Preparing for Pre-K!

Monkey Man is starting Pre-K in the fall!  This is such an exciting and nerve-wracking time!  We "played" preschool last year when he wanted to, but this year we are officially starting.  I have been reading about the various methods and curriculum available.  Ultimately, I have decided not to use a packaged curriculum.  I will be doing a combination of unit studies and pulling what I want to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).  A post on this to come.

I have ordered the books we will be using for writing, and I am really excited.  The Usborne Wipe-Clean books will be great for Monkey Man!  He loves wipe-clean books/cards and dry erase boards.  These will teach him to write his numbers and letters (1) (2).  I will also use his dry erase board and continue using the worksheets from Skill Building Early Learning Activities, Pre-School, More Skill-Building Early Learning Activities, Pre-School, as well as various dot-to-dot books and printables.  This is a lot of worksheets, and the only reason I use them is that Monkey Man loves worksheets.  I do not believe that most 4 year olds should sit at a table and do worksheets all the time.  I do believe that you should follow your child's learning style and until he quits enjoying the worksheets, I will use them for him.

For our reading curriculum, we are using Usborne's Very First Reading Set.  I am very excited about this one!  It is a set of 15 books for kids learning to read.  Each book gets a little harder and introduces new phonemes.  There is also a parent guide and a website that allows you to get additional activities to use with the books.  Monkey Man has been really wanting to learn to read, so I figure we'll go with it as long as he keeps interest.  Reading is so important, and it is something I really don't want to push.  I want him to love to read and I think that enjoyment and love will be lost if he feels forced!

This is all of the specific subject material that I have picked so far.  I only have about a month until we start school, so I really need to get on the rest of it!  I know we will be doing a body unit for science and probably some fun science experiments.  We always do lots of crafts, and Monkey Man has expressed interest in playing guitar and/or piano and taking acting lessons.  I definitely want to follow his lead for now, and try to make his interests fit into the CCSS.

Are any of you homeschooling moms?  What curriculum choices have you made?