Hello Friends! Over the next few days, I’m publishing my yearly homeschool curriculum plans. I’ll publish our plans in this order: Early Kindergarten, 5th Grade, 7th Grade, 9th Grade, and 11th Grade.
I know that most of you have children in the Preschool to 3rd or 4th grade range, but I continue to publish my plans for those of you that might have older children or those of you who are just curious. 🙂
This year, I am doing something completely brand new to me as a homeschool mother: I bought a boxed curriculum for Early Kindergarten.
If you would have told me 5 or 8 or 10 years ago I would purchase a boxed curriculum for the Pre-Kindergarten years, I would have said you have the wrong homeschool mother! That’s not what I do!
But as the Lord continues to grow and humble me, He showed me that I need to streamline my 4 year old’s school year.
We will see how it goes. 😉
This year my little man is using a combination of the Jr. Kindergarten curriculum from Memoria Press and a plethora of items in my Preschool and Early Kindergarten section here at Mama’s Learning Corner.
And books. We are avid readers here at the Hill House, so books are always at the top of the agenda. Sometimes it’s the only thing on the agenda!
This post contains my affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
You can see all of my other homeschool curriculum posts here. You’ll find our yearly curriculum choices along with specific reviews for spelling, English grammar, Latin, and more.
Jr. Kindergarten from Memoria Press
I have a multitude of activities all ready for my littlest man, but he is a boy that needs a lot of stimulation. 😉 Because I can’t crank out activities as quickly as he needs them (long gone are those days in my blogging life!), I needed to supplement with something else.
Because I love classical education and can now see the end game with Memoria Press, I chose their Jr. Kindergarten program.
Are there cheaper ways to plan or supplement an Early Kindergarten? Oh goodness, YES!
However, in my years of using Memoria Press, I’ve never been dissatisfied. Sure, there has been curriculum that doesn’t fit with our homeschool and I decided to not use a certain subject again the next year. However, those types of situations are simply because my children needed something different, not because I found the curriculum lacking in some way.
I am not affiliated with Memoria Press at this time, except as an affiliate. I’m just a very happy customer.
The Jr. Kindergarten curriculum comes with a 5-day guide or a 2-day guide, and I chose the 5-day version. While my 4 year old doesn’t do school every day, I would rather have more activities should the need arise and not scramble for things to do during school time.
I did choose to purchase the new-to-us reading books from Memoria Press (we already owned 6 of them I believe), rather than check them out at the library. I know from past experience that if I don’t have them in hand, I won’t remember or have the opportunity to reserve them at the library.
This curriculum covers scissor skills, learning the alphabet, colors, numbers, and all of the other typical Early Kindergarten activities! Each week there is an assigned reading book with an associated craft and many questions to pore over as you read. It’s similar to Five in a Row in that way, which I really like.
There are also song suggestions and many other ideas and activities included in the curriculum guide.
➡ Browse through everything that is included here: 5-day Jr. Kindergarten Curriculum
Myself and Others
The Jr. Kindergarten curriculum also includes Myself and Others, which is very new to me. Honestly, I didn’t realize I was paying for it when I ordered the boxed set, otherwise I probably would have had the MP people hold it out.
I haven’t had a chance to dive into this yet, but after glancing over it for only a few minutes, I’m excited for my son and I to work on it together.
The Jr. Kindergarten package includes Myself and Others, Books 1 and 2 (there are a total of 4 books). Each Book extends over 14 weeks. This set of Books focuses on helping children improve their manners, encourage healthy habits, and improve social understanding.
While my husband and I are diligent in teaching all of these things to our children (especially good manners – I’m a stickler!), I know this will add another layer which I gladly welcome!
Handwriting Without Tears
I have written many times about Handwriting Without Tears over the years here at Mama’s Learning Corner. Because the chalk and slate and the wood pieces are my favorite pieces of the Preschool and Kindergarten programs, I will continue using those with my youngest boy.
Even though this child detests a pencil, he doesn’t mind the chalk at all. Go figure! So I take full advantage of that, and we work on letters a few times each week.
I forgot to add in a picture, but we also use the laminated Letter Cards to practice the wood pieces. I like the activities on the back – short and sweet and uncluttered.
Nursery Rhymes
I think my children and I know most every Nursery Rhyme known to man, thanks to my own mama. She instilled a love of nursery rhymes and read them over and over with me, so of course I want those sweet memories with my own children.
