Homeschool. Our curriculum round-up.

I am still working on a post about why we are homeschooling.  It is a super personal decision each parent has to make for his or herself, so I'm trying to be very careful in how I present our reasoning behind it.  I know it isn't a choice for everyone, and it may not be a choice for us in the future (we already know Swee'Pea will go to public high school, and I am already praying that we can find a house to live in that feeds into the school of our choice!).  Anyway, until I can get that blog post knocked out, I thought I'd go through our curriculum choices for this first homeschooling year.  Please be aware this is probably incredibly boring for 99% of you... but as a teacher and a lover of curriculum and all things educational, this stuff actually interested me long before we were even ready to start thinking about preparing to homeschool Swee'Pea.  Yes, I'm a geek!  I'm embracing it!


We are homeschooling based on the Classical Method of educating.  In this method, students are taught in a pattern known as the trivium.  In summary, the classical education is a three-part process of training the mind.  The first years are known as the "grammar" or "foundational" stage, absorbing facts and memorizing rules and descriptions.  The second stage is known as the "logic" stage, where students start to apply those facts to relationships, cause and effect arguments, and interrelating different areas of knowledge.  The final phase is known as the "rhetoric" stage, in which students learn to truly express themselves using the knowledge built in stages one and two.   I am totally going to nerd-out right now and admit that this is so immensely interesting to me and a good friend and I have literally sat around and talked for hours about methods of education.  I realize most of you glazed over attempting to read that paragraph.  

Basically...
I am teaching facts.
I am teaching directly and explicitly.
I am teaching that all subjects are interrelated.
I (will be) teaching heavily in the sciences and social studies.
I am teaching using classical texts and works typically not used in traditional schools today.
I am not teaching in a way that would be taught in traditional schooling.
I am not restricting myself to teaching according to the California State Standards (I am, however, using them as a guide to ensure he is at or above them.  Did you know Kindergarten is not even required in the state of California?  True story.)

Whew.

After spending a year (or more) really researching the method of schooling I was going to be following, I spent a lot of time researching what curriculum I wanted to use for our first year of homeschooling.  And when I say a lot, I mean a lot.  I read forums, spoke to homeschooling friends, stalked blogs, requested catalogues, and scoured countless reviews.  Researching is something I truly enjoy, and curriculum is something I am honestly passionate about.  After seven years a public school teacher and experiencing countless curriculum changes, I knew what I was looking for in a curriculum choice.  I knew that a boxed curriculum was not something we would be happy with.  I needed to pick and choose what worked and didn't work for us!  In the end, I came up with a great collection of materials that I am truly excited about!  I hope it is a curriculum that will carry us through the first 4-5 years of his primary education (most curriculum sharply shifts after 3rd grade when you are no longer "learning to read" but rather "reading to learn").

Phonics/Reading: 
The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading
This book has over 200 lessons that are simple, direct, and scripted.  Your first lesson is on the short vowel a sound.  The last lesson has your child reading supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  We do one lesson a day in this book.

Scholastic Alphabet Letters and Pictures

This was a splurge I am so happy I went for.  These magnetic letters are perfect for visualizing the sounds Swee'Pea is working on.  Each sound comes with an accompanying object magnet, which is a great picture clue when he is working on harder sounds.  This is one of those gems I am so glad I spent the money on!

Explode the Code
A sequential, systematic approach to phonics.  The first lesson (which will take us 1-2 weeks there are so many pages) has the student blending sounds with the short a sound.  They also practice writing the words, which I love.

Bob Books

Each book typically concentrates on one vowel sound and an initial and final consonant sound.  The first story uses four letters alone to tell a story of a boy named Mat.  This is a great way to practice the letters we've worked on during our phonics lesson.  The pictures and story lines are random but totally hysterical to my four-year-old.  

Not pictured is a book called Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use.  It is a book I use to direct lessons on phonics.  We are starting with it next week.
Math:
Horizons Math LevelK
When I was looking for a math curriculum, I knew I wanted it to spiral and to meet (or hopefully exceed) California math standards.  Horizons is an added bonus in that it is faith-based as well (which basically just means he sometimes counts pictures of doves or babies in mangers... how faith-based can you get in Kinder math??).  Swee'Pea LOVES his math book, and I'm really hoping this is a curriculum that will work well for us K-3.

