This was such an interesting and in-depth comparison between different preschool curriculums! It so cool to hear about your experience and Purely Preschool!
I love your curriculum! Just looking at the different curriculums, I am amazed at how much less intimated I feel when you walk us through yours. I love how it’s not complicated
Oh, I'm so glad to hear that! I purposely designed my curriculum to be very easy to implement, very straightforward--because I know how many other preschool curriculums look AMAZING but actually putting them into practice is complicated and requires a lot of moving pieces and supplies.
I enjoyed watching and seeing inside the preschool gather round curriculum... I think it's the first time I've seen inside of it. The Fall unit for purely Preschool looks so awesome! Can't wait to do it with my son 🧡
It's so true that there are endless good ideas on Pinterest...but on any old average day....I don't need endless good ideas, I need a streamlined, simple plan for some preschool fun that doesn't require too much mental energy! :)
I appreciate the small list of supplies on little prep in your curriculum. One of the hardest part of preschool curriculums is the endless list of supplies.
Yes, that was always one of my biggest issues, feeling like I could never do any of the "fun activities" recommended for preschool themes or lessons because, especially because I'm a minimalist, and I live overseas where it's harder to find craft supplies...I never had all the supplies that were listed!
This was sooo helpful!!! Mainly I loved what you said at the very beginning of this video. I 100% agree with you and basically do the same with my kids. We start prek around 2.5 yrs by doing “letter of the week”. Just intentional exposure to letters. Then from there we do various things. Currently my preschoolers are doing Gather Round’s Prek. My little with special needs is going to need another prek year I think so I enjoyed this video as I think about where to take him next. We start kindergarten at age 6 so my youngest will start K next school year. I LOVE the preschool years. And I love using curriculum with my preschoolers for the same exact reasons you mentioned in this video.
Yes...I have zero plans at all to rush on to kindergarten, because of when Cy's birthday is, I think he'll be 5.5 when we start, so we still have almost two years till then, haha! but having that little bit of structure and a plan that preschool curriculum gives is something that I think benefits both me and the boys, and gives us fun, skill-building things to do together every day. It's not about rushing ahead to big kid stuff, it's about making the most of these years that fly by.
@@SevenInAll yes! All four of mine have summer birthdays (three are late summer) so they would literally be entering Kindergarten at barely five years old (one would make the cut off by just several days!) if they went to public school. I love the freedom of giving them that extra preschool/play year before starting formal schooling. It has paid off with my older two- neither were ready for formal schooling at age 5, but by age 6-7 they were way more receptive and took off with skills. Preschool is just fun!! Why rush it right?! 😀
I love this comparison video so much! Before choosing a preschool curriculum, I was sure that I’d use GRH preschool, but after doing some digging and looking at many options we went with Gentle + Classical preschool, we are loving it so much, taking it very slowly though! I totally look forward to adding some units from your Purely Preschool for my little guy, so many great units that y’all have released, definitely considering the Fall unit for him.❤️☺️
Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Gentle + Classical is such a delightful program! Because I do Purely Preschool in Spanish, we're slowly working through the Gentle + Classical memory cards for our English memory work
I’ll have a 10 year old special needs son and a preschool/kinder coming up here. I have been deschooling my son due to trauma and he’s now ready to do some more formal learning. I gave him a loose reading assessment from gentle and classical and he’s far above his grade level; however we will need work on fine motor skills with writing and also math. What would you recommend looking into for math? He hates workbooks, hates the comic book type, I’m at a loss…oh and no teaching textbook type either
Which level are you looking for? I often recommend Math U See for special needs students. Yes, it involved workbooks, but they aren't crammed with problems, lessons are short (at Primer and Alpha levels, my son would typically complete 1 day's MUS worksheet in less than 5 minutes), minimal distractions, simple, clear pages, and lots of repetition. I have a video about the curriculum here: th-cam.com/video/IpSXS-6oBRs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=AUS7bfq_yeXfE4Ec I also strongly recommend Math With Confidence, although the curriculum only covers levels K-3rd right now. Math with Confidence also has a workbook element, but incorporates simple games using cards, dice, etc and has a lot of real life applications. The workbook pages are colorful and not as simple as Math U See, but also don't have an overwhelming number of problems per page. I have some videos on the Kindergarten and 1st grade levels: th-cam.com/video/NbcHt5TPyQQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ij9wUi8X-5-IkPt2
My daughter is 3.5. She can point and call out deciduous and evergreen trees already. She has a basic understanding of chlorophyll, seasons etc. We read chapter book series from the library. She is not one to sit and do tedious things. She quits easily if things are too challenging, or too easy. I struggle to know what level to present to keep her engaged. We are not strongly faith based. I would love recommendations.
A lot would depend on what you want to focus on teaching and what she's ready for in the core areas: reading/writing/math -- is she already reading and writing, or do you want to begin teaching that? Or not ready for that yet? If she's not ready for phonics instruction, you could begin with just mastering the alphabet using alphabet resources to get that solid before moving onto reading instruction. If she's not ready to write yet, begin with fine-motor building activities (scissor work, stickers, drawing pictures, etc.). Does she already count, add, and subtract, or is she not there yet and you want to begin teaching basic number sense? I like Preschool Math at Home by Kate Snow for foundational math, but you can also just 'make it up' for basic math instruction if that's more your style. Preschool learning definitely DOESN'T have to be tedious. I focus on short activity sessions and introduce a broad array of 'big ideas'. I've liked using the Preschool Morning Binder from Gentle + Classical for my 3 year olds for basic, quick, letters, numbers, and calendar work...but if she's already beyond that level, there are other ways to offer challenge. My advice is to observe closely and even take notes on where you notice her skill level and interests to be right now...and where you notice skills that are more challenging for her and skills that you know need more work before she masters them. Being very familiar with what she already knows how to do vs. what she doesn't yet know how to do will help you a lot with choosing the right activities and level. Hopefully then you'll be able to look at samples and very quickly say--nope, that's too easy, or nope, too hard, or...hey, this seems just at that level that's going to interest her and offer some challenge.
I’ve watched a bunch of your videos but I don’t think I’ve seen this curriculum anywhere haha have you tried blossom and root at all for your preschooler?
I have not! I've heard good things about it...but with living overseas, I always lean toward curriculums that don't have a long supply list, because many craft/activity supplies can be hard to source here. I used mainly Purely Preschool for my now-4 year old when he was 3.
I’ve purchased a few of your purely preschool units in Spanish and unfortunately was disappointed at the Spanish words used, as a native Spanish speaker (reader and writer) I felt the written Spanish was lacking. If anyone wants a truly spanish curriculum there are some really good curriculums out there from people in Spain and Mexico.
Thanks so much for your review, I will pass it on to my husband, who does our translation. It would be awesome if you recommend specific names of high quality preschool curriculums for homeschool in Spanish to anyone in the comments who is looking for them! Not everyone knows what to search for.
Cost is definitely something that I think has to be a big consideration when choosing curriculum...that's why I prioritize low prices for anything we create, like Purely Preschool, because I never want it to be un-affordable.
It's a pretty hefty pricetag, considering that that's the price for the digital files only. There are definitely preschool programs that are more costly, but most of those come with actual storybooks, toys, etc.
Thank you so much for taking the time to film this comparison. Purely Preschool is just my speed. The low key literate style is perfect! Gather Round is ridiculously expensive. I’m not sure why it’s such a popular choice.
This is a long video, so be sure to open the description for time stamps!
This was such an interesting and in-depth comparison between different preschool curriculums! It so cool to hear about your experience and Purely Preschool!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Looks like Purely Preschool will be my summer curriculum! Looks amazing!!
Hurray!
I love your curriculum! Just looking at the different curriculums, I am amazed at how much less intimated I feel when you walk us through yours. I love how it’s not complicated
Oh, I'm so glad to hear that! I purposely designed my curriculum to be very easy to implement, very straightforward--because I know how many other preschool curriculums look AMAZING but actually putting them into practice is complicated and requires a lot of moving pieces and supplies.
The artwork alone on Gather Round's book covers is beautiful!
It really is!
Oh my goodness, Purely Preschool looks amazing!! ❤😃
Thank you so much!
This is so helpful! Thank you so much!!
I'm glad it's helpful! I also appreciate seeing different curriculum options side by side!
@@SevenInAll Totally agree! It really helps highlight the differences!
I enjoyed watching and seeing inside the preschool gather round curriculum... I think it's the first time I've seen inside of it. The Fall unit for purely Preschool looks so awesome! Can't wait to do it with my son 🧡
Aww, I'm glad you're excited! :)
Decision fatigue is a real issue and who wants to take up that brain space?? You're so right! 👏👏💕
It's so true that there are endless good ideas on Pinterest...but on any old average day....I don't need endless good ideas, I need a streamlined, simple plan for some preschool fun that doesn't require too much mental energy! :)
I appreciate the small list of supplies on little prep in your curriculum. One of the hardest part of preschool curriculums is the endless list of supplies.
Yes, that was always one of my biggest issues, feeling like I could never do any of the "fun activities" recommended for preschool themes or lessons because, especially because I'm a minimalist, and I live overseas where it's harder to find craft supplies...I never had all the supplies that were listed!
This was sooo helpful!!! Mainly I loved what you said at the very beginning of this video. I 100% agree with you and basically do the same with my kids. We start prek around 2.5 yrs by doing “letter of the week”. Just intentional exposure to letters. Then from there we do various things. Currently my preschoolers are doing Gather Round’s Prek. My little with special needs is going to need another prek year I think so I enjoyed this video as I think about where to take him next. We start kindergarten at age 6 so my youngest will start K next school year. I LOVE the preschool years. And I love using curriculum with my preschoolers for the same exact reasons you mentioned in this video.
Yes...I have zero plans at all to rush on to kindergarten, because of when Cy's birthday is, I think he'll be 5.5 when we start, so we still have almost two years till then, haha! but having that little bit of structure and a plan that preschool curriculum gives is something that I think benefits both me and the boys, and gives us fun, skill-building things to do together every day. It's not about rushing ahead to big kid stuff, it's about making the most of these years that fly by.
@@SevenInAll yes! All four of mine have summer birthdays (three are late summer) so they would literally be entering Kindergarten at barely five years old (one would make the cut off by just several days!) if they went to public school. I love the freedom of giving them that extra preschool/play year before starting formal schooling. It has paid off with my older two- neither were ready for formal schooling at age 5, but by age 6-7 they were way more receptive and took off with skills. Preschool is just fun!! Why rush it right?! 😀
@@faithfullyinfertile I think with summer birthdays, that's a really wise choice! And for real...no reason to rush through preschool, I love it!
I have been looking into Gather Round. It looks like something my littles would love! ❤
It's great for kids who LOVE animals!
I love this comparison video so much! Before choosing a preschool curriculum, I was sure that I’d use GRH preschool, but after doing some digging and looking at many options we went with Gentle + Classical preschool, we are loving it so much, taking it very slowly though! I totally look forward to adding some units from your Purely Preschool for my little guy, so many great units that y’all have released, definitely considering the Fall unit for him.❤️☺️
Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Gentle + Classical is such a delightful program! Because I do Purely Preschool in Spanish, we're slowly working through the Gentle + Classical memory cards for our English memory work
Thank you!
You're welcome!
