D.I.Y

Music Appreciation – Rock ‘n’ Roll

Dear Sis,

This is the tenth and final part in our Music Appreciation lesson plan series. If you are just finding us now, the text that corresponds with these lessons is Music is… by Stephen T. Johnson. 

Rock & Roll

Week Thirty-Three

Approximately 20 minutes

Read playful narration “Rock ‘n’ Roll is…” text.

  • Encourage your pre-reader to try to repeat the song and sing along. Being silly with your kids is a great way to catch their interest.
  • If you have multiple learners you can make a game of it and see who can give the best performance by family vote

Listen to Sample One: “Strange Things Happening Everyday” by Sister Rosetta Tharpe (gospel/early rock ‘n’ roll)

Listen to Sample Two: “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley (rockability/rock ‘n’ roll)

Watch the Biography of Elvis Presley video.

Week Thirty-Four

Approximately 15 minutes

Read “ROCK ‘N’ ROLL” history text.

Watch the History of Rock ‘n’ Roll video. 

Week Thirty-Five

Approximately 10 minutes

Listen to Sample Three: “Roll Over Beethoven” by Chuck Berry (rock ‘n’ roll)

Listen to Sample Four: “Paperback Writer” by The Beatles (pop rock)

Week Thirty-Six

Approximately 15 minutes

Listen to Sample Five: “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix (classic/psychedelic rock)

Listen to Sample Six: “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions” by Queen (classic/arena rock)

Read “Music is YOU!”. 

Please tell us about your experience in the comment section.

Happy Homeschooling!

Love,

b




Godey’s 1861 Fancy Belt Pattern

Hi Sis,

You gave me your old belt, the one I made you a few years back. Then, I got an idea! I was gonna have some fun!

Enter fancy belt, from Godey’s 1861.

Here is how it turned out! 

I planned to sell it, but now I’m not sure. 😂 It doesn’t look bad with my crazy bold kelly green silk dress. So, I may just keep it. 

Materials

Silk Taffeta
Interfacing
1 Inch velvet
Soutache braid 3 mm wide 
Buckle – You can find buckles from Ensembles from the Past and Button Barron

Step 1: Measure waist. Add 1 inch seam allowance, and 1 -2 inches for overlapping the back. Take this measurement and drawl it onto your silk tafffeta. If you want a two inch belt, cut it five inches wide.

Step 2: I interfaced my belt for extra stability, but this is optional.

Step 3: Sew one side of the belt (1/2 seam allowance), and down the main length. Do not sew other end. 

Step 4: Trim corners at end for a good fold/tip. 

Step 5: Invert. Iron, and use a butter knife to help give you a nice crisp edge along the seam.

Step 6: Fold in other end, and sew.

Step 7: Take one inch velvet, and sew it on 1/2 of an inch from bottom.

Step 8: Find center of belt, and put on buckle. Chalk the lines of your buckle, so that you know where to not have the braid loops getting in the way. Many period belts closed on the side.

Step 9: Mark where your braid loops will take pace, with a simple chalk line. You do not need to trace anything. Just mark the distance apart that you desire your loops, and stagger the top and bottom.

Step 10: Sew on braid.

Step 11: You can add a closure, such as a hook and eye. Or you can use a silk pin or two. I pin my belts on, and yes that is a period, and always a great fit!

Enjoy your belt!

 

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Fish Sleep Sack

Dear Sis,

All your recent visit have spurred a desire for me to make animal sleep sacks for Eve, Charlotte, and Grant like I did for William long ago (Owl Sleep Sack). Eve has been the floor sleeping kid, so I made her’s first:)

Materials

  • 2 yards fleece (outer fabric)
  • 5 1/2 yards broadcloth (lining and pillow sham)
  • 1 1/2 yards quilting cotton (tail, fins, and eye)
  • double sided fusible interfacing, such as WonderUnder
  • 2 (24 inch) metal zippers (closure)
  • tissue paper and clear tape (pattern making)

Assembly

  • Draft your tail, fins, and eye patterns onto tissue or pattern paper. The pattern photos below are on a 1 inch grid to help you scale the pattern.

