*Affiliate links may be included in this post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.*
As you may remember, I spent a decent chunk of money to buy curriculum for Maggie when she was starting kindergarten. I was sure it was what I wanted, and for the most part, I did like what we chose, but the reality was, I wanted more flexibility to learn about what the kids were interested in. What our school year ended up looking like was math lessons, our reading program and lots of books at bedtime that led to questions and excitement about what we read about. We took those questions and explored some more the following day {or weeks}. We had so much fun! So much fun that I often didn’t feel like I was “teaching” them enough. Whenever I’d have one of those moments, something would happen to put me back in my place. One of those moments was when I was helping my youngest go potty or brush his teeth or something. I heard Maggie and Charlie in the other room; Maggie reading the Scrambled States of America while Charlie just shouts out every state name when he sees their shape. I realized that our long bedtimes spent reading book after book was our school day and I’m pretty happy with that. If the majority of their education comes on my lap, we must be doing something right.
I realized then that while I enjoy buying curriculum, we all want a little change and {at least for now while they are young} we just have more fun doing school the Usborne way. We definitely have other books that we love to use but a ton of our school books are Usborne and it’s working wonderfully for us. I wanted to share what an Usborne kindergarten curriculum could look like. I’ll try not to get too long winded, but I also want to give you some options because we all teach differently and kids all learn differently. Using Usborne books allows you so much flexibility to keep your kids having fun while they learn all sorts of things. Pick one or more from each category. As always, leave me a message if you need help choosing or have any questions.
Language Arts
Alphabet Wipe Clean or First Words. There are so many different wipe clean books to chose from. If your child is just beginning to write – the Beginning Writing book is perfect. Full of fun pictures, your kids will never realize they are learning to write their letters {making this perfect for a strong willed child who just doesn’t want to write their letters….I may have personal experience there}. The alphabet wipe clean flashcards are great for practicing. Put them on a key ring and they are perfect for practicing on car rides.
Handwriting
My First Story Writing Book. If your child has mastered the art of writing their letters and numbers, it’s time for something different. I’ve never been a fan of copy work, it’s boring to me, I imagine it’s not that fun for them. That’s why I love this book and was so excited to get it for the kids. They will spend the year writing their very own stories. Go at your own pace as they learn all about the different things that make up a story, expand their vocabulary, and so much more. The early pages are short, one to two word answers they can copy from multiple choice lists. The margins of the book are filled with thought starter words and ideas and pictures to spark their imagination. They are given the opportunity to draw pictures, write short stories, increase their hand writing skills and have fun doing all of it. Not only that, but you can choose to write or spell it all out for your child or let them spell it out themselves. They learn to think beyond a simple sentence and really describe the characters, the setting, the events that take place. {Can you tell that I really love this book?} There are other titles available in this series of books.
Reading
My Very First Reading Library . I cannot say enough about how amazing this set is. This set makes learning fun and more of a team thing. The set contains 50 books and is designed to help your child from learning to read through a second grade level. The first books in the set are labeled with numbers 1-15. The early books each have two books with the same number where kids will practice the same sounds. The books are dual readers. That means that you read them WITH your child. Your child reads a few words, then you read so you are taking turns. Your child can feel the success at having read a book right from the start.
The back of the book contains a letter or sound list of what letters or letter combinations the child needs to know to read that book. There are also some games in the back of each book to work on reading and reading comprehension. You can also follow the links in the book for more activities and a word list for extra practice. You use the set at your child’s speed.
Phonics Readers. Whether you want your child to practice more or your child wants some books they can read on their own outside of the reading library, the phonics readers are a great addition to your homeschool library. At their very affordable price tag, you are sure to want these in your home.
Learning Palette. These fun discs are self correcting and customizable to what your child is ready for. Start with matching letters or jump into beginning word sounds, it’s all up to your child.
Math
We know every kid is different. Some are just starting to learn about the numbers and recognize them while others can already do simple adding like 1+1=2. There are a lot of options, but here are just a few of the options Usborne offers for early math.
Learning Palette. This fun book will introduce your child to numbers 1-10. They will learn to count groups of things and match them to the correct number. They will also do simple math as they follow the bus on a bus route for the day and touch on things like first, second, third and more or less.
