Help with kindergarten plan

[Naturallove]

Okay so, my youngest (that is out of the womb) will be starting kindergarten in the fall. This current school year is our family's first year homeschooling and I have been doing 1st grade with DS1. DS1 attended PS for Kindergarten and so, getting kindy stuff for DS2 in the fall is all new to me. I have recently ordered HWT and ETC for DS2 because he has been begging me to do worksheets and I figure phonics and printing seem like good places to start. I guess I mostly need a little reassurance/guidance. I don't want to do too much, but I want it to be sufficient.

So far this is what I am thinking:

Oak Meadow K with the following supplements

Right Start Math - Level A

ETC workbooks - for writing practice

HWT - to learn how to form letters

Headsprout for phonics/beginning computer skills (maybe)

I wouldn't be so gung-ho about supplement Oak Meadow except he is very far ahead of their kindy in math and he wants to be reading and writing/have worksheets to do. I know that ETC, HWT and Headsprout all together are overkill, but I am not sure which one or two to drop. Any thoughts/input/advice would be great!

[amygrimis]

Can't help you, but we're starting OM Kindy in the fall too.  This will be my first year of hs'ing ... it'll be nice to get to know someone else who's doing kindy for the first time!

[onyxravnos]

Well I can tell you what we used:

OM and Sonlights secular book list along with picking and choosing some workbooks from B&N

[Naturallove]

Amygrimis - It is fun to know someone else who is doing Oak Meadows kindy!

Originally Posted by onyxravnos 

Well I can tell you what we used:

OM and Sonlights secular book list along with picking and choosing some workbooks from B&N

How did that work for you? Did the supplementing flow well with the curriculum? When you say you used Sonlights secular book list did you purchase a set from them or did you just use the books on their list? I looked a little at Sonlight, but it seemed expensive and a little overwhelming.

[onyxravnos]

Originally Posted by Naturallove 

Amygrimis - It is fun to know someone else who is doing Oak Meadows kindy!

How did that work for you? Did the supplementing flow well with the curriculum? When you say you used Sonlights secular book list did you purchase a set from them or did you just use the books on their list? I looked a little at Sonlight, but it seemed expensive and a little overwhelming.

it did it worked very well. OM is my working spine and everything else just works itself in. :)  I did not buy the books from them I bought all of them used on amazon for a fraction of the price. the only thing i bought from them was i purchased their guide book. Really you don't need it at all but I like having it anyway.

I found though it's a good idea to check the books out at the library before you buy them. although 95% of their secular list was fantastic that 5 % just didn't work for my kids. 

[umsami]

When DS1 was Kindy aged, we used Right Start Math Level A (loved it), Click-n-Read Phonics, HWT, and Sonlight literature from Core K as our main "curriculum." Honestly, we were so relaxed--which was great. The first month, DS wanted to do a lot of Click-n-Read Phonics... every day 1 or 2 lessons... and after a month, he was reading very well. We then just used the Sonlight stuff, books from the library, and books from the bookstore for reading.

Right Start we did 3-4 lessons/week most weeks... although we went through periods of no formal math. We loved the math games. I loved how there was very little writing with Level A as DS1 did not like writing at the time.

We did some HWT, but I sort of backed off as he didn't seem to be "in to" writing. The next year, totally different story, however--and now he writes very neat and legible for his age.

I thoroughly enjoyed our totally relaxed Kindy year and I try and remember that (and how much DS1 learned even though we were super relaxed) when planning for my other kids.

[kittie313]

My third is going to be in Kindy this fall, and my plan with her is as follows:

Math-U-See (she's in Primer and will go to Alpha when we finish it)

read daily with/to mommy

learn to write her alphabet

Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons (already started, going her pace)

lapbooking through Sonlight core P4/5

Real Science 4 Kids pre-level 1 with her big sisters

We absolutely adore Sonlight.  It is expensive, but I have 4 kids so far to pass through it, my oldest two are doing core B now and will move into core C when we finish.  My upcoming K'er is being combined in a group with her little sister who will be in 4yo pre-k this fall, which is why that specific core (that and we determined with the oldest two that it is generally better for *our* family to choose a core that is about 1 grade level below the child we're aiming at, so this year's aim is my K'er and then when dd4 hits K we'll be in core A and do it at a slower pace to allow them to eventually fall under that rule by core C hopefully)