These lovely homeschool resources I’ve compiled are most suited for infants through preschool and kindergarten grades.
Subject Guides:
If you are creative enough to make your own curriculum, these links are starters to help you learn what subjects are required.
- Ohio State Birth Through Kindergarten Entry Implementation Guide
- Ohio State Learning and Development Standards – Kindergarten Through Grade 3
- Ohio State Model Curriculum for Mathematics (by Grade Level)
- Ohio State Learning Standards for English Language Arts
- Ohio State Model Curriculum for English Language Arts (Grade K)
Curriculums:
How I Incorporate Curriculums for Homeschool:
Our Curriculum:
I weave various resources together to create a curriculum that works best for our family. Our curriculum is built meticulously using the traditional list of requirements from the department of education as a guide while incorporating various Montessori materials and living books, and enhancing our education by doing unit studies.
Before I talk about the list of resources, one thing that has transformed my homeschooling is living our day-to-day with a “Montessori Lifestyle” and the idea of a Morning Book (an idea I got from Tunstall’s Teaching Tidbits). Our Montessori lifestyle is an approach that puts materials in a classroom at the level that children can reach, allowing them to pick and choose activities based on their interests, while teaching them the discipline of using materials and putting them back where they were found, a.k.a discipline. The Morning Book idea allows your child to have a binder where they learn to focus on a few items in a specific day; this also trains them to learn to do independent work.
Now, to our resources. The following resources are materials I have used for my kiddos (this is a growing list of resources). Approximately 99% of the resources listed here have been kid-tested and are highly recommended (the exceptions are items on my wishlist which I have not used yet).
Mathematics:
- IXL Pre-K Math Guide (used as a guide)
- Illustrative Math Content Standards (used as a guide)
- Building Number Sense Using Dot Cards and Ten Frames
- Math-U-See (This is a complete Math Curriculum, it comes with a DVD, Teacher’s Instruction Manual, Student Workbook, and a Manipulatives Set we absolutely love. Use their Readiness Assessments to figure out what level your child should start on. We are currently using ALPHA).
- Montessori Math Materials (store-bought or DIY)
- CSMP Materials for the Primary Grades
- Tracing Numbers (0-10) – by Dinkycow
Early Literacy (Reading and Writing):
- Progressive Phonics Books (FREE) (Love, love, love them!)
- Sight Words/Dolch Words/Fry Words Flashcards (Love these!)
- Dolch Words (FREE from TPT)
- Handwriting Without Tears (Absolutely love!)
- More Handwriting Practice (Tracing Letters by Dinkycow) – I copy these into Microsoft Word and print
- Hooked on Phonics Word Families (Love, love these…plus you can check for them at your local library)
- Montessori Pink Blue Green Language Series (Love!)
- Miss Rhonda’s Readers (Written by a Montessori Teacher, we like all things Montessori)
- Read-Aloud Picture Books (Books for Parents to Read-Aloud, Recommendations by Sarah MacKenzie who writes a Blog I’m a fan of. She’s amazing).
- Writing – A Scholastic Blog, Strategies for Teaching Writing in Kindergarten.
- Reading Comprehension – Spectrum Reading Workbook, Grade K
Bible Work:
- AWANA (#1 attends an Awana class once a week which he absolutely loves, you can find a class near you or if you prefer to do it at home check the website for homeschool resources).
Practical Life:
- Manners – “Do Unto Otters – A Book About Manners” by Laurie Keller (my kids love this book).
- Montessori Practical Life Curriculum
Science:
- The five Senses
- Living and NonLiving Things (Sorting Activity) – Lessons taught with texts from library
Social Studies:
- Community Helpers (FREE from Hubbards Cupboard)
- Things People Do (Book)
- Firefighters (FREE from TPT)
Geography:
- Montessori Map Work (Absolutely love)
- Animals and their Continents (by Gift of Curiosity)
- Me on the Map (by Teachmama.com)
- Country Flag Cards (by Homeschool Creations)
History:
- Story of the World – Volume 1 (textbook)
- The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World (textbook)
Zoology:
- Animals and their Babies (FREE from Kizclub)
Documentaries:
- Kinderzoo (FREE from Funbrain)
- Nature series (PBS)
Music:
- Classics for Kids
- Piano lessons (Hoffman Academy 2.0) – Hoffman also offers free videos on YouTube
Physical Education:
- Swimming lessons (at our Rec center)
- Soccer (at our Rec center and at home)
- Physical Education PDF – PreK-K – on the site, click ‘export to PDF’ to see the full curriculum.
Free Montessori Resources, Albums, and Teacher Guides
- Montessori Teacher Guides
- DIY Montessori Math Materials and Free Printables
- Montessori Lesson Plans and Free ebooks
Online Test Prep and Skill Building
What’s education without testing right? This site below is highly recommended for test prep and school testing information. We have not started using this (yet), but it’s recommended by other parents.
My Future Resources/Wish List:
- The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature (Science Book)
- Primary Mathematics 1A (Textbook and Workbook) – Grade 1
- Apologia Young Explorer Series
- Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts Curriculum (3rd Grade)
NOTE: If you want a curriculum where all the preparation and creation has already been done for you, learn about the different Christian homeschool curriculums readily available:
PINTEREST: Follow My Boards on Pinterest for More Resources
Additional Notes:
- Books: I do incorporate a LOT of library reading time and story books with my homeschool resources because young learners have the most fun learning through stories.
- TPT: When I’m looking for printables on any topic (Math, Literacy, Science etc), I always try teacherspayteachers.com first, as this is a website made by educators for educators. I am registered there as a homeschooler (free registration).
Loved by my Father 