Kindergarten Plans for Next School Year

Yes, I realize that summer break just started.  Yes, I realize that school does not start for another 2+ months.  But I also realize that when you homeschool, you really don't ever stop thinking about what you will do next.  So, I decided the best way for me to get my own thoughts together would be to blog about it!

Let's start with the basics:  reading, writing, and arithmetic.  I plan to continue using the Memoria Press curriculum that I used this year with B for pre-k (or junior k as they call it).  I was extremely pleased with it and am really looking forward to getting my hands on the Kindergarten kit so I can look even more closely at it.  Their kit is a combination of books they have written themselves and a few books that are published by others like SRA, Primary Phonics, and Rod & Staff.  MP curriculum comes with lessons plans that include handwriting, read alouds, enrichment activities, poetry, memorization/recitation, and Bible memory verses.

 In addition to what we will be doing at home, I have registered B for the Classical Conversations community in a nearby town.  The Foundations program of Classical Conversations (or CC as it is commonly referred to) is for kids aged 4 to 6th grade and meets one day a week for 24 weeks.  We will be meeting from 9:00 to noon on Tuesday mornings and working with our community of learners on memorizing important facts from history, geography, math, Latin, science, English grammar, Bible, and a history timeline of events.  They will also work on fine arts like drawing, music theory, orchestra, and famous artists and do a science experiment every week.  This is exactly what I needed to supplement what we are already doing at home AND get us involved in a homeschool group to provide some of that highly controversial 'socialization' that people are so concerned about with homeschooled kids.  haha  We start August 26, and I can't wait.

I hate to wish away my summer, but I am so excited about all the things to come with the new school year.  Watching B learn is one of the most amazing parts of being his mom!  And I plan to throw C into the mix more seriously this coming school year.  She was taking such a strong interest in writing and learning her letters by the end of the school year in May, that I decided to go ahead and order another set of the consumable books that I just used with B and give her a shot with them next school year.  I will just rearrange the order so that both kids are working on the same letter at the same time.  I expect great things from her starting in August/September.  She is one smart cookie--just like her big brother!

So until August, I plan to enjoy my summer relaxing, taking the kids to swim lessons, taking C to gymnastics, planning and participating in VBS . . . maybe I should scratch "relaxing" from this list!