Kindergarten Curriculum
A friend of mine who also has a kindergartener just wrote and asked me for some of the websites and book/curriculum recommendations. I'll post what I wrote to her here on the website because I know there are others who might also like these websites and stuff. Just skip this entry if you're not interested in the nitty-gritty of what we do!
Here are some of the things I do with Logan (and Delenn). This sounds like a lot, but the three main things I do daily are reading/spelling, math and music. Most days I try to have him do some kind of writing/drawing work. And, I do science/social studies/lapbook kinds of things several times a week (when he's interested/inspired). But, since we homeschool, this is interspersed and integral to our day -- so we don't have a formal "now it's schooltime" (ding, ding, ding). School happens on a bed, at the couch, on a trampoline, on the swings, at the table... you get the idea. I won't even go into much about their general free play, crafts, computer time and stuff.
For math, I love, love, love, love our curriculum -- it's called Right Start Math -- http://www.alabacus.com/ -- and has lots and lots of hands on activities using manipulatives like an abacus tiles, tally sticks (ie. popcycle sticks) and so forth. Logan is doing things like geometry as well as learning to work with numbers in all sorts of different ways (rather than just addition, learning to count, etc. -- which is incorporated in there as well). I can't recommend it highly enough!
If you just want to supplement with fun math activities -- this teacher's website is very, very good. I just downloaded a pig picture (to make a piggy bank) and will have Logan do a worksheet with coin stickers I have. Under the pig picture I wrote "I see 7cents in this piggy bank." I'll work with him on putting the correct amount of money "in the piggy bank." This website is http://www.littlegiraffes.com/teacherpage.html This teacher also has activities on the ABCs, word families, book/themes, and so forth.
As for reading/learning to read. We sit down and have Logan do one reader a day -- we started with the Bob Book Series, went on to Animal Antics -- and now are primarily using a series called Primary Phonics. We got the set used from someone, but I'm impressed with it. Each book is 16 pages long and they really build Logan's reading skills (http://www.epsbooks.com/dynamic/catalog/book.asp?subject=63S&subjectdesc=Phonics+%26+Word+Study&series=357M&seriesdesc=Primary+Phonics%3Csup%3E%26reg%3B%3C%2Fsup%3E&seriesParent=pri_level2&seriesparentdescription=2&altIsbn=1556&altIsbndesc=Storybooks+1%26ndash%3B6+Complete+Starter+Set ). We supplement that with Scooby Doo phonics readers and things like that. He's a pretty good reader now, so now I have him spell 5 words from his book (slide, steep, or other words from his story). There's good activities at starfall.com including phonics readers.
We read lots and lots and lots; I have 2 or 3 books always out on the dining room table and read during meals and snack time (or just after). A good place to start if you're thinking of going any further with the book (doing activities with them) is this website http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/wil/classroom_instruction.htm#Weekly_Instruction Many of the books are award winning books and this professor has designed activities to go along with them. Examples of books with lesson plans include Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Officer Buckle, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. If you have one of those and might be interested in doing more activities with literature at home, I suggest you check out her lesson plans. They truly look wonderful! Her nursery rhymes (and supplementing that with word family activities) also look pretty good. I recently found http://www.storylineonline.net/ -- these are books read aloud on the computer by Hollywood actors/actresses. And I also download, record onto CD and play lots of stories from http://storynory.com/ in the car.
Writing skills -- I do this in all kinds of ways -- he has a drawing book and I encourage him to tell me a story (which I write down) and he illustrates it. He does mazes and dot-to-dot books. I use pages from learningpage.com (http://www.learningpage.com/pages/menu_basics/alpha_zaner.html) -- print out a letter and have him practice tracing. I also laminated some sheets from a book called File Folder Games that I got from Lakeshore Learning. It also has math activities and general kindergarten level games. I recommend that one. And I also encourage him to write cards to his relatives and friends for birthdays.
