The most daunting thing about home schooling was finding the curriculum that would fit my children’s needs most. I did a TON of research. I mean, it’s a lot of money up front, kind of like that time I decided to use cloth diapers (good idea, by the way.) I found a lot of great websites to use and luckily found an amazing group of veteran home schoolers, even if only for a year or two, that helped me out. So, please allow me to introduce our 2014-2015 curricula (cue the music!)
Monster S (Pre-K): I’m only using one curriculum for her. It’s totally interactive (puzzles, games and the like) instead of all book work. Confessions of a Homeschooler is incredible. I know I’ve talked about her before, but I cannot say how much we have enjoyed using this curriculum. I knew as soon as I saw the A Beka package that it wasn’t for us and I returned it. Gotta say I’m not too thrilled with their customer service. They’ve had the product back for a week and a half and I still don’t have a credit back on my card. But I digress. Her K4 Curriculum is so easy to use and for a much lower price ($15). It includes everything! Math, phonics, handwriting, Spanish (although we’re learning German), lesson plans. You end up printing A LOT though! I printed some in color and some in just black and white to save on ink. There are 34 weeks of complete lesson plans and although it takes some prep work on the parent’s end, it’s worth it! We also use her Letter of the Week Curriculum to fill in some holes where Monster S seems to have some problems. I think it was also $15. 
Monster A: (Kindergarten) He’s got a lot of stuff…
Math: We’re using Math Mammoth in the Light Blue Series. It’s another print out, but I did it all in black and white to save on ink. There is an option to order a hard copy, but meh, I like instant gratification. I’m working on that patience thing. I was a little concerned about this because it seemed a little boring and maybe more advanced than I wanted for Monster A, but the price was good enough I decided I’d try it. He flies through these worksheets like they’re nothing. Seriously, 5-10 minutes at the most. It’s been awesome. It’s really 1st grade math, but he was ready.
Phonics: I’ve actually been using worksheets off of a website I found http://www.free-phonics-worksheets.com/. So far, I’ve found everything I’ve needed. He’s also using A Beka Letters and Sounds K5. I also got him the Number Skills K5 from A Beka but it’s too easy so I’ll add it to Monster S’s when she’s ready.)
Logic: We’re using A Beka’s Think and Learn, which is probably my favorite thing from them so far. Honestly, I’m not impressed with A Beka for the most part. At least not for my kids. But of course, that’s where I got the majority of their curriculum. We’ll give it a shot.
Science/Social Studies: Again, using A Beka but only as a supplement. I’ve ordered two subscription boxes for science and social studies. For science we’re using The Magic School Bus subscription box. We’ll get one box a month, which is great for my little ones. I’m also ordering the Little Passports subscription box which will also come once a month. I have no doubt that I can come up with stuff to keep them busy.
Reading: Well, I still haven’t ordered an actually program. We just go to the library a lot and get easy readers. He actually finished his first book ever this week and was so proud of himself. I am so proud of him too. Reading is like breathing to me, so I hope I’m able to break it down into an easy format for him.
Literature: He and I are actually doing the Classical Literature Vol. 1 Unit from Confessions of a Homeschooler (the site is literally on my “most visited” screen.) So far, we LOVE it!!! Okay, I probably love it more than he does, but he’s getting there. We’ll cover The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Little House in the Big Woods, Charlotte’s Web, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a few others. Again, an amazing price! We’ll make an awesome lapbook for each book!
Handwriting/Spelling: We went with A Reason For Handwriting and A Reason For Spelling. They’re great! They correlate with one another. All we’ve been doing so far is review but looking ahead, it looks like a great program. I’m excited about it!
So, this is it for now. We also have a Composer and Artist study but I’m going to wait for a little bit to introduce it to them. I’m not entirely sure that this list is what we’ll end up with at the end of the year, but it’s what we’re starting with. I’ll probably do reviews on each as time goes on and we get more familiar with each product.
Alright, y’all. I’m turning in before I turn into a pumpkin. Good night!
of moms and monsters 