Curriculum Question, Kindegarten Options

[Genine]

I was just wondering if someone can tell me how to get started with hs-ing. My dd is in Kindegarten and I am considering hs for next year. Where do I get a curriculum? Do I buy it from somewhere? I notice a lot of individual subject ideas are on this site, but I haven't seen anything about a complete packet for each grade. Is this not how it is done?


Genine from Georgia
Mom of Madison 5 1/2 & Mackenzie 2 1/2

[Blaise]

I'm not really using a curriculum for my 6yo. I just started with McGuffey's Primer for reading. Some of Donna's worksheets for writing. Flashcards for math. (he was playing with these like a game since he was 4!)

He finished the primer and is reading everything he can get his hands on now. Nursery Rhymes... Dr. Seuss... Aesop's Fables... All I really want him to do is develop a love for reading so later it won't be like a chore.

When we started writing this year he couldn't hold a pencil right. Now he is doing copy work on his own and his handwriting is almost perfect!!

We started with flash cards. He loves them and won't let me help him at all with the answers. He covers my mouth if I try. Now he is working out of a workbook that is for 1st and 2nd grade full of drill sheets. He's already adding double digits and with carrying numbers. We will be starting on borrowing subtraction soon.

So you don't really need a curriculum right now unless you want one.

[krodriguez]

We are using lots of different curricula and I really like it that way!! We are using Bob Jones for math for my 2nd grader, but the rest of her subjects are all varied. We are using an Abeka reader for history, but mostly using good books and the internet as well.

My 1st grader is using all sorts of curricula as well and it has alsso worked out well for her.

We are definitely ecclectic in our approach and it has worked really well.

I know Abeka has a full curriculum package and I am pretty sure most companies offer that, but I don't know completely.

I agree that you probably do not need a full package unless you really want it. We have done well wo it.

Good luck!! I am sure you will find something that works well for your family! There is so much out there!

[gillespie518]

I felt alot better when I first got started homeschooling purchasing a curriculum that was put together by grade level. I wanted to make sure that I covered everything that should be covered. After a couple of years, I started picking and choosing different programs for different subjects because I was much more comfortable with what I was doing. Abeka offers complete grade level curriculum. Alpha Omega offers complete curriculum in workbook form through their LifePac series. You can also go to www.homeschoolsupercenter.com/shop and order a full grade level curriculum with choices for christian, secular, bargain package, etc............. It lists the contents for you so you know what you're getting before you purchase.

Hope that helps and good luck!
Misty

[Sherinova]

I didn't use a packaged curric for K, but I did look at several of them along the lines of Abeka & Sonlight. I also bought Ann Ward's Learning At Home for PreK & K. I didn't follow it, but I sure used a lot of her ideas.
I purchased Sonlight K for our first official year of hsing (1st grade)....I lasted about 6 weeks with it and then 'cannibalized' it for the bits and pieces that I actually wanted to use. It's a quality curric, IMO, but it just wasn't my style.
If you want a complete curric with a Christian worldview, I'd suggest Bob Jones, Rod and Staff, Abeka, Sonlight or Christian Liberty Press. Sonlight is less traditional than the others. I personally like Rod and Staff and use some of their subjects for my 2 boys. Another one that I would consider if doing K again is LLATL (Learning Language Arts Thru Literature) and I think several ladies here have used this one.
Here's a few link to get started with. Order their catalogs and see how they feel.
BJU
Sonlight
R&S (Milestone Ministries)
Abeka
Ambleside (not a curric per se, but good site)
CLP
Happy Curric Shopping!

[CelticMuse]

[MomofBunbun]

There is a book...I think it was Mary Pride's The Big Book of Home Learning . It goes over all the major curriculum choices out there. Picking a curriculum can be overwhelimg because they all sound so good and you usually can't figure out exactly what you are ordering from a website or catalog. Fortunately for K, it is relatively easy to piece together what needs to be covered.

www.worldbook.com has a scope and sequence for each grade level so you can check out what most K kids are learning.

I borrowed materials from homeschooling friends. Some I ended up using (Five in a Row). Some I used part way (Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons) but had to ditch it and switch directions. It's important to pick something with your child in mind. Do they like workbooks? Do they like flashcards? etc etc.

I signed up for all sorts of catalogs.

My dh and I have made arrangements so I can attend this year's convention. I am only interested in getting my hands on a few things so I can see what they look like!

[*tc*]

Dd would be in Kindergarten this year if she were in PS and I don't use any one curriculum. Sort of mix and match and adjust as we go. A little bit here and there, so to speak. It's not only easier, but cheaper as well.

[2Bgracious]

A few things to think about...

What are your goals in homeschooling? Are you homeschooling because of religious reasons, because you want an accelerated education for your child, because you want learning to be fun, etc?

What is your child's learning style? What are her strengths and weaknesses? Is she hands on or does she like to sit and do a workbook/coloring book? Is she hyper or calm?

After you think of those things...then it's time to read about teaching methods and educational models (and some curriculum uses a combination of several)(I have curriculum that falls under these categories listed after each):

Unit Study>>>(this is doing several subjects based on a topic or period in history)
Weaver, Tapestry of Grace, Konos, TruthQuest, Heart of Wisdom

Classical>>>>(this is based upon the idea of certain types of teaching depending upon the child's age and mental developement know as the Trivium:grammar, dialetic, and rhetoric)
The Well Trained Mind, Calvert, Covenant Home, Tapestry of Grace

Textbook>>>>(this is the format used in public and most private schools)
Abeka, Bob Jones University, Calvert, Covenant Home, Rod & Staff

Unschooling>>>(this can mean many things...speak to one of the unschoolers here)

Charlotte Mason/Living Books>>>(this is learning by living, observing, reading, narrating, discussing, etc)
Weaver, Heart of Wisdom, (read anything by Karen Andreola), Five in a Row, (unschooling can blend in here)

Online/Computer>>>(this speaks for itself)
Switched on Schoolhouse

"Workbook">>>(this is smaller workbooks than a typical workbook...more like booklets that are done on one skill with a test at the end of the booklet then move on to the next booklet/skill)
School of Tomorrow, Alpha Omega LifePacs, Christian Light (Mennonite form of the same curriculum "LifePacs"

Eclectic>>>>>(this is a mix of this and that...most homeschools are eclectic in one sense or another)



Additional Methods that are used within methods:

Lapbooking>>>this is making interactive folders "books" of what is learned

Notebooking>>>this is the child's writings of what is being learned

Living Books>>>biography, realistic fiction, the world (library) is your oyster (or rather your education)


I'm not meaning to overwhelm you...but hopefully this list will help you better understand what ppl are talking about when certain terms are used and that maybe it will give you some ideas of what you may desire for now and what your goal is for later. Feel free to ask about anything. There is plenty on the internet to look at. And most curriculum providers have websites (the mennonite ones do not as they are against regular internet use based upon their eschalogical views)

[Blaise]

Another good website to look at is Robinson Curriculum. It a self-teaching method and it works well for my older ones for now and they love it. Just today I was talking to other homeschooled moms and a few of them use it too. But with a lower grades child, they need your help as much as possible.

I love sitting with my son and going through workbooks for fun. (I don't even think he thinks of it as school)

[quiltinmommy]

I started with a set curriculum for my own piece of mind. I pick and choose more now, but now I 've gotten a feeling for my style and that of my children I am also not as overwhelmed with all the choices.... I've learned what to look for and why...it gets easier..... Sheri gave you a good list of curriculum sources, order their catalog and some offer samples. It's also getting time for curriculum fairs... I will warn you, they can be totally overwhelming, but go prepared. Do your homework, know what you want to look at and look their first, then browse and discover your options. Some companies offer discounts at curriculum fairs and you can get great deals....however I find it better not to buy on impulse, I always end up with things I don't use.

[CantiniClan05]

For my kindergartner, this year's focus is reading and math skills. (For now, other subjects get covered only when he shows interest.)

We use How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and supplement that with little phonics readers (specific to our religion) and other appropriate phonetic readers from the local library.

We utilize the library for other topics of interest also.

For his math, we first used store-bought K workbooks then purchased Singapore Math Headstart.

I read A LOT and we are also utilizing unabridged audiobooks of classics.

The rest of his homeschooling comes from life for now.

[jessie]

[robinsnest]

WoW I've been reading and checking out all this sites you all have mentioned. 3 hours now! Robinson will give me a personal call from their home at 8pm...SHOCK!

I wasn't the 1st here but with all this Great advice...I won't be the last.
Thanks!