  • Fold 1 1/2 yards printed quilting cotton in half and arrange tail (cut 2 on fold) and fins for cutting. Remember to add 1/2 inch seam allowance around curved portions of tail and fins. 
  • Place tail panels right sides together and sew curved areas with a 1/2 inch seam allowance, leaving straight section at the base of the tail open. Clip curves as needed, turn and press. Repeat with fins.
  • Cut 4 x 4 inch square from remnant printed quilting cotton and double sided fusible interfacing. Press with a hot iron to fuse both squares together. Trace eye pattern onto interfacing side and cut along the tracing line, no additional seam allowance is needed. 

  • Trim bulky salvage edge from fleece. Fold lengthwise and cut on the fold to create a front and back panels. 
  • Shaping top and bottom edges of fleece panels by centering tail at the bottom edge of the fleece panels. Chalk mark the flat space that is required at the bottom to attach the tail. Add curve to the top and bottom edge as desired with chalk and cut when pleased with the shape. Fold contoured bottom edge up until it meets the top edge of the fleece panels. Cut to match bottom shaping. Unfold. Working with just the top edge, chalk the opened mouth into the straight uncut area between the top and bottom curves. When pleased with the shape, cut the mouth opening.
  • Remove the bolt fold from the broadcloth and fold in the other direction so that fabric is open to its full width. Lay fleece panels at the bottom from the folded edge upward and a standard pillowcase above it. Cut lining to match the fleece panels. Cut pillowcase panels with a 1/2 inch seam allowance around the three seamed edges and an additional 2 1/2 inches at open edge for a rolled hem.

  • Lay a single layer of fleece out flat. Arrange and pin tail, fins, and eye in place. Sew on tail and fins using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Note: the front pectoral fin is not along the edge, so it will need to folded downward and topstitched to finish the raw edge. 
  • Fuse the eye in place with a hot iron. Using a dense zigzag stitch or the satin stitch, sew around the eye to finish the raw edge.
  • Pin tail and fins away from the edges of the fleece folding as needed. Place second fleece panel right side down over the first panel. Leaving the first 24 inches open on both side seams, stitch around using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Repeat with lining.
  • With fleece layer right side out and lining inside out. Place fleece inside lining and sew around unfinished edges with a 1/2 inch seam allowance leaving an 8 inch opening for turning. Turn and get lining situation inside fleece layer. Top stitch around opening on the front and back as close to the edge as possible turning the open 8 inches inward and stitching it closed as well. 

  • Switch to a zipper foot and install a zipper along the top and bottom curved edges.
  • For pillowcase, place panels right sides together and stitch along three edges using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Clip corners and turn right side out.
  • On open side, fold raw edge under 1/2 inch and make a 2 inch rolled hem and secure with machine sewing.

Enjoy your creation!

Love,

b

P.S. Two more designs are in my sewing queue… a yellow cat for Charlotte and a pink pig for Grant.

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Homeschooling with The Story of the Orchestra

Dear Sis,

The state of Ohio requires that homeschoolers study music. Last year I wrote a 36 week Music Appreciation course for students PreK-Grade 8.  

This spring we started taking weekly piano lessons, which count toward our school music requirement, but the musician in me wanted more! I stumbled upon The Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine recently during a visit to Half Price Books. It’s perfect! I’m excited to use it for our upcoming Kindergarten and first grade years. 

The Text Book

and accompanying 37 listening samples

We thrifted this 2001 edition, with CD

This revised 2019 edition, with audio downloads is available on Amazon.

Other than the title change and the manor in which the listening samples are provided, the two books are the same!

