If you read my We’re Officially a Homeschooling Family post, you would have read that I owed you a curriculum list. So, that’s what today is about. Because I use this blog as my own journal, I also appreciate that I can look back at this list with future kids and pick and choose what works for their learning style and personality! I’ve learned this year that we are like many homeschool families, in the sense that we pick and choose different curriculums for different subjects, we sometimes change curriculums to fit in different seasons of time (Christmas School, for example), and we (try our best) to not feel required to finish the entire curriculum from front to back. This is very similar to what teachers would be doing in schools – not all the curriculum would be finished (perhaps), maybe not all in order – and, the beautiful thing about homeschool is we can move through things faster or slower as it works for each kid’s own individual needs.
So now, here’s the meat and potatoes of our curriculum [please note, that I am going to share as much detail as possible for those who want it, and for my own reference, but don’t feel like you need to include this much material, and know that when it comes to the expenses part of each subject, you can curate your schooling to work within your family’s budget – being together, learning, getting outside, connecting, and being intentional – that’s the richest experience they will get]:
Preschool
For my kiddos, from age 3-4, we do Leaping Letters, by Team Kind Humans. In opposition to what I just said above, we very much do this curriculum (eCourse) from front to back – and we even repeat lessons! This is the only structured curriculum we do during the preschool years (other than my own Preschool Music eCourse) – each week is a letter, but we break it up into multiple days or weeks depending on how long we want to spend on each area. Each letter has movement, sound, art, playdough, writing, reading, and more!
Kindergarten
Reading/Writing [Language Arts/English]
If you haven’t checked out Julie Bogart, wait no longer – she is a true gem and inspiration for all things homeschool! She has great programs for all ages. The one we use for ages 5-7 is very reading-focused, with ideas to add on for each topic of interest. We put no pressure on how quickly to move through each section, and we get to connect so much through the incredible literature!
I love this program, because it’s fun, it’s interactive with short clips from the teacher (and then as the homeschool parent, you can help facilitate the rest), and it also leads so beautifully into writing and reading from what our kiddos learned in Leaping Letters.
Additional
There are so many additional things you can do with reading and writing, but some other ones we love is having pen pals (it’s so exciting to get letters in the mail to reply to), keeping various journals for gratitude and field trips, listening to podcasts and the Yoto or Tonies, and being part of book clubs.
Math
The Wild Math curriculum is really good for our outdoor, nature-loving souls, and for the opportunity it gives kids to be hands-on with math, experiencing it by touching, and engaging the senses (which is really the most beneficial way for kids at this age to understand and grasp the concept of math and numbers). However, because this is not a sit-down-and-learn curriculum, it does require a bit more intentionality and creativity on the adult’s part.
Additional
Just like reading is everywhere, math is also everywhere. I always say math is in the kitchen, and it really is. But it’s also at our piano, and in our craft room, and while we are jumping rope outside. Some intentional ways we added in additional math practice is through allowance, through Beyond Measure Boards (clock, 100 frames, for example), and through an in-person class through a partnership.
Science
We’ve really enjoyed using Blossom and Root for Science, because the Kindergarten curriculum is all about space! How fun! We’ve built space crafts out of cardboard boxes, and we’ve watched astronauts talk to us from space – all through the guidance of the curriculum.
Additonal
For additional science opportunities, Forest School is a huge plus! As well as Science Center visits, especially when there are new exhibits set up. And, also an in-person class through a partnership.
Social Studies
Social Studies at this age is a lot about understanding community and their role in it, so I love how Blossom and Root does a “History of Me” and it fits in so nicely with reading and writing (and interviewing family).
By now you know that I love everything and anything Team Kind Humans, and the new Soulcial Studies program is no exception. It’s called a story-rich, justice-based curriculum, and it’s exactly that, but I also love that it works for all ages – we do it along with our “co-op” (our incredible group of friends) that spans up to the ages of early teens, and the curriculum works for all ages. The journalling and work they do within the reflections (and actions) can differ as needed to meet each kid’s level and abilities.
Although we are living in the States primarily while homeschooling Kindergarten, my husband and I are Canadian, we are raising dual citizen kids, and we want to make sure that our kids are rich with Canadian knowledge and pride! I was so happy to find Brave Scholar’s Tiny Travellers curriculum. And it’s been a bonus, that we’ve had the pleasure of doing a good chunk of Canadian travel this year, where we bring the curriculum alongside us in real time, with added experience.
Additional
As stated above, travel has been such a phenomenal homeschooling experience – world schooling! As well as engaging in current events. And, volunteering! We are blessed that through Sticks and Strings Foundation, our kids have multiple opportunities to be involved in making a difference.
Fine Arts / Life Learning
I started my preschoolers with my own Preschool eCourse material, and now my oldest is into piano lessons with me. She also does a group music class.
Art
My daughter loves all things art – so much so that she has a whole “art gallery” in her room. So not only do we do art constantly, but she has many outlets – Studio Sprout is great for online things. She has an in-person art class through a homeschool partnership. And she has another art class that she drops into for pottery and so much more! She also loves sewing, so we’ve used Mother Sews Best and Let’s Learn to Sew for project-based learning.
Additional
Additionally, we are always learning life skills together through cooking and baking, cleaning and organizing. We do Field Trips with our “co-op,” which often brings about lots of cool projects. And, the Children’s Theatre has incredible homeschool days! Speaking of that, lots of places have great homeschool days, so always check out museums, zoos, theatres, farms, and more to find out what they have to offer!
PE
For physical education, we have some scheduled lessons of skating and hockey, but most things we do as a family – we are always moving in some capacity with swimming, biking, rollerblading, hiking, and more!
Seasonal
Christmas School with Read-Aloud Revival
I’ll be forever grateful that my friends taught me about Christmas School! For 3 weeks, we pretty much dropped all other curriculum and focused on Christmas School – we chose to use Read-Aloud Revival’s Christmas School Curriculum – each week is based around a different Christmas book, and you can choose how deep you want to dive, but it was so refreshing, fun, and brought about a new sense of excitement to put this change of pace into our learning.
Additional
I’m sure as time goes on, we will find more seasonal pivots in our rhythm. In the summer, we love to continue with kid book club, Brave Writer book recommendations, and we love to do more gardening and water sports, and all the magical things that summer has to offer. It’s so nice to flow our homeschool through the seasons, but also never feel like we need to do a hard start or stop – I try remind myself that it all counts, it’s all learning. As a slight end note, if you’re looking for anything additional, never forget about Teachers Pay Teachers [and Team Kind Human’s KindSchooling Quests].
Happy Homeschooling!