Teachable Tuesdays: Homeschool Curriculum Choices - Part 2: Preschool

Please ignore the mess in the background.
Here is a rare picture of all 3 kids at the table for school-time!

Our third official year of homeschooling begins June 4^th. But, this year will be much different than the previous two years. This year I will not only school our oldest (2^nd grade), but also our two Middles (ages 3 & 2). WOW!!! Can I tell you how nervous I am? Yet I’m also so excited to see them learn and grow!! I didn’t get to school our oldest at this young age, so I’m bursting with excitement, joy, and overwhelming anxiety all at the same time!

Anxiety you ask? Yep! I have it all planned out on paper and even a rough schedule outlined so we can mostly stay on task. This year will really stretch me, because I am an on-time, task oriented, Type A personality and well…that doesn’t compute with my Middles. So, it should be interesting, fun and a wonderful year of learning for everyone!

I wanted to share with you our preschool curriculum choices for our upcoming school year. The links I am providing in no way give me commission or any compensation. It’s merely to give you a reference. I did not necessarily purchase my products from the site I link to. I researched and found the least expensive option and ordered/bought from there. I’ll share more about that at the end of this post, so stay tuned!!! Next week I’ll share how we structure our school days.

Okay, so our choices for Preschool are obviously less than those for our 2^nd grader. But, somehow that makes this task much more daunting! Nevertheless, I have finally decided on the following choices.

BrainyBaby Series: Last year my grandmother bought the entire Brainy Baby system for about a quarter of the original price!! And I plan to use every last bit of it with my Middles! We will use it to introduce our shapes, colors, numbers, letters and music this year. I also have Spanish, Sign Language and Art, but that will have to wait another year or so. I’m not that ambitious!!

ABeka: I will use this curriculum for our Numbers and Letters. We will do one Number per month and one Letter per week for Mister Mouse. Miss Priss will probably just color along and get some of it, but I don’t expect her to get it all. She just turned two, so it could get interesting! But, I do want her to know her numbers for sure, so that’s what we’ll mainly focus on this year with her.

I will also use the A Beka curriculum for most of our Arts and Crafts projects. They have some fun, creative and easy ideas that I’d like to take advantage of.

Bible: I don’t have a particular curriculum to use in this area. I like to read the Bible stories to them and find pictures they can color or activities we can do to reinforce what God’s word says. We will do this Bible reading time with Mister Bull as part of our Family Bible time during our school day.

As most Homeschooling Mom’s will tell you, it is so wonderful to be able to find and print so many FREE and wonderful papers online now!! I use these papers as fillers and supplementals to our other curriculum.

Here are a few of my favorite spots to find them:

SchoolExpress (over 17,000 FREE printables in a variety of subjects)

Kidszone (easy to find, sorted by grade or topic)

BiblePrintables (some great printables on this site. Easy to find too!)
All Kids Network (a fabulous resource for crafts, worksheets & activities!)

Some blogs I subscribe to also have stores where they offer their own curriculum. I’ve been very pleased with the ones I’ve purchased from:

HeavenlyHomemakers

MommySchool @ Oopsey Daisy 

(be sure and check out her Freebies tab too!)

So, that’s our curriculum for Preschool! What’s your favorite Preschool curriculum? I would love to hear what you are using or have used in the past. Or do you just do your own thing?

Now, I promised you I would fill you in on all my curriculum deals. Honestly, it takes quite a bit of effort to find the best deals, but believe me…it pays off!!! Here’s where I search for my deals.

Amazon

Half.com 

(a subsidiary of Ebay)

Christianbook.com

Timberdoodle

Individual Manufacturers (A Beka, RightStart)

Mardel - Yes, the Christian book store!! They have 2 semi-annual Homeschool/Education Sales and I watch for others throughout the year! In fact, I got our Apologia curriculum 30% off this year!!! YAY!!

Bibliomania (a local Homeschool re-sale/consignment shop. I don’t find too much here for what I need, but sometimes my teacher’s manuals and our A Beka readers for cheap!)

So, there ya have it!! I take several weeks usually to search out the above websites and stores and factor in upcoming sales, coupons, discounts, shipping, etc. before making my final orders. Like I said, it can be a lengthy process, but it’s well worth it for the money I save!

Feel free to share in the comments or leave a link back to your own post!! I love reading all your tips and ideas! I am always open to researching for new curriculum to see if it would work for us! We learn by sharing!! Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Annette

Linking up here:

What Joy Is Mine

Far Above Rubies

Teaching What is Good

Raising Mighty Arrows

Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling

Teachable Tuesdays: Homeschool Curriculum Choices – Part 1

Mister Bull schooling! Don't let this smile fool you...he's really just trying to appease his Momma! Inside he's saying, "Oh please hurry this up! UGH!!!" LOL

Our third official year of homeschooling will begin June 4^th. Our oldest will officially enter the 2^nd grade and we are so excited!!! Actually…I keep telling myself that and avoiding the fact that he’s growing up so fast right before my eyes! It’s just seems crazy that I have an almost 2^nd grader!!

