Reflections on the various dimensions of feminine vocation from liturgical homemaking and child rearing to education and the spiritual life.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Kindergarten, Take 2

I'm gearing up to tackle Kindergarten with my second-born in the fall. Having already had an initial go leading my first-born through kindergarten, I'm feeling pretty clear-headed about my priorities, especially with going-on three years of perspective and hindsight to guide me.

Here's what I'm hoping my son will learn and do:

Human Core:
  • Listen to Bible stories.
  • Take nature walks and free play outside as much as possible.
  • Attend to and draw objects from nature in a "nature notebook" as often as he fancies.
  • Listen to beautiful music, especially classical music, and especially live music.
  • Listen to poems.
  • Listen to captivating picture-book and chapter-book stories.
  • Make lots of arts and crafts, mostly self-directed.
  • Go to the zoo as often as possible.
  • Have plenty of unstructured, imaginative free-play.
  • Develop harmony with the body and increasing skill in sustained physical activity. (For my daughter, this has been through dance; for my son, I'm thinking swimming.)

Moral Core:
  • Sustain life-giving personal habits such as a rule of prayer, tithing, and responsible chore completion.

Literacy Core: (multi-year goals)
  • Write and read the 70 basic English phonograms.
  • Write somewhat legibly in cursive handwriting.
  • Start spelling, writing, and reading some basic words and sentences. 

Essential Resources:

Optional Resources:
  • A home library well stocked with quality books and music
  • The Pencil Grip Crossover
  • Colored pencils
  • Miscellaneous arts and crafts supplies
  • Near-by parks and nature preserves 
  • Local music performances, especially free ("Music at Noon" programs are the best!)
  • Swim team or some such
  • Zoo membership
  • Spell to Write and Read (a.k.a. SWR) and the corresponding Cursive First package


Formal math curriculum? Traditional science instruction? Social studies? State standards?  . . . Ain't no soul-lovin' home-kinder-teacher got time for that!

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