Bible
The Children's Story Bible -OT major stories or read from the Bible. (see reading list)
Wisdom and the Millers by Mildred Martin
More optional resources:
Your Story Hour Audio tapes of Bible Vol 1-4
Awesome Book of Bible Facts by Sandy Silverthorne
For Habit training:
Polite Moments Vol. 5 by Gary Maldaner (all vol. are now available in one book)
Our 10 family rules (here)
Table Manners list (here)
Good Resource for parents:
Laying Down the Rails by Simply Charlotte Mason
Laying Down the Rails by Simply Charlotte Mason
Reading
If your child didn’t learn to read in Kindergarten, begin Delightful Reading by Gore
If your child is reading, here are some recommended easy readers:
Amelia Bedelia
Billy and Blaze series
The Littles series
Writing
Ten minutes of writing and no more
Ten minutes of writing and no more
*One letter to be mastered each lesson. (Large lined paper)
** *** Print words and short sentences from dictation as well as from a model
(Home education, p. 233-235).
Make a "My America" copybook and use for three years (see notes on method)
Read Aloud Tales
Aesop for Children by Milo Winter
* **Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
***Snow White and Other Fairy Tales by Grimm (Dover)
Poetry
*Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
** When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne
***Favorite Poems Old and New by Helen Ferris Tibbets or Lewis Carroll edited by Mendelson
American History
(Explorers - Pilgrims 1629 )
Main Text: This Country Of Ours by H.E. Marshall (use for three yrs)
(keep a notebook)
Some good, brief books you may want to read with This Country of Ours:
*Leif the Lucky by D’Aulaire (or just read the chapter in TCOO)
**A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla
***Pocohontas by D’Aulaire (or just read the chapter in TCOO)
***Squanto, Friend of Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla
***If you Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern-optional
World History
(Ancients 5000BC-400AD)
Main Text: Child's History of the World by V.M. Hillyer
(you may wish to edit the first few chapters)
(you may wish to edit the first few chapters)
Ancient World (Usborne World History) by Fiona Chandler
*Life in the Great Ice Age by Michael Oard
*Pharaohs and Pyramids by T. Allen and Wingate
*Tut's Mummy Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly
**The Trojan Horse by Emily Little
Other optional recommended books and resources you may wish to use:
Ancient Egypt Activity Book by Robyn Hamilton (craft and project ideas)
Egyptian Treasure Chest by James Putnam (includes games and maps)
The Matzah that Papa brought Home Fran Manushkin (Passover)
DK Great Wonders of the World by Russell Ash
Keep a Wall Timeline for the next 3 yrs-add colored index cards on a string or if space is limited, place cards on poster board in rows)
Geography
Student’s Atlas of the Bible by the American Map Assoc.
(or any good historical atlas)
World Wall Map-color in countries studied and draw routes of explorers studied
*US Wall Map-Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
Make small clay canoe and putty to US map showing Great Lakes;
move it along as you study each lake.
Fill in Colonies map as they are studied and add to My America Book:
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/colonies.pdf
Describe and make in a tray of sand:
roads, parks and rivers near home
roads, parks and rivers near home
islands, isthmuses, straits, mountains, lakes;
valleys, rivers, hills, villages;
peninsulas, headlands, seas, bays, gulfs.
valleys, rivers, hills, villages;
peninsulas, headlands, seas, bays, gulfs.
Natural History and Science
Keep a Nature Notebook using watercolors-dry brush technique (see notes on method)
Handbook of Nature Study Guide for reference
Various field guides for reference
Among the People Series by Pierson (choose selections of interest from forest, farmyard, meadow, pond, and night animals)
* **James Herriot's Treasury for Children
** ***Thornton Burgess Bird Book- choose birds in your area to read about and study
Watch, identify and describe their habits and location. Record 12 each term in journal:
6 birds each term
6 plants each term (wild fruits, twigs of trees, wildflowers)
6 animals/insects each term
Some brief, optional science picture book suggestions:
Find Out about Money by Kathy Barabas
Tree to Paper by Wendy Davis
From Sand to Glass by Gerry Ellis
How a Crayon is Made by Oz Charles
Animal Tracks by Arthur Dorros
Finding Out About Everyday Things (Usborne)
Wild Places by Angela Wilkes
Science Activities, Vol. 2 -Air, Kitchen, Plants (Usborne)
Your Big Backyard Magazines
Picture Study
Study approx 6 reproductions of one or two artists per term. See notes on method.
