We have just about graduated three of our children from high school now it is time to start all over again. Most of you know we have eight children. Three of our kids either have or will soon graduate from high school. The other five children are ages five and under. Two of those little ones will be starting kindergarten this summer.
We’ve been out of the primary school scene for quite some time, so some revamping and planning was definitely in order. I’m very excited to see Hannah and Stephen begin kindergarten. My primary goal at this time is to build a good foundation to foster a love of learning within them. I prefer the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy and will try to follow her methods fairly closely. After much consideration here is the basic plan I have come up with.
Starting each day by nurturing Hannah and Stephen’s (as well at the rest of the littles) understanding of the Lord and His Word is the top priority. Hannah and Stephen love to memorize Scripture and we’ll continue to work on that. I’ll share more details about that in a later post! For quite some time I have read daily to them from Leading Little Ones To God and Egermeir’s Bible Story Book and will continue that routine. We also enjoy reading short stories from a variety of books that encourage good character traits. This is where our morning starts!
We will definitely use Ambleside Online Year 0 for kindergarten. Basically, Ambleside Online Year 0 is a booklist of recommended literature that the advisory committee has chosen from a Charlotte Mason perspective. Exposure to good literature in many different genres is another top priority. For quite some time we have read the best “living books” we could get our hands on and we’ll continue to do so. It has been wonderful to see Hannah and Stephen develop a taste for good literature and I look forward to seeing that grow over the next year. During our reading times Hannah and Stephen will be given opportunities to develop their narration skills as well.
Ambleside Online also has a yearly rotation that is used to aide children in the study of classical composers, art study, hymns and folksongs. We will use this rotation loosely. In other words, Hannah and Stephen will be exposed to these various areas in a very natural way, but due to their age and attention span the depth of that “study” will be limited. As a side note, they love folk music and enjoy skipping and dancing around the house to various folksongs. We will also seek opportunities to expose them to the local symphony and theatre performances as well as visits to various musuems that are suitable for their age.
Another top priority is to instill a love of God’s creation within our children. We will allow them to be outside enjoying nature and exploring their natural surroundings as much as possible. We will use Anna Botsford Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study to guide us in our study of nature.
At this point in time for phonics and reading we will use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and Happy Phonics. We will also begin working through First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind.
For their handwriting skills we will use the Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Series. Book A is recommended for kindergarten.
After a great deal of researching different math curriculums and making a final decision between Saxon Math and Singapore Math we decided on Saxon Math 1. At a later time (perhaps in 1st grade I will add in Miquon Math.
That’s it! Our plan for kindergarten. I should note that even though this may sound time consuming, the actual amount of time spent specifically on formal instruction will be limited.
A Book by Edgar Guest
“Now” - said a good book unto me -
“Open my pages and you shall see
Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,
Gold and silver in every line,
And you may claim them if you but will
Open my pages and take your fill.
“Open my pages and run them o’er,
Take what you choose of my golden store.
Be you greedy, I shall not care -
All that you seize I shall gladly spare;
There is never a lock on my treasure doors,
Come - here are my jewels, make them yours!
“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,
But I can be part of your living self;
If only you’ll travel my pages through,
Then I will travel the world with you.
As two wines blended make better wine,
Blend your mind with these truths of mine.
“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,
I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,
I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,
I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak -
This place on your shelf is a prison cell,
Let me come into your mind to dwell!”
by admin | Posted in Homeschooling | |
