It’s hard to believe that our school year is almost over. As it approached, we had much disbelief and anticipation that our baby was starting Kindergarten. Now, we are faced with the disbelief that next week our baby will turn 6 years old and at the end of the month he will have completed his school year of Kindergarten!!
I began homeschooling our son when he was 3 with preschool curriculum. Over the years, I’ve learned to explore teaching methods and curriculum that worked with his learning styles. I’ve made many mistakes and know there will always be mistakes made, but I am finally coming to a point that I am in a good rhythm of this “homeschooling thing.”
Today, I just wanted to share a brief overview of what our homeschool curriculum looked like this school year. I plan on doing more in-depth reviews later on specific pieces of the curriculum. Even if you do not homeschool, I think these reviews could be beneficial for you in the chance you may want or need to supplement your child’s school work in a certain area.
2014-2015 Kindergarten Curriculum
This curriculum is not a boxed curriculum, but is pieced together with works that I felt would work best. Some curriculum we started out the year with, but ended up replacing it with a better fit. Some curriculum we finished up early and then I added on new things to continue learning through the end of the school year.
Language Arts (reading, language, phonics):
- The Reading Lesson by Levin and Langton
- Language Lessons for Little Ones 3
- Hooked on Phonics Level 1 and 2 Kindergarten
- Hooked on Phonics Level 1 and 2 1st Grade
- Numerous beginning reading books
- Sight Word Flash Cards by Flash Kids
Handwriting:
- A Reason for Handwriting (Kindergarten)
- Handwriting: Printing by Brighter Child
Math:
- Mathematical Reasoning Level A by The Critical Thinking Co.
- Math U See: Primer: Introduction to Math
- Active Minds: Math 101 things every Kindergartener should know about math
Geography:
- Beginning Geography (Grades K-2) by Evan-Moor
- World Geo Map Puzzles (complete set)
Critical Thinking and Reasoning:
- Developing The Early Learner books 1-4 by Simone Bibeau
Science:
- InquisiKids Discover & Do Level K
- Lots of YouTube Videos and Documentaries on things he wanted to learn more about
- EduScience Wacky Lab
- Snap Circuits
Foreign Language (Hebrew):
- Shalom Alef Bet! A Pre-Primer for Shalom Uvrachah by Behrman House
- Aleph-Bet Fash Cards by Jet
Art:
- HomeArtStudio: Kindergarten with Lindsey Volin
Miscellaneous:
- What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know by Core Knowledge
- Numerous DVD’s such as LeapFrog, Rock N Learn, and What’s in the Bible.
- A daily chart that he has to list the month, date, day, weather, and season.
- Each morning he does the Pledge to the Christian Flag and to the American Flag.
- We opened each school morning with a devotion and prayer.
- At night, he is read a chapter of the Bible before bedtime.
So there you have it, it’s been great to watch Noah be filled with excitement, because he learned to do something new. There have been struggles, but most of those struggles were because we needed to find a new way of doing things. I would love to hear from any of you fellow homeschoolers about curriculum you used, what worked and what didn’t. I also welcome questions from those that are just curious or interested.
