Beginning Our Journey (Part 3)

I already wrote this post once and somehow it disappeared!! So here is my less-detailed version of what we plan on using for all of the other subjects for Kindergarten this year (I wrote about our math and reading curriculum here). I believe that Kindergarten should still be very informal, so aside from reading and math, we won't be using any real curriculum. No matter how much the world tells us the opposite, I don't think it's important to cram a 5 yr old full of information in hopes of creating a mini-expert in as many subjects as possible. Children naturally learn about and seek out information on the things that capture their interest. At that point, it is up to the parent/teacher to provide the resources that will help the child explore that topic, whether it's through books, videos, experiments, toys, etc. I have no doubt that through her natural curiosity, we will touch on aspects of science, geography, history, etc., and she will probably retain more than if I tried to teach her what I thought she should know. 

I've made a list of books that I want to add to our library throughout the year. Many of them could probably be found in our local library, but the nature of these books will make them useful for many years, and for all of our children, so I feel they'll be worth the investment. Each of the books introduce a large variety of topics that I feel would inspire further learning. For instance, Mollie might become fascinated with a particular time period that we read about in A Street Through Time, so we'll research it further. She's already decided she wants to visit China, so we'll look at it in our Atlas' to learn more about it, and maybe read some historical fiction. She might have more questions about something she sees in Look Inside Your Body, so we'll look for the answers together online. I really do believe that learning can be as simple as that!

Science

Mollie is always asking to do a science "experience" (experiment), and I usually do something simple involving baking soda and vinegar, or I let her mix some things together. I'm so excited to use these books because the activities are super quick and simple, and use household items, or items found in nature. Nature in a Nutshell has activities broken down my seasons, and Science in Seconds is broken down into categories like colors, gravity, light, water, etc.

 

The illustrations in Outside your Window are beautiful. Each page introduces a nature topic with an illustration and a short poem.

History

 

 Geography

 

Art

The kids do a lot of free-art already since I keep most art supplies out in their playroom, but I think we'd all enjoy exploring some new mediums and techniques together.

 

Bible

I thought I'd add the bibles we use to this post. We normally read them at bedtime, but I'd like to make it part of our morning routine instead.