Middle Mary goes to kindergarten....

Kindergarten? First Grade? Its hard to name what grade Middle Mary is actually in. It is her first year at home but most of her course work is "first grade" material. She just turned 6 a couple of weeks ago, and I'm loving all the time we're having together this year!

She is definitely an auditory learner and strongly kinesthetic. She just remembers things quite easily if she hears them. Really helps in the memorization aspect of our schooling but its troubling to remember how to form letters properly....


As for her daily course load, here is the list:


Phonics
Handwriting
Readers
Grammar
Math

We keep it pretty simple for this little bug. She typically is a "reacher"- always wanting what's just ahead, pushing herself to go further....my philosphy is to ease my Marys into school but this one is pushing that theory a bit. Her mind is strong and willing but her mechanics sometimes slow her down.


Phonics/Reading- We have used Sing, Spell, Read, and Write (K/1st grade combo) our first go around and had planned to use it again. It is a combination curriculum so much of what we do surrounds this program. Mostly, I love it. There are amazing options....obviously phonics instruction/reading and spelling and handwriting... but we don't do it all. For one thing, this little Mary does not like handwriting, so her reading skills are not on par with her handwriting capability. This results in me chucking the teacher's manual and flipping to sections to best suit our focus for the day. She really enjoys the books and the song CD that teaches the letter blends. Its not my favorite curriculum in the world but I like it. It has provided fun activities when I just am not in the mood for worksheets, etc. There are lots of games- sound bingo, sight word bingo, pick a sound/Go Fish.....it helps get her moving around a bit.


This program has both the Kindergarten and 1st Grade levels so we were able to move straight into "1st grade" work when M2 was ready. She is speeding along through her reader books provided and loves to try to pick out words from books we get from the library.

Handwriting - We use A Reason for Handwriting. This has been a fine practice book but I definitely have to have her practice her letters more than what is presented here. Its a quick warm up for our day.


Grammar- Middle Mary has her own Language Lessons book as well. Initially I purchased a book that M1 used her K year but have had to switch down to a younger level because of the amount of writing required. So now I'm hoping it will be a joyful experience. Its just about 5 minutes per day in small chunks. I love the combination of picture study, poetry, and copywork. Just a little each day to not overwhelm!

Math- We have started out the year with Horizons K and she doesn't seem to struggle. The sprial approach doesn't seem to phase her as it does M1. My one complaint would be that the program teaches adding primarily on the number line. This is fine for now but I'm not sure how long I'll stick with Horizons. I really desire to be a one curriculum family but I know one of the advantages of homeschooling is choosing the best curriculum for the individual child. We're still praying through this....


We also add lots of fun puzzles and games to round out her individual learning time. She is slowly loving to color and will spend lots of time now at her little desk busy at work. I'm thankful to watch her grow and learn!