Lydia learns

With school just around the corner, I'll be sharing how we homeschool at Scheve Academy. First off, we have Lydia...

Lydia is not technically school age yet. She turns 5 the beginning of October, which means she misses the cut off by a couple weeks. Although she is not ready for a rigorous academic schedule yet, she is ready for something. I am not a proponent of pushing your kids hard academically when they're young. We don't participate in a preschool program at home or out in the real world. The best way for young children to learn is through play, exploration, and reading with Mom. That being said, I will be doing a modified two year kindergarten program with Lydia this fall. We'll start to cover the basics in short lessons. Seriously, she won't have to sit at a table for more than 30 minutes total per day. Here is her curriculum:

Reading

The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading

by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington

This is a parent and kid friendly way to learn to read. The lessons are short. It is scripted for the parent. You can use additional flash cards if you want to, but it is not necessary. It is phonics based. They have the child reading words early, which gives the child confidence. I've looked at other reading books, but they seem too complicated. This is easy.

Writing

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, K

I did not do a lot of research about handwriting. This was recommended from a respected homeschooler, so I went with it. We work our way through the workbook in short and easy lessons. It has colorful pages, but not too much distraction.

Math

Saxon Math K

We will start with the Saxon kindergarten math program, which uses a lot of manipulatives. There is a lot of counting teddy bears, sorting colors, and playing with pattern blocks. Saxon is not colorful or fancy, but it is thorough. Everything is scripted for the parent, which is good for the math leery parent. If we run in to topics that I feel Lydia is already very literate in, we'll skip that lesson. Saxon utilizes a spiral approach, which means there is constant review.

Classical Conversations

Lydia will be in a CC class for 4 and 5 year olds. I don't think that she absolutely needs to be in this class, but think she will really enjoy it.

Although her formal education at this point is limited, she is learning every moment. We read from the Bible everyday. She attends Sunday school class, children's church, and Wednesday night classes at church. Lydia usually sits in on history and science with Madeline if she wants. She plays outside, creates sculptures with playdoh, bosses her little sisters around, swings on our swing set, and goes to the store with us.