A Kindergarten Secret!

When I knew that money was going to be tight this year, I knew I would have to plan my own Kindergarten.  I spent a lot of time looking at curriculum.  Truthfully, a special, expensive curriculum isn't needed for Kindergarten.  Kindergarten is a foundational, exploration year.  Megan and I use the library... A LOT.

I stumbled upon some cheap workbooks last year.  I bought a couple, thinking they would be good to add in so that Megan could work on her fine motor skills.  What I found was a treasure.  These little workbooks were amazing!  We worked a little through the few I bought.  I decided that they were perfect, and I had to have the rest of them.

The workbooks are published by Christian Light Education.  There is a series for Preschoolers called Beginner's Activity Set.  I only used one of those books, but Megan enjoyed it.  I first bought the A B C Readiness Series... well, three of them anyway.  These were the three I fell in love with.  The booklets are black and white inside, but the skills are solid and progressive.  They easily cover so many of the Kindergarten skills that are required by most states.  While I add in phonics, Singapore Math, and lots of reading, these workbooks are a great addition.

Do It Carefully initially caught my interest when it was recommended for Kindergarten by the curriculum I used last year.  While I couldn't afford that curriculum this year, I wanted to use a few of the selections if possible.  I bought a couple others just because they looked interesting.  When I began using them, and I saw how positively Megan responded to them, I ended up buying them all.  The only one in the series I haven't bought is the Bible Stories to Read.  I am using something different at the moment for our Bible Time.  However, I am intrigued since it also has an accompanying coloring book called Bible Pictures to Color.  When one of the books I am using is finished, I might pick up those two booklets too.

Christian Light Publications also has a series to use after the A B C Readiness Series called the G H I Series.  I ended up buying them too. The skills are a bit more advanced than the A B C Series, but I plan to go through it slowly as Megan advances and learns.

Currently the booklets are $2.95 each, with the exception of the Bible Stories to Read book, which is $5.95.  This is cheaper than the ink I would use printing out similar papers  from my computer.  Shipping was quick.  I had the materials within a few days.  Plus, unlike many of the Kindergarten materials I have found, these are totally God honoring.

One of the things I LOVE about these little workbooks is the suggestions.  I want a bit of a hands-on curriculum for my daughter.  Workbooks tend to go against that aim.  However, these little workbooks have suggestions and activities at the bottom of nearly every page to give parents a chance to cement the skills with hands-on activities!   I can pick and choose what I want, especially if a certain skill is giving Megan trouble.

I'm glad I bought these workbooks.  For less than $30, with shipping costs, I have a found a wonderful addition to our Kindergarten year.  Throw in a phonics program (we are using Hooked on Phonics), a math program, (though math skills are covered in these workbooks, I had already purchased a program.), and tons of library books; and Kindergarten is not as intimidating as it once was.