The book is broken into Part I: The Composers and Part II: The Orchestra Instruments. I plan to cover one part per year for the next two school years. I feel that my son is too young to work trough all the content in a single year, but for an older learner that might be preferred.

Also, I feel that learning the instruments is easier for the young learner than a timeline composer study, so we will be starting with Part II. 

Please select the printable schedule that is best for your learner(s).

36 Lesson, Instrument Study, K-8

18 Lesson, Composer Study, K-8

36 Lesson, Classical Music Study, 3-12

Happy Homeschooling!

Love,

b

Kindergarten Curriculum Round-Up

Dear Sis,

I start aggressively researching and buying curriculum in January. I usually finish up by April or May, so that we are ready to begin using the next years of school as soon as we complete the previous year. We school all year round, to allow for a more relaxed schedule and better information retention. Much of my inspiration came from Timberdoodle again this year, but I’ve included source information beside specific each item.

Kindergarten

Art

  1. Animal Postcards painting set by Aquarellum (Timberdoodle)
  2. Art Lab for Little Kids by Susan Schwake (Torchlight)
  3. Bug Scratch Boards art kit by Deco (Timberdoodle)
  4. Preschool Paper Crafts by Stefania Luca
  5. Paper Crafts for Kids by Stefania Luca

We find that art is an easy subject to accomplish with very little actual curriculum. We use a lot of craft kits form Dollar Tree and Michaels! Also, many of the projects form our Kiwi Crates also falls into the category of art.

William enjoys looking at Timberdoodle’s curriculum catalogue as much as I do. He was excited about the painting and scratch art kit, so we added them to our order.

When we feel like having a formal art class we use Art Lab for Little Kids. We finished about a quarter of the 52 projects in our Pre-K year, so there is still plenty of use left in the book for our Kindergarten year!

Although William’s cutting, pasting, and folding have greatly improved over the past two year, I still feel that continued practice is needed. The two paper craft books listed above, contain 25 projects each! 

Bible Study

It took me three attempts during our Pre-K year to find the perfect study bible. I still haven’t found the perfect one for our Kindergarten year. Honestly, I might just reuse the one from last year: Read and Learn Bible: Stories form the Old and New Testaments by Scholastic.

Character and Emotional Development

  1. The Adventures of Mali & Keela: A Virtues Book for Children by Jonathan Collins (Torchlight)
  2. Chicken Soup for the Child’s Soul: Character-Building Stories to Read with Kids Ages 5-8 by Jack Canfield and Mark & Patty Hansen
  3. Happy Sad Feeling Mad by Yasmeen Ismail (Timberdoodle)
  4. What Should Danny Do? by Ganit & Adir Levy

The past two school years we focused on learning about different kinds of emotions and how to manage them appropriately. This year, I would like our “emotional intelligence” to take on exploration of character as well. All of these books are new to myself and William, we’ll see how it goes:)

We enjoyed What’s Going On Here? conversation cards by eeboo so much, we may order a different set, for Kindergarten too.




Foreign Language

  1. Mis Primeras 1000 Palabras by Betty Root and Kate Naylor

April 22nd update: Today we stopped at Half Price Books. We found this book of Spanish vocabulary. The way things are trending, I expect that by the time William is grown, Spanish will be as common place as English in the United States, so I plan to learn it with him over the years. With any luck we will all be bilingual in the end:)

Geography

  1. A Year Full of Stories: 52 Folktales and Legends from Around the World by Angela McAllister (Build Your Library)
  2. Cooking Class: Global Feast by Deanna F. Cook (Build Your Library)
  3. Greetings from Somewhere ten book series by Paris Harper (Torchlight)
  4. Flags Around the World Ultimate Sticker Book by DK (Build Your Library)
  5. World Atlas by National Geographic Kids

These books are scheduled in a compilation call Global Greeting Geography. I put many weeks into developing a solid geography curriculum for the early years, since every curriculum we’ve tried so far falls short. Even little ones need geography, so they can learn to love it! 

