My oldest daugther is currently in Kindergarten, below is the routine we have been following:

Monday......	Tuesday....	Wednesday	Thursday...	Friday ..........
Copy Work	Copy Work	Copy Work	Copy Work	Copy Work
Phonics	Phonics	Phonics	Phonics	Phonics
Math Workbook	Math Workbook	Math Workbook	Math Workbook	Math Workbook
HWOT	Art	Explode the Code	HWOT	Explode the Code
Math Play	Health & Safety	Math Play	PE	Math Play
Social Studies	Kumon # Games	Science	Kumon # Games	Music
Memory Work	Memory Work	Memory Work	Memory Work	Memory Work
Literature	Literature	Literature	Literature	Literature
Bible	Bible	Bible	Bible	Bible

You can check out this post to see the specific materials we are using for each subject.

"Blueberries For Sal", that is.  I have sort of assigned one volume of Five In A Row for each year of school, it works out well that way:

3's and 4;s:  Before Five In A Row
Pre-K:  FIAR Volume 1
Kindergarten: FIAR Volume 2
First Grade:  FIAR Volume 3

And, of course, there are many more volumes.  But my point is that if you have a six year old and you've never read Blueberries for Sal, don't avoid it just because you're "past" that level now.  These are all wonderful books, so don't be afraid to mix it up a little.  Take your child's personal interests into serious account.  That's another reason I like to avoid structured instructor's guides, they don't know when your child is on a "kick".  You know what I mean, a "fairy kick", a "cowboy kick", or a "train kick".  If your little boy loves construction vehicles, you'll want to read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel for sure.  After watching Lilo & Stitch, my daugther went straight into a Hawaii/Hula kick.  You can really build on those interests and get a lot of teaching in.  When you're learning about something you already love, your love for learning just explodes.  And that's what it's all about, whether we're 5, 15, or 55.

• Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by N.W. Carlstrom
• Yellow Ball by Molly Bang
• My Blue Boat by Chris L. Demarest
• The Little Rabbit by Judy Dunn
• Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack
• Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• The Big Green Pocketbook by Candice Ransom
• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• The ABC Bunny by Wanda Gag
• If Jesus Came to My House by Joan Gale Thomas
• Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
• The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• The Quiet Way Home by Bonny Becker
• Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets
• Prayer for a Child by Rachel Field
• I Am an Artist by Pat L. Collins
• Angus Lost by Marjorie Flack
• Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne
• We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
• The Red Carpet by Rex Parkin
• Corduroy by Don Freeman
• Jenny's Surprise Summer by Eugenie
  

Did you know you can have the best of Sonlight for free?  Yes, the heart of Sonlight is the wonderful literature selections that the entire curriculum stands upon.  But the program is very expensive, and in my opinion the literature is by far the most valuble part.  As for the instructor's guide, (tells you when to read what) I have found that it matters not so much exactly when we read what, but that we read it at all.  So I have a copy of the list below in my glove compartment.  When we go the the library, I bring my list inside and come home with some wonderful (and free!) children's literature.  If the library doesn't have a title, they order it for me and I get it next time.  No big deal, we just get on with whatever we did find that day.   I do the same with the reading lists for Before Five In A Row and Five In A Row , so we always have tons of great reading material available.  And if we find a book that we really love, we'll just go ahead and buy it on Amazon.  I hope you'll enjoy these books:

The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

The Story of Dr. Dolittle by Lofting

The Story About Ping by Flack and Wiese

Richard Scarry's Please and Thank You Book by Scarry

Johnny Appleseed by Holland

Capyboppy by Peet

My Father's Dragon by Gannet

Dolphin Adventure by Grover

The Light at Tern Rock by Sauer

Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The by Baum

The Apple & the Arrow by Buff

A Grain of Rice by Pittman

The Hundred Dresses by Estes

Twenty and Ten by Bishop

The Boxcar Children by Warner

In Grandma's Attic by Richardson

Five True Dog Stories by Davidson

Family Under the Bridge by Carlson

James Herriot's Treasury for Children by Herriot

Dolphin Treasure by Grover

Eric Carle's Animals Animals  by Carle

Mary on Horseback by Wells

Children's Encyclopedia by Elliott and King

Wild Places by Wilkes

Living Long Ago -by Brooks and Edom

Granny Han's Breakfast -by Groves

Language Arts
Handwriting Without Tears Level K Workbook
Handwriting Without Tears Lined Notebook
Rocket Phonics
Explode the Code Series
Five in a Row Volume 2 Reading List
Sonlight K Reading List

Mathematics
Critical Thinking Company's Mathematical Reasoning
Kumon Number Games Workbook

Social Studies
Abeka's Community Helpers

Bible
My Bedtime Bible  (Doesn't have to be used at bedtime!)