My son chooses 1 of the nursery rhymes included in my Nursery Rhymes packet each week, and we use some of those activities each day.
His favorite activity is reciting the rhyme while holding up the correct pieces. Years ago, I wrote about how I used it with my girls at the time. I have the same methods still today!
He is not quite ready for the dot-to-dot activity, and he is not a fan of coloring, so we do not include those activities each week. But the number counting is always a hit!
Read more here: Teach Your Children Nursery Rhymes (with a video)
Miscellaneous Early Kindergarten Activities
Here are a few other learning activities I have ready for my son during this Jr. Kindergarten year:
— Match Games – he loves them and I do too!
— Letter Formation Cards – we mostly finger-trace these at the present time
— All of the Tracing Activities
— The Dab It! Activities that involve learning letters
And of course there are counting bears, pattern blocks, playdough, kinetic sand, the magnetic farm, and all of those other fun things floating around.
And books. Lots and lots and lots of books!
What is your Early Kindergartner working on this year?
How We Use Christian Studies from Memoria Press in Our Homeschool
“The Empty Pot” is one of my favorite picture books. I loved reading that to my students. It’s such a great aha! moment type book.
It’s a brand new book to me, and I’m looking forward to reading it! After reading through the same million books with my four older children, I always look forward to finding a new one that I can share with my littlest.
(I don’t know why your comments go to moderation. I have it set so they do not. I’ll double check the settings to figure out the issue.)
xo, Lauren
Hello Lauren, I love these posts, and look forward to reading them all! Blessings to you this new academic year! Warmly, Sunny
Thank you, Sunny! I really appreciate your sweet comment. I hope your year starts out well also! ❤
-Lauren
Hi Lauren,
I’ve purchased several of your writing book and other packets. I’m exited to enter another school year this time armed to the teeth in your worksheets. Thanks for sharing with us!
“Armed to the teeth” – Ha! That made me smile!! I’m so glad you can use them and they’re helpful to your family.
Best wishes as you start your new year!! ❤
xo, Lauren
I just came across your blog while looking up handwriting videos. I would love to know how the junior kindergarten program is working for you? I have a 4 year old son who will turn 5 this summer, so I’m looking into our options for him now 🙂
Chey, please forgive my shamefully late reply to your comment! I am so sorry that I missed it. I’m sure you’ve researched and figured out what you’re using already, but I’ll leave a reply just in case. 🙂
I have LOVED the Jr. K program for my son. I spend less than 15 minutes each Sunday evening figuring out what we’re going to do for the week and lay it all out. The minimal prep time for me is key in this season of my homeschool life.
The book selections are so sweet and gentle and lovely. My son and I have loved them!
Since I have 4 older children that require a lot of my teacher attention, we certainly don’t do everything as written each day. There’s just not enough of me to go around for that. But what we DO accomplish has created such good memories for the two of us.
I do use HWT slates & chalk and the wood pieces since I already have those and could teach it with my eyes closed. My boy is still not a pencil fan (which is fine for now!), so he often takes to chalk easier.
If my 5yo old was my oldest, I would do much more of the Jr. K as MP intended.
I ordered MP K for us to start in the fall, although we might start the phonics a bit sooner since he’s pretty close to wanting to read. That being said, I’ve been very pleased with the Jr. K’s phonics readiness. Because this is my fifth child to give phonics instruction, I know most of their suggestions, but it is very easy to just choose from the list and go. It makes it easy for me as a busy homeschool mama.
Please feel free to ask specific questions, and I’ll be happy to try and answer them…in a more timely manner!
xo, Lauren
I have a question… I previously used HWOT & AAR/AAS, and am now starting with MP JrK for another child. Are you teaching through the Alphabet books in the HWOT order, using the HWOT terms to describe forming the letters?
Attempting to teach lowercase a without having “special” c mastered is handwriting WITH tears, KWIM?
Oh no! I missed this one in the middle of all of the spam comments. I’m so sorry!
I previously used HWT and AAR/AAS too, so I know exactly what you mean. I taught him Jr. K. using all of the HWT and AAR/AAS methods that I knew. So yes, magic c, jump to the top when making a capital E, etc.
It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it worked out just fine for my particular child. Now if it had been one of my more dysgraphic children, that would probably not have worked. I would have used HWT straight as written.
I’m still trying to decide whether we are going to do MP’s K with their writing or use HWT. Decisions, decisions.
xo, Lauren