If you are looking for a less rigorous, but equally indepth geography program for young children, check out our Geography for Little People which we are currently using in our Pre-K year.

Health and Fitness

  1. Learning About My Body, K-1 by Evan-Moor (Activity Book)
  2. The Human Body, K-2 24 Full-Color Picture Cards by Evan-Moor (Text Book)
  3. Weekly Swim Lessons

William is so interested in science! Health falls into that umbrella for him, so I wanted an in-depth look at different body systems with a lot of hands-on activities. These books are designed for a classroom, but I think they will work nicely in our home school as well. I’m not sure if we will finish it this year, or if we will do half this year, and half in first grade. Time will tell.

We started weekly swim lessons during our Pre-K year, and we will keep using them until he can actually swim independently. We may also add a homeschool gym class offered through our YMCA, still waiting to hear back about that:)

History

  1. A Child Through Time: The Book of Children’s History by DK
  2. Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

History is another hard subject in the early years. The second half of this year we began reading the Magic Tree House series starting back at book one, Dinosaurs Before Dark. We use the fun piece of fiction as a spring board for research. William selects three pieces of non-fiction from the local library, and I throw in a hands-on project to go with it. There are so many Magic Tree House books we are at no risk of running out of material before the completion of Kindergarten!




Language

We loved the ShillerLearning Math 1 by Shiller Learning so much in Pre-K, we also purchased their language program, ShillerLearning Language Arts A. We like it, but it too repetitive to call it love in the long term!

I also purchased Foundations A by Logic of English last year, so we could use components of it our Pre-K year, and the main curriculum in Kindergarten. I’m not sure I love the idea now, but I feel like we have to try it before we move onto something else…

The second half of our Pre-K year we started Get Ready for the Code from the Explode the Code series. It has really added to our language lessons, since we were getting board with our Shiller Language A routine. I plan to get him the next workbooks in the series when we finish!

I will probably also purchase some of the items from this earlier post for another homeschooling mama: Teaching Reading at Home.

Math

  1. Clumsy Thief Jr. card game by Melon Rind for practicing adding to ten (Timberdoodle, last year)
  2. Jump 1 card game by Melon Rind for practicing addition and subtraction (Timberdoodle)
  3. Mathematical Reasoning A by Critical Thinking Co.
  4. ShillerLearning Math 1 by ShillerLearning

We love game schooling as much as possible, so we snatched up these two game suggestions from Timberdoodle. 

We love ShillerMath 1 so much! I can’t say enough good things about now this Montessori program takes abstract math concepts and find creative concrete ways for me to introduce them to William.

We also love the Mathematical Reasoning series. We’ve used it for the past two school years. It’s a marvelous workbook that we use as practice work!

I also have a stash of things saved for learning to tell time and counting money, but I’m not sure it we will get to that this year or next:

  1. My Book of Easy Telling Time by Kumon, for learning hours and half-hours (Timberdoodle)
  2. My First Book of Money: Counting Coins by Kumon (Timberdoodle)
  3. Play Money Set by Melissa and Doug
  4. Time Activity Set by Learning Resources

Music

  1. Piano Lessons
  2. The Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine

Last year I created Music Appreciation for at home music study. This spring we also added weekly piano lessons, which we plan to stick with for our Kindergarten year.

April 22nd update: Today we stopped at Half Price Books. We found this book that includes a CD with 37 listening samples that go with the text portions!

Science

  1. Learning About Animals by Evan-Moor
  2. Learning About the Earth by Evan-Moor
  3. Learning About Plants by Evan-Moor
  4. Learning About Weather by Evan-Moor 
  5. The Usborne Big Book of Experiments by Alastair Smith

Science is William’s favorite subject! These books are designed for a classroom, but I think they will work nicely in our home school as well. I’m not sure if we will finish it this year, or if we will do half this year, and half in first grade. Time will tell.