We have had our ups and downs with school. This year we’ve had the most trouble with papers, specifically Math. Nevertheless, we’re sticking with the same curriculum as last year, just adding some supplementals. I did a LOT of research to find a new math curriculum, one that would offer both what he needs and what I believed necessary. But, there isn’t one out there. So…we’re pairing our curricula with manipulatives, games and more hands-on activities to give him what he needs. More on that in a minute.

I am going to give you a break-down of our curriculum choices for our upcoming school year. The links I am providing in no way give me commission or any compensation. It’s merely to give you a reference. I did not necessarily purchase my products from the site I link to. I researched and found the least expensive option and ordered/bought from there. I will explain more about that next week, in part 2 of this series as well as Preschool Curriculum choices for the Middles.

But back to 2^nd grade…here we gooooo!

HISTORY: Mystery of History – we started this in First Grade and are half-way through the first book. We will continue to work through the next 18 weeks of lessons, taking 2 weeks per lesson. There is a lot of information in each lesson and some great activities at the end of each week that we never seem to get to. So we’re going to structure a little differently this year and really take our time.

BIBLE: Apologia’s “WhoAm I? And what am I doing here?” This year we did the first book in the series, so we’ll move on to book two for 2^nd grade. Some of the lessons are a little over his head in terms of wording, but we sit and talk about it and he asks some GREAT questions. So for us it’s a win-win! Teaching A Biblical Worldview through God’s Word!! We did not use any of the additional products this year, but I have purchased the journal for 2^nd grade. I think it has some great thought provoking questions and writing starters. We are not using the coloring book, as my son is not a color-er.

SCIENCE: Apologia’s Exploring Creation Series, “SwimmingCreatures of the Fifth Day”, which my son chose. Yes, it says to do the Zoology 1 book first, unless you have an understanding of Zoological terms. I figure if we don’t know it…we can look it up. He was really interested in this book more than the others and from our experience, he does much better when he’s interested in the subject. I also purchased the Junior Notebooking Journal. The writing, puzzles, questions and activities are just what he needs to supplement the reading work!

HANDWRITING & SPELLING: AReason for Handwriting B and AReason for Spelling Level B – We used book A this year and loved it!!! Or at least I did! My son could care less about writing. I like how it coordinates with our Spelling curricula. I also like how they encourage Scripture memory, spelling and hanwriting skills at the same time! It’s like a triple dose of Bible each week! Another reason I like this series: there is only ONE teacher book for the entire Handwriting series, so I got that last year. YAY!!! And, I can usually find the Spelling guidebook on Amazon fairly cheap.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: ElementaryGreek: Koine for beginners – Some people may say we’re crazy…and most often they’d be right! I actually purchased this last year with prompting from the Hubster. Our plan was to do it together (Mom, Dad and Mister Bull). But we quickly realized it was just a little above his level still. The flash cards were fairly easy for him, but the workbook and reinforcement work was too much. So we decided to table it until this year and try again. I’m both nervous and excited about it and the Hubster is beyond thrilled. He learned Greek in college and is so excited to review it along with us. Yes, it will take us some extra time, but in the long run I think it will be good. Why did we choose Greek? The Hubster believes in order to better understand God’s Word one must be able to read the original Greek language. I don’t guess it matters much…it’s all Greek to me! Haha (I know…poor attempt at a joke!)

MATH: Horizons: Math2 – We used Horizon’s this year as well. There are many things I love about it. The colorful pages keep the children’s attention, it breaks up daily lessons, review of past lessons in the daily work and it just keeps building on previous concepts. What doesn’t work for Mister Bull is that it is ALL paperwork!!!! It’s like pulling teeth to get him to sit and finish the paper!

I looked into several different Math options to see if they’d work for us, but alas…I found nothing. The closest I came was RightStart Math. I love all the manipulatives and hands-on activities, but I just feel he needs the daily paperwork as well. My reasoning: He’s going to have to do it sometime! Algebra is not done on a scale! I know this probably wouldn’t bother most of you, but for Mister Bull, once you set a precedent for something he’ll think  that’s the only way there is to do it. Translation: BIG TIME PROBLEM in the future! So, for now we’re sticking with Horizons. But, I am going to intentionally add some games, flash cards (we’re really bad about doing these right now) and our own manipulatives to reinforce new concepts.

READERS: ABeka Readers for 3rd grade. This is the area we’re ahead in…surprisingly! But, he started reading very early in Kindergarten and has just taken off from there! This year we’re going to do this a little different. The A Beka readers will be our read alouds because he has some new chapter books that he’s really interested in and loves reading! Not to mention the great stack of Hardy Boys books I found at a garage sale this past weekend!!!! SCORE!