Suggestions for new students to spark their interest:
Rubens
Cassatt
Caravaggio
Larsson
Grandma Moses
Renoir
Mathematics
Teach simple addition and subtraction- a workbook or math program is not necessary at this age.
Family Math- for reference (use many word problems)
*Use concrete objects such as dominoes, beans, coins, etc.
**Rapid mental work with addition flash cards or occasional online math games
**Rapid mental work with addition flash cards or occasional online math games
***Learn to write out the problems
Count to 100
Note: Some children will be ready at this point to move on to double digit addition and subtraction, counting coins and simple time telling to the hour and/or half hour.
Foreign Language
(Choose a foreign language)
Illustrated children's tales
Audio -listen and read along
Copywork
Learn objects and simple every day phrases
Drawing and Painting
1-2-3 Draw Series by Levin
Dinosaurs
Horses
What Shall I do Today? by Gibson
Or use the Draw Write Now series by Hablitzel (I don't recommend assigning the copywork, we just read the passage together)
Learn to use the dry brush technique with watercolors. (CM
referred to dry brush as the use of watercolor paints on dry paper-no
wash. The key to this technique is to use very little water. Young
children should avoid pencil outlines filled in with color, although PNEU samples of older children's journals showed some light
sketching with pencil first, then the watercolors were applied. Paint
the lighter hues first, allow to dry for a few minutes, then layer on
the darker hues to achieve depth. Exact colors of specimens should be
created by mixing colors in the lid of the paint box.)
6 plants and 6 animals/insects per term that the child has observed.
Sketch (use a soft, thick drawing pencil like charcoal; not a regular pencil)
Brushdraw imaginative scenes and pictures of people read about in your Tales
Recitations
Learn one suitable passage of 6 verses from chapters in Bible Lessons per term
One Psalm per term
One poem of child's choice from poet studied per term
Learn *family rules and ** ***table manners
Suggestions:
*Psalm 150, Genesis 3:1-9
**Psalm 23, 2 Chronicles 1: 7-12
*** Isaiah 53:1-6, I Cor 13:1-8a
Music
Progressive Recorder Method for Young Beginners Bk 1 and CD
by Andrew Scott and Gary Turner
Composer Study
*THE ORCHESTRA
Audio- Bernstein Favorites: Children's Classics CD-Peter and the the Wolf, Carnival of Animals
Book- The Orchestra by Mark Rubin and A. Daniel
**BALLET
Audio- Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite audio
Book-The Nutcracker by E.T.A Hoffman
Performance-Try to see this ballet. Widely available at Christmas time
Book: First Lessons in Ballet by Lise Friedman (or a DVD) (optional for little girls)
***OPERA
Audio- Mozart: Magic Flute Opera
Book- Pet of the Met by Lydia and Don Freeman
and/or:
Book- Hansel and Gretel by Rika Lesser
Audio- Hansel and Gretal Opera by Humperdink (most are expensive, but you can find the most familiar songs and music inexpensively on Pavarotti's Opera Made Easy-My Favourite Opera For Children CD)
Movie- HANSEL AND GRETEL: An Opera Fantasy DVD (stop motion movie) Be sure to see this (available free on YouTube)
Singing
At least two folk songs and two hymns per term. See folksong list of suggestions in sidebar
May include songs in a foreign language.
Physical Education
running, skipping, galloping, throwing and catching a ball
Handiwork
Help in house and garden
Make Christmas gifts
weaving, sewing, soap carving
See Handicraft list for more ideas
Additional Reading
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pippi Longstocking series by Astrid Lindgren
Mother West Wind OR Mother West Wind's Children by Thornton Burgess
A Wonder Clock by Pyle
King of the Golden River by Ruskin
King of the Golden River by Ruskin
Children’s Treasury of Virtues edited by William Bennett, illus. by M. Hague
(this is an illustrated children's version of Book of Virtues and Book of Heroes, Book of America.
you can buy all three books separately or as one large volume. We use all of them in yrs 1-3)
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