Home Grown Kindergartner: Homeschooling Made Simple

(be sure to read our notes on Character Building with Toddlers on our article chart)

Home Grown Kindergartner: Homeschooling Made Simple

This is the curriculum that we started with in our home. As a mother/teacher that was just getting my feet wet with homeschooling, the Lord graciously put this curriculum in my hands. I personally have the capability of having absolutely no order in my home....so knowing what to do each day was the first start to achieving organization in my homeschooling. Not only does this curriculum provide you as the teacher with daily instruction plans and record keeping, it even tells you what you will need for the upcoming weeks so you don't have to spend needless hours researching. We were absolutely amazed that our children were reading in just a few weeks. This curriculum will teach your child letter recognition and phonetically correct sounds. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. We weren't. I remember thinking, "What do I have to lose?, I can just send them to Kindergarten next year if I really blow it!" As you can see, the LORD really blessed my efforts, and we are still going strong! We have recently had the opportunity to pick up the copyright to this course. We have woven in through it character building and practical ideas for creating order, peace, and strong family identities. (formerly known as Lighthouse Home School Starter Kit and Abbott Loop Christian School)

Includes both Teacher's Manual and Children's Worksheets. For a "preview" of the Kindergarten curriculum, click here. (this will open up a PDF file using Acrobat on your computer. Please be patient as it loads) View the Children's Worksheets here.

Available for purchase from the HGF Publishing titles

Sing A Bible Memory Verse Songbook and Tape Set (Not required, but suggested)

This sheet music and coloring book is used in conjunction with the Home Grown Kindergartner curriculum. It is not a required supplement. Pearl Bellamy took the memory verse that is introduced each week and put it to music. Whether or not you are using the Home Grown Kindergarten curriculum, this book and tape set will reinforce Bible memorization. 

Available for purchase from the HGF Publishing titles

 

Alphabet Cards and Printing Practice (Not required, but suggested)

Includes both Upper case and lower case letters on 4x5 cut outs cards. Your kindergartner can color the cards and use for review while learning the letters. Each letter also includes a practice sheet for each day. 

 

 

Available for purchase from the HGF Publishing titles

Stories Based on Phonics 

(Not required, but HIGHLY suggested. If you don't use this series, you must have some phonics readers available. Some have used Sing, Spell, Read, and Write books along side, others have used Hooked on Phonics books as supplements. You can sometimes find these books in the library to help cut costs. Then again, you will have to check them out more often. This series is used up through Home Grown 2nd Grader)

We believe that this is the best way to teach your child to phonics...by reading! What better way? Each story begins by introducing the phonetic rule so that the child can naturally recognize it while it is being used within the story.  These are great readers that your child will love.  His confidence will rise in reading by using this approach.  Out of our 4 boys, we have had one that struggled with reading. I can't begin to tell you what these books did in helping him in reading. 

Stories Based on Phonics combines phonics with reading in stories like Fat Cat and the Rat and Mike and Ike Fly Kites - A systematic phonics program with decodable text developed for the beginning or the struggling reader. Each story in the 34-book series teaches a different phonic rule: short and long vowels, consonants, blends, digraphs and diphthongs.

Step by Step Framework: Easy for Parents or Volunteers in the classroom to use:

  • The Phonics Rule Page in each story introduces and explains the rule before the 20-page illustrated story begins.

  • Each 20 page story includes repetition, rhyming and humor which captures children's attention.

  • Illustrations provide visual clues, yet are simple.

  • The Word List Page and Storyline Questions in each book provide tools to review your student's comprehension and understanding of the phonic rule.

  • Detailed instructions on "Hints on Learning to Read," "Spelling Tips" and "How to use the Series" provide parents/educators a step-by-step framework.

  • Children love Stories Based on Phonics! They like the plots and characters in the stories and enjoy being able to read a 'whole book.'

  • An Educator developed the series to help her daughter in phonics and reading when she was a struggling reader in a Whole Language classroom.

  • Used Nationwide for beginning reading and in remedial reading classes

If you've been looking for a systematic phonics program that includes phonics and reading, look no further. Stories Based on Phonics contains the decodable text you've been looking for to give your beginning and struggling readers the practice they need.   Diphthongs, diagraph blends, you name it, they are covered! :)  

Available for purchase from the HGF Publishing titles

70 Basic Phonograms and Tape Set

Since a lot of never learned phonics, these cards and audio tape can help us as teachers learn what the 70 basic phonograms are so we can teach them successfully to our children. The cards have simple instructions and reminders on the back for you to read to know what the sounds are as well as the phonics on the other to use as for quick flash card response. The tape will teach you the correct pronunciations. 

Available for purchase from the HGF Publishing titles

We now have T-shirts available too! Take a peek....they are pretty cute. (if you can't read it, the t-shirts say, "I'm a Home Grown Kindergartner." 

Boy Kindergarten and Girl Kindergartner