Resources: Ages 4-8
Joy School from Values Parenting is a wonderful preschool program that can be implemented at home with a group of parents working together. A Kindergarten readiness program is also available from Values parenting. If your group has children ages 4-6, the Joy School program will work wonderfully.
Click here for more information on Joy School
Click here for more information on Joy School
Creating Your Own Program with our Resources: Parents may choose to create their own lesson plans based on the resources and structure we have outlined on our website. Parents who are familiar with a Sharing Time setting will already have confidence in developing this type of environment. but even those who have are not yet familiar with this environment will learn quickly how they can prepare music, story, art, and activity around a central theme.
The Hearthstone Plan website has several resources to choose from for each topic. Parents may select the curriculum that works best for their child. The following resources are suggested for co-ops:
- Morning Devotional and Religious Sharing Time: Parents may choose resources consistent with their religious beliefs during the morning sharing time. We encourage families to invite God back into the classroom with prayer and scripture stories. There are many stories available that teach the religious virtues of faith, honesty, humility, endurance, temperance, compassion, service, etc. See the Hearthstone Plan website for resource ideas to use during this segment.
- Closing Sharing Time: Familiar stories about nature, animals, and fairy tales may be used during this sharing time along with music, artwork, and symbols that correlate with the them. See Hearthstone Plan website - Stories of Nature for resource ideas.
The Hearthstone Plan website has several resources to choose from for each topic. Parents may select the curriculum that works best for their child. The following resources are suggested for co-ops:
- Reading: The Good and the Beautiful has organized lessons that parent volunteers can do with children with very little preparation. Parent volunteers may work with children one-on-one or with a few children at a time during the practice and apply segment of the day. McGuffey Readers are also great resource for group reading practice. Children may use these readers to read out loud to a parent or mentor. They are ready to begin the McGuffey Reader Primer after completing the first 10 lessons in Alpha Phonics. See the McGuffey Reader Reading Guide website to learn more about these resources. Parents may select other reading resources to use at home.
- Math: Children this age learn best through play and hands-on math activities. A formal curriculum isn't necessary. Check out the Hearthstone Site - Foundations Math page for math activity ideas.
- Science: We encourage children in this age group to participate in Nature Study for their science activities. See the Hearthstone site - Foundations Science page for nature study resources.