Kindergarten 2014-2015

Easter 2014

The key to this year will be flexibility and easy planning! We must learn a lot, have fun and be flexible at the same time. Each week, I will post what we did (hopefully with pictures) so I can hold myself accountable. My biggest struggle will be keeping a good time management plan, and if I do fall behind, don’t give up because I’m not really behind.

We will be going to the library at least two times a month, going on field trips at least two times a month, learning with Clever Dragons, and doing a variety of other online and hands-on learning.

I’m anticipating a lot of carschooling so we will plan on reading the books while traveling, as needed, and doing the hands-on activities at home.  As I said…FLEXIBILITY!!!

Morning Work:

                This will include a notebook with a variety of pages to fill out each day like calendar, number of the day, and clock. Pages will change throughout the year as necessary. Also, copywork will be assigned, after Christmas, a couple times a week and put in this notebook. Just because it’s “morning work” doesn’t mean that it has to be in the morning. We may do it while we are at another activity or just later in the day. I need a more fun name for this section.

Bible/Devotions/Character Study:

We will do one reading/activity a day from a devotional or character study book, and work on a monthly memory verse.

            Some of the books we are using:

            Gotta Have God, Ages 2-5, Volumes 1&2

Leading Little Ones to God

Stories for Sunday Telling http://books.google.com/books?id=xGUCAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=carolyn+sherwin+bailey&lr=&as_brr=1&ei=DZXyS9fFJI_WM_u94bwM&cd=13#v=onepage&q&f=false

The Boston Collection of Story Telling http://books.google.com/books?id=6_MWAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=boston+collection+of+kindergarten+stories&lr=&as_brr=1&ei=AJLyS__DKpPQM-CUtboM&cd=1#v=twopage&q&f=false

Reading:

We will be testing the waters to learn to read. If he’s interested, we will proceed. If he’s not, we will do lots of phonics games and continue working on letters and try again after Christmas.

The resources we are going to try:

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Easy Peasy Homeschool –Start with Getting Ready 1, Day 172 (www.allinonehomeschool.com)

BOB Books

Literature/Poetry:

We will be reading a lot of anthologies, chapter books, picture books and poems throughout the day.

We will read a chapter a day out of a chapter book.

We will also memorize one poem a month.

Picture Books will be used to cover topics in other subjects or fun reading. I will make a list of all the books we read this year.

We will begin oral narration on some selections as the mood strikes.

The anthologies we will be using:

Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books http://oldfashionededucation.com/.0kindergarten htm 

Stories for Little Children http://books.google.com/books?id=nEEZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA196&dq=maud+lindsay&lr=&ei=kWfvS_73FYr8NeOn7cYP&cd=13#v=onepage&q=maud%20lindsay&f=false

Mother Stories http://books.google.com/books?id=B2VJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Maud+Lindsay%22&ei=NHTxS5GgNILQM-WWnIAG&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false

More Mother Stories

http://books.google.com/books?id=3GUZAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Maud+Lindsay%22&ei=_nTxS4rnCIX2NdO_9MYP&cd=3#v=twopage&q&f=false

We will use the following resources for several years:

Selections from Finger Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten http://books.google.com/books?id=7nMMAAAAYAAJ&dq=Emilie+Poulsson&printsec=frontcover&source=an&hl=en&ei=bh2MS4zoFo21tgfch62xDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAw#v=twopage&q&f=false

Selections from Rhymes for Little Hands https://archive.org/details/rhymesforlittleh01burn

Selections from The Home Book of Verse for Young Folks http://books.google.com/books?id=_ZRAAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=twopage&q&f=false

Selections from In the Nursery of my Book House http://books.google.com/books?id=yYgXAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA151&dq=carolyn+sherwin+bailey&lr=&as_brr=1&ei=1JLyS7HXC46INJGJ7coM&cd=8#v=onepage&q=carolyn%20sherwin%20bailey&f=false

Selections from Mother Goose or the Old Nursery Rhymes http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23794/23794-h/23794-h.htm

Selections from The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes https://archive.org/details/bigbookofnursery00jerr

Selections from Nursery Rhymes https://archive.org/details/nurseryrhymes03broo

Selections from A Book of Nursery Rhymes https://archive.org/details/bookofnurseryrhy00wels

Selections from Shel Silverstein books and other books on our shelves

Selections from Poems for the Very Young

Selections from A Child’s Garden of Verses

Math:

Center for the Innovation of Teaching Mathematics Year 1 http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm

Lots of math manipulatives will be accessible for both guided play and free play

Math with Cuisenaire Rods class at local co-op

Science:

Our focus for the year will be a nature study throughout the seasons. We will go on nature walks at least weekly and draw pictures or post things we see in a notebook.

We will also read a portion every day from one of these books:

Among the Farmyard People http://books.google.com/books?id=C74XAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Clara+Dillingham+Pierson&hl=en&ei=RGQbTM2IIoKmNrrqlYwN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-preview-link&resnum=5&ved=0CEEQuwUwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Among the Forest People http://books.google.com/books?id=cS4qAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Clara+Dillingham+Pierson&hl=en&ei=RGQbTM2IIoKmNrrqlYwN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-preview-link&resnum=2&ved=0CDIQuwUwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

Among the Meadow People http://books.google.com/books?id=tSgZAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Clara+Dillingham+Pierson&hl=en&ei=RGQbTM2IIoKmNrrqlYwN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-preview-link&resnum=1&ved=0CC0QuwUwAA#v=twopage&q&f=false

Mother Earth’s Children: the Frolics of the Fruits and Vegetables https://archive.org/details/motherearthschil00gord

The Insect Folk by Margaret Warner Morley (38 chap. 8 weeks)

The Burgess Animal Book by Thomas W. Burgess (40 chap. 8 weeks)

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2441/2441-h/2441-h.htm

The Burgess Bird Book by Thomas W. Burgess (45 chap. 9 weeks)

                http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3074

Social Studies/Geography/History/Biography:

We will learn about the various holidays (both big and small) throughout the year.

We will study Johnny Appleseed since he went through our area.

We will also explore the world around us and how we fit in beginning with our family, street, town, state, country, continent, and world. We will also learn about maps and globes. We will do a variety of activities for each of these, including making continent boxes, taking some field trips and making a family tree.

Art/Handwork:

Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys Blizzard

Come Look with Me: Animals by Gladys Blizzard

Come Look With Me: Exploring Landscape Art With Children by Gladys Blizzard

Work on cutting, drawing, and coloring within lines.  Explore some handwork like wordworking, sculpting clay, sewing, and painting.

Music:

Baby Einstein music videos

Selections from Songs with Music https://archive.org/details/songswithmusic1920wyma

Music class from local co-op

PE:

Play outside, exercise with Mom, walk the treadmill, kids’ exercise game on wii, or other planned indoor activities to get them moving.

Gym class from local co-op

Todder School for a 2 year old

Easter 2014

The 2 year old is an energetic boy, who runs from the moment he wakes up until he goes to bed at night. He doesn't take much of a nap so it's important to keep him busy. He is known in our family as "The Destroyer". lol  We are setting up a lot of centers around the house so he can find lots of activities to keep him occupied.
 

Number 1 goal is potty training!!!!!!

BEFORE FIVE IN A ROW with kindergartener at various times throughout the year

Art/Handwork:

Create an art area (for all the children) that is tot friendly so he can get a variety of items (feathers, pompoms, sequins, glitter, ribbon and yarn pieces, pasta, eyes, etc.),  to glue on various papers, felt or cloth, color and cut (using play-doh scissors then kid scissors). Get washable paint for pasta, rocks, and paper. Crayons and markers need to be available. Include the play-doh tote. (Do keep the paint and markers higher up so only the older children can get them.) 

Hang prints of famous artwork/artists on the wall and rotate out periodically. Focus the child’s attention to the wall hangings ever so often.

Music:

Set up a music center that includes a variety of instruments and recordings.

Hang posters of music notes/rest, etc. on the wall and rotate out periodically. Focus the child’s attention to the poster occasionally.

Language Arts:

Pick out 2-3 picture books for the week and read each one sometime during the day, every day. Find new, interesting places to read so it is kept exciting and fun. On a bed, under a tree, in a closet, snuzzled up in a chair, on the swings, at the picnic table, etc.

Listen and play as books are read to the kindergartener

Poems and finger plays with the kindergartener

Adults and older children tell stories about family, growing up, made up stories and anything else

Later in the year, we will read some vocabulary building books and maybe try the My Baby Can Read curriculum. A couple examples of books, we’ll use:

Child-land: Picture Pages for the Little Ones https://archive.org/details/childlandpicture00pletiala (vocabulary building)

Harry’s Ladder https://archive.org/details/harrysladdertole00londiala (vocabulary building)

I will add to my toddler book list each week as I use the books and resources.

Science/Social Studies:

Nature walks at least weekly

Attend field trips with the older children

Practical Life:

Set up stations, based on Montessori, to encourage more independence and life skills.

Tea Time with family

Sensory/Motor Skills:

Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving Sensory Table:  Corn, fake fall leaves, acorns, buckeyes. Add in some fun Halloween things like spiders, bats, etc. Take out the Halloween things and put in gourds, letters that say THANKS, etc.

Winter/Christmas/Valentine Sensory table: Various shapes of noodles. Add white pompoms for snow, white glitter, snowman, etc.  Then, use it for a Christmas table by adding green noodles, ornaments, nativity set, etc. Then, take the Christmas stuff out and add hearts, red stuff, etc.

Make a few Montessori materials that will encourage sensory growth.

Work on puzzles up to 5 pieces until mastery or boredom occurs. When this happens, switch to a new one. Review the mastered ones periodically.

Learning through Play:

Set up centers for dress up, grocery store, and medical, vet, etc. for creative play.

MORE IMPORTANT THAN SIT-DOWN LEARNING IS LOTS OF PLAY AND MOVEMENT!!!!