It's 5:40 a.m., and I just discovered Head of the Class! I've been looking for an online curriculum to try out with Esmé - and this is FREE and absolutely perfect so far!
I've signed up for the Preschooler level to start with. There's a 149-page ebook with a list of "objectives" and the teaching process for each. There are lots of printables and online activities incorporated into it.
Most of it is stuff she can already do, but it's FUN, and I like the idea of running through the list of objectives and covering all the bases before moving on to the next level. It's not just stuff like knowing the alphabet, but also things like neatly feeding herself, stirring a bowl without spilling, building a structure (with Lincoln Logs, etc.), and balancing on one leg.
Esmé is showing signs of kindergarten readiness in some areas of reading, writing, and math, so I'm thrilled with this holistic approach to measuring progress on all levels. This won't be replacing our Itty Bitty Bookworm curriculum - nothing can replace BOOKS! But it's an exciting addition, and it's FREE!
Here's another resource - still in test phase - that we're trying out: readingk-3. We're starting to work through the /t/ sound, which is perfect because T is one of our letters this month with IBB. Esmé is starting to understand putting letters together to make words - we're not pushing her, but I do want to help her out, and I love the synthetic phonics approach. Just hoping this gets out of test mode before we're ready to move on to the next letter!
We've also started checking out phonics videos from the library. We only watch them at Esmé's request - which is quite frequent! Her favorites right now are Between the Lions
videos.Not to neglect the spiritual side of things, I've been considering incorporating hymns into our curriculum, too. I love this Hymns for Kids site with sheet music and accompaniment tracks! I haven't bought the book yet (Hymns for a Kid's Heart
), but it's on my wish list.Do I have to do a disclaimer if this post is purely from excitement of discovering something new? No one has contacted me to do reviews, and I'm not getting anything more out of this than you can... :)
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4 comments:
There is nothing wrong with any kind of excitement... lose it and life wouldn't be as much fun.
I so wish I had your tutorials back when I was raising my kiddos.
ToOdLeS.
thanks for the links! i'm going to check out head of the class right after i make this comment :)
I love your excitement! I think that first site you mentioned may be something I can use right now, so THANK YOU! :-)
Thanks for this post! (are you always such an early riser?!)
I will definitely check out that first site as I'm struggling to provide structure and new ideas to with Isaiah as we continue our Tot School for a while longer. We're still doing the alphabet system, with a speech therapy twist. It's working well. We don't do as many activities, but I think the slower pace has actually helped both of us.
As always, we learn so much from you and Esme! Thank you for all your work!
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