Take a look at my curriculum choices for next year

[Elizabeth86]

I know I'm WAY ahead of the game here, but I'm still really new at this and a nervous wreck nailing down curriculum.  We went very light for K and didn't spend much money, but I wanting something more formal for 1st grade.  My wonderful husband is giving me $1000 of our tax return money to spend on curriculum how I see fit, so I don't want to make the wrong choice.  I wanted to put my plan out there to see if you all think it looks solid or if I'm missing anything/doing to much, whatever you have to say.  Any advice is appreciated.

 

 

For language arts this year we did the reading lesson.  It is working well, my son reads through it effortlessly, but he's not reading too well due to his lack of interest for whatever reason.  He reads signs and labels and things nonstop, but if you put a book in front of him he is "too tired."  He can read all kinds of things if I "make" him.  That's about all we've done with language arts.  We did a basic handwriting workbook.  He can write all his letters, I think he is average in this.  I was looking at abeka for language arts.  I struggle with this because I hear so many say it is so tough, but that it is also hard to top for phonics in the early years.  I've been told I can scaled back as needed with any busy work.  I've also had my eye on Memoria Press Storytime Treasures instead of abeka for this area of language arts.  I had my son read from Little Bear today and he did really good.  I've been told it is advanced, but I thought it couldn't hurt to get the guide because between our house and the library we have all the book already.  One more thing, it seems like I heard abeka's writing composition isn't great or am I making this up??

 

For math this year we did Singapore Math Essentials.  Our son is doing great with this.  He LOVES math.  He works ahead.  He actually really gets math.  I just chose Singapore on a whim because my sister in law recommended it.   I'm getting nervous about going on with it though because I'm not really sure how hard it will be for me to teach Singapore Math compared to the traditional way I know or how it might be hard if/when my son goes to traditional school some day.  I'm just not sure how different Singapore math is from traditional math.  I've been thinking about BJU for math instead for a more traditional approach.  I've also been warned it has a ton of busy work that I can omit as I see fit. I've also been thinking about using the DVD for this one.  I watched the sample and man it seemed super thorough and clear.  I was a great math student in school, but I'm terrible at explaining things to him sometimes. 

 

So how does that seem for my core subjects.  Any thing I should know about these picks before I buy them. 

 

Now for science & social studies.  I may or may not do all I've listed, it's just my thoughts so far.

 

I *think* I'm going to divide up science and social studies and do on the first semester and the other for the second semester.  It just seems easier in my mind. 

 

For science I am planning on doing one of the free magic school bus curriculums.  Watch the dvd, read some books on the topic, do an experiment, do some worksheet, watch a video, that sort of thing.  I'm only doing half this year and half next.  I wanted to save some for 2nd grade and K with my other son next year.

 

And for a more standards based approach and to make up for when life gets crazy and I get off schedule, I thought of getting some Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners and/or Daily Practice. 

 

For social studies I struggle.  This is my dreaded subject.  All through school all of our history teachers were sports coaches that taught school to coach sports and that's where they put them and they didn't give the first care about teaching anything.  I literally know nothing about history.  Sad huh?  ANYWAY.  Also, can I say I find teaching social studies SO confusing.  There are so many topics and approaches.  The standards so basic at this age, but still I feel I need to do something.

 

I was thinking of doing BJU heritage studies. 

 

I've had my eye on Galloping the Globe too.  I wouldn't do the whole thing this year.  Like I said I have another son coming up right behind his big brother, so looking ahead I thought I could do half of galloping the globe for next year 1st grade and pre-k, the next half for 2nd and K. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read. I'm a nervous wreck choosing curriculum and I appreciate any and all advice.  I just really want to get this right.  I don't want to overwhelm my son and put too much work on him, but on the other hand, if/when he goes to traditional school some day I would be horrified if I did anything to make get behind.  He's smart and eager to learn and I don't want to let him down. 

 

Sorry I so nervous and crazy.  I tell people who ask about how our homeschool journey is going that I'm like a nervous first time mom again, goggling EVERYTHING and asking "is this normal?"  I have 3 kids now and the third baby was so easy and I know that one day homeschooling will come naturally too.  I'm just in that beginning phase of life that makes me feel crazy.; 

[Rosie_0801]

For the most part there, you sound like you know what you're doing. :)

 

I know nothing about Abeka, but what language arts do you need? He should continue phonics and could start some short copy work sentences and possibly spelling. You should read to him, and it doesn't matter what it is as long as it doesn't make you want to dig your eyes out with a spork. :p

 

If he's doing well with Singapore, stick to it. 