Bible:

Positive Action Bible Curriculum Level PreK

Another big splurge I am so happy I went with.  Most homeschooling families I know do not use any Bible curriculum other than the Bible (obviously our number one source!) and printables from the Interwebs.  I am totally being honest when I say that I did not feel one ounce confident in designing my own curriculum for our Bible lessons.  I wanted something tangible to teach from, and I wanted structured lessons that would guide me (I love a good plan, people).  I went with the PreK curriculum on this one because I am hoping this is something we use each year, and in looking at the scope and sequence for the following years, I really wanted this good foundational year provided by the PreK material.  Plus, the workbook requires little to no writing (and I felt like he is getting enough writing with his phonics book and the handwriting I already have him do for letters and numbers).  I did add in my plans him writing out his memory verse each week, which is quite exhausting for a four-year-old but I feel is very important as part of his lessons.  The activity book that came with the curriculum is so much fun, and he does three pages a week in it.  Those practice skills great skills like cutting, gluing, tracing, following steps, and ordering sequential events.  We love it!

Jesus Storybook Bible
The best kids' Bible, hands down.  I love the way the author of this Bible weaves the redemption story of Jesus throughout the entire book.  He makes clear that God's plan, from the beginning of time, was to send his son to be the savior of this sinful world.  How beautiful is that??  The artist does an amazing job depicting each story.  The accompanying audio CDs are fantastic as well.  We read this each day to go along with our Bible curriculum lesson!

Science:

DK Eyewitness Encyclopedias

As I mentioned before, Kindergartners (according to California state standards), are to study animal, plant, and human systems.  Because animals by far have the most topics for us to study (mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, fish, etc.) we will study them for roughly 20 weeks total.  We will study plants and humans 10 each, for a total of 40 weeks of science.  Swee'Pea has already requested to study bears first, and then we will most likely go to water animals (he is obsessed with killer whales).  I splurged and got a family pass to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, and we've already used it for discount entry at two other zoos (with plans for many more).  We also have family passes to Sea World.  We are going to have such a fun year studying our animals in books and up close!  Our plant study will most likely be in the spring to coincide with the planting of our vegetable garden.  For science I purchase the Plant, Animal, and Human Body DK books, and he already had the Insect and Reptile books so those will help out our animal study.  I may splurge on the Mammal book, too.  These books are BEAUTIFUL and can be found on almost any topic you want, from Cowboys to Space Engineering. 

Mudpies to Magnets

A homeschooling friend suggested this book to me so I picked it up.  It is full of lots of great little experiments to do with your child.  This is not just for homeschooling moms, this is for all moms who want something fun to do with your kids!  Lots of great little projects, some quick using everyday materials found in your home!

 Social Studies:
??? 
I have sadly not purchased anything for Social Studies (gasp.  shudder.  what?? this if my FAVORITE subject to teach my fourth grades AND history was my original major in college.  how dare I?!).

Here's the deal.  I already know what curriculum I plan on using for first grade.  We will be using "Story of the World" book 1, and will be studying Ancient times from the Nomads to the Roman Emperor.  For kindergarten there is just no curriculum that screamed "buy me!"  Mostly because Social Studies in the kinder year is basic knowledge Swee'Pea already knows!  Communities, civic duties and jobs, patriotic symbols, address and phone number, etc.  So unless I find something cheap super cool, I will mostly be teaching using some flash cards I bought in the $1 section at Target, hands-on experiences, and this book:

What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know
This book is legit.  And cheap full of great curriculum.  Their social studies section is full of everything Swee'Pea needs for this year (except without all the bangs and whistles and pretty graphics).  I actually encourage anyone who has a kid in school (homeschooling or traditional) to pick up a book for every level of student you have.  I love that these are not California-based standards, but classical knowledge based standards that kids really should know!  I used these books to study for all my teacher state-board exams and I promise you they helped me more than any other test-prep book I purchased.  These books are rich in information in all areas, including literature (lots of poems and fables for Kinders!).  A great book indeed!

It is kind of crazy seeing all my curriculum laid out like this, but it honestly makes me even more excited to work side-by-side with Swee'Pea each day.  I love seeing his face light up when he learns a new fact or sounds out a new word.  I love knowing that I am helping to give him the power of knowledge.  And I love spending this sweet and precious time with my favorite little man.  What a fulfilling and beautiful job this whole parenting business is!