Count to 100. This is such a fun way to introduce larger groups of numbers. As they begin counting 1 object, then 2, 3, etc., they will progress into 10, 20, 30, all the way to 100. This book even introduces early multiplication skills when kids identify that the birds are in groups of 5 on a branch or the fish are in groups of 10 by color. The pages are filled with fun questions about the pictures on that page that keep kids interested and the wheels turning in their mind.
First Numbers Sticker Book. We used this in preschool with my son. He needed structure to keep from misbehaving and this was the only way I could get him to cooperate. Each page teaches one number. They place the sticker on the number, stickers on that number of items that fit in the picture, and then a little practice at the bottom of the page writing that number. Finish out the book with different counting sticker activities.
Wipe Clean 1 2 3. I love the Usborne wipe clean books. 1 2 3 is a great way for kids to start to identify a number and have fun doing it. The objects on the page are in groups to go with the number that page teaches. As they progress through the pages, they continue practicing. There are a few other number wipe clean books as well to choose from.
Wipe Clean First Math. Now that they know their numbers and how to write them, it’s time to have some fun with them. Wipe Clean First Math will have them counting up objects like the smoke from the train and adding them together. Your kids will have fun learning to add and subtract in this wipe clean book of monster fun.
Lift the Flap First Math. We know kids love touching books. Let your child explore and learn about adding and subtracting up to ten as they lift flap after flap.
First Math Slide and See Subtracting {also available for Adding}. Learn to subtract from five with these fun pictures that go along with a quick story. Slide the butterfly away to find out what five minus one equals. These are a great, very visual way for your child to see what they are doing.
Wipe Clean Telling the Time. Learn all about telling the time in this fun wipe clean book. From writing the time to drawing hands on a clock to learning about quarter after, quarter to, etc.
Lift the Flap Telling the Time. Learn to tell time in this fun book with over 125 flaps to lift.
First Illustrated Math Dictionary. I probably wouldn’t include this except that my daughter loves to pull it out to read it. I call it learning, she calls it fun. I’ll just leave it here and you can do with it as you wish. Turn the pages as you learn more math concepts for some fun illustrations to explain what they are learning.
Learning Wrap Ups. You guys! These things are awesome. Each key has a different number. You start by going down the left side and adding one to whatever number it is. Then wrap the string around the next number on the left, add one and wrap it around the answer on the right side. Finish by going all the way down, then turn the key over. Each key is self correcting. You can purchase addition, subtracting, and when they are ready – multiplication, division, fractions {or states and capitals}.
Science
365 Science Activities. I love this book! We are doing an experiment based science study, The activities are arranged by what it is about. For example, for density there are multiple activities you can do. Choose one or do one, talk about it and try a different one to add in a new concept.
Science Activities Vol. 1. Volume 1 teaches about water, light, mirrors and magnets with fun activities that your kids will love. Use this alone or use volumes 1, 2 and 3 for an exciting year of science.
First Encyclopedia of Science. The Usborne encyclopedias are so amazing! Choose a page in the book to read about and learn. Follow the internet links for more info about the topic.
Illustrated Elementary Science. Let the kids lead the way with this encyclopedia. Go wherever their interests take them.
Science may be one of my favorite things to teach. If you are looking for more than just an experiment based science curriculum, let’s explore some more options. What I love most though, is that there is science in everything, so pick up some books and have some fun.
Beginner books. There are a ton of topics to choose from. At only $4.99 each, you can choose them all. The best part is that once your kids are independently reading, they can practice with these books as well. Each book is packed full of amazing illustrations as well as tons of information. You will find a glossary as well as internet links for more relevant information on the topic. I like to use these and create entire theme units around them.
My First Reference Book About Our World. There are a few other titles in this series. With colorful illustrations, small bits of information, this book takes it another step with different questions to see what they know. It also has a quiz and glossary in the back and internet links.
Lift the Flap. Usborne offers so many different lift the flap options with tons of titles in each one. The See Inside books engage young readers with snippets of information behind every flap. The Look Inside Your Body book is one of my all time favorites. You lift a flap to find another flap and another as you uncover the different layers of the human body. I think I still learn something new every time we read it. First Questions and answers are another lift the flap book with shorter stories on a specific topic.
Big Book of the Body. These are so much fun! Fold out the page which turns into four pages of the human body for you to explore. It’s a very visual and fun way to learn about your body. There are plenty of other Big Book titles to keep the fun going.
Geography
Choose an atlas and have fun with it. I’m including the ages from the website, but you know your kids best and what will grab their attention to help them learn more.