I use Kumon workbooks (I love their maze books) -- and will probably use their math workbooks eventually a bit as well.
For general education sheets for Kindergarten I really like the http://www.learningtreasures.com/ -- she has very cute alphabet cards, number cards and activities and things like that. I print out quite a bit from her site.
Science and history/social studies) -- we have a curriculum but at this point are primarily doing lapbooks (check out the website for Logan's latest unit on bats) and have read 15 or so of the books -- Read and Learn About Science such as Germs Make Me Sick . I love the website In the Hands of a Child because the lapbook kits are done/researched for you (we've done units on Thanksgiving, pirates, birds, bears and bats). We have used the packets from Hands of a Child as a base for several of those lapbooks (and supplemented with Enchanted Learning's activities (enchantedlearning.com I think). They have free lapbooks every quarter, but this month it's on Thomas Alva Edison and unless [your child] is totally into science/electricity it's probably not a good one to start with!! http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/Quarterly-Freebie-C151.aspx For social studies Logan gets the Weekly Reader -- which I put in the mailbox each Wednesday for him (it comes through our PO Box) and it covers topics like the election (They are pretty simple, but get us talking about different topics. For example, one of them was... "Who will be our next President?" John McCain is running for President. Barack Obama is runing for president. ... and a bit more, but it got us on the topic of voting. Another was on Fire Safety; one was on spiders; one was on books and reading, etc.)
Logan does like the little science videos at this site: it's free to subscribe and the videos are cute --
http://www.sciencewithme.com/
I also heartily and strongly recommend the next level of Kindermusik -- Young Child 1. I am doing/teaching that for Logan and several of his friends... and I am SO SO impressed by the quality of activities (I've supplemented a bit to it -- so that they've really been learning the notes A, D and now F). Logan and the others have learned a lot about rhythm as well. I've read a book and several articles about how very important music is at this age -- and how many kids who were supplemented in preschool and kindergarten with music/singing had much better math scores -- but also the studies showed that these benefits follow the kids straight on to high school and college.
I know I've probably given you way too much information... just ask if you have any questions. It's late so I'll just hit send for now.
Here are some of the things I do with Logan (and Delenn). This sounds like a lot, but the three main things I do daily are reading/spelling, math and music. Most days I try to have him do some kind of writing/drawing work. And, I do science/social studies/lapbook kinds of things several times a week (when he's interested/inspired). But, since we homeschool, this is interspersed and integral to our day -- so we don't have a formal "now it's schooltime" (ding, ding, ding). School happens on a bed, at the couch, on a trampoline, on the swings, at the table... you get the idea. I won't even go into much about their general free play, crafts, computer time and stuff.
For math, I love, love, love, love our curriculum -- it's called Right Start Math -- http://www.alabacus.com/ -- and has lots and lots of hands on activities using manipulatives like an abacus tiles, tally sticks (ie. popcycle sticks) and so forth. Logan is doing things like geometry as well as learning to work with numbers in all sorts of different ways (rather than just addition, learning to count, etc. -- which is incorporated in there as well). I can't recommend it highly enough!
If you just want to supplement with fun math activities -- this teacher's website is very, very good. I just downloaded a pig picture (to make a piggy bank) and will have Logan do a worksheet with coin stickers I have. Under the pig picture I wrote "I see 7cents in this piggy bank." I'll work with him on putting the correct amount of money "in the piggy bank." This website is http://www.littlegiraffes.com/teacherpage.html This teacher also has activities on the ABCs, word families, book/themes, and so forth.
