Bricks Academy Kindergarten Log

Kid A (aka Kid L) is in Kindergarten and I want to have a log of what worked and didn't work, so when Kid B (aka Kid J) is ready, I will have an idea of where to start and what didn't work.

Maybe this log will help give you ideas.  Have you ever wondered how your homeschool looks compared to others? Well, here are bits and pieces of ours.  It may not be what was planned on paper, but this is how it turned out.

FYI - for more details of our learning curriculum see my full Kindergarten Curriculum Guide in My Store.  For a few dollars, you can get a full curriculum you can tailor to your child.  I did all the research and work for you.  I also do one-on-one consultations and will help you find the best program for you, your child, and your family.

Kindergarten September 2017 (Formal Month 1)

After re-evaluating and testing out different online programs in August, we settled into our favorites:

• Reading Eggs 
• Math Seeds
• ABC Early Learning Academy (ABC Mouse) - for overall review and everything else
• Moby Max to make sure no skill was missed and to evaluate skills.

Learning Units:

• Our science unit for the month was "My Body"

We substituted and supplemented with secondary materials as necessary.

Kindergarten October 2017 (Formal Month 2)

This month went similar to September.

• Online learning was the same as September.  10 Min/Day (minimum 5 days/week) in Reading Eggs, Math Seeds, and ABC Mouse. Moby Max was used a minimum of one day/week.  

Learning Units:

• Science Unit - "Fall & The Seasons"

Progress - At the end of Oct, Kid L had completed:

• ABC Early Learning Academy - Level 6 Lesson 30 
• Reading Eggs - Kindergarten Lesson 20 
• Math Seeds - Kindergarten Lesson 20

Kindergarten November 2017 (Formal Month 3)

On Week 2 everything came to a halt.  Kid A didn't want to complete any online assignments.  It seems like a normal plateau.  I have seen this with him before. The learning goal was 15 lessons of ABC Mouse completed this month, but on day 10 he has not completed one and every day is a fight, (but he is 4.5 years old so maybe that has something to do with it).  In addition, I am not pleased with the ABC curriculum introduction to learning addition. I reluctantly kept ABC Mouse as one of the primary online learning tools because I loved it for Preschool and it has gotten him this far. But now, I am considering making it a supplement for him to use as desired instead of requiring 10 min/day or 1 lesson/day.  I want to keep it for the upcoming Preschooler who will be ready to use it in 6 months or so. Otherwise, I would consider canceling the subscription for now.  The future plan is to transition to Time4Learning when ABC Mouse is no longer beneficial.  However, I was not impressed with the layout of the Time4Learning Kindergarten curriculum, so for now, I am stuck between the two. Reading Eggs and Math Seeds are doing great for teaching those basic skills though and that curriculum will go up to 2nd Grade.

Update End of November: The second half of the month was still a struggle, but with some creative thinking, I found a rhythm that is working better for him.  ABC Mouse is a supplement right now and he can use it as free learning after he has completed other lessons, or every few days I ask him to work on an ABC Mouse lesson, but it is not our main focus right now. He mainly just wants to watch their videos, which is okay once and a while. I am rotating programs every day to keep it new and exciting for him. Instead of doing 10 minutes/program, he now spends about 30 minutes in one program/day. This has helped the progress. Occasionally, I put on a Youtube video when the motivation for lessons is low.  I have also changed the incentive system. Instead of getting stickers for finishing the day's assignments, he now gets play money he can spend on screen time.

Learning Units:

• Science Unit - Weather
• Social Studies Unit - Native Americans

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Kindergarten December 2017 (Formal Month 4)

December was a bit easier than November, but not much. Kid A was still in an argumentative, uncooperative mood, but this is also part of learning.  So, we chalked this month up to emotional growth and learning.  

I tried multiple motivation tools, but nothing really sparks his interest right now.  We resulted to his main motivation - do your school work to earn screen time. This worked some, but I also had to relax and let more "free learning" go on this month.  I had to remind myself that learning is learning, and not everything has to be accomplished in an orderly, straight-line forward manner.  He wanted to spend a lot of his school time doing lessons from Pre-K and early Kindergarten material. This tells me he is still in a learning plateau, and he is solidifying what he knows before his next learning leap.  He is still practicing everything he knows, so my teacher brain tells me this is a good thing, and not to worry.  This is one of the benefits to online homeschool. He can go at his pace and really master material before moving on.

Progress - At the end of Dec. Kid L had completed:

• ABC Early Learning Academy - Level 6 Lesson 38 
• Reading Eggs - Kindergarten Lesson 32
• Math Seeds - Kindergarten Lesson 25

Learning Units:

• Science Unit - Cooking for the Holidays
• Social Studies Unit - Holiday Kindness

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Kindergarten January 2018 (Formal Month 5)

Our family made big changes this month.  Dad and Mom switched roles.  Dad became work from home dad and Mom became work outside of home mom.  I am relieved that this has not affected Kid A's learning progress.

Kid A is finally over his learning plateau and once again willing to do his daily school work. Additionally, Kid B is starting to understand how to work the tablet.  He is enjoying the songs in Starfall.

Progress - At the end of Jan. Kid L had completed:

• ABC Early Learning Academy - Level 6 Lesson 53 of 90 (He is back to doing one/day!) 
• Reading Eggs - Kindergarten Lesson 36 of 50 (4 lessons this month. 1 per week is fantastic). 
• Math Seeds - Kindergarten Lesson 28 of 50 (3 lessons this month which is right on track).

Learning Units:

• Science Unit - Informal activities with Daddy like building and design with legos.
• Social Studies Unit - Dealing with life changes
• Music - Kindermusik Wiggle and Grow
• Physical Fitness - Flying Tigers Winter Units

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Kindergarten February 2018 (Formal Month 6)

Kid A did well this month with less arguing about completing schoolwork.  He enjoyed ABC Mouse Early Learning this month.  He was not as interested in Reading Eggs and Math Seeds, so after some detective work, I discovered he needed some more time with the material before moving onto new units. I had him complete the initial entry exam to see where he was at.  It put him way far back in the course.  I knew he understood more than the location where the program placed him, so I placed him back 5 units.  Instantly, he was willing to do his lessons again.  I have been monitoring his progress all month.  He is doing really well with the concepts the 2nd time around.  He completes the activities pretty fast and smoothly which tells me he already knows what they are teaching.  However, I can see him applying the information during play time. For example, today he asked to measure the cups of coffee in the coffee pot.

All-in-all he is reviewing the lessons previously completed in January.  However, I am relieved that he is actually "mastering" the material before moving on to the next concept.  If he was in normal school, he would be 4 months "behind" and be playing catch up with tons of homework every night (2-3 months behind from his learning plateau in Nov and Dec + 1 month behind for this review month).  I am grateful we are able to do school this way.  Even with his learning plateaus and reviews, he is on track to complete Kindergarten in one year.

Kid B at 22 Months is loving Starfall and is doing great working the tablet.  He has started using ABC Mouse, but isn't quite interested in it yet.

Progress - At the end of Feb. Kid L had completed:

• ABC Early Learning Academy - Level 6 Lesson 66 of 90 (5/6 the way the Kindergarten material) 
• Reading Eggs - Kindergarten Lesson - 34-35 reviewed of 50 (Reviewed 2 lessons this month). 
• Math Seeds - Kindergarten Lesson 26-27 reviewed of 50 (Reviewed 2 of 5 repeat lesson this month).

Learning Units:

• Science Unit - Winter related activities
• Social Studies Unit - Olympics related knowledge like the location of counties
• Music - Kindermusik Wild Animals Unit
• Art - Valentine's Activities
• Physical Fitness - Flying Tigers Valentines and Olympics Units.  Plus 3 huge snow days.
• Field Trips - Discovery Gateway and the Zoo

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Kindergarten March 2018 (Formal Month 7)

This month was a busy month.  We went to Atlanta and had many field trips.  The kids continued their studies in  Atlanta and Kid L made great progress towards completing Kindergarten.

Progress - At the end of Feb. Kid L had completed:

• ABC Early Learning Academy - Level 6 Lesson 78 of 90 total (12 lessons completed this month) 
• Reading Eggs - Kindergarten Lesson - 35-39 completed of 50 total (4 lessons completed). 
• Math Seeds - Kindergarten Lesson 28-33 completed of 50 total (4 lessons completed).

Learning Units:

• Science Unit - Learned about different ecosystems and animals on our Atlanta Trip (see Field Trips)
• Social Studies Unit - Traveling dedicate and cultural relations
• Music - Kindermusik Kid A - Laugh and Learn and Kid B - Wiggle and Grow
• Art - as desired coloring Paw Patrol, play dough, etc.
• Physical Fitness - Flying Tigers Lucky Days Unit and walking during Field trips
• Field Trips - Airplane Flight to Atlanta. Trip visits to the GA Aquarium, GA Fernbank Natural History Museum, Atlanta Zoo, Downtown Atlanta, Panola State Park, and much more.

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Kindergarten April 2018 (Formal Month 8)

This month we spent a lot of time working on Math and Reading.

Progress - At the end of Feb. Kid L had completed:

• ABC Early Learning Academy - Level 6 Lesson 84 of 90 total (6 lessons completed this month) 
• Reading Eggs - Kindergarten Lesson - 42 completed of 50 total (3 lessons completed). 
• Math Seeds - Kindergarten Lesson  45 completed of 50 total (11 lessons completed).

Learning Units:

• Science Unit - Earth Day and Spring Activities
• Social Studies Unit - United States
• Music - Kindermusik Kid L - Laugh and Learn and Kid J - Wiggle and Grow
• Art - cooking and coloring
• Physical Fitness - Flying Tigers Earth Days Unit, walks around the neighborhood and playing at the park
• Field Trips - Zoo

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Kindergarten May 2018 (Formal Month 9)

Kindergarten Graduation:

May 18, 2018 - Kid L completed Kindergarten at Bricks Academy. He passed all lessons and the Kindergarten completion tests. His math scored high marks and his reading scored at Kindergarten completion level.

Progress - At the end of Feb. Kid L had completed:

• ABC Early Learning Academy - Level 6 Lesson 90 of 90 lessons completed (6 lessons completed this month) 
• Reading Eggs - Kindergarten Lesson - 50 of 50 lessons completed (8 lessons completed). 
• Math Seeds - Kindergarten Lesson 50 of 50 lessons completed (5 lessons completed).

Learning Units:

• Science Unit - Building design, Cooking - How to chop veggies, ABC Mouse Adventures of Science
• Social Studies Unit - Moving across the United States
• Music - Kindermusik Kid L - Graduated from Year 2 of Laugh and Learn and Kid J - Graduated from Year 1 of Wiggle and Grow
• Art - cooking and coloring
• Physical Fitness - Flying Tiger Spectacular, 2alks around the neighborhood, and playing at the park
• Field Trips - Zoo

This Months Tips for other Parents:
This month L had a hard time with the next level in reading.  He has all the basic sounds down, but words bigger than 3 letters, he finds very difficult.  This month, I began adding back in "Alphablocks" videos on Youtube.  Like, me at his age, he does not find reading fun, but he really likes Alphablocks and I saw his phonic skills skyrocket earlier this year when we started watching it. So to help him get over the next phonics hump with letter combinations like "th" and "sh" I have increased the Alphablocks watching.

Last Updated (Updated: Aug 30, 2020)

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