 

Social Studies can mean pretty much anything you want. If you want history, have a look at 'Story of the World.' If you'd rather do geography, do that. Really, at this age, it doesn't matter in the least what you pick. The only point is to start amassing some general knowledge. 

 

There isn't a chance in Hades you could spend a thousand dollars on grade one unless it includes ballet/opera tickets, outside classes or an interstate trip. 

[Elizabeth86]

Rosie_0801 thanks for your reply! 

 

I did forget to mention the reading part.  Yes, I do read to him and often.  He loves books.  I know everyone thinks their kid is "advanced" or whatever and I truly do not.  He's perfectly average and super eager to learn BUT let me tell you, this kid LOVES to be read to.  If you could only see the things I've read to this kid over the years.  We have this book about trains, his passion, we got it because of the great photos, the text is DULL and technical and holy cow I've read so much of that book and yes I want to dig my eyes out with a fork.  Really though this kid LOVES to be read too.  I think he'd sit all day and be read to if I could but he has a 15 month old sister that gets jealous when I read to the boys and HATES looking at books with us so we don't really nearly as much as the 2 of us would like. 

[fralala]

Looks like you've got things pretty well figured out to me!

 

Keep up with Singapore, get the teacher's/home instructor's guide, and you will be just fine. If a child is loving math, that's a good sign that the program is a good fit for both of you!

 

As Rosie said, have you looked at Story of the World? There is absolutely no need to do that thing called "social studies" if you don't want to, and if you feel shaky about history, SOTW is non-intimidating and will build that strong foundation for you. Galloping the Globe looks fun, too.

 

Your science plan looks fun. I've never used those kits, but my kids LOVE the Magic School Bus books and that's an appealing way to learn.

 

For language arts-- well, your son can read and write letters and loves being read aloud to, and he's in K? You know what, things are going really well. I haven't used Storytime Treasures, but again, it sounds like you might have found the thing that will work great for your family. Until the toddler gets a little more tolerant of your read-alouds, would your sons enjoy audio books?

[MyLife]

I just want to throw my two cents in on BJU Heritage Studies. We used Heritage Studies 1 in Kindergarten, and it is very schooly. I bought it because I thought it was mostly Early American History. It does include a lot of Early American History and map work, but it also includes "fluff" like "my family." We skipped over those sections because, honestly, those were topics my kid already knew from just living life. I also do not think my kid retained much from BJU Heritage Studies.

 

If I had to do it over again, I would have read through some good picture books that covered Early American History.

 

I also agree that $1000 is a whole lot of money to spend on first grade, and this is coming from someone who loves curriculum. But maybe any extra money could go to something special like art classes, martial arts, sports, etc.

Edited January 19, 2017 by MyLife

[Ellie]

I know I'm WAY ahead of the game here, but I'm still really new at this and a nervous wreck nailing down curriculum.  We went very light for K and didn't spend much money, but I wanting something more formal for 1st grade.  My wonderful husband is giving me $1000 of our tax return money to spend on curriculum how I see fit, so I don't want to make the wrong choice.  I wanted to put my plan out there to see if you all think it looks solid or if I'm missing anything/doing to much, whatever you have to say.  Any advice is appreciated.

 

 

For language arts this year we did the reading lesson.  It is working well, my son reads through it effortlessly, but he's not reading too well due to his lack of interest for whatever reason.  He reads signs and labels and things nonstop, but if you put a book in front of him he is "too tired."  He can read all kinds of things if I "make" him.  That's about all we've done with language arts.  We did a basic handwriting workbook.  He can write all his letters, I think he is average in this.  I was looking at abeka for language arts.  I struggle with this because I hear so many say it is so tough, but that it is also hard to top for phonics in the early years.  I've been told I can scaled back as needed with any busy work.  I've also had my eye on Memoria Press Storytime Treasures instead of abeka for this area of language arts.  I had my son read from Little Bear today and he did really good.  I've been told it is advanced, but I thought it couldn't hurt to get the guide because between our house and the library we have all the book already.  One more thing, it seems like I heard abeka's writing composition isn't great or am I making this up??

 

For math this year we did Singapore Math Essentials.  Our son is doing great with this.  He LOVES math.  He works ahead.  He actually really gets math.  I just chose Singapore on a whim because my sister in law recommended it.   I'm getting nervous about going on with it though because I'm not really sure how hard it will be for me to teach Singapore Math compared to the traditional way I know or how it might be hard if/when my son goes to traditional school some day.  I'm just not sure how different Singapore math is from traditional math.  I've been thinking about BJU for math instead for a more traditional approach.  I've also been warned it has a ton of busy work that I can omit as I see fit. I've also been thinking about using the DVD for this one.  I watched the sample and man it seemed super thorough and clear.  I was a great math student in school, but I'm terrible at explaining things to him sometimes. 