Additionally, we have a Kiwi Crate subscription that supplements this subject nicely! If you haven’t tried them yet… you should:)




Sewing

We started hand sewing pre-punched felt projects in our Pre-K year and we will continue to do so in Kindergarten. Most of our kits are from Michaels. 

Sewing is one of my many hobbies that the kids see me working on all the time, so they are naturally curious and eager to try it themselves. We find that it has really helped built patience and fine motor skills too!

Thinking Skills

  1. Apple Twist logic game by Smart Games (Timberdoodle)
  2. Can You Find Me? K-1 by Critical Thinking Co.
  3. Gobblet Gobblers game, tic tack toe with a twist by Blue Orange Games (Timberdoodle)
  4. Mind Benders, Level 1 by Critical Thinking Co.
  5. Smart Farmer logic game by Smart Games (Timberdoodle)
  6. Story Time Chess (Timberdoodle)
  7. ThinkPlay STEM Jr. Xtra by Morphun (Timberdoodle)
  8. Thinking Skills K by Kumon (Timberdoodle)

William absolutely loves logic games! He usually finishes them early and we purchase an extra one so we can do some all year long. He is very excited about Apple Twist and Smart Farmer:)

Gobblet Gobblers and Story Time Chess are games we will play together. My husband has been giving William chess lessons off and on for the last several months. I think William will really excel once we start Story Time Chess. We’ll bring it to his fun loving level!

The ThinkPlay building set is from our Pre-K year. We were supposed to build two-three models each week, but we cut it back to one, so we have plenty of models to continue building in our Kindergarten year.

Happy Homeschooling!

Love,

b

Other Curriculum Inspiration by Grade:

Preschool

Pre-Kindergarten

A Yellow 1860s Dress for Charlotte

Dear Sis,

Charlotte is enamored with the color yellow! It is her absolute favorite!!! We happen to have some remnant from the day dress we made Mama Jenn last year. It is a yellow cotton/linen with large white window pane checks woven into it. During my planning phase, I usually try to find an originial for inspiration! I found one this CVD:

The original is likely a pale blue cotton. This girl is a bit older than Charlotte, but the window pane check is too perfect a match to pass up!!!

Although drafting patterns for children is not difficult, I usually start with Elizabeth Stewart Clark’s Infant Dress bodice patterns to save time. The pattern includes most variations: Two bodice cuts: one with an armscye and the other with a sleeve that creates its own armscye when sewn to the front and back panels. Both bodice styles can be made smooth, gathered, or pleated. It also has sleeve variations: long and short with smooth and gathered options. 

The shaping of this bodice requires the sleeves to be sewn to the front and back panels creating their own armscye in the process. My children are so long and lean the infant dresses fit well into 2T and 3T, I just have to lengthen them accordingly.

I started with a white cotton petti-chemise patterned and assembled exactly the same way as the dress with a thin band of eyelet around the hem, neckline, and sleeve bands. My only regrets: I wish I would have accounted for the length difference in the dress sleeve that is roll-hemmed vs. the chemise bodice that has a 1/2 inch eyelet. Then the two sleeve lengths would be more like the original image. But alas, I don’t care enough to actually fix it…lol!

The dress went together quickly. The only slowdown was the hand stitching needed to secure the dark brown braid and hook and eye tape closures in place. I also piped the neckline to give it a nice finished edge that would wear well. 

We are ready for our even this coming weekend!

Love,

b

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Hi Ho! Cherry-o

Dear Sis,

Last month we spent sometime with Aunt Cil and the cousins when we went to Indiana for cousin Alicia’s wedding. The kids really enjoyed the visit! The memory of playing HiHo! Cherry-o with her cousins was so strong that she picked it last night when daddy took her to the toy store today:)

March 25, 2022

This Morning

Charlotte is doing so well learning to count. She is such a big girl!

