Kindergarten

So this kid started Kindergarten over a month ago!

Educating at home has been a learning curve for sure.  I started out with a plan, then changed it up a week before school began, and have been tweaking it ever since.  I think we've finally figured out what we are doing for the year.  The curriculums (AO or SCM) that I'm hoping to use in the future don't start until 1st grade so I've been kind of on my own trying to find something to do with him during this transitional year.

N is very much a self-learner.  He already reads a lot so that has made my life a lot easier in terms of what I can do with him.  Here is what our curriculum looks like now that we are in our 6th week of school.

Bible

We've been alternating between reading a selection from Leading Little Ones to God and The Jesus Storybook Bible.  We do LLTG on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when we can do it with Z as well.  On Tuesday and Thursday Z is at preschool, and N and I usually hang out at the church to do "school".  Since the Jesus Storybook Bible is on my Kindle, it makes it really portable.

We are also following the Ambleside Online schedule for hymn study.  So far, we've learned Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken, and we're currently working on There is a Happy Land.  I love both starting our day and finishing it off with a hymn.  We particularly enjoy watching renditions on YouTube.

Last year, we did really well with memorizing verses using Susan Hunt's ABC Bible Verses.  I haven't found something like that for this year, so we're lacking on verse memory right now.  =(  Maybe I should do her one on the Psalms.  hmmmm...

We also just started going back to Pioneer Club at our church.  The boys just love going there, and they do Bible stories, verses, and songs with them there.

Reading Instruction

Since N is already reading, I just have him read a short selection from the Treadwell Readers to me each day.  This just allows me to make sure that he's still using his phonics and not skipping over words.  It also gives him practice reading out loud.  The readers are also on my Kindle.

Literature

Right now, we are working through Winnie-the-Pooh, Arnold Lobel's Fables, and Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses.  When we finish Winnie-the-Pooh, we'll read Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan.

Independent Reading

Technically, this isn't part of school time since it's just free reading, but I get to pick what shows up in N's hands for reading.  He's really been enjoying Flat Stanley books, Magic Tree House, My Father's Dragon trilogy, and the Littles.  I've also been getting some fantastic books by Clyde Robert Bulla that correspond with what we are learning in history.

Math

We are using RightStart Math A, and we're nearing the middle of the book already.  N is enjoying it, but it is one of the subjects that has to happen completely independently of Z which makes it hard to find the time to do it.  Once we finish Level A, I'll start it with Z (going much slower) so that Z will hopefully give me a chance to do Level B with N.  We do RightStart Monday-Thursday.  On Fridays we do something a little different - either a math board/card game or something like Anno's Math Games.

Handwriting

We are using Handwriting Without Tears: Letters and Numbers for Me.  Z also has HWT's My First School Book so they often do this together.  We also use BT Handwriting App on my Kindle.

History/Social Studies

This is where I've done the most tweaking.  I started out using What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know and then using that as a base for picking up related picture books from the library.  This got us started on learning about Native Americans.  Then, while I was at a thrift store, I stumbled across The Light and Glory for Children and From Sea to Shining Sea for Children by Peter Marshall.  These begin with Christopher Columbus, so beginning this week we've been starting those books instead of What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know.  Columbus Day is Monday so we've been reading some picture books we got at the library or own for the next couple of weeks.  We should be at the pilgrims by Thanksgiving in the books as well.  Once we get to the American Revolution after Christmas, we'll be watching Liberty's Kids too.

For geography right now, we are reading Missionary Stories with the Millers.  Every week we read about a different missionary somewhere in the world and what God has done through his or her life.  We also write to our Compassion children once a month and read up about where they live.

Science

Science is a little bit of everything and is kind of lacking a focus.  For a while, we were going to Garden Tots at the Kruckeberg Garden every Friday.  That is now over for the season though.  Phil is teaching the boys programming through Scratch and soon to be using Robot Turtles.  They learn electronics from playing with their Snap Circuits regularly.  Then, we try to go on Nature Walks at least once a week and have been frequenting our neighborhood park with a duck pond and lots of different kinds of trees.  We've been noticing all the new mushrooms recently.  Finally, I'm reading to N Among the Farmyard People which tells short stories about a different farmyard animal while teaching about developing character.

Extras

There is also a bunch of other fun stuff we do regularly.  For our Music Study, we've been spending a couple of weeks on various pieces of music or composers.  So far, we've done Carnival of the Animals, Peter and the Wolf, A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, and we'll start learning about Vivaldi next week.

For Art Study, we're looking at one painting a week from our Come Look With Me books.  Right now, we're doing Landscape Art.

Art is all over the place.  The boys are constantly drawing, cutting, pasting, making, doing with crayons, markers, scissors, glue, tape, and lots and lots of paper.  They love making "games" and N is often narrating a game as he draws.  I really have no part in this.  We also sometimes use the Draw-Write-Now books, but I've found that they only like these when it is their idea and not mine.  These books are nice because they have themes so we've used them to aid in our Native American Studies and there is even a section on Columbus.  We've also done some crafty things like make a paper towel totem pole and clay bowls or history or nature-themed coloring pages from Dover or online.  They also help me cook occasionally, and they love to lick the bowl!  Eventually, I'd like to do felt and felting for our handicrafts, but we've been doing so much other stuff lately that that has been put to the wayside for now.

I wasn't planning on doing Foreign Language, but I stumbled upon Little Pim as a free online resource through my local library.  Each episode is only 5 minutes long and has a mini-quiz at the end, and sometimes this is the perfect break that we need during our homeschool day.  We are doing Spanish.

I really wanted to make Chores (Life Skills?) an important part of our day.  I think it's necessary that kids know how clean the bathroom or hang up clothes, so we try to do these things together as much as possible.  I had the idea of drawing a chore popsicle stick each day, but I've found that I just need to have them help me with whatever is urgent that day instead.

For our P.E. the boys are in classes at the YMCA.  N does Homezone which is a two-hour program once a week that includes an hour of organized games and another hour of swimming.  He's totally exhausted from this (i.e. cranky) for two days following so I don't know if we'll continue this after October.  Z takes swim lessons once a week since he is not old enough for Homezone.

So that's what our homeschool looks like now.  It's going well, and although it might look like a lot, we only do about 1 hour of school each day.  I love the short lessons, and N is able to stay focused when we do things for such a short time.  So far he loves pretty much everything, but reading is definitely his favorite.