 

So how does that seem for my core subjects.  Any thing I should know about these picks before I buy them. 

 

Now for science & social studies.  I may or may not do all I've listed, it's just my thoughts so far.

 

I *think* I'm going to divide up science and social studies and do on the first semester and the other for the second semester.  It just seems easier in my mind. 

 

For science I am planning on doing one of the free magic school bus curriculums.  Watch the dvd, read some books on the topic, do an experiment, do some worksheet, watch a video, that sort of thing.  I'm only doing half this year and half next.  I wanted to save some for 2nd grade and K with my other son next year.

 

And for a more standards based approach and to make up for when life gets crazy and I get off schedule, I thought of getting some Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners and/or Daily Practice. 

 

For social studies I struggle.  This is my dreaded subject.  All through school all of our history teachers were sports coaches that taught school to coach sports and that's where they put them and they didn't give the first care about teaching anything.  I literally know nothing about history.  Sad huh?  ANYWAY.  Also, can I say I find teaching social studies SO confusing.  There are so many topics and approaches.  The standards so basic at this age, but still I feel I need to do something.

 

I was thinking of doing BJU heritage studies. 

 

I've had my eye on Galloping the Globe too.  I wouldn't do the whole thing this year.  Like I said I have another son coming up right behind his big brother, so looking ahead I thought I could do half of galloping the globe for next year 1st grade and pre-k, the next half for 2nd and K. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read. I'm a nervous wreck choosing curriculum and I appreciate any and all advice.  I just really want to get this right.  I don't want to overwhelm my son and put too much work on him, but on the other hand, if/when he goes to traditional school some day I would be horrified if I did anything to make get behind.  He's smart and eager to learn and I don't want to let him down. 

 

Sorry I so nervous and crazy.  I tell people who ask about how our homeschool journey is going that I'm like a nervous first time mom again, goggling EVERYTHING and asking "is this normal?"  I have 3 kids now and the third baby was so easy and I know that one day homeschooling will come naturally too.  I'm just in that beginning phase of life that makes me feel crazy.; 

 

If he loves the math, then stick with that. But there's nothing wrong with doing something different, either. :-) For a traditional math series, my favorite is Rod and Staff Publishers. It has excellent scripted oral "class time", where you actually do the teaching, and then you assign the seatwork, which will reinforce what you just taught. No busy work.  BJUP isn't bad, but it's way too busy for my eyeballs. :-) And honestly, with such a little person, I wouldn't do the DVDs.

 

As far as "language arts," my strongest recommendation is Spalding. It is a complete English course, teaching children to read by teaching them to spell, penmanship, capitalization and punctuation, and simple writing. You only need a one-time purchase of the manual (Writing Road to Reading) and a set of flash cards. If you have the extra to spend, you could add the McCall-Harby books.

 

History and science are the most fun subjects. :-) It's ok that there are so many topics and approaches, because the most important thing is that your children enjoy them, because when they are high school age where it sort of matters, they will have lots of information tucked away in their brains, and they'll remember all the good times and they'll look forward to learning more. Also, children cannot be "behind" in these subjects if they go to school.

 

I wouldn't do a textbook for this age. Why not go with WTM's recommendations for science and history? Or a Jennifer Steward unit study? Or if you want something more complete, KONOS, which does history, geography, science, Bible, arts and crafts--everything except English and math skills--while studying godly character traits such as attentiveness, obedience, orderliness, trustworthiness, and more. With such young children, Volume 1 would be your best bet.

[Storygirl]

For first grade history, I liked teaching my kids about basic US history. An American history program for this age is hard to find, but you don't need one. You can start by reading The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dagliesh https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=thanksgiving+story to learn about the Pilgrims. If you want to add it it, I like History Pockets, which teach through craft activities. There is one for Colonial America and one for Native Americans.

 

Then you could read The Fourth of July Story, also by Dagliesh https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-July-Story-Alice-Dalgliesh/dp/0689718764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484875061&sr=8-1&keywords=fourth+of+july+story.

 

Really, that would be more than sufficient for first grade, even if you don't add the craft projects. I would only do those if they would be fun for your family. If you want to do more, just check out picture book biographies of people you think he should know.

 

Read and talk and have fun.

[Peaceseeker]

Just thought I would comment about social studies. I remember being overwhelmed by the thought of history too when we started. I didn't even know where to begin because the subject is just so broad. So we did geography for 1st grade and part of 2nd grade too because it was just so fun and it gave me extra time to come up with a plan for history.

