My Favorite Resources
for the Early Grades
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Note: This resource list appeared in the Back to School Encouragement issue in August 2008.
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MY FAVORITE RESOURCES FOR THE EARLY GRADES
by Virginia Knowles
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If you click these links, they will take you to descriptions at the Christian Book Distributors web site. We love CBD. The selection is unbeatable, the service is fast and friendly, and the prices are cheap!
TEACHER HELPS
By Rick Boyer / The Learning Parent / If you prefer a traditional text book approach, this book is for you. The Boyers have a very large family and over two decades experience in home education.
LANGUAGE ARTS AND LITERATURE
Phonics, Grammar, and Other Early Language Skills
Language and Thinking for Young Children by Dr. Ruth Beechick is just such a common sense approach to easy activities for memorization, poetry, phone skills, story telling, and much more. Use it for the early elementary years as a great foundation for later learning.
Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers by Samuel L. Blumenfeld / We used this with our older girls when they were small – very simple format with no visual distractions.
Dr. Maggie’s Phonics Readers Variety Pack 24 books – We have used these with a few of our kids, though we didn’t buy the whole set. We bought ours at a Lakeshore Learning Store.
Storybook Treasury of Dick and Jane and Friends – We use this one, too! What a sense of accomplishment when a child can read a simple story!
First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind (spiral-bound) by Jessie Wise / Our co-op uses this for 1st/2nd grade
Picture Books
My First Little House series – 12 books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is the easy introduction, for ages 3 to 8, for our favorite childhood pioneer classics!
Janette Oke's Animal Friends, Volumes 1-6 Boxed Set and Janette Oke's Animal Friends, Volumes 7-12 Boxed Set Corral your early readers for adorable animal stories! Delightful color illustrations enhance Oke's text, conveying valuable life lessons in obedience, self-acceptance, humility, and more. Ages 6 to 10. Softcovers from Bethany.
Five in a Row literature study guides
This program uses favorite picture books. You read the same book five days in a row, and focus on different aspects of it each day. There will be geography, math, art, history, science, and other activities. This is great for co-ops, too!
Five in a Row, Volume 1 and Five in a Row Volume 2 and Five in a Row Volume 3 for 4-8 year olds, using picture books
Five in a Row: Christian Character and Bible Study Supplement
Before Five in a Row for preschoolers
Beyond Five in a Row Volume 1 and Beyond Five in a Row Volume 2 for ages 8-12, using chapter books
Beyond Five in a Row Christian Character and Bible
Literature Anthologies
I guess you know by now how much I love poetry!
Favorite Poems, Old and New / 598 pages hardcover
The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett / 830 pages, hardcover
The Children's Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett / 12 pages, hardcover
Everyday Graces: A Child's Book of Good Manners Edited by Karen Santorum
Typing and Handwriting
Typing Instructor for Kids on CD-ROM (We love this!)
We have used Italic handwriting for years. I taught myself when my oldest was learning. The transition from manuscript to cursive is very natural. Italic is beautiful!
Italic Handwriting: Book A (kindergarten)
Italic Handwriting: The Instruction Manual
This is another great handwriting program, and it uses Scripture for copywork to create pages to give away to family and friends.
A Reason For Handwriting: Kindergarten--Student Worktext
A Reason For Handwriting: Manuscript A--Student Worktext, Grade 1
A Reason For Handwriting: Manuscript B--Student Worktext, Grade 2
A Reason For Handwriting: Transition--Student Worktext, Grades 2-3
A Reason For Handwriting: Cursive C--Student Worktext, Grade 3
A Reason For Handwriting: Cursive D--Student Worktext, Grade 4
A Reason For Handwriting: Cursive E--Student Worktext, Grade 5
A Reason For Handwriting: Cursive F--Student Worktext, Grade 6
A Reason for Handwriting: A Homeschool Guidebook for All Ages (revised)
MATH
Math Manipulatives
Wooden Pattern Blocks, set of 250 -- We've had our set for about 17 years, and it gets constant use! I love pattern blocks!
Pattern Animals workbook -- Fill in fun animal patterns with your pattern blocks -- great for preschool and primary grades
Horizons Math for the Elementary Grades
Since 1996 we have used mainly Horizons Math workbooks for the elementary grades. though our co-op now uses A Beka. For each grade level there is a teacher manual and two workbooks. We mainly use the teacher manuals for easier grading, but they also provide teaching tips, hands-on activities, supplemental worksheets, and instructions. I’m not sure I would bother buying the teacher manuals for K – 2nd grades since you can pretty much eyeball the answers. Starting in the 4th grade, there is more direct teaching to the student in the workbook, with less oral instruction by the parent. Horizons workbooks are colorful and provide a sensible amount of review. You can click on the titles for more detailed products descriptions at the CBD web site.
Horizons Math, Grade K, Complete Set (includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
Horizons Math, Grade K, Student Workbook 1
Horizons Math, Grade K, Student Workbook 2
Horizons Math, Grade 1, Complete Set (includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
Horizons Math, Grade 1, Student Workbook 1
Horizons Math, Grade 1, Student Workbook 2
Horizons Math, Grade 2, Complete Set (includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
Horizons Math, Grade 2, Student Workbook 1
Horizons Math, Grade 2, Student Workbook 2
Horizons Math, Grade 3, Complete Set (includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
Horizons Math, Grade 3, Student Workbook 1
Horizons Math, Grade 3, Student Workbook 2
Horizons Math, Grade 4, Complete Set (includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
Horizons Math, Grade 4, Student Workbook 1
Horizons Math, Grade 4, Student Workbook 2
Horizons Math, Grade 5, Complete Set (includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
Horizons Math, Grade 5, Student Workbook 1
Horizons Math, Grade 5, Student Workbook 2
SOCIAL STUDIES
WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Galloping the Globe: The Geography Unit Study for Young Learners, Grades K-4 By Loree Pettit & Dari Mullins / Incorporating the student notebook approach, word searches, mazes, maps, puzzles, and other reproducible activities take your young travelers to every continent on the planet, where they'll learn about geography, literature, vocabulary, history, science, the Bible, arts, and Internet resources. I have enjoyed using this book at home and at our co-op.
AMERICAN HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY
Celebrate America Book with CD – all of the patriotic songs you love – and now you can teach them to your kids, too!
American Pioneers and Patriots, Hardcover by Caroline D. Emerson / Christian Liberty Press – A favorite with the kids in our house, this is for younger elementary students and contains engaging stories about ordinary children throughout American history / 165 pages, hardcover
Draw Write Now, Book 5: The United States, From Sea To Sea, Moving Forward By Marie Hablitzel / Colorful easy to follow drawing lessons; text for practicing handwriting; theme related questions; answers and booklists; a child friendly format and countless ideas to spark children's imagination and creativity! 64 pages
History For Little Pilgrims By Christian Liberty Press
Designed to give children a providential view of history, this colorful and engaging book covers world history in an age appropriate manner, always careful to point out how God was at work during each age. This book and the accompanying coloring book (below) are for around 1st to 3rd grades, in my opinion. Our co-op used them for a social studies class, along with other materials, such as the History for Little Pilgrims Coloring Book and History for Little Pilgrims Teacher's Manual.
Apologia Science for K-6th Grades
We love Jeannie Fulbright's elementary Apologia science texts! We use them in our home school co-op classes, too. You will find a strong Charlotte Mason / notebooking /outdoor nature study emphasis in this curriculum. You can stretch these books to a year if you want a relaxed pace, but you could fit in one per semester, in my opinion. I would recommend these mainly for 3rd-6th grade, though you can include younger siblings.
Exploring Creation with Botany
Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day
Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day