Homeschool Curriculum is In...Let the Planning Begin!

Here are just some of the curriculum supplies we'll be using this year in our Pre-K learning.


Our homeschool area in our dining room. I have a certain bookshelf in mind that I'd like to purchase to host all of our homeschool curriculum and books. Our roller cart has all our supplies in it (pencils, sharpeners, rulers, glue, scissors, markers, crayons, calendar stuff, handwriting paper, learning games, etc.). The two blue bins host all of our file folders categorized according to themes (the jungle, healthy eating, community helpers). It's where I keep all my stuff I get online, handouts and lesson plans that I don't write in my planning book. The blue ETA bag is full of hands-on math manipulatives.Here's a "must have" if you're teaching using larger posters. It's a poster carrier. I'm a visual person and I know Avonlea definately learns visually and auditorily, so we're using the colorful posters. I laminate EVERYTHING. I used to be known as the "laminating queen"...no joke...at the school I used to teach at. It keeps everything usable for a much longer period of time and is easy to wipe off. Of coarse I have a homeschooling binder! Hello! If you didn't think this, visit the "organization" label on the right-hand-side of the this blog under "Organizational Binders = Lifesavers!" and you'll see why people tease me about my binders. =) I keep everything relating to homeschooling in it, including the following:

Summer and school year calendars full of activities, lesson plans, etc.

Our master schedule, including when we have homeschool blocks during the day. We have blocks in 15-20 minute increments. A preschooler can only sit for so long before he/she gets bored, so we have our subjects broken up throughout the day to spice things up and keep it interesting.

I keep so much more in it, but I think that's for another post. *Note to self...do a post on just the Homeschool Binder! There's so much.

Bible/devotional time: In the morning after breakfast. I searched for an already written curriculum, but after many hours of searching, I didn't find anything worth buying. So, I'm using a children's Bible story book and doing the work myself in finding activities/crafts/coloring sheets that fit into the Bible story of the week. The story book is one that Avonlea's godparents from London gave her last summer (thanks again Kris and Dean). It's wonderful and very colorful.

*If anyone knows of a great Bible curriculum they've used and reccommend, please let me know.

Reading/Phonics and Circle time: After much research, we've decided to use the

A Beka K-4 readers this year. The Little Owl books (8) and "Little Books 1-10". I have some other little readers I found at a local teacher store that I'll implement after the A Beka books have been conquered. For phonics, we'll be using some basic flash cards that include all the constanants, vowels and most blends (ch, gr, sh, etc.). I also have a chart. I have a great website I'll be utalizing to help out with the phonics. Check it out HERE.

Math: Again, searched on this one, but wound up ordering the K-5 A Beka curriculum workbook. I also purchased some other books at Target that help with telling time and money which the A Beka math in Pre-K gets into.

Science: There's no science curriculum for this young of an age (or at least that I've found), so I decided to stick to a theme per week (zoo, weather, volcanoes, etc.) and base the science experiments off of them. I have a science experiment book for the early years that I'll be using as well as THIS WEBSITE for cool ideas.

Handwriting: I purchased some simple handwriting books from a local teacher store for Avonlea to practice with. We have a 15 minute time block before dinner where she can practice by herself as I'm getting the table ready. It's a simple print book. A Beka has some handwriting things available, but it's cursive and I'm not ready to start Avy with cursive until she's mastered print.

ELECTIVES...

Spanish: This is only once a week, incorporated into our morning circle time where we talk about basic, single nouns (colors, numbers, alphabet, items of clothing, animals, etc). I do speak quite a bit of Spanish (learned it working for 4 years at a local Mexican restaraunt) and was able to get us around pretty well on our anniversary trip to Mexico last summer. I'm definately no pro though, but feel confindent in teaching my kids. No real curriculum yet, but we're going to be putting together a Spanish book with pictures and words starting this fall.

Art: I LOVE to do art and although I'm a neat person, I don't mind messes (scroll down for the post where my son painted his hair recently!). I have various art books that I'll be implementing, tying in to our weekly theme.

Music: We do go to a music class a few times a month that both kids enjoy, although I'm thinking Avy is growing out of it slowly. There are a lot of younger children there and she's the oldest so I need to stay on top of my game in terms of providing musical opprotunities for her. I'd love for my husband to teach her on Saturday mornings how to play piano, but he's not comfortable actually teacher her so we'll be leaving that up to my mother-in-law who plays beautifully and has taught for YEARS...we're counting on you Judy! =) For now, we sing A LOT around the house and I'm going to really try and implement some classical music and talk about composers this fall. She can already identify "Moonlight Sinata" whenever she hears it. One of our favorite classical pieces.

Here's a peek inside what Lincoln is doing while Avonlea and I are learning together. I do rotate between the kids, able to homeschool them both, even if it means doing an ABC puzzle with my little guy while Avonlea does her math.

I took a simple diaper box (I use them for everything, always save 'em) and filled it with educational things...puzzles, books, a coloring book and then some playdough. This gives him something to do while Avy and I work, teaches him to sit still and be quiet during these certain times of the day, gives me educational time with him (he's been learning so much!) and helps him get into the routine of having school time. He loves to participate in our circle time. We have it at the table: calendar, saying our phonics charts, reciting the Fruits of the Spirit and the Ten Commandments, etc.

So, I'm still busy planning away and trying to get this next fall's plans underway before the baby gets here (7 weeks and counting...can't believe it). A good friend of mine and I met this evening to plan out a new homeschooling group we're starting this fall (we're doing activities over the summer, but they're more laid back than the school year will be). Through the Lord's leading and much prayer, I've recently left the leadership of a local Mom's group to persue helping lead this homeschool group. I just know it's going to be a year of blessings and many memories.

There's still some planning to do, but knowing that the decision of curriculum is out of the way, the items have arrived and I have them to thumb through as I put my lesson plans in my book is a big relief. Also, many of you know that Avonlea is one of the older ones in her "grade". She misses the September 1 cut off date by a few weeks and would be currently in a two-year-old room right now if she was in pre-school. I don't think so. That was one of our biggest factors in the decision to homeschool. We decided to move her ahead actually to Pre-K (two grades ahead) in terms of what objectives are met through the curriculums we purchased. I know she's capable and needs the challenge. Every child is different and who knows where our second child will be, but as for Avonlea, we feel this is the best decision.

For now, I'm off to dreamland...geesh! It's late. You know how your mind gets churning when you're busy planning away. Lots churning in my noggin this evening and not enough hours in the day.

"Lord, thank you for today, for my husband, my amazing children and the child growing inside of me. Thank you for 'the moments' we had today and for 'the moments' we're going to have together tomorrow. Watch over us as we sleep and let us wake up with a servant's heart, willing to love one another no matter the circumstance. Amen."