Memoria Press Kindergarten Review: What I Love, What I Would Change, & Everything in Between

In this video I'm covering the Memoria Press Kindergarten Charter version curriculum. I share my candid and meandering thoughts about the materials included, the assigned read alouds, and science and enrichment. I also share my thoughts about what Memoria Press could do to make this program even better!
You can find all of the Kindergarten charter materials here:
charter.memori...
This is not a sponsored video, I am just sharing my insights as a homeschooling mom and loyal Memoria Press customer!

[@memoriapress]

We are so thankful to be included in your homeschool curriculum lineup! Let us know how we can continue to be helpful to you and your family!

[@DiannaKennedy]

I'm pretty sure if you flip back to first few pages in your Curriculum Manual, there's an overview of how to run Calendar Time. 🥰

[@ddchomeschool]

I think you’re right!! I need to do that! 🙃

[@kb8990]

Love this! Heading into the K package next year.

[@ddchomeschool]

Oh good! I was worried my tone might come across as overly negative or critical. Glad you liked it!! ❤️

[@kb8990]

Not at all! Have you done a video on how you handle teaching five very different aged kiddos? I do almost all MP, but the one con for me is the massive guilt I feel when I go off-script of the weekly manual. I need to find a way to let go.

[@ddchomeschool]

I haven’t done a video but I definitely don’t do all the things for everything that we do. I’ve been asked for this video several times so it’s definitely on my radar! 😂 My cliffs note take away is figure out what they can do independently & make sure the curriculum they’re doing is the right level, even if it isn’t “grade level.” Especially for MP!

[@brookeally1346]

Thank you for this! I think for science and history we will use core knowledge. It’s meant for a classroom so at first it’s hard to navigate but it’s such a great curriculum. My son loves it.

[@ddchomeschool]

I think that would be excellent!! We have really been enjoying doing Core Knowledge a bit at a time. I love how everything is laid out for you topic wise & you don’t have to go on a hunt to figure out what to cover! 🤣

[@brookeally1346]

@@ddchomeschool that’s what I see us doing. My son loves the science especially. He loves having his own book to flip through. I know it’s extra work but if they love it then why not?

[@ddchomeschool]

@@brookeally1346 Totally!

[@brookeally1346]

@@ddchomeschool one more question if you don’t mind. If my son is almost finished with teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons, do you think it would make sense to do the phonics portion? We are doing the enrichment for kindergarten and about to start Junior k.

[@ddchomeschool]

@@brookeally1346 I have never done 100 Easy Lessons, so I can't speak to where that would come out level wise. However, I think MP may have an assessment on their site? I will say that the phonics is at a :challenging: K level. Like my 6 year old is just catching onto everything, and we are only on week 18 or so, eventhough we only have 2 weeks left of the enrichment curriculum.

[@tatyana1324]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@ddchomeschool]

You’re welcome! Thank you for watching! ❤️

[@Hopelb]

I just purchased the read aloud set that's part of the enrichment but I think the science books are separate?

[@ddchomeschool]

Yes- read aloud books are sold separately from the “supplemental science and enrichment” www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/classical-core-curriculum/kindergarten-supplemental-science-enrichment-set/ Many of these books can be found either secondhand or at your local library. 💙

[@diamsyal4967]

If you buy the whole 370 dollar package, does it truly come w*everything? Or are there still add ons.. i was a little confused since they offer so mamy suggestions

[@ddchomeschool]

I haven’t bought a whole package before, but I believe it’s only core things. So for example, I do know that for K the “enrichment” books are a separate thing. You can definitely email them or ask in the MP group on Facebook, those ladies are super knowledgeable! 💙

[@ddchomeschool]

P.S. you won’t need every single thing all at once. For example, for reading you’ll only need the First Start Reading A books for a while before you need B. I try to order those things one or a few at a time rather than all at once. Hope this helps!!

[@pinkmagnolia8882]

Have you ever used All About Reading? I am wondering how MP program compares?

[@ddchomeschool]

I have not! I’ve done bookshark’s kindergarten program which also uses a leveled approach. I think many people in the MP group on Facebook have done AAR first though. I remember seeing it discussed in there.

[@mayyperez3191]

Can we buy as we go so we do not make a big purchase all at once? Can you guide us as to what we would buy step at a time if that makes sense? Thanks so much :)

[@ddchomeschool]

Yes, you absolutely can! I would start with purchasing the curriculum guide and then you can see everything you’ll need! The enrichment guide is separate, and I would definitely recommend getting it as well, but I’m 99% sure the grade specific curriculum guide lists all the materials you’ll need week by week. Also, definitely check out the MP group on Facebook, there’s a lot of second hand materials for sale there. 💜

[@kb8990]

As an aside, I LOVED your thoughts on why there were holes in the supplemental thoughts. I noticed that too. I am thinking of using some of the new Read Aloud Revival’s nature study/picture book list to supplement the seasons. Maybe you can put out a video or list of specific books you did. I’d love to have it! We are going all in building our home library this coming year! :)

[@ddchomeschool]

Oh I’m so glad!! Here’s a list of the supplemental books I got for the spring! ddchomeschool.com/2022/12/23/kindergarten-picture-books-for-spring-2023/ That’s a great idea, and I will definitely add that video to my list. Thank you so much for your input! 🤍

[@kb8990]

@@ddchomeschool Amazing! Thank you!

[@ddchomeschool]

You’re so welcome!!

[@lindsaypotter3694]

My daughter is almost 5. She knows all letters and most letter sounds. Should I get K package? I also have a 3 yo. Don’t know if I should get the jr one or k

[@ddchomeschool]

The K package is very advanced for K, in my experience. Which is to say, if you’re starting off with phonemic awareness, I think it would be an excellent fit! See if you can find a sample of first start reading A- I think they have a sample on the MP website. My daughter struggled with phonemic awareness for a while so we ended up having to supplement for a lot of the time before finally getting back to it at the end of the year. If your daughter flies through it, you could absolutely accelerate the pace! I haven’t done Jr. K but you could easily use the enrichment science & ss books for both kids because they’re highly engaging picture books! I would look at the individual Jr. K materials and see what you think about your 3 year old’s readiness. 💜

[@lindsaypotter3694]

Why did you go with charter version? Trying to figure out difference

[@ddchomeschool]

The charter version is secular. There isn’t always a difference but for example if you’re doing grammar (not kinder) it gives sentences that contain Christian content/examples. The K copywork, for example, contains Biblical passages versus charter which is just famous quotations.

[@meak8293]

I guess I’m a bit confused on the Original Vs Charter versions. Which one is more scripture based? Is there options online when ordering to choose one or the other? Thanks!

[@ddchomeschool]

Charter version is meant for public school charters, so no Christian content! By changing the versions, MP is able to sell curriculum to homeschooling families that are part of a charter school. It’s a completely separate website than the Memoriapress.com Hope this helps!

[@user-fb5ze9fx7e]

Where do you find the charter version? I don't see that on the MP website.

[@ddchomeschool]

charter.memoriapress.com

[@chrismiller9084]

Thanks. Do you see diversity in this curriculum?

[@ddchomeschool]

Not especially. This is probably endemic to “classical education” in general, not just MP in particular. However there are :some: titles. I found it easier to add in picture books recommended from other sources such as Here Wee Read or Stories of Color.

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

What did you use for math?

[@ddchomeschool]

Saxon is our spine (we're doing first grade level because the K doesn't have any worksheets), but we also use math seeds as a supplement. Before I discovered the math seeds I was finding 1 off things on Teachers Pay Teachers.

[@ddchomeschool]

here's the link to a video I recently did about the Math Seeds program, hopefully I am doing this correctly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qF6timqBptmLmMU

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

@@ddchomeschool what made you decide Saxon over rod and staff? This is my current dilemma

[@ddchomeschool]

I haven’t tried R&S, so I can’t speak to the differences but what I like about Saxon is the scripted lessons and thorough explanations plus the option of using “Nicole The Math Lady” for older grades. We started out with Singapore K-4 with my older kids, but it was a difficult transition once they were older/harder for me to teach.

[@peachy_reina]

​@@ddchomeschool we also use Mathseeds and Saxon 1 😊. Currently using Logic of English, but it's going slowly (we have yearly testing, otherwise I wouldn't care). Looking at this and wondering if it would work better

[@anamariaguadayol2335]

I saw drawings of angels, is this a Christian thing?

[@ddchomeschool]

Memoria Press is a classical Christian curriculum. However, they have secular versions of their materials available on their charter website. One example would be grammar. So the Christian version might say something about Jesus’s followers and the student has to underline the conjunction. The charter version would change the names to something different, so you’d never know it had been Christian. The Latin is similar, they just completely re-wrote their younger levels to make them secular. We haven’t started that yet but I will update with what I see. I’m not sure which item had angels BUT I did notice that the crafts book I have, which must not be charter, did have an Easter craft in it.

[@anamariaguadayol2335]

@@ddchomeschool thank you so much for answering me. 🥰

[@ddchomeschool]

You’re so welcome! 💕