Fun Stuff! First Grade and Pre-Kindy curriculum for 2011-2012

I've had tons of fun researching and choosing curriculum.  I had initially been drawn to Sonlight but I was leery of plunking down a big wad of cash for a boxed curriculum.  Plus I know me.  I like to tweak and change things up.  After I read The Well-Trained Mind I found the structure I was looking for as well as the freedom to pick and choose elements and resources.  I found most of our books at used-book sales.  For those things I needed to buy new, I bought downloadable PDFs when I could.  I've also found tons of free or super cheap resources here and there on the interwebs.

Here is the plan for the 1st grade girl:

• Bible: Awana + other bible story books, activity books, and devotionals
• History: Story of the World 1 (Ancient History through Christ) with lots of associated activities + a creation unit
• Science: We'll be studying animals, the human body, and plants.  We'll be doing some experiments from Janice VanCleave's books.  We'll be documenting using the student pages from Elemental Science.
• Language: All About Spelling 1 and First Language Lessons 1 (grammar) + FLL lapbook. Lots of reading pulled from WTM book lists and various other book lists. (This is an area stressing me out a little. We're not using a formal writing program but will have plenty of narration and copy work in other areas. We're not using a formal phonics program because so many say that AAS included enough phonics teaching. We'll see. I've got Explode the Code and OPGTR [see below] if needed for additional phonics practice.)
• Penmanship: no formal program but beginning to learn D'Nealian cursive following the plan outlined by Nadene at Practical Pages
• Math: Singapore Primary Mathematics 1A and 1B
• Music: Kindermusik
• Physical Activity: Thinking about karate for the fall. Might see what our YMCA offers also.  Also, daily guided activity as well as free-play time.
• Arts & Crafts: Monthly craft club kit + various activities to tie in to our other subjects.

Some days I think we are doing too much. Other days I think it is not enough. I figure that means the plan is just about right.

The plan for the pre-kindy boy is much simpler:

Bible: same as sis
Music: same as sis
Physical Activity: same as sis
History/Science: same as sis if he is interested
Unit Study: Five in a Row
Math: workbooks + Funnix Math + playing with manipulatives + free printables from the web
Language: Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading + Get Set For The Code B + various workbooks, Bob Books, and letter of the week activities
Penmanship: plenty of D'Nealian manuscript copy work

I'd like us all to start learning Mandarin Chinese, too.  We've got some beginner books we'll use if I can find the accompanying CD.  I'm looking into some additional resources, as well.  Everyone says it is imperative to get a tutor to correct our tones.  Maybe there is someone at the hospital where I used to work who could lend us a hand with that.

Field Trips: We'll putting our zoo pass to good use.  We'll take some nature walks at Burr Oak Woods.  I'd also like to check out the arboretum.  Our city has an excellent museum with some great artifacts from ancient history.  The Chinese collection was always a favorite of mine as a kid.  Appropriate.  Of course, we'll have to have apple picking and pumpkin picking trips this fall.  We'll be celebrating the Autumn Moon Festival for the first time with Families Blessed with the World's Children.

I think this will keep us plenty busy and engaged.  Anyone else out there following some version of classical education?

I'm linking up to the "NOT Back-to-School" blog hop at the Heart of the Matter blog.

Why Homeschool?

I’m very excited to be bringing big sister (Ling) home to join little brother (Ping) in our homeschool adventure.  The big question is why?  She had a pretty awesome year at Kindergarten in the local public school (PS).  She learned to read quite well, excelled in math, made several friends, and really came out of her shell. 

The bottom line is that I want the best education for my kids.  While our local PS is good, I don’t think institutional education, in general, is best.  Conveyer belt education is not optimal.  Children learn at such different paces that it seems wrong to group them strictly by age.  Why shouldn’t they have the chance to interact with kids of other ages?  Why shouldn’t they be able to talk in class?  Why should they spend so much time learning how to walk silently in straight lines down the hall.  [I have visited Ling’s school on average once a week during the last year.  Seriously, the students in all grades spend a significant amount of time on that “skill.”]  I want more individualized attention for my kids.  I want them to experience more hands-on instruction.  I want them to be able to develop their personalities (and, yes, social skills) in a more nurturing environment.  I want them to spend time with grandparents.  I DON’T want to do any more fundraising!  I don’t want them to spend all day at school and then come home to do more hours of homework.  I like my kids and want to spend time with them.

Although many home educators’ reasons are bound up in their religious beliefs, that is actually not a foundational reason for wanting to educate my children at home.  My husband and I actively share our faith and beliefs with our children any way.  Shielding them from the secular humanism found in PS is not that important to us.  We know the difference between fact (the fossil record) and theory (evolution) and have no trouble training our children to know the difference as well.  We can tell the difference between the core truth of biblical Christianity versus the theology of different sects and denominations.

In my research of homeschooling resources I came across a book that completely solidified the approach I wish to take with educating my children.  The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise (WTM) lays out a complete course of education from preschool through 12th grade.  The educational approach is Classical, which divides up the learning stages into a trivium: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. 

WTM uses a four-year cycle of history as the spine for content areas of history, geography, social studies, art, literature, and even science.  The skill areas of math and reading are to be taught daily following some recommended resources.  From the WTM web site:

We suggest that the twelve years of education consist of three repetitions of the same four-year pattern: Ancients, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, and Modern Times. The child studies these four time periods at varying levels — simple for grades 1-4, more difficult in grades 5-8 (when the student begins to read original sources), and taking an even more complex approach in grades 9-12, when the student works through these time periods using original sources (from Homer to Hitler) and also has the opportunity to pursue a particular interest (music, dance, technology, medicine, biology, creative writing) in depth.

I believe that following the WTM model will give us a rigorous, efficient, and fun educational experience.  I know we’ll have challenges and difficult days but I believe in my very soul that this experience will be great.

Next up, curriculum choices and scheduling and our home classroom.

If you are a homeschooler, why do you do it?  If you think it is a bad idea, why?

 

PS: Here is a great video I just saw that highlights many positive outcomes of the homeschooling experience: