This year in our homeschool, we have a first grader (6), preschooler (4), and a two year old. We spend the bulk of our homeschool day on our “morning gathering” and unit study, but we use some curriculum as well.
Math
We are using the first grade Math with Confidence curriculum. So far I love it, and it seems to really be clicking for our son. Our four year old daughter is also participating in the lessons. Then, she and I slowly work together on the workbook. We stop if she gets tired or bored.
Handwriting
We are using Handwriting Without Tears, both the kindergarten (4) and first grade (6) versions. Our toddler is using her own book (she demanded) that I purchased at a used book store years ago. She loves participating in what her older siblings are doing.
Reading
Last year, we began doing reading lessons using the “Teach your child to read in 100 Easy Lessons” book. We struggled a bit with this and decided to switch mid-year. We moved on to Phonics Pathways. This book helped me identify a lot of the areas where he was struggling, and he is excelling with his reading lessons now! Our four year old is working her way through Hooked on Phonics levels 1 & 2 this year, and will probably move on to the Phonics Pathways book next year. I am still learning a lot about best practices for reading. Many of the methods that have been used for years have been proven ineffective. Check out this article for more information on science-based reading instruction. If you’re really interested, the term “explicit, systematic phonics instruction” should bring up some more great info on Google!
So far, I’m really happy with each of the curriculums we’ve purchased. First of all, they are all very affordable. The kids love having the consumable workbook for math, which we didn’t have for kindergarten. Each curriculum has brief lessons to give just enough practice but keep boredom at bay. One of the wonderful things about homeschooling is having the afternoons free to play and explore other interests, and I feel like these curriculum choices are serving us well toward that goal.
[…] be tweaking/adjusting for next year. If you want to read how we started the year, check out our curriculum and schedule posts here and the come back and find out how it […]