 

There are lots of geography resources out there for the little ones- puzzle maps, globes, little passport or map activities. It is easy to put together some books from the library on different countries each week or each month. Lots of crafts and world cookbook recipes to do with kids if you are into the hands on projects.

 

If the global thing doesn't appeal, you can also do a study of just the 50 states/US geography or even down to a micro 'my community' social studies program. They can learn about your own city or town, use maps to get around to the local post office, library, etc...field trips to see fire trucks and police cars are popular at those ages and fit right in with that type of program.

 

I know a lot of people delve right into a four year history cycle with their little ones but I just wasn't ready, and I am not sure they really were either. Geography was a great fit for our family to cover the social studies requirement in the early years. Just something to consider!

Edited January 20, 2017 by CoffeeMama11

[Clemsondana]

If that's meant to be a single-year budget, you have a lot of wiggle room. I'm not going to offer specific curriculum suggestions - we enjoy Singapore and have been eclectic with language arts, science, and history. Since you probably won't spend that much on this year's work, I thought I'd suggest a few 'stock your shelves' books. You might enjoy ED Hirsch's core knowlege books to get some ideas for history or science topics. Several years ago, somebody recommended that, when I buy a curriculum (like Singapore math) that I go ahead and get an additional workbook for my next kid. That way if they change the book, I don't have to re-buy the text. If you decide to re-sell, you haven't invested much more and can usually get the workbook cost back. Find some reference books - animal encyclopedia, illustrated history, Steven Biesty's 'see inside' books, or 'The way we/things work' etc. Depending on your preferences, DK, Usborne, etc, have good 'stock your shelves' books that you'll come back to for years. SOTW was the same way for us - we didn't ever do it straight through, but we've referred to it for years. The hardest thing for me is that I want to buy too many books - we have lots, and I have to figure out what we need to have on our shelves and what we can check out from the library.

[....]

My wonderful husband is giving me $1000 of our tax return money to spend on curriculum how I see fit, so I don't want to make the wrong choice.  

 

That is an absolute ton of money for one kid.  I'm planning to spend around $400 on the next school year for 4 kids (and two of them are in high school).  I would be tempted to take the money and open like an "educational savings account" (or you could call it that to yourselves) and let any money you don't use build up in there over the years.  If a really cool field trip, activity or camp came along....you could pull the money out and use it for that.

 

That is really nice that your husband is willing to do this!

 

Oh and there really is no such thing as a wrong choice.  If something looks like fun, try it...and if it doesn't work out, you can put curriculum on Ebay or bring it to a homeschool store to resell or something (we have a used curriculum store here).  

[TCB]

Another vote for Story of the World here, and you can use the Activity Guide too. We always did the map-work from the ActivityGuide, and then picked and chose from the other activities.

I really like SWB's WWE program for the writing portion of language arts. She also has a grammar program which was a little too scripted for me, but I know lots of people like it. I would recommend Grammar Island as a good starting grammar program, but am not sure if it would be suitable for a 1st grader or might be better with an older child.

[Guest]

Don't do social studies, then.

 

Get whatever curricula looks like the bee's knees to you. Spend the other 800$ on books, toys and outside clothes :)

[maize]

Don't do social studies, then.

 

Get whatever curricula looks like the bee's knees to you. Spend the other 800$ on books, toys and outside clothes :)

This!

 

Also, don't try to spend $1000 all at once; you're sure to find things you want funds for later on.

 

Consider lessons or classes--dance, tumbling, music, etc.

[Elizabeth86]

Thank you all.  I'm taking it all in and thinking about it!

[Clemsondana]

One of our splurges last year was Pin-It maps - it was pricy, but can be used for years for geography practice,

[OneStepAtATime]

I agree, put a significant portion of that money into a savings account so as interesting things come up you have the funds to try them out.  And look at outside classes.  That really is a LOT of money for one child going into 1st grade.

[Elizabeth86]

I agree, put a significant portion of that money into a savings account so as interesting things come up you have the funds to try them out.  And look at outside classes.  That really is a LOT of money for one child going into 1st grade.

 

Thank you all.  I just wanted to let you know my budget.  I wasn't trying to spend it all at once.  Any reusable portions will be reused as I have an almost 4 year old and a 15 month old and our family isn't done yet. 

[OneStepAtATime]

Thank you all.  I just wanted to let you know my budget.  I wasn't trying to spend it all at once.  Any reusable portions will be reused as I have an almost 4 year old and a 15 month old and our family isn't done yet. 

Sounds like a reasonable plan.  :)