We live in Haiti and my daughter will be learning in French at school. I'm excited (and maybe a little jealous) for her to learn perfect French since I have been studying for years but remain at an intermediate level at best. However, I don't want her to miss out of the technical aspects of the English language and I want to take an active role in her education. She is only two now so I'm looking for options for pre-school and beyond.
In my initial research I found a great number of homeschool programs available but many of which have a religious focus, which is not what I'm looking for. I also found quite a few on-line curricula but too much 'screen time' is also something I want to avoid.
After much clicking and reading here are the resources I found most interesting:
General reference:
secularhomeschool.com - Fantastic resource that lists homeschooling/educational resources by subject or class level. Very simple layout but comprehensive. The links below all stem from this website.
Curricula:
All About Learning Press - so far this seems like the best option for a specific and comprehensive language arts curriculum which starts in preschool.
Oak Meadow- a Waldorf style homeschool or correspondence curriculum that goes from pre-K to the end of high school. They do not have a specific separate curriculum for reading but an overall program for pre-K. The bookstore has some really interesting resources for parents, especially those looking for more experiential and artistic approaches to learning.
Electronic resources for early readers:
Movable Alphabet - a montessori style mobile app that lets children play with the letter and form words. Something I can certainly try in a couple years. Recommended for 4+.
Ooka Island - Okay, I said I didn't want online options but this is very interesting! This isn't really a full curriculum but seems like a fun supplement that could replace other junkie screen time. For 3+ and recommend that children spend 30 minutes 3 times a week. Parents can get feedback on their child's performance as well.
Book sets for early readers:
Bob Books - Interesting set of books ranging from pre-readers to very early readers to fairly advanced readers (long vowels). In reading reviews, there were a lot of complaints about the illustration but the books seem to be effective in teaching reading skills.
These were also recommended in a related forum: Nora Gaydos Books.
I have not had a chance to test these products or tools but will share reviews as I do! Please feel free to suggest other resources in the comments.