As for reading/learning to read. We sit down and have Logan do one reader a day -- we started with the Bob Book Series, went on to Animal Antics -- and now are primarily using a series called Primary Phonics. We got the set used from someone, but I'm impressed with it. Each book is 16 pages long and they really build Logan's reading skills (http://www.epsbooks.com/dynamic/catalog/book.asp?subject=63S&subjectdesc=Phonics+%26+Word+Study&series=357M&seriesdesc=Primary+Phonics%3Csup%3E%26reg%3B%3C%2Fsup%3E&seriesParent=pri_level2&seriesparentdescription=2&altIsbn=1556&altIsbndesc=Storybooks+1%26ndash%3B6+Complete+Starter+Set ). We supplement that with Scooby Doo phonics readers and things like that. He's a pretty good reader now, so now I have him spell 5 words from his book (slide, steep, or other words from his story). There's good activities at starfall.com including phonics readers.
We read lots and lots and lots; I have 2 or 3 books always out on the dining room table and read during meals and snack time (or just after). A good place to start if you're thinking of going any further with the book (doing activities with them) is this website http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/wil/classroom_instruction.htm#Weekly_Instruction Many of the books are award winning books and this professor has designed activities to go along with them. Examples of books with lesson plans include Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Officer Buckle, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. If you have one of those and might be interested in doing more activities with literature at home, I suggest you check out her lesson plans. They truly look wonderful! Her nursery rhymes (and supplementing that with word family activities) also look pretty good. I recently found http://www.storylineonline.net/ -- these are books read aloud on the computer by Hollywood actors/actresses. And I also download, record onto CD and play lots of stories from http://storynory.com/ in the car.
Writing skills -- I do this in all kinds of ways -- he has a drawing book and I encourage him to tell me a story (which I write down) and he illustrates it. He does mazes and dot-to-dot books. I use pages from learningpage.com (http://www.learningpage.com/pages/menu_basics/alpha_zaner.html) -- print out a letter and have him practice tracing. I also laminated some sheets from a book called File Folder Games that I got from Lakeshore Learning. It also has math activities and general kindergarten level games. I recommend that one. And I also encourage him to write cards to his relatives and friends for birthdays.
I use Kumon workbooks (I love their maze books) -- and will probably use their math workbooks eventually a bit as well.
For general education sheets for Kindergarten I really like the http://www.learningtreasures.com/ -- she has very cute alphabet cards, number cards and activities and things like that. I print out quite a bit from her site.
Science and history/social studies) -- we have a curriculum but at this point are primarily doing lapbooks (check out the website for Logan's latest unit on bats) and have read 15 or so of the books -- Read and Learn About Science such as Germs Make Me Sick . I love the website In the Hands of a Child because the lapbook kits are done/researched for you (we've done units on Thanksgiving, pirates, birds, bears and bats). We have used the packets from Hands of a Child as a base for several of those lapbooks (and supplemented with Enchanted Learning's activities (enchantedlearning.com I think). They have free lapbooks every quarter, but this month it's on Thomas Alva Edison and unless [your child] is totally into science/electricity it's probably not a good one to start with!! http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/Quarterly-Freebie-C151.aspx For social studies Logan gets the Weekly Reader -- which I put in the mailbox each Wednesday for him (it comes through our PO Box) and it covers topics like the election (They are pretty simple, but get us talking about different topics. For example, one of them was... "Who will be our next President?" John McCain is running for President. Barack Obama is runing for president. ... and a bit more, but it got us on the topic of voting. Another was on Fire Safety; one was on spiders; one was on books and reading, etc.)
Logan does like the little science videos at this site: it's free to subscribe and the videos are cute --
http://www.sciencewithme.com/
I also heartily and strongly recommend the next level of Kindermusik -- Young Child 1. I am doing/teaching that for Logan and several of his friends... and I am SO SO impressed by the quality of activities (I've supplemented a bit to it -- so that they've really been learning the notes A, D and now F). Logan and the others have learned a lot about rhythm as well. I've read a book and several articles about how very important music is at this age -- and how many kids who were supplemented in preschool and kindergarten with music/singing had much better math scores -- but also the studies showed that these benefits follow the kids straight on to high school and college.
I know I've probably given you way too much information... just ask if you have any questions. It's late so I'll just hit send for now.
posted by Mainfamily @ 11:01 PM
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