First Steps On Our Homeschooling Journey
Hello, and welcome back.
The full curriculum I've gone with is My Fathers World kindergarten curriculum. We got the deluxe edition. I felt I needed something that had it all included so that I didn't have to think much about it. Just gather any extra and basic materials, and go with it. There's a youtube video here you can check out that shows the overview of what comes in the kindergarten package if you're interested.
Through a lot of my research I fell in love with the Finnish way of schooling. They have recently switched over to a project based learning system, which was tested and implemented based on where and how our society is operating in the real world. It makes so much sense, and it teaches so many valuable skills and thinking tools that can be applied to our current world. Rightstart math follows that very similar approach. I also kept in mind that I am teaching a boy, and that somehow sitting and doing math only out of a workbook doesn't make sense when I know that he'd much rather 'play' and learn, and that I wanted to find something we could stick with for the year.
Our family has had quite a few changes over the past couple of years. We had a big move, Then moved again. Then we got pregnant again...with twins. Amongst the highlights. Within all those changes there has been a lot of chaos, not a lot of time, and we've been surviving through it. Some days better than others, but it gradually gets easier, and then a new stage begins. ;)
With that all said. My eldest is starting kindergarten this year. Crazy, and also fully welcomed. It will bring a change of scenery and he is eager to learn, do projects, and experience some new things. We have decided to home school. For a few reasons, which maybe I'll write a post about this at a later time.
We have been conversing about this for a few years, and more intensely, months now. We enrolled with a school, and met our teacher all by April this past spring. We are so excited that we got paired up with a teacher who by chance also has twins - hallelujah!!!
Since our meeting I've been researching curriculum, brainstorming ideas, and trying to get myself organized for this first year. There are SO many options for homeschooling, but I narrowed things down by choosing a full curriculum, and then a supplementing math and reading curriculum. I plan on trying to update our journey through them on the blog, and show some samples of what we've been doing.
The full curriculum I've gone with is My Fathers World kindergarten curriculum. We got the deluxe edition. I felt I needed something that had it all included so that I didn't have to think much about it. Just gather any extra and basic materials, and go with it. There's a youtube video here you can check out that shows the overview of what comes in the kindergarten package if you're interested.
I read quite a few reviews, and found that for many people who have used the curriculum they found the math portion of the curriculum was lacking. With that information I did some research and found Rightstart Math. I'm so excited about this curriculum as it's very interactive, and logical. Personally I never really enjoyed math and so for me I wanted to find something that made math more exciting, challenges the child in a positive way, and grows a desire for learning.
Through a lot of my research I fell in love with the Finnish way of schooling. They have recently switched over to a project based learning system, which was tested and implemented based on where and how our society is operating in the real world. It makes so much sense, and it teaches so many valuable skills and thinking tools that can be applied to our current world. Rightstart math follows that very similar approach. I also kept in mind that I am teaching a boy, and that somehow sitting and doing math only out of a workbook doesn't make sense when I know that he'd much rather 'play' and learn, and that I wanted to find something we could stick with for the year.
At the beginning of the year, somewhere around February, we also started with the All About Reading curriculum. This was a test for me to see if this was something I could do, and if it worked with our family and lifestyle. It has been super successful. I took a very laid back approach when I started to see what Kylun thought of it all. Well after 1 lesson, each morning I was begged to do school. He absolutely LOVES it, and I got an alphabet from education.com for little Sister to follow along with us. The curriculum uses a puppet as part of the lesson (big win for my kids), is hands on with a basic letter coloring and minimal craft portion, and can typically be done in about 30min.
The thing I'm most excited about is that most of the above choices can be easily done with a younger sibling around either joining in or with minimal adaptation, and on a typical day should only take about 60-90 min of actual schooling -think nap time, and the curriculum's give time also for play, and exploration.
I have also pulled some other resources to incorporate extra Bible, and supplementation options when and if we hit a wall. Some of these are Education.com, Kids of Integrity, Teachers Pay Teachers, CurrClick, and I have found Pinterest a great resource which also connects you to other great resource options.
Follow along if you're interested in our journey with these curriculum's, or considering to homeschool. If you've used any of them as well I'd love to hear about your experiences.
Until next time,
Liz
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