By Kristen Chase.
Along with continuing to homeschool my daughter Quinlan, a soon-to-be second grader, I’ve officially decided to homeschool our son Drew, who is 4 and a half.
As you probably know, that “half” is extremely important.
With Quinlan, I created my own curriculum based on Cathy Duffy’s Top 100 Picks and for the most part, I felt it was successful. With a few tweaks, I think I’ll do the same this year.
But for my son, I’m not entirely sure that’s the right approach.
Unlike Quinlan who was already reading and writing by the time I got my hands on her (so to speak), my son has had little formal education. He’s definitely not as nimble when it comes to fine motor skills and while he does know the basics, probably more than I realize, he’s nowhere near where my oldest was at the same age.
Part of that is also because he’s the second child, and didn’t get nearly as much of the time I spent with Quinlan doing flashcards, participating in music classes, and playing educational games.
You have to love those first children!
I do realize he’s only 4 and a half, and will reap the benefits of being in the same classroom as his sister. And I understand that it’s probably just as easy and cheaper to pick up a few activity books, coloring books, and random art supplies, along with subject specific books based on various concepts, like Dinosaurs or the Planets, and slowly engage him in more formal instructional periods during the day.
But part of me would like to have a guide and a set plan, especially since I’m teaching another child. I’ve noticed that I’m not the best planner in the world, so I don’t want to set myself up for failure early on in the semester.
And I’d like to capitalize on his interest in “doing schoolwork” as he asks on a daily basis.
With our local homeschool expo coming up this weekend, I’ll be scouring the exhibitor booths to see if I want to create my own curriculum. In the mean time, I’m waiting to see what classes our homeschool co-op will be offering for his age group, and have spent some time researching boxed curricula to see if something stands out.
Here are five that have piqued my interest:
1. Before Five in a Row
I’m a huge reading proponent, so Before Five in a Row (BFIAR) definitely caught my eye. Tsh at Simple Mom has used it and wrote a lovely review of the program. I’m attracted to the flexibility as well as its use of books to cover a myriad subjects.
2. Oak Meadow
I’ve heard wonderful things about Oak Meadow, which emphasizes creativity and imagination. Like BFIAR, the Oak Meadow preschool program seems low on intensity, which I like, and would allow me to include my 2 and a half year old as well.
3. Calvert
During the recent *#HSCHAT on Twitter, Calvert was recommended to me. As a Calvert School 8th grade graduate myself, I’m quite familiar with their programs. Their preschool program appears to be more traditional than the other two programs I’ve mentioned thus far, but not as involved or rigid as I had expected.
4. K4 Curriculum and Letter of the Week
Also during the Twitter Chat, I discovered this homemade K4 Curriculum from Confessions of a Homeschooler, which you can purchase as a download or a CD (both extremely reasonable) and print yourself. Similar to Calvert, it looks more traditionally based, with various worksheets that drill age appropriate skills.
I’ve also explored Letter of the Week, which is a free online curriculum that provides parents with informal lesson plans based around a letter of the alphabet. To me, this seems very intuitive, but also a bit time consuming as far as preparation goes.
5. Sonlight
A few of my close homeschooling friends use Sonlight and have nothing but great things to say about it. We’re already familiar with Horizons Math, and from what I can tell, it seems like a very well-rounded curriculum, combining both traditional and more creative approaches.
Feel free to share your opinions about them (or others) in the comments!
Kristen Chase is a mom of 4, writer, and co-publisher of Cool Mom Picks and Cool Mom Tech, a popular shopping and trendspotting blog for moms. She’s a 2nd generation homeschooler, having been taught middle and high school by her own mother back when people were still using quills and ink wells, and is now a very well-adjusted and socialized homeschool mom herself.