Science
Bernstein Bear's Big Book of Science and Nature
The Year at Maple Hill Farm
The Story of Me
Abeka's Health Safety and Manners

Art
I Can Draw People
I Can Crayon

Below is a list of materials that we have really enjoyed.  Truly, nothing more is needed for the Pre-K year, as the majority of learning will take place through everyday experiences anyway.  Your children are going to learn no matter what, but it's up to you to provide the kind of environment and materials that will enhance and support that learning. 

Basic Skills and Bible
Rod and Staff ABC Series
Online Learning Games, like Starfall and Noggin

Language Arts and Literature
Handwriting Without Tears Get Set For School
Before Five in a Row Book List
Five In A Row Volume 1 Book List

Art
I Can Draw Animals By Ray Gibson
I Can Crayon By Ray Gibson

Mathematics
Beginning Mathematical Reasoning (Critical Thinking Products)

Social Studies
World Map Floor Puzzle  by Melissa and Doug
Children Just Like Me (Kindersley) 

Science
Library Books  such as the Let's Read And Find Out Series

As I have said, there is just so much out there to choose from, but the following is what has worked for us:

Basic Skills,  Perception and Math
Online learning (Such as Starfall and Noggin)
Rod and Staff Publisher's "About Three" Workbooks
Lauri Math Puzzles
Melissa and Doug Floor Puzzles

Language Arts and Literature
Handwriting Without Tears Wood Pieces 
Handwriting Without Tears Slate
Before Five in a Row Book List 

Bible
Leading Little Ones to God

Science
Lots of being together and talking about nature, weather and animals, etc.  Maybe suppliment with library books based on his or her interest.

If you are just starting out homeschooling, and even if you're not, the options are absolutely overwhelming.  Ambleside, Abeka, Bob Jones, ACE, Charlotte Mason, Five In A Row, Brighter Vision, Hearts and Hands, Handwriting Without Tears, Singapore, Saxon, Sonlight, Rod and Staff, Math U See, ........is your head spinning yet?  I have only scratched the surface here. 

 

If you're not sure where to begin, be certain to read "The Three R's " Series by Dr. Ruth Beechick.  This series is made up of three small booklets which are jam-packed with wisdom and practical advice for teaching in the early years.  They are the most important books in my homeschool library, I can't say enough good about them.  The three titles are :  "A Home Start in Reading", "A Strong Start in Language" and "And Easy Start in Arithmetic".  In my opinion, these three books are the only place to start your homeschooling adventures.  The best thing these books did for me was to cut through all the "fluff" that is out there, all the bells and whistles (and nostalgia!) and clarified what is really important.  It has helped me to review a curriculum and know very quickly if it is what I'm looking for.  Ruth Beechick is known as the grandmother of homeschooling, and don't we need just that today?  You'll love her in a minute.

Grades are really not as necessary for homeschoolers as they are for the public school. Children usually don't fit perfectly into any grade, if they are at one level in math, they may be at another level in reading and so on. So keep in mind that your child is a unique individual, and try not to compare. The ultimate goal in the early years should be to instill a love for learning in our children. If we are stressed about where we think they *should* be, then that stress will be passed on to them as well. Learning won't be fun if we feel frantic about not being at a certain level. One of the reasons we homeschool is to avoid a "cookie-cutter" education, right?

When my daughter was four, going on five, Kindergarten was fast approaching and it was clear to me that she wouldn't be ready for K material by the time she was five. I had a choice to make: Either I would push and stretch her and stress myself out, or I would accept the fact that my perfectly happy and healthy five year old was at a Pre-K level. So I chose the latter and we had a blast that year! She learned so much and no one cared that she didn't start Kindergarten at five. Even if they had, I couldn't have chosen other people's opinions over my child's love for learning, could I?

Having said all that, I do feel that certain learning materials, concepts and milestones can be grouped together to form grades, and that those grades usually correspond with certain age *ranges*. Following is my own personal breakdown of grades:

Preschool (Ages 3/4)

Pre-K (Ages 4/5)

Kindergarten (Ages 5/6)

First Grade (Ages 6/7)