Homeschool Update and the Curriculum we Use



This kindergarten year is going great! We are ahead in math, right on par with reading and writing, excelling above average in history science and geography.  And to think I almost gave up the fight before even trying.  Instead I ignored the fears, bought curriculum and joined a co op with fifteen other families.  And I am happy and content. 

I love homeschooling.  I love that I can teach my kids for fifteen minutes and then when they get ancy, sidetracked or bored I set the timer for twenty minutes and they go play.  I love that if Elly needs help with her reading or math she has my one on one attention.  I love that she recognizes all seven continents, all four oceans, a few countries in Europe and the English channel.  Yeah, that is so much more than I knew or remembered like a year ago.



I love how much I am learning!  I am really learning a lot about the world.  It is amazing what you forget.  I actually wonder if I ever learned some of these things in school, because honestly I don't remember.  I love that my girls are the best of friends, it warms my heart.  And I love that I get to spend time with my girls reading books, making lunch together and cuddling through out the day.

Yeah, so my house is pretty much always messy, and let's be honest life isn't always rosy and full of butterflies, I lose my cool once the whining begins, but I truly feel like this is what we as a family are meant to do, at least for now.  And I feel in complete peace with it, and that is pretty cool.

We have a bit of things we work on through out the week and I thought I might share our curriculum.



Math: Math U See.  We are about to finish up kindergarten (we started that last year) and begin the first grade version in a week or two.  I love it!  It is easy to teach and uses manipulatives. Two pages a day is just enough.




Reading: I have a dyslexic husband and I myself didn't learn to read until my repeat year of first grade.  We have been using teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons.  It has taken a bit more than 100 and not always so easy, so I have also introduced hooked on phonics and this is helping with sight reading better.  A lesson from each plus an easy level one reader where she reads specific sight words and I read the rest.  I find just reading with her these easy reader books have made a HUGE difference, and over the course of three weeks, she is now READING!!  Words can not express how ecstatic and overjoyed I am about this!!

 
 


Writing: This is where dollar store finds come into place.  Some cheapo, small writing books. We do a page a day.



Critical Thinking:  I got a great 1st grade book at Barnes and Noble that help with all subjects including critical thinking we do a page or two a day.


Mondays: Science and Music



Tuesdays: English and Religion


 



Wednesdays: Co-Op


Thursdays: Crafts and History

 
 


Fridays: Geography, Nature and Art History

 
 
 
 
We also use memory cards from Classical Conversations, they come with CD's with songs to help you memorize timeline and history facts.  Really love this!
 
 
 
 


 

Comments

Celeste said…
That is really cool. I also buy the cheap learning books from the dollar store and some huge ones at Costco for about $8. Flash cards and all that too. I've actually started laminating some pages, so I can re-use them with Sam.

Home schooling seems a bit intimidating, but most things are until we do them. I'm not sure if we'll ever homeschool, though if we end up moving I will probably seriously look into it.
November 17, 2013 at 10:00 PM
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