Kindergarten!

Well only one more week and we’ll begin homeschooling in full force. The past two years of preschool were quite laid back, last year having a bit more structure but still was pretty easygoing. 

Kindergarten, however, will be a different story.

I’ve chosen the Sonlight K Core program for this year, with plans to begin the Well-Trained Mind curriculum in 1^st grade. I like the Sonlight K curriculum because it’s literature-focused, Christian, and is quite substantial. I believe it is intense enough (without being too scary) to prepare Asher for the rigorous Well-Trained Mind curriculum that is to come. This definitely isn’t the same kindergarten I went through in 1985.

Our Kindergarten curriculum binder

I’ll be following the Sonlight K program aside from the addition of a couple things. For instance, I began reading lessons with Asher last year, so he’s already covered everything the Sonlight K program offers by way of phonics this year. I will continue the reading lessons and also add a few phonics workbooks from another program called A Beka. 

I’ve also added a few extra-curricular activities to ensure Asher experiences things I can’t teach him. This will get us out of the house, get him around more new faces, and enhance our schooling at home. In addition to these classes we’re signed up for, there are also a number of activities we’ll continue to participate in through our local homeschooling network, such as monthly science classes at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum & Zoo and art appreciation classes at the Bermuda National Gallery.

Here’s our general weekly plan:

Bible (5 days per week): Bible stories and verse memorization

Math (5 days per week): Horizons Math program

History/Geography (5 days per week): instruction, read-alouds

Read-alouds (5 days per week): various chapter books

Science (4 days per week; science experiment 1 day per week)

Language Arts/Writing (5 days per week): Handwriting Without Tears, copywork, language & thinking activities, journal-keeping, phonics & vocabulary activities

Gymnastics (Tuesdays)

Kindermusik Young Child class (Wednesdays)

Tennis (Wednesdays)

Art through Kaleidoscope (Saturdays)

One thing I have left to do is to decide on a daily schedule for us. I'll need to think about the best order of the subjects, and this will probably take some trial and error before we get into the best groove for Asher. If, for example, we encounter a subject Asher is struggling to sit through, we'll most likely plan to do that first in the day when he is most alert and energetic. 

In other news, we have a baby on the way, which means we will have to take a break in homeschooling when the baby arrives this winter. I plan to homeschool almost straight through, aside from breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and traveling, which will enable us to take a few weeks (or a month) off from school without putting us behind.