and disagree with you at the same time. Make sure that the currics you choose are designed to facilitate lessons for young children. A program designed to remediate an older dyslexic (9-12yo) will not produce the same results on a 5yo. Don't burn a 5yo out on math worksheets with 30 problems on each page! But, do begin teaching them how to notate real life math on paper. (Have you seen the Miquon pages? They model this.) Memorize a corpus of poetry and songs and fairy tales, leave the lists of facts for much much later. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacell Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Right Start and/or something with c-rods (Miquon, educationunboxed.com videos or Mathematics Made Meaningful cards) for math. Fun projects for holidays and basic history. A few hands on science projects. Teaching how to write and say letter sounds in cursive with very large motor movements (sidewalk chalk, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacell Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) Right Start and/or something with c-rods (Miquon, educationunboxed.com videos or Mathematics Made Meaningful cards) for math. Fun projects for holidays and basic history. A few hands on science projects. Teaching how to write and say letter sounds in cursive with very large motor movements (sidewalk chalk, etc.) Plenty of read alouds, including lots of Bible. Learning to read the syllabary and blends fluently via homemade sliders. Edited February 3, 2016 by lacell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacell Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Also, for those who don't want to teach cursive first and really want to do a workbook, I like CLE's Kindergarten II Series and also Rod and Staff Going on Eagerly and the others in the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Right Start Math Reading Lessons Through Literature lots of art, maybe Atelier, plus lots of play-doh and paints and crayons science kits and lots of library books (FIAR or PEAK With Books might be good to try, if you need some activities) music, like Kinderbach or Calvert's Discoveries in Music (DD loved both of these in K) some kind of "PE" thing - gymnastics and swimming are great for building strength and body awareness. I consider swimming a necessary life skill. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacell Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I just remembered we also liked to do the Critical THinking Co workbooks and the Brain Quest 300 questions and answers thing orally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porridge Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 My two children are very different. My "ideal" kinder year would look a bit different for each, but in general... Hiking. Lots of hiking and outdoor play. Lots of picnics, reading and discussing picture books together on a blanket outside. Books. Lots of quality books. Stacks of books every day. I would source books from booklists such as Honey for a Child's Heart, or Classical Homeschooling. Throw in lots of books from the series: Let's Read and Find Out for rock solid science background. Math games - card games from Right Start Math Games book Chess Getty Dubay handwriting and interest led handwriting practice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waa510 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 HWT K OPG Explode the Code workbooks RightStart Math A Read and find out science books, Magic school bus, maybe some nature center classes for fun Sonlight K core books for fun reading time tons of library books and reading to K-er lots of art, playtime and fun :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teneo Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Handwriting and phonics: Logic of English Foundations (teaches how and why sounds work they way they do, plus incorporates gross and fine motor in all lessons, both for reading instruction and handwriting. Handwriting also uses cue words) Right Start A or Making Math Meaningful K (the less writing and more hands on discovery required by math in kindergarten the better) For the rest I'd follow the recommendations in Living Books Curriculum Foundations as it lays the groundwork for habits and attitudes for subsequent school years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 My 4 year old will probably be home next year unless I can find a part time program. When you speak of memorization and little songs and rhymes, what do you exactly mean? Is there a CD or some such? I feel like I dropped the ball on memory work with my boy and I want to do it right with her. By way of contributing to the thread, we are going through MEP reception, she takes piano lessons (5 min at a time is more like it) and brother reads to her in french every day for a few minutes.No phonics work yet here so I probably need to get on that. She likes that Teach Your Monster to read programs we do that a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsymama Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Well *ideal* would wonderfully peaceful waldorf home and homeschool but .... yeah that's not happening. I finally gave up on this although I do have WE and gaze lovingly at it from time to time. I'm still in the early stages of planning but so far for my K'er I'm thinking: Math: MEP (we'll finish Reception and go into Yr 1) - possibly supplement with Miquon or CSMP (if I can figure it out)? Reading: Ambleside booklists for Yr 0 and Yr 1 Phonics: I am considering Webster/BP but I have Rocket Phonics which worked for my older two so we'll see. - Supplements: She plays on Teach Your Monster to Read, Starfall, and Reading Bear. Family Subjects (She follows along with olders as long as she's feeling up to it): Spanish: ??? Science: BFSU Vol 1. Annual pass to zoo. Lots of books and videos like Bill Nye, MSB, Sid the Science Kid, etc. (I'm also currently looking at MS Nucleus to go with BFSU instead of our current ES) History: ??? Extracurriculars: Swimming for summer. Soccer in fall. Cheer this winter. We'll see about others. Tin Whistle. Considering piano/keyboard since they all want to learn. Spelling/Phonics: She begs for spelling so I may let her do Word Mastery or use Seq Spell. Starting at Sq One. Grammar: Once again she likes to do what the older kids do so I may let her play with KISS Book One or a yet TBD vintage text. (These two I'm not concerned about teaching at all but I want to be prepared for when she wants it. She's made me completely crazy this year wanting to follow along and me not being prepared with *her* school work :huh: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoes+Ships+SealingWax Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 I recently recieved our K curricula!! We are doing: Math: RightStart A, Miquon Orange Reading: Logic of English Foundations Handwriting: Logic of English Foundations Science: Curious Kids Science, Nature Study Culture: Books, Museums, Festivals Art: Unit Studies Music: Percussion Instruments Logic: Various Games PE: Soccer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 RightStart Math Logic of English Foundations Lots and lots of read aloud books from the library 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsWeasley Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 My ideal kindy would be: All About Reading Handwriting Without Tears Rightstart Math Suzuki Violin Daily Spanish or other modern language tutor (ideal, fantasy) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Abeka Phonics/Reading/Handwriting Singapore Math Five in a Row LOTS LOTS LOTS of time outdoors exploring, making a mess, playing with friends and being a kid :o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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