Homeschooling iii too iv twelvemonth former preschool

I've received several emails as well as Facebook comments lately regarding homeschooling preschool. I wrote a post called "Homeschooling 5-year quondam preschool." I experience 5-year quondam preschool was dissimilar from his previous years of preschool because he was technically quondam plenty to last a kindergartner, but nosotros decided against doing kindergarten that year. Instead nosotros did some other twelvemonth of preschool amongst him, merely amongst a to a greater extent than focused direction; he is a kid that loves order, structure, as well as routine.

When considering preschool, in that place are many dissimilar schools of thought. Some actually focus on early on learning as well as some focus on play based learning as well as some on "unschooling." I don't similar labels, thence I volition merely depict our thinking when it comes to preschool. I retrieve preschool should last fun. I retrieve it should last play based learning. I retrieve that preschool should focus on graphic symbol edifice as well as how to interact amongst others. I retrieve it should construct a child's confidence as well as acquire them excited well-nigh learning. Preschool should contain the fundamentals of learning-- ABCs, 123s, shapes-- inwards a fun, play based environment. I referenced this article inwards my final post on kindergarten, Simple Homeschool's "The truth well-nigh preschool." That article solely sums upwardly my thoughts on preschool.

When our oldest was 4-years quondam nosotros seat him inwards a church building preschool program. At that time, our twins were keeping me really busy as well as I felt similar I needed him inwards something that helped him amongst his wishing for a routine. The computer program was great. I was surprised, however, at how difficult it was to abide by a preschool computer program that didn't select a curriculum or focus on subjects. One preschool fifty-fifty had math worksheets-- excessive! We eventually found a computer program that worked for us-- play based, focusing on graphic symbol development, interacting amongst others, as well as fostering their independence. It was a nifty computer program for him as well as I got a lot of nifty ideas from it for how I wishing to homeschool. I actually loved how the teachers merged play amongst learning. When nosotros moved from North Carolina, I was distressing to leave of absence the schoolhouse because I was planning on having him attend their 5-year quondam preschool program.

One affair that I do not miss well-nigh preschool is the preschool schedule. (Yes, I wrote a whole spider web log post on it, "Preschool schedule.") After nosotros moved final twelvemonth as well as were doing 5-year quondam preschool, nosotros had a lot of hits to our daily routine as well as past times the destination of the twelvemonth nosotros didn't select likewise much of a daily routine. I had several things on our schedule each week, similar a common playdate as well as storytime, but the middle of the twenty-four hr menstruation was oft chaotic. Mealtimes slipped into snacktimes; naptimes became motion-picture present times on the coach spell I napped. The joys of my husband's ability schoolhouse schedule as well as pregnancy! By the outset of the summertime I was laid upwardly to select my torso dorsum (being pregnant inwards the southward inwards the summertime is non ideal) as well as laid upwardly for a regular routine. I debated over the summertime if I should endeavour to sign the boys upwardly for drop-off camps over the summer, but non knowing if my hubby was going to start paradigm early on inwards the summertime (he didn't) as well as the unknowns of our routine ane time babe #4 came prevented me from committing to whatsoever twenty-four hr menstruation camps. The retentiveness of how inconvenient selection ups as well as drops were inwards our twenty-four hr menstruation for his 4-year quondam preschool twelvemonth is soundless fresh inwards my mind. I've loved that homeschooling happens at our kitchen table, sometimes inwards pajamas as well as sometimes over pancakes-- no interruptions to our schedule!

So the big question: what are nosotros doing for preschool this year? What materials are nosotros using for preschool?

To reply the inaugural of all question, nosotros are doing what nosotros unremarkably do for preschool this year-- life equally usual. I didn't select our oldest inwards a preschool computer program at 3-years old. I don't conception on putting our toddlers inwards a preschool computer program this year. Our big conception for preschool this twelvemonth is to contain their learning inwards our daily life. I do involve them inwards some of our homeschool day. If yous read the spider web log post, "Homeschooling kindergarten," I explicate that I select all iii boys tell the Pledge of Allegiance, pray for our day, remove heed to our Bible story, read a poesy form together as well as deed it out, as well as do the calendar each day. They are involved inwards that because that is what I'm doing amongst their older blood brother for kindergarten. To reply the instant question, I select non bought them whatsoever particular preschool materials as well as don't role whatsoever curriculum amongst them, non fifty-fifty the Saxon Math majority that I used for 5-year quondam preschool as well as no particular books.

This twelvemonth amongst the toddlers nosotros are actually focusing on independence. If they wishing to apparel socks, they must seat them on. I volition assist them if they are genuinely stuck, but they must endeavour first. We work solve. "If your sock isn't going when yous push clit it on that way, why non endeavour a different way?" We focus on cleaning upwardly the mess they make. "That was actually fun to play amongst the cars as well as trucks. Now nosotros acquire to seat them away! How well-nigh yous start on the cars as well as thence do the trucks?" I assist them interruption downward the mess inwards their remove heed thence they are able to tackle it-- create clean upwardly the cars, thence create clean upwardly the trucks. Once the big toys are seat away, they are able to selection upwardly all the smaller activity figures quite easily. I involve them inwards making dejeuner as well as baked goods. We operate on taking our fourth dimension as well as doing things right, "Can yous carefully pour the carbohydrate inwards the mixing bowl?" We operate on them next directions, fifty-fifty when it is hard, "Before yous acquire outside, let's acquire the identify unit of measurement room tidied up, please." Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 big ane that has been challenging for all iii of them is assisting others, which teaches sympathy. "Your blood brother is sad. Why don't yous acquire inquire him what is bothering him as well as run into if yous tin help?" "I retrieve your blood brother is having a difficult fourth dimension cleaning upwardly his mess. Why don't yous acquire run into what yous do tin to assist him?" Most of the fourth dimension I hear, "But I didn't brand that mess!" I'm actually surprised at how they select responded to this final one. I'm hearing them to a greater extent than as well as to a greater extent than deadening downward to assist each other out, "What's wrong, brother?" as well as I dear their feel of pride as well as camaraderie ane time the labor is done, "I helped him seat away his blocks! We were a team!" "He helped me! Thank you, brother!" We seat a lot of emphasis on waiting your turn. "Excuse me, your blood brother wasn't done telling his story. Let's allow him destination as well as thence I would dear to hear what yous select to say." I dear Emma Jenner's book, Keep Calm as well as Parent On, for setting expectations on our kids.

The other things nosotros are learning through our everyday life-- shapes, ABCs, as well as 123s. We read well-nigh them inwards our stories earlier nap as well as earlier bed. We verbalize well-nigh them equally nosotros do art, brand cookies, acquire to the park. We verbalize well-nigh colors. We do puzzles. We do all this stuff for fun. We merely play as well as I convey inwards the learning, drawing their attending to something they are naturally connecting. "My blanket is the same color equally a burn truck." Well, what color is the burn truck?

I mentioned inwards my spider web log post "Homeschooling kindergarten" that after this twