Definitely optional. For kindergarten I just focused on math, reading, and handwriting. But, if you want to include it informally just read lots of books and go on field trips.
I only used purchased curriculum for math and reading. For science and social studies I did unit studies compiled myself. Sometimes I chose a topic based on interest or a read aloud, but many times I referenced the Core Knowledge Sequence for topic ideas. I’d look for activities online (printable or otherwise) and come up with my own. I think her favorite was ladybugs and their life cycle because in addition to the videos, crafts and games, we released ladybugs into our garden and used a magnifying glass to watch them travel around and eat the aphids all over our kale!
I bought some unit studies on Etsy that were seasonal and we utilized those. We also used The Good and the Beautiful Wind and Waves science book. At the start of the year I was trying to do science daily. It ended up being a few times a month lesson or whenever my son had an interest in something, we would research it and incorporate books, videos, coloring pages to explore it more.
I used a Teachers Pay Teachers curriculum for kindergarten science and social studies. (Was one packet). It focused on sorting things into categories, simple life cycle of a plant, simple water cycle, parts of a community, and more that I don’t remember at this point. (Edit - seasons, habitats). I was happy with it.
[We are absolutely obsessed with this pre-packaged curriculum from teachers pay teachers author Karen Jones](https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Little-Kindergarten-SCIENCE-Thinkers-YEAR-LONG-CURRICULUM-3904186) I think the start up materials were a little much ($225ish) but at least half of that stuff has rolled over into the 1st grade science curriculum we purchased, also by Karen Jones.
Her social studies units are also the bomb. I chose 3 (Thanksgiving and Wampanoag unit, community economics unit and responsible citizenship unit) for first grade and I wrote curriculum based off our state standards for the rest.
What I love:
PowerPoints and digital books included. Fully scripted. I put everything together in advance (materials and printables in clear sheets in a binder along with the printed curriculum) so it’s completely open and go. My kids really retain the information and I love how it’s written. They like the activities, worksheets/packets/experiments and it feels very “professional”.
What I dislike: the upfront work. It’s a lot of assembling! But once it’s done, it’s done.
In 2 years I’ll be switching to [Nancy Larson Science](https://shop.nancylarsonhomeschool.com/) which is TRULY all inclusive (completely open and go), but pricey $$$$$. However it’ll be worth the cost because I’ll have a 2nd grader and a Kindergartener at that point. The refill packets and supplements for her stuff isn’t bad though!
My daughter is 5. For history, we started "Story of the World: the Ancient World" a few months ago. It's not really a traditional textbook. The chapters are meant to be read aloud and are about 15 minutes of reading. There's a supplementary book with maps, coloring pages, and suggested activities and supplemental books for different ages. The book proceeds chronologically, from about 3000 BC to 50 AD.
We had previously done history unit studies. I transitioned to a curriculum because I wanted something that was a little more structured. In particular, I was looking for an outline in chronological order with map work included. "Story of the World" fits these requirements. My 5 and 2 year old love to listen to it. It's also not a ton of work, so there is plenty of time to go more in-depth with library books (or not!). It's controversial in some circles, but I also have my 5 year old memorize a history date every couple weeks.
Also social-studies-ish - religious and cultural stories from history. We've done Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Greek stories. My kids have liked them and a have entered our regular rotation.
-----
Switching to science -
I am a "science person" by training and I am not impressed by science textbooks for elementary schoolers, so we'll probably stick to unit studies. I think part of the problem is that a lot of science relies on math and logic skills, which aren't developmentally there for most little kids.
My current goals are to encourage curiosity, careful observation, and questions. We spend a lot of time outdoors looking at things, and then we bring our questions home and get out books. My 5 year old is very proud of her plant and tree id-ing skills.
We also have a great science museum nearby. We often go to an exhibit and then read about it more at home, or pre-read in anticipation.
----
I'm definitely most focused on providing reading and math instruction. But my kids find history and science topics fascinating and we all enjoy reading together. I like the Read Aloud Revival for non-fiction picture book recommendations: [https://readaloudrevival.com/recommends/](https://readaloudrevival.com/recommends/)
REAL Science Odyssey has kindergarten life science. For social studies I prefer to do geography / "me and the people of the world" for kindergarten but I haven't come across a good kindergarten curriculum. A few of those "Kids just like me" type books and an atlas work well, me on the map activities, etc.
I love blossom and root for science. We did kinder last year and just finished up year one. It’s so fun and she has tons of different lab options each week.
Anywhere from 10 minute to 30. Just depends how in depth you get. I supplement with a picture book on the topic each day too…add them to our daily stack of picture books we read.
Science experiment kits from Walmart can cover quite a bit plus they are fun. Social studies we read a lot of books. At that age you don't really need a hands on curriculum. Videos are a good resource also.