So, that’s our curriculum for 2^nd grade! What’s your favorite curricula? Do you use a Core Curriculum and supplementals or a mish-mash of whatever works?

Feel free to share in the comments or leave a link back to your own post!! I love reading all your tips and ideas! I am always open to researching for new curriculum to see if it would work for us! We learn by sharing!! Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Annette

Linking up to these parties:

What Joy Is Mine, Far Above Rubies, Teaching What is Good, Raising Mighty Arrows, Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling

Teachable Tuesdays - Why Homeschool?

This is my second year to completely homeschool. I can honestly tell you when we first decided homeschooling was right for our family I was at peace with the decision. But I quickly became overwhelmed with all the information available. I had no idea where to start. How do I know what curriculum will best fit my child’s learning style? How do I even know what his learning style is? How do I know if he can do the work? What if he’s already passed what is recommended for his age? AAAAHHHHH…

The questions flurried in my head for hours and even throughout the night. I had many sleepless nights fretting, wondering and doubting I could really do this! But, I was assured over and over through my prayers that this is what God had laid on my heart and therefore He would be with me – ALWAYS!! So, I finally realized that God MUST be at the forefront of our schooling. So, from then on I sought out what God would have me teach and how.  I must say, our first year was a little rough. Trying several different curriculums, tactics and teaching methods. Thanks to the WONDERFUL preschool Tyler attended, he already knew his ABC’s, numbers to 50, how to write his name and some basic phonics. Half of kindergarten was done for me! So, I began by printing some FREE worksheets from this site to get him started in math. I bought simple handwriting & phonics books and we did some GREAT daily devotions from this site. Basically we did some minimal work until I figured out where to go with him. He began reading in October of Kindergarten, so I ran out and bought some ABeka readers, which I love! (In fact, we still their readers.) You can read more about our First Grade curriculum choices on this post.

So, what’s the point of today’s post? I just wanted to encourage you NOT to give up if you’re thinking about homeschooling. Yes, some days are challenging and it does take time to get a routine established (at least one that you’re comfortable with). But, trust me…its gonna change throughout the year anyway – so don’t fret over it!!

Here are some tips on getting started in your homeschool journey: 

• Do as much research as you need to be informed.
• Don’t over-research or you’ll just confuse yourself. (Trust me - I did this!)
• Be purposeful when asking questions to homeschooling friends or in online forums. You'll get more out of the answers if you know what direction you're going (or think you're going).
• If you’ve prayerfully considered this option for your family, God will guide you to the curriculum He wants you to use!! Trust Him!!
• Find some online tests to evaluate where your child is in certain subjects (i.e. Math, English, Spelling & Reading). The other subjects can be started at any point (i.e. History, Science) if they’re in elementary or middle school. (High school is its own deal & I would recommend talking to someone who’s had experience homeschooling HS students.) Here is a GREAT website that has several online placement tests you can use. I used the Quick Reading Assessment from this page & just copied each list on to a piece of paper & recorded their answers, rather than having him read over my shoulder on the computer.
• Until you are fully committed to a specific curriculum, take full advantage of FREE online communities!! I download the FREE weekly unit from this website. Just sign up & it will be delivered weekly to your inbox. I don’t use all of them right now, but I do save them onto my computer so I’ll have them for future use! Plus, this way I get to pick & choose what I want to use from each unit. VERY cool!!!
• During Kindergarten when we started early math work, I printed the FREE math worksheets from here instead of buying a book. Then, when I knew he needed more than just a few addition/subtraction problems a day I searched for a math curriculum I liked.

Basically, the key is to RESEARCH, ASK, STUDY and do it again!! There are tons of online forums you can sign up for that allow you to read entries, reviews and ask questions of other homeschool moms. Those are GREAT places to start if you don’t have friends who already homeschool.

Now, on to the cost of homeschool v. public school. Well, since my children have never attended public school I can’t say for sure, but I’m willing to venture a guess that its either equal or LESS to homeschool your children. Yes, we have to buy curriculum, but you can find most of your choices online at a discount with FREE shipping, etc. Just do the research. This is one of my favorite sites to search for new curriculum. I also watched garage sales/teacher sales for readers (that’s where I found most of his 1^st grade readers for $1 a book!), flash cards, out-loud readers, general books, etc. Sometimes you can even find math manipulatives at garage sales!! What a score!  The point is…you DON’T have to pay FULL PRICE for anything if you don’t want to! Even if you choose to use one curriculum for everything (i.e. Sonlight, ABeka), you can sometimes search for at least the parent/teacher guides and readers for a discount – just search!

