Planning for Kindergarten

I am a procrastinator and a planner both. I've found that if I plan far enough in advance, I can avert disaster inspired by my procrastination.

Luthien will be in Kindergarten in the fall. I've got her curriculum all planned out, and some idea of how our days will go.

My goals for her K year are:

1. Learning to read
2. Prep for first grade math
3. Beginning handwriting
4. Getting used to doing seatwork on a regular basis

Luthien's stated educational goals include:

1. Learn to sew
2. Learn to play the recorder
3. Ballet lessons

I plan on enrolling her in Eagleridge, a 1 day/week enrichment program through the Mesa schools. A friend's children do it and they've really enjoyed it and gotten a lot out of it. So, that will be Monday's schooltime. Ballet lessons and library trip will constitute one day a week, and an outing such as the zoo, science center, an SCA event, etc. will be a third day's planned activity. One day will be "take a break day" each week, preferably on David's day off if we can swing it. That will leave three "Homeschool Days" when we will do lessons.

We will be using the following curriculae:

For phonics: Tanglewood School's free program and Starfall.com, phonics games
For Literature: Nursery rhymes and tales, the complete works of Winnie the Pooh, and the works of Beatrix Potter.
For Classical Studies: Aesop's Fables
For Heathen Studies: Norse Myths
For Music: Recorder Fun Book 1
For Art/Crafts: My First Sewing Book and Kit
For Math: Funtastic Frogs Math, workbooks we already have, pattern block activities, time and money games
For Geography: Me on the Map, Geography Songs Kit, Kingfisher First Picture Atlas
For Modern Studies: Wee Sing America
For Science: Museum trips, backyard nature study
For P.E.: Ballet classes through the city

Sounds a bit daunting, but really it's not. Here's how our schedule should go:

Daily (at least 3 days/week): Phonics, a math activity, short copywork exercises to practice handwriting and reinforce phonics or geography (Ex: The first week she will probably have to copy her name), and read-aloud time including the week's patriotic song or reading, fable, myth, nursery tale, and modern children's lit, plus any books Luthien wants on top of that. Also a nursery rhyme will be subject to memorization, and we'll stick with one until it's down.
Weekly: Sewing lesson, Recorder lesson, Geography activity

Seatwork shouldn't take more than twenty minutes to a half hour, read aloud time maybe half an hour, and the rest is playing games.

I hope to get us into a regular ritual/rhythm to our days. There's a chance I may be babysitting during after-school time, which would give her a chance most days to play with at least one other kid. Especially if I'm still working at Wal-Mart (likely I'll cut back my hours if I can get that after school gig), keeping us on a regular schedule might just save our sanity!

Now I just need to put in a curriculum order and come up with a good excuse to start some of it next week instead of next fall...