Questions about where to start with 1st

[MelissaS]

Apologize if this has been asked, I tried to look for it.

I just got the 1st grade curriculum package last week and im wondering if there is a recommendation for where I should start? I know the enrichment sort of goes with the seasons or times of year so I was thinking of finding that in the book and starting there then looping back so we get everything prior. Does this coincide with the rest of the curriculum or would this only need to be done for the enrichment?

I should say I am ok with continuing homeschool throughout the summer to get us caught up so we can start on time next year.

Also, I had just the Kindergarten Enrichment book and didnt end up doing any of it and eventually decided to just get the 1st grade curriculum, but I just love the K enrichment (I know 1st will be just as good), but im wondering if I will miss out on anything by skipping it or does the 1st grade enrichment kind of mimic it? I know I can't do both, but I was curious how it progesses from K-2nd grade.

Thanks!!

[tanya]

Hi, Melissa.

As far as the core curriculum goes, I would start at the beginning. You don't want to skip anything, but you can move faster than our plans if your student is ready. But enrichment doesn't really matter. You could start with the Christmas books now since that is seasonal and move forward from there to the end of the year since we do have specific books that are winter-themed and then spring-themed. Then, when you get to the end of the year, just start at the beginning. And it doesn't matter whether you use K or 1st grade enrichment. There is no advantage to one over the other. But since you have both, if I were you, I'd just choose the book you like best from either list each week. It will be nice to have a choice!

Regards,

Tanya

[MelissaS]

Thanks so much Tanya! I feel better about it now. I was hoping I could do it that way.

[Michelle T]

I am not sure this part of your question was addressed.

The Enrichment guides for K- 2 are each different and do not overlap or redo any of the same books. A few music selections may repeat but not the art pieces. Since you have both K and 1st you can choose from either! Or, if it were me, I would use one for weeks in the summer. There are so many art pieces, music selections and great read-alouds!

Blessings,
Michelle T

[MelissaS]

I am not sure this part of your question was addressed.

The Enrichment guides for K- 2 are each different and do not overlap or redo any of the same books. A few music selections may repeat but not the art pieces. Since you have both K and 1st you can choose from either! Or, if it were me, I would use one for weeks in the summer. There are so many art pieces, music selections and great read-alouds!

Blessings,
Michelle T

Great idea Michelle!! Thank you. I was kinda sad about not doing any of the Kinder because it looked really good. I am so glad you guys have the enrichment as part of your curriculum. I love the Poems, Art, Music and Nature portion. :-)

I am just starting with Grade 1 so I am technically behind on the weeks if the curriculum is meant to start in Sept for a normal school year. I was planning to start the enrichment around week 12 so it coincides with holidays/seasons, and start Core at Week 1. I was thinking of just looping back around with the enrichment. If the curriculum is 33 weeks then that puts us roughly finishing the end of July, which is fine with me. Maybe then I could do some of the K enrichment weeks between then and the start of Grade 2. Does that sound ok to you?

Do you guys recommend a start date or when does the Highlands Latin School start?

Thanks again!

[Michelle T]

MelissaS,

Your plan sounds great! Just work those kinder enrichment weeks in as you find open weeks!

You may find that there are extra weeks around the holidays you can fit in the holiday specific books. For instance there are usually three Christmas selections in each grade. So, you could do extra Christmas weeks from kindergarten if you had time. Also you could work the extra Easter week in around that holiday and just shift the week it replaces to he end of the year.

I don't want you to miss any of these great works!

Highlands begins the Tuesday after Spring Break and ends the week before Memorial Day. Just like the public schools were when I was young - long, long ago!


Blessings,
Michelle T

[Nancy Ann]

Melissa,

I just bought the Kindergarten curriculum package for my daughter last week as well. So, she is starting mid year too! My plan for the Christmas holiday season was to skip ahead to the enrichment books for Christmas. I got them from the library and ordered one of them that was not available. There were three that seemed to fit into the Christmas season. So, I will spend the next few weeks condensing some of the enrichment and craft ideas for those books during the Literature/Enrichment part of the schedule. Than after Christmas I will do the enrichment book matching the week we are in the main curriculum. I will keep continuing following with that until we get to the week of the Christmas books and than I will go back and do those beginning week books we missed. Hope that makes sense. I will probably skip the Thanksgiving book for this year, but I think the pumpkin books will be fine to do out of season. When Easter comes I will save those enrichment activities/books for that time. Hope that makes sense. Basically, I will be doing the main curriculum of Recitation, Phonics, Math, Copybook/Memory by just starting at the beginning and working our way through it. But, the Enrichment and Literature part I will be changing around sometimes. I use these handy Post It Flags you can get at Target or any office supply store. I use these in all my books to mark where we are. So, for the Enrichment book I have the flag on the Christmas books and in the Lesson Plans book I have a flag on the week we are in with the main curriculum as well on the week with the Christmas books so I can quickly get there and use that part of the schedule for Enrichment/Literature.

As a suggestion for your 1st grade curriculum I would get the books Snowflake Bentley,How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Polar Express and than pick and choose a few weeks worth of activities for those books from the enrichment guide and do that instead of the books scheduled now.

We are very, very new to Memoria but just thought I would share how we are handling this same situation.

ETA: I plan to go through the summer with my daughter so we should finish and get on track to start 1st grade in the fall.

I don't have any suggestions in how to add the Kindergarten Enrichment to the 1st grade package. But, I have been homeschooling for 14 years and so my suggestion would be to move on and just read the books from the library. I know for me personally when I try to hold on to much to what we didn't do, or what I worry we are missing it keeps me from just doing what is now and what is ahead. If that makes sense. I feel similar about the Jr. K Enrichment for my daughter, there is a part of me that wishes we could do that, but I tell myself that we are enjoying and doing the Kindergarten and that is where my focus is and I will just get those books from the Jr. K from the library or as many as I can and just read them. I find it helpful sometimes to just move forward or else I will bog myself down.