Below are the programs that we use consistently.
All About Spelling
I love this program so far! It is visual and hands-on, which allows me to adjust lessons for both girls, even though it's mainly for Zoe. It teaches many aspects of spelling, phonics, and reading including:
- Letter sounds and combinations (the basic and the tricky ones)
- Phonics rules
- Chunking words (helpful in learning to sound out words - many spelling programs don't emphasize this)
- Visual, movable alphabet
This is a systematic approach for all the stuff that I was skipping or throwing in haphazardly by just having her read to me, do copywork, and write on her own. I am a big fan and the girls are too.
Explode the Code
Boring, basic, phonics. I make a packet each week for Zoe and she does "rest time work." Each day, she has a few worksheets that she can do with minimal help and she does them alone in her room (with a glitter pencil under her canopy using her pink lap desk).
Letter of the Week
This is what I use for Lucy most weeks. There are so many activities to choose from and I end up picking a few. Many are activities (like using clothespins or finding objects that start with the letter) which I like more than paperwork.
Sensory Boxes
You can read about these throughout my blog. I first read about it on Counting Coconuts and decided to try one while in the dollar section of Target. It has been one of the best tools I have for teaching all kinds of stuff and for supporting unstructured learning. I switch them with I'm in the mood, when they seem bored, or when I get an idea which has been about every month or so. I can do one with $25 and a trip to Michaels and Target, and less than an hour of prep.
Singapore Kindergarten Math
We switched from Saxon for a number of reasons. Math is tough for my girl right now. I love the mathematical thinking and reasoning that this program emphasizes. I also like that the lessons are short and there aren't too many items to do each time. They spend a long time on the concept of each skill and not as much drilling facts and procedures. They slowly move from concrete to abstract, which is good - abstract is difficult for us. As time goes on, we will need to supplement, but so far, it is working for us. I plan to research and re-evaluate for next year.
Mathematical Reasoning
This book for 3-4 year olds is what I use for Lucy's math time. I love it! She does not enjoy doing worksheets, so this is perfect. She pulls up a chair and we go through it together. Most of it is me asking questions and her pointing. It teaches skills such as classifying, counting, colors, and shapes, but it also makes her think. This company is wonderful - a world ahead of the typical preschool workbooks.
Handwriting Without Tears
It has a nice pre-K program for emerging writers with hands on supplements. I like that it focuses on letter formation, which is a struggle for us.
Science
I plan this on my own. I decide on a few concepts (this year, it's water, color and light, our bodies, and plants) and then come up with a sequence of investigations and activities. On my best days, our reading and writing all lead into what we are learning in science. Other days, I struggle to fit it in. But it's my favorite and theirs too and we are enjoying learning about the world around us. It makes my heart sing when my 3 year old uses the word evaporation. I'm just nerdy like that.
Social Studies
Well... Here's the cold hard truth that every teacher knows. It's hard to do everything well. I envisioned a trip around the world with a different country every 6 weeks. It's getting the short end of the stick lately. I have lots of ideas for how amazing it could be, but the truth is reading and math are taking up lots of time and science gets done first. I am thinking of switching to Story of the World just to have one less thing to "invent" but don't want to give up either. We will see. Either way, we will probably move to SOTW next year.
