Books,Homeschooling

Kindergarten Curriculum Picks for Luke (2020-2021)

September 18, 2020

Kindergarten Curriculum 2-min

One of the most asked questions I get is “What curriculum do you use?” And it’s always so hard for me to answer because there is no one program that I follow. I use different materials per subject! And in this article, I lay it all down for you, per subject.

And as you will find out in a few seconds, photo above is NOT an accurate representation of all the books we are using this year. If I had to put everything, it would definitely not fit in the photo! Haha.

A Few Notes Before We Begin:

About Luke

  • These are what I use for Luke who is currently in Kindergarten.
  • He is 5 years old, but will be 6 by the end of the school year.

About the School Cycle

  • Our homeschool provider’s official start of the school year is July but I started early with Luke this year (at January) because I felt that he was ready.
  • Because of that, we have finished a lot of his Level K materials and have decided to move on with Grade 1 materials. One of the many benefits of homeschooling is being able to move on the next level when your child is ready, instead of having to wait for the rest of the class. :)

About the Materials

  • I follow the Classical Education and Charlotte Mason Method so the materials are mostly a mix (and a feast!) inspired by both.
  • I often get asked if my materials are “Dep-Ed approved” and my answer in a word is “No.”
  • My longer explanation: The materials I use have been carefully chosen and are at par (or may even exceed) Dep-Ed requirements. Also, I am enrolled with a provider with an open curriculum set-up, which means there are no required books. We just have to submit requirements and grades (for older years) so there is no need for any particular “Dep-Ed approved” books or curriculum. :)
  • Also, curriculum cannot be accredited. Only institutions can be accredited (like your provider)

And on to the list!

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Kindergarten Curriculum Luke-min

Bible & Character

  • BIBLE:

Language Arts

*I want to put Beatrix Potter but Luke doesn’t like them and says they are scary (hehe)

Math

  • SUPPLEMENT: 
    • Various Math drills: Kumon Math Books, worksheets printed online or I made myself

Science

  • SPECIAL TOPICS:
    • NASA Unit Studies: Curriculum programs and STEM activities from NASA’s Website. Luke is currently obsessed with NASA.

History

Geography

Filipino

  • FOLK TALES:
    • The Warrior Dance and Other Classic Philippine Sky Tales
    • The Termite Queen and Other Classic Philippine Earth Tales

* For this year’s history, I plan to focus on stories and life of the pre-colonial era. That means a lot of myths, legends and folk tales. However, we have done most of the material already midway so I have decided to already introduce the Spanish Colonial Period in the Philippines.

Chinese

  • MAIN:
    • Easy Steps to Chinese for Kids 2a & 2b
    • Online Mandarin Lessons: With a private tutor 3x a week

Art & Music

  • ART HISTORY: 
    • Vincent’s Starry Night and Other Stories: A Children’s History of Art

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Written by

Sheena is a travel writer, designer, homeschooling advocate, wife and a mom. She hopes to inspire people to go and see the beauty of God's creation first hand so that they will stand in awe and praise Him alone (and that includes the little ones!)

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6 Comments

  • Reply
    joyce bagos
    March 29, 2021 at 4:57 pm

    Hi Sheena, would you have a review of “First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind, Level 1”?

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      April 7, 2021 at 9:38 pm

      I’ll try to write one soon, but in a nutshell, we love it!

  • Reply
    Kat Bolivar
    May 7, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    Hello Sheena! Thank you for sharing your K curriculum. Very helpful. With all these books, were you still able to observe the short lessons prescribed by CM?

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      May 17, 2021 at 2:34 pm

      Hi Kat, yes definitely! Keep in mind that these books were used throughout the year. Hehe so we only did usually 1 chapter on one sitting, and depends on the subject, we don’t do it daily. So we were able to use all these but spread out through out the year. :) Welcome!

  • Reply
    Joy
    May 29, 2021 at 6:38 pm

    Thank you Sheena for this thorough K Curriculum review! It’s so helpful for us! Thank you! :) I noticed that most books are imported. Do you prefer purchasing the pdf files and have them printed or original physical books are better?

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      June 14, 2021 at 2:52 pm

      Ideally, I would recommend getting them all from the US and having them shipped, especially if there are other materials and manipulatives. But if the cost is too far, I would also be ok with buying digitally and having them printed locally.

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