Eclectic Kindergarten Homeschooling
While the COVID-19 pandemic forced me into homeschooling my older kiddo (DJ), something I never thought I would do, the connection I have formed with my son made continuing to homeschool a no-brainer. Well, that and the fact that we will be moving across the country at some point during this school year. What I discovered last year while fumbling to come up with a plan is that there wasn’t one curriculum alone that worked for us. We are NOT an “open and go” family. I found myself tweaking the curriculum we chose and searching for other resources to fill the “gaps”.
Through my research, I discovered that every homeschool family (and every homeschool kiddo, for that matter) is so different. That’s what makes homeschooling beautiful! You get to teach what you want and focus heavily on the needs and interests of your child(ren). As a former high school teacher, I know what it’s like to teach a class of 30+ kids, all of whom learn at different paces and in different ways. Getting to focus on ONE kiddo was a whole different ball game!
Add in the fact that my kiddo is neurodiverse, and public school becomes a lot more complicated. With potential Individualized Education or 504 Plans, multiple teachers and administrators to communicate with, mountains of paperwork, etc, the thought of taking that journey was overwhelming. Having the ability and means to homeschool my child means that I AM his Individualized Education Plan. I can modify instruction to meet his needs and choose resources that support his learning styles and interests. I truly feel blessed to have this opportunity to learn alongside my kids. Even when the days are rough and emotions are high all around, it is still so worth it for us!
So what do we use for homeschool resources?
When I say that we are eclectic homeschoolers, I truly mean it. While the majority of our “schooling” is play-based (which in my opinion, is how Kindergarten should be), my son thrives on routine and a little structure to his day. We do most of our more structured lessons during and after breakfast since the morning is best for everyone. I keep the messier projects for my toddler’s naptime. These structured lessons last around an hour a day Monday-Friday, not including read-alouds (DJ LOVES to listen to us read longer stories!), games, and field trips. Here is what we use:
Literature:
When my older kiddo was younger, he could NOT sit still long enough for me to read a book to him. Nowadays, he begs for me to read aloud chapter books, picture books, graphic novels, reference books, you name it! We also listen to audiobooks in the car or during playtime. He usually has to have his hands busy in order to listen well, so I tend to read during breakfast or while he is coloring, playing with Legos, or working on an art project. We have found some amazing selections (and accompanying resources) from both Blossom and Root and The Waldock Way. We use the literature selections, narration pages, and journal prompts from the kindergarten level of Blossom and Root. However, we discovered that with wasn’t enough, so we added Passport to More Adventures from The Waldock Way. This curriculum covers the chapter book series “Magic Treehouse: Merlin Missions” By Mary Pope Osborne as unit studies with various resources such as book and YouTube video suggestions, coloring pages, copy work in multiple levels, etc.
Reading/Writing:
We discovered that my older child has a hard time with letter recognition and phonemic awareness. He is still young, so we aren’t pushing too hard, but we also suspect that he may have dyslexia (again, too soon to know for sure). We decided to go with a program that uses an Orton-Gillingham philosophy to teach reading and writing to help with potential difficulties in the future. We are using Logic of English Foundations A and going slowly through the lessons (I usually split each lesson into two days to allow for extra fun review games). This program uses a multi-sensory approach to teaching with minimal worksheets and lots of movement and fun games. So far my kiddo is enjoying it with minimal whining!
Math:
Math hasn’t been a huge issue for us so far (both my husband and I are good with numbers). I decided to go with a program that may be a little easy for him but helps to fill in any gaps he may have. We are currently using Kindergarten Math with Confidence from Kate Snow. We love that the lessons are short and hands-on, don’t require expensive manipulatives, and only require one short worksheet per lesson.
Science/Nature Study:
Our family is heavy into science. Both my husband and I LOVE science, which seems to have rubbed off on our kids. Being a former science teacher, I love putting together fun science lessons and experiments. Since my son is currently really into rocks and crystals, I chose to dive deep into Earth Science this year using the Blossom and Root Year 1 science curriculum: Wonders of the Earth and Sky. We are loving it so far! I also use Exploring Nature with Children to help guide our nature studies and nature journaling. On the weekends, my husband (or myself if he is deployed) will sit down with DJ to go through the STEM activities from the Kiwi Subscription boxes we get each month.
History/Geography:
I didn’t have a great experience learning history or geography in public school. Memorizing cities, dates, and the names of famous people in history was not my strong suit! That’s why I want to make it more fun and engaging for my son. We are starting with the history curriculum from Kindergarten Blossom and Root titled “History of Me”. It focuses first on my son’s history and then branches out to our family history. Towards the end of the year, we will dive into the city we live in along with famous people in history that inspire him.
In addition, we are reading the chapter book series “Greetings from Somewhere” By Harper Paris. The main characters are a homeschooled brother and sister who are traveling the world with their parents. They visit a new country in each book, which gives us a launching point to dive into the geography, culture, and history of these countries (I am taking a gentle approach here and following his lead regarding what aspects we focus on).
Finally, I will be briefly covering US Geography during our road trip move across the country. I plan to use aspects of the “Traveling the States” curriculum from The Waldock Way along with the National Geographic Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas for fun activities along the way. We will be traveling through several states, so I will focus mainly on those states along with others that we have lived in or visited.
Art
Here is another subject that I am personally not strong with. We modify the Blossom and Root Kindergarten art study to briefly discuss the weekly art selections and do the art project that goes with it. Since DJ is currently really into drawing, we have a special drawing book for him along with erasable colored pencils (he prefers to use these and gets far less frustrated when he can erase a mistake) available whenever he wants them. We also have various “Learn to Draw” books to help him practice his skills.
Are you currently or thinking about homeschooling your kiddos? If so, what curriculum and resources do you love? Let me know in the comments below!