We are now in our 9th year of homeschooling, and I have officially registered 4 kids with the Department of Education as homeschoolers! So many people have asked me how we work from home and homeschool; while not perfect, I promised to share what curriculum options we use for each of the kids.
Feel free to copy this list for Kindergarten or adapt it for your own homeschool use! (Note: Some of the linked to resources are affiliate links. Rest assured, however, we personally use all of these resources. This is the exact list I turned into the Nebraska State Education administrator.)
According to the Charlotte Mason Method, we try to incorporate the following on most days (we strive to do 4 full formal days of school a week; our school year is year-round, with the exception of times off for holidays, sickness, or the birth of a new baby):
- Penmanship or Copywork (We find many free samples through Pinterest or other blogs)
- Phonics/reading/language (See curriculum tools below)
- Math
We read Old and New Testament stories straight from the Bible. We incorporate this with videos from the JellyTelly.com website. Phil Vischer has an amazing series entitled "What's in the Bible" that explains Old and New Testament principles very well. The DVD's are a bit out of our budget, so the $5 monthly fee to access the videos, plus dozens of other resources is well worth the money. We also use their family Bible Study series "Bloom", available on the site. (Use code JELLYTELLY1 to get $5 off your first month.)
History:
Most of our history is read-aloud and discussion of the following books:
- Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall
- Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin (These are very short, just 1-3 pages per story. They are perfect for bedtime reading, if you are having trouble fitting history into your day.)
Most of our geography is read-aloud and discussion of the following book:
- Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
Natural History/Science
Most of our science is read-aloud and discussion of the following books:
- The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock (This book is very expensive, however, the children will use it for 4 or more years of nature study.)
- The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton Burgess (We chose to download this as an ebook for the iPad.)
(See Kindergarten Favorites below)
Phonics/Reading Instruction
We are big fans of ReadingEggs.com for students who have mastered their letter sounds. (This link gets you a free 2-week trial). For those who aren't yet sounding out phonetically, I recommend ABCMouse.com.
Mathematics
We use Singapore Math for our math program. Depending on your child's skill level, they may or may not be at the Early Bird level. Use this test on the Singapore Math site to place your child in the appropriate grade. (If they have no formal math training, the Early Bird program is a great place to start and can build confidence in existing skills.) If you are on a budget, you may choose to only buy the student textbook or the workbook, but not both.
Health
We are required to teach Health in the state of Nebraska. I personally don't feel that a formal program is necessary, so we use hand-me-downs of formal homeschool textbook as a guide when we cover topics. We have had good luck with Bob Jones 1: Health and Safety.
Music
I play the piano, and I teach my own children using the Bastien book series.
Literature
We read often, but for formal reading and activities, I highly recommend the Kindergarten Favorites book from Veritas Press: (It covers the following books - which will need to be acquired separately - and meets our requirements for copywork and penmanship, as well):
• Big Brown Bear
• Biscuit
• The Horse in Harry's Room
• Morris the Moose
• Sammy the Sea
(Note: Veritas Press sells the books in a bundle, but they are very classic books that are carried by most libraries.)
Also, if you are not comfortable with forgoing a formal "testing" scenario to know what your Kindergartner has learned by the end of the year, I suggest this Formidable List of Attainments for a Child of Six, put together by Charlotte Mason..
Have questions? Be sure to put them in the comments!
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