School time around here!
So we're "doing" pre-school around here, if you hadn't heard yet. Partly because Shannon is always asking to "do school" like her friends (can I learn my letters now?) and partly because I (mommy) need the discipline. (Remember my last post?)
Yup, you heard right. We do plan (at this point) on homeschooling our kids. As I learn more and more about myself, I know the hardest part is not going to be staying at home with my kids, coming up with ideas to do or even teaching the educational parts; but rather, the discipline of #1. planning ahead and #2. being ready to do school each day. So I figure pre-school is a good and safe place to train myself to be disciplined. Since it doesn't really matter if I pass or fail!
The kids are enjoying our time together and I'm learning how to pull things together in an organized way. When I say "school" I'm not including reading books, playing outside (nature hunts), painting, puzzles or things like that. Those are things we do almost daily anyway. I'm talking more about specific letter-learning, time spent on our memory verses, doing "character" stuff, numbers, etc.
Here is Shannon working on the letter E (E is for Elephant and Erika). And yes, she's a lefty. Has been pretty exclusively since she was about one. And Forest is pretty much exclusively a righty. Fun times.
When she's doing letter-practice like this, Forest is usually coloring. Here is Forest's memory verse . . . lovingly colored by him.
The results of Shannon's color-by-number:
If you've been around awhile, you know that we both believe in creativity and art as well. We do a lot of this:
(notice the look Shannon is giving Forest!)
On their "little blue table" I place a clean sheet of paper & crayons each morning (well at night after they go to bed) for them to draw whenever they want. Imagine my surprise when Shannon picked up some drawing materials and drew a person last week! Complete with eyes and eye-brows! I was impressed (the purple one is the person, the black one is a potato, she said).
We usually head outside after doing our papers, including a stop at the kitchen or truck (for donations) to pick up some bread or treats. This day we found chocolates!!!!! (And yes, Shannon picks her clothes and that usually means a fancy dress of some variety).
Our play space is continually evolving- this summer Jer added a "roof" above the sandbox, where we have trained the Jasmine to climb. Now they have a wonderful little "fort" that also shades them from the brutal sunshine!
Inside random activities include making play-doh!
We're still "evolving" with what we are doing, but the basic system is to study a verse and a letter each week- with all the fun and random corresponding activities each week. I pull from a bunch of places, so for F week we are playing with Fish, Farms and all kinds of F things!
Here are a few of the places I use the most.
1+1+1=1 - This site is HUGE and has a ton of great ideas, printables, etc. The thing we use it for the most, however, is the "Raising Rock Stars" idea. She has great printable pages to go along with the "My ABC Bible Verse" book. Shannon loves memorizing her verses and coloring the pages, doing the activities, etc.
Confessions of a Homeschooler - This is where I get most of our ABC type activities. And wow does she have a ton! All kinds of great ideas to print and use . . . over and over! Since Forest is behind Shannon, I do laminate a lot of the pages, so they can both use them. She has good tips on laminating and other home school stuff, as well.
2 Teaching Mommies- A newer site on my list, but I've enjoyed their "unit studies," well rather we really enjoyed their Easter plan. Great, great way to teach the Easter Story.
Simple Homeschool - There are a bunch of "simple" blogs (Simple Mom & Simple Kids are good too). Since my kids are still young, I really enjoy this site for thinking about our educational philosophy, seeing different ways of educating, etc. So many good ideas out there and it's been good and challenging to read such a variety of ways of attacking the same thing.
Yup, you heard right. We do plan (at this point) on homeschooling our kids. As I learn more and more about myself, I know the hardest part is not going to be staying at home with my kids, coming up with ideas to do or even teaching the educational parts; but rather, the discipline of #1. planning ahead and #2. being ready to do school each day. So I figure pre-school is a good and safe place to train myself to be disciplined. Since it doesn't really matter if I pass or fail!
The kids are enjoying our time together and I'm learning how to pull things together in an organized way. When I say "school" I'm not including reading books, playing outside (nature hunts), painting, puzzles or things like that. Those are things we do almost daily anyway. I'm talking more about specific letter-learning, time spent on our memory verses, doing "character" stuff, numbers, etc.
Here is Shannon working on the letter E (E is for Elephant and Erika). And yes, she's a lefty. Has been pretty exclusively since she was about one. And Forest is pretty much exclusively a righty. Fun times.
When she's doing letter-practice like this, Forest is usually coloring. Here is Forest's memory verse . . . lovingly colored by him.
The results of Shannon's color-by-number:
If you've been around awhile, you know that we both believe in creativity and art as well. We do a lot of this:
(notice the look Shannon is giving Forest!)
On their "little blue table" I place a clean sheet of paper & crayons each morning (well at night after they go to bed) for them to draw whenever they want. Imagine my surprise when Shannon picked up some drawing materials and drew a person last week! Complete with eyes and eye-brows! I was impressed (the purple one is the person, the black one is a potato, she said).
We usually head outside after doing our papers, including a stop at the kitchen or truck (for donations) to pick up some bread or treats. This day we found chocolates!!!!! (And yes, Shannon picks her clothes and that usually means a fancy dress of some variety).
Our play space is continually evolving- this summer Jer added a "roof" above the sandbox, where we have trained the Jasmine to climb. Now they have a wonderful little "fort" that also shades them from the brutal sunshine!
Inside random activities include making play-doh!
We're still "evolving" with what we are doing, but the basic system is to study a verse and a letter each week- with all the fun and random corresponding activities each week. I pull from a bunch of places, so for F week we are playing with Fish, Farms and all kinds of F things!
Here are a few of the places I use the most.
1+1+1=1 - This site is HUGE and has a ton of great ideas, printables, etc. The thing we use it for the most, however, is the "Raising Rock Stars" idea. She has great printable pages to go along with the "My ABC Bible Verse" book. Shannon loves memorizing her verses and coloring the pages, doing the activities, etc.
Confessions of a Homeschooler - This is where I get most of our ABC type activities. And wow does she have a ton! All kinds of great ideas to print and use . . . over and over! Since Forest is behind Shannon, I do laminate a lot of the pages, so they can both use them. She has good tips on laminating and other home school stuff, as well.
2 Teaching Mommies- A newer site on my list, but I've enjoyed their "unit studies," well rather we really enjoyed their Easter plan. Great, great way to teach the Easter Story.
Simple Homeschool - There are a bunch of "simple" blogs (Simple Mom & Simple Kids are good too). Since my kids are still young, I really enjoy this site for thinking about our educational philosophy, seeing different ways of educating, etc. So many good ideas out there and it's been good and challenging to read such a variety of ways of attacking the same thing.
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love Mom