Love,

b

Preschool for Eve, age 3-4

Dear Sis,

I’m sure you noticed by now that I love homeschooling, from the time on the couch reading with my little humans, to the selection of the actual curriculum itself. This compilation for Evelyn is the best of what I’ve stumbled upon in the past three years! Many of these items are curated by the folks at Timberdoodle. We have purchased both their preschool and pre-k kits in recent years. You can see those reviews here: Timberdoodle Preschool Review & Timberdoodle Pre-K Review.

We focus on play-schooling and read-alouds, so this list is pretty light on workbook suggestions:) The workbooks that are suggested are very gentle and require very pencil work. Individual lessons take 5-15 minutes to complete! I’ve included printable checklists for a 36 week program that can spread out over the course of a full calendar year, if desired. I’m able to lend you many books and materials, all the items that are consumable… or my kids won’t part with, are linked so you have a shopping list of sorts. 

Curriculum by Subject

Art / Fine Motor

Any set of lacing cards will do, but if you haven’t invested in these yet, this Wooden Alphabet Double-Sided Lacing Cards by Melissa & Doug are a great pick!

Any set of geoboards will do, but we will be lending you this set by Guidecraft, which pairs well with the geoboard letter patterns provided in the Pre-K Curriculum Handbook, 2020-2021 Edition by Timberdoodle.

Please order this pair of cutting workbooks: Let’s Cut Paper! & Let’s Cut Pater! Amazing Animals by Kumon.

Please order this guided drawing book: Little Children’s Drawing Book by Usborne.

We purchased these as part of Eve’s birthday gift! Play and Learn ABC, 123, and Shapes and Under the Sea by Do-A-Dot Art! with this set of “dot” or “dauber” markers.

These Tri-Finger-Grip Writing Tools are a must! We are giving you our old set of crayon rocks (since yours were chewed up by little people) and a Write Size Pencil with a Tri-Hold Pencil Griper. You will need to purchase your own Kum 4-in-1 Pencil Sharpener, that can sharpen wide pencils, and a chunky eraser.

A play dough mat set by DJECO. They swap out the kits periodically, this list includes what is on Amazon at present. You can choose from the following depending on what skills you think need practice: Prints and Shapes Dough Craft Kit (practice flat rolling and cutting) and/or Dough Circles Shaping Kit (practice rolling balls). We had another one that focuses on rolling long skinny strips, if you’d like to borrow it!

Emotional Intelligence / Health

We have these illustrated Feeling Flashcards by Todd Parr you can borrow. For those who don’t already own a set, it might be better to choose a set with real human faces:)

My Very First Body Book by Usborne

Language

 

Any Alphabet Books! We are lending you three of our favorites A is for Apple, Montessori Letter Work, and The Usborne IllustratedAlphabet.

Any Alphabet Puzzles! We are lending you a pair of Upper Case and Lower Case puzzles with the writing strokes beneath each piece.

Please order this pair of alphabet workbooks: PlaySmart Alphabet, Ages 2+ & Ages 3+ by Gakken Workbooks. I’ve scheduled each one workbook for each semester.

Wimmelbooks, set of 4: we are lending you Animals Around the World, Cars and Things that Go, and On the Farm. You will have to purchase a fourth book because William is not giving up Dinosaurs! There are several others from which to choose.

Picture Book Activities: Fun and Games for Preschoolers Based on 50 Favorite Children’s Books by Trish Kuffner (Try to get through 20-25 books this year! That will save 25-30 books for your Pre-K year!)

Mathematics

Any counting/number games! We recommend Count Your Chickens and Snug as a Bug in a Rug by Peaceable Kingdom, Uno by Matel, and Dominos by Melissa and Doug. This domino set only goes from 1-6 and is color coded to help little ones. An adult set goes to 12 and is black and white. We put three games in your loan pile!

Any counting/number manipulatives! We are lending you our Montessori Bead Stair and Wooden Number Peg Boards.