Other reasons homeschooling is less expensive than public schools – the gas of driving your child to and from school and the clothing - your child doesn’t need all the outfits if they’re at home. Often times my kids spend the entire day in their pj’s!! Plus, they can wear “play clothes” instead of their nicer clothes when they are home all day. We only have a few “nice” outfits that the kids are only allowed to wear to family functions, church, etc. Otherwise, they have some not-as-nice clothes they wear to play in the yard & no worries over the stains, etc. PERFECT!!!

And, the MOST important reason we’ve chosen to homeschool our children – our ability to teach all subjects from a biblical perspective!! We’re so blessed to be able to teach our children in the ways of Christ, knowing EXACTLY what’s being said to them and who’s influencing them. What a true blessing that is.

Please believe me when I say, we don’t look down on people who choose the public school route or even private school. The hubster and I are both public school children. We completely understand there are situations, beyond ones control, that do not allow the option to homeschool. So, yes, we know we are blessed – beyond blessed!!

Blessings,

Annette

The BEST reward

Many of you may know that we homeschool our 5-yr old in his first year of Kindergarten. I say "we" very loosely though! It is mostly ME!! I get the lesson plans ready, I do the prep work for the daily assignments, I teach him daily - all while managing the house & 2 young kiddos. It's not easy by any means, but ABSOLUTELY the most rewarding thing I can think of this side of heaven!!

As I did more and more research about teaching Kindergarten, I realized that my son already knew most of what was taught (recognizing the alphabet, recognizing & counting to 100, sight words) and MORE! I thought, "he is going to be BORED out of his mind if I continue to do all this for another entire year!" So, I set out to find other things for him to do. I researched first grade checklists and read other homeschool blogs and information. I also talked to several homeschool moms that helped guide me in the right direction. After much discussion with my husband, friends and my research I realized that he might be ready to start reading. Wait...did I say READING???? AHHHHH!!!! A flood of emotions immediately filled my head and heart. "What if I couldn't teach him to read? He would be illiterate his entire life and would fail at getting a job or raising his own family!" Okay, I admit, I can get a little carried away sometimes...but seriously this was probably THE MOST scary part of homeschooling to me! What if he wasn't ready? What if I really couldn't teach him to read? How were we going to overcome that?

That's when the prayers started flowing daily. "Lord, help me to be a better teacher and mom today than I was yesterday. Help me to be patient with Tyler as we learn to read together. Help me see how to make it connect for him. Show me how best to teach him so he can learn ALL You have for him!" Some days were simply, "Lord, help me survive!" But, in any case I learned how important it was/is to pray for my child and how I teach them. It is paramount. It is ESSENTIAL!!

At the beginning of the year we tried a phonics book, that really looked like it worked more on his handwriting skills than phonics or reading. Frankly, he became bored very quickly & was finished with the book in 2 weeks time! That's when I decided it was time for something a little more advanced. Something that challenged him more. So, I went to worksheets I could print free from the internet. I found several great websites that had a variety of activities/worksheets to help teach clusters, long vowels, short vowels and more! So that's what we did. I would choose a cluster or long/short vowel for the week and just print off worksheets that taught them. He would do a couple a day and have a quiz on Fridays. This worked for a while, but he quickly informed me (almost daily) that he hated worksheets. And it became like pulling teeth to get him to do them. So, I set out on another mission. How can I practically show him how these worksheets/lessons will help him learn to read? Then, like a slamming door - it hit me!! LET HIM READ!!! So, we started in with our A Beka readers. He quickly realized that he really could read! He became excited and so did I!!! We had finally found what worked! He just needed to see the practical application of it all.

This week he will finish his second A Beka reader and I couldn't be more proud!! Yes, I know some kids read earlier and some read faster. But, for me...just hearing him read by himself is the BEST REWARD a mom could ever get!!!!

After feeling this GREAT, OVERWHELMING satisfaction in my sons ability to learn despite my inadequacies, I soon realized this is how our loving, heavenly Father must feel when we "get it." Sometimes the lessons we are learning in life seem so tedious and trivial, but there is always a reason! A reason we may not know very soon, but a reason nonetheless. God is always teaching us through life experiences and this one hit me hard. How many times have I rebelled against what I know to be right? How many times have I run away from something simply because it was difficult and I couldn't, in my finite mind, see the practical application or use of it in my life (at this point)? WOW!!! I am so thankful God is a loving, compassionate, PATIENT Father!! I hope that someday God will look at me with pride just as I look at my son when he's reading by himself. Big words or small - it doesn't matter! He persevered and he won! That's how I want God to see me. I want Him to be proud of me in EVERYTHING I do, say and in all that I am. I want to be my best for Him - always!

DISCLAIMER: When your child finally learns to read - be forewarned that they will read EVERYTHING!!!! And I mean EVERYTHING!! He reads every sign he can as we drive down the road. It's a constant school lesson in our car! Most of the time I don't mind, but I must admit as sweet as it is to hear my first-born son reading, I often wish he wouldn't! ;)