Year Began Homeschooling: 2005

Style: Eclectic (using a combination of methods and materials rather than one curriculum or method)

Ages Homeschooled: I have homeschooled ages 3 to 9 (Preschool- Gr. 4, though technically we only use grade levels for record keeping purposes as our children are in different levels in different subject areas).

Other Related Experience: My concentration in grad school was Human Development & Instruction. I have studied about curriculum issues, learning styles, multiple intelligences, instructional design, etc. I have also worked as a childcare worker, children's art instructor, Kumon math tutor, substitute teacher, college English & ESL tutor, and a behavioral rehab specialist in public schools.

Learning Styles/Challenges in Our Homeschool: Visual, Hands-on, Gifted, Easily distracted, Attention/Focus difficulties

About Our Homeschool: We have 4 children under age 10. Our school year begins September 1, with long breaks at Christmas and Easter and other days off based on our family's plans and needs. Generally, we try to start the school day the same way each morning, but do not have set subject times- only loosely set school hours. That allows us flexibility to spend extra time on a difficult area, finish a task without interruption, or complete a task quickly and go to another subject. Of course, there are days when circumstances make it impossible to stick with the routine, but homeschooling year round allows us plenty of flexibility and a more relaxed pace when needed.
We like to combine traditional and progressive to get benefits from both in a way that works for us. We want to challenge our children without overwhelming, encourage their interests and talents, give them opportunities to explore and learn new things on their own, but still have a quality education. That's a lot to ask of one curriculum.
That's why we choose materials for each subject separately, tailored to our needs.

Our curriculum plan is loosely based on University School's curriculum - Click on Parent Connection, then the Classroom Webpages button on the left. We use it as a guide and make changes as needed, based on personal preference, learning styles, interests, and budget. So far, it has worked well for us.

Funtastic Frogs

I highly recommend Funtastic Frogs for early Math. Instead of little block manipulatives, it uses colored plastic frogs. The math workbooks come in packages, kits, or individually so you can use them as a curriculum or a supplement. The simpler workbooks (like Patterns, Counting, etc.) are easy enough to use for Pre-K. I think they are geared toward K-2. Be sure to order frogs if they aren't included with the books you order. If you already have math books but your child is having difficulty with abstract concepts, it may be helpful to buy the workbook specific to the area of difficulty. For those on a tight budget, buying a couple workbooks at a time is more doable than having to buy a big textbook or entire year's curriculum. My kids have absolutely enjoyed math with Funtastic Frogs. The work is more like games and activities than work for them.

Singapore Math

Singapore Math is very visual with lots of colorful pictures and diagrams and helps transition from manipulatives to more abstract skills. We are using it as a step between Funtastic Frogs and Saxon Math. Singapore Math also uses different approaches from the traditional, which can be helpful when traditional methods are confusing or are uninteresting to your child. We have gotten through the Primary Mathematics 3B (US Edition) book so far. The only difficulty so far is when we got to multiplication, my kids understood the concept very well and could figure out the answers, but we needed to supplement and take extra time to work on memorizing the multiplication tables. Other than that, we have gotten along fine by just reading and doing the problems in the textbooks and haven't needed the workbooks. There are free placement tests and scope & sequence online, so be sure to utilize those before ordering.