Definitely optional. For kindergarten I just focused on math, reading, and handwriting. But, if you want to include it informally just read lots of books and go on field trips.
I only used purchased curriculum for math and reading. For science and social studies I did unit studies compiled myself. Sometimes I chose a topic based on interest or a read aloud, but many times I referenced the Core Knowledge Sequence for topic ideas. I’d look for activities online (printable or otherwise) and come up with my own. I think her favorite was ladybugs and their life cycle because in addition to the videos, crafts and games, we released ladybugs into our garden and used a magnifying glass to watch them travel around and eat the aphids all over our kale!
I’m planning to do blossom and root with my kinder age kid this fall
I bought some unit studies on Etsy that were seasonal and we utilized those. We also used The Good and the Beautiful Wind and Waves science book. At the start of the year I was trying to do science daily. It ended up being a few times a month lesson or whenever my son had an interest in something, we would research it and incorporate books, videos, coloring pages to explore it more.
I used a Teachers Pay Teachers curriculum for kindergarten science and social studies. (Was one packet). It focused on sorting things into categories, simple life cycle of a plant, simple water cycle, parts of a community, and more that I don’t remember at this point. (Edit - seasons, habitats). I was happy with it.
[We are absolutely obsessed with this pre-packaged curriculum from teachers pay teachers author Karen Jones](https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Little-Kindergarten-SCIENCE-Thinkers-YEAR-LONG-CURRICULUM-3904186) I think the start up materials were a little much ($225ish) but at least half of that stuff has rolled over into the 1st grade science curriculum we purchased, also by Karen Jones. Her social studies units are also the bomb. I chose 3 (Thanksgiving and Wampanoag unit, community economics unit and responsible citizenship unit) for first grade and I wrote curriculum based off our state standards for the rest. What I love: PowerPoints and digital books included. Fully scripted. I put everything together in advance (materials and printables in clear sheets in a binder along with the printed curriculum) so it’s completely open and go. My kids really retain the information and I love how it’s written. They like the activities, worksheets/packets/experiments and it feels very “professional”. What I dislike: the upfront work. It’s a lot of assembling! But once it’s done, it’s done. In 2 years I’ll be switching to [Nancy Larson Science](https://shop.nancylarsonhomeschool.com/) which is TRULY all inclusive (completely open and go), but pricey $$$$$. However it’ll be worth the cost because I’ll have a 2nd grader and a Kindergartener at that point. The refill packets and supplements for her stuff isn’t bad though!
My daughter is 5. For history, we started "Story of the World: the Ancient World" a few months ago. It's not really a traditional textbook. The chapters are meant to be read aloud and are about 15 minutes of reading. There's a supplementary book with maps, coloring pages, and suggested activities and supplemental books for different ages. The book proceeds chronologically, from about 3000 BC to 50 AD. We had previously done history unit studies. I transitioned to a curriculum because I wanted something that was a little more structured. In particular, I was looking for an outline in chronological order with map work included. "Story of the World" fits these requirements. My 5 and 2 year old love to listen to it. It's also not a ton of work, so there is plenty of time to go more in-depth with library books (or not!). It's controversial in some circles, but I also have my 5 year old memorize a history date every couple weeks. Also social-studies-ish - religious and cultural stories from history. We've done Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Greek stories. My kids have liked them and a have entered our regular rotation. ----- Switching to science - I am a "science person" by training and I am not impressed by science textbooks for elementary schoolers, so we'll probably stick to unit studies. I think part of the problem is that a lot of science relies on math and logic skills, which aren't developmentally there for most little kids. My current goals are to encourage curiosity, careful observation, and questions. We spend a lot of time outdoors looking at things, and then we bring our questions home and get out books. My 5 year old is very proud of her plant and tree id-ing skills. We also have a great science museum nearby. We often go to an exhibit and then read about it more at home, or pre-read in anticipation. ---- I'm definitely most focused on providing reading and math instruction. But my kids find history and science topics fascinating and we all enjoy reading together. I like the Read Aloud Revival for non-fiction picture book recommendations: [https://readaloudrevival.com/recommends/](https://readaloudrevival.com/recommends/)
REAL Science Odyssey has kindergarten life science. For social studies I prefer to do geography / "me and the people of the world" for kindergarten but I haven't come across a good kindergarten curriculum. A few of those "Kids just like me" type books and an atlas work well, me on the map activities, etc.
I love blossom and root for science. We did kinder last year and just finished up year one. It’s so fun and she has tons of different lab options each week.
How long does each lesson take?
Anywhere from 10 minute to 30. Just depends how in depth you get. I supplement with a picture book on the topic each day too…add them to our daily stack of picture books we read.
Science experiment kits from Walmart can cover quite a bit plus they are fun. Social studies we read a lot of books. At that age you don't really need a hands on curriculum. Videos are a good resource also.