I’ll have a 10 year old special needs son and a preschool/kinder coming up here. I have been deschooling my son due to trauma and he’s now ready to do some more formal learning. I gave him a loose reading assessment from gentle and classical and he’s far above his grade level; however we will need work on fine motor skills with writing and also math. What would you recommend looking into for math? He hates workbooks, hates the comic book type, I’m at a loss…oh and no teaching textbook type either
Which level are you looking for? I often recommend Math U See for special needs students. Yes, it involved workbooks, but they aren't crammed with problems, lessons are short (at Primer and Alpha levels, my son would typically complete 1 day's MUS worksheet in less than 5 minutes), minimal distractions, simple, clear pages, and lots of repetition. I have a video about the curriculum here:
th-cam.com/video/IpSXS-6oBRs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=AUS7bfq_yeXfE4Ec
I also strongly recommend Math With Confidence, although the curriculum only covers levels K-3rd right now. Math with Confidence also has a workbook element, but incorporates simple games using cards, dice, etc and has a lot of real life applications. The workbook pages are colorful and not as simple as Math U See, but also don't have an overwhelming number of problems per page. I have some videos on the Kindergarten and 1st grade levels: th-cam.com/video/NbcHt5TPyQQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ij9wUi8X-5-IkPt2
My daughter is 3.5. She can point and call out deciduous and evergreen trees already. She has a basic understanding of chlorophyll, seasons etc. We read chapter book series from the library. She is not one to sit and do tedious things. She quits easily if things are too challenging, or too easy. I struggle to know what level to present to keep her engaged. We are not strongly faith based. I would love recommendations.
A lot would depend on what you want to focus on teaching and what she's ready for in the core areas: reading/writing/math -- is she already reading and writing, or do you want to begin teaching that? Or not ready for that yet? If she's not ready for phonics instruction, you could begin with just mastering the alphabet using alphabet resources to get that solid before moving onto reading instruction. If she's not ready to write yet, begin with fine-motor building activities (scissor work, stickers, drawing pictures, etc.). Does she already count, add, and subtract, or is she not there yet and you want to begin teaching basic number sense? I like Preschool Math at Home by Kate Snow for foundational math, but you can also just 'make it up' for basic math instruction if that's more your style.
Preschool learning definitely DOESN'T have to be tedious. I focus on short activity sessions and introduce a broad array of 'big ideas'. I've liked using the Preschool Morning Binder from Gentle + Classical for my 3 year olds for basic, quick, letters, numbers, and calendar work...but if she's already beyond that level, there are other ways to offer challenge.
My advice is to observe closely and even take notes on where you notice her skill level and interests to be right now...and where you notice skills that are more challenging for her and skills that you know need more work before she masters them. Being very familiar with what she already knows how to do vs. what she doesn't yet know how to do will help you a lot with choosing the right activities and level. Hopefully then you'll be able to look at samples and very quickly say--nope, that's too easy, or nope, too hard, or...hey, this seems just at that level that's going to interest her and offer some challenge.
I’ve watched a bunch of your videos but I don’t think I’ve seen this curriculum anywhere haha have you tried blossom and root at all for your preschooler?
I have not! I've heard good things about it...but with living overseas, I always lean toward curriculums that don't have a long supply list, because many craft/activity supplies can be hard to source here. I used mainly Purely Preschool for my now-4 year old when he was 3.
@@SevenInAll thank you! 💛
I’ve purchased a few of your purely preschool units in Spanish and unfortunately was disappointed at the Spanish words used, as a native Spanish speaker (reader and writer) I felt the written Spanish was lacking. If anyone wants a truly spanish curriculum there are some really good curriculums out there from people in Spain and Mexico.
Thanks so much for your review, I will pass it on to my husband, who does our translation. It would be awesome if you recommend specific names of high quality preschool curriculums for homeschool in Spanish to anyone in the comments who is looking for them! Not everyone knows what to search for.
GR looks so good but the $$$ 😬. We're all about the purely preschool! 💕💕
Cost is definitely something that I think has to be a big consideration when choosing curriculum...that's why I prioritize low prices for anything we create, like Purely Preschool, because I never want it to be un-affordable.
$180 for a PREK PROGRAM?!!! youve got to be kidding me.....no.
It's a pretty hefty pricetag, considering that that's the price for the digital files only. There are definitely preschool programs that are more costly, but most of those come with actual storybooks, toys, etc.
I honestly don’t understand why people are willing to pay that much for Gather around!
Thank you so much for taking the time to film this comparison. Purely Preschool is just my speed. The low key literate style is perfect! Gather Round is ridiculously expensive. I’m not sure why it’s such a popular choice.
How do you teach Spanish if you don’t speak it yourself?