Any counting/number puzzles! My kids are still using ours so you will have to source your own. We like these by Melissa and Doug: See-Inside 0-9 Wooden Peg Puzzle and Self-Correcting Wooden Number Puzzles, 1-20.

The Usborne Big Book of Things to Spot by Gillian Doherty

Please order: Mathematical Reasoning, Beginning 1 by Critical Thinking Co.

Please order: My First Sticker by Numbers Book by Price Stern Sloan.

Preschool Math at Home: Simple Activities to Build the Best Possible Foundation for Your Child by Kate Snow

Science & Engineering

“Koala Crate” monthly subscription from Kiwi Co.

My Very First Our World Book by Usborne

Nature’s Wonders by Alejandro Algeria and Gustavo Mazali

Primary Science Set by Learning Resources

Plus-Plus Big building set with weekly model patterns in the Preschool Curriculum Handbook, 2019-2020 edition by Timberdoodle.

ThinkPlay Preschool building set by Morphun

Social Studies

A Street Through Time by DK (Second Semester History)

Any Globe and World Wall Map! Yes, the inflatable Globe from Dollar Tree and the quilted map of the world wall quilt I made for Grant’s room count!

Any U.S.A. and World Floor Puzzles! Simple puzzles, without a bunch of graphics crammed on each landform are best, but harder to find!

Great Buildings by Mack van Gageldonk (Second Semester Geography)

Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney (First Semester Geography)

Montessori Map Work by Bobby and June Goerge (First Semester Geography)

My First Atlas of the World by National Geographic Kids (Second Semester Geography)

Now and Then by Peter Firmin (First Semester History) I purchased this out-of-print Osburne book on Bookshark.

Preschool Tips & Clips: Neighborhoods: Community Patterns and Activities by Marilynn G. Barr

What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry

Thinking Skills

Please purchase Building Thinking Skills: Beginning 1 Workbook by Critical Thinking Co.

Bunny Peek-a-Boo puzzle game by Smart Games

Day and Night puzzle game by Smart Games

Please purchase this pair of workbooks: Play Smart Brain Boosters, Ages 2+ & Ages 3+ by Gakken Workbooks (One for each semester)

Please purchase this pair of workbooks: Play Smart Skill Builders, Ages 2+ & Ages 3+ by Gakken Workbooks (One for each semester)

Now that you have rounded up all your curriculum and materials, its time to pace everything. I like to work with 36 checklists. Sometimes the checklist is done is done in a week or so. Sometimes it takes a month. I don’t care as long as we finish within a calendar year!

Printable PDF Weekly Check Lists

These checklists are by 9 weeks, because that is the shortest book cycle. Print a new list each week and circle the week number to stay on track.

Printable PDF Book Cycles

This printable includes book cycles as follows: What Do People Do All Day? 2 (18 week cycles), My First Atlas of the World 2 (9 week cycles), Then and Now 2 (9 week cycles), Great Buildings 1 (18 week cycle), and Out World Book 3 (12 week cycles).

I cut these lists out and tape them inside the respective books so I always have quick access to our weekly reading portions.

Happy Homeschooling!

Love,

b

P.S. New This Year from Timberdoodle

Each year Timberdoodle updates their curriculum kits in April. I just received the new catalogue and placed our kindergarten order for this coming school year. In any case, I thought I’d add the updates below incase any look like something you and Eve might enjoy:)

LANGUAGE

A-Z Magnatab, also available in lower case. This learning tool replaced the alphabet puzzles, of recent years.

MATH

“Farmland Math” has been updated to “Town and Farm Math” by Timberdoodle in a new edition. 

Bata-waf card game by Djeco

THINKING SKILLS

Little Match card game, also by Djeco

I Can Do That! Sticker Superstar by Gakken

Animal Playground game by Djeco

SOCIAL STUDIES

Jumbo Puzzle Map of the World by Mudpuppy

The ART kits are new too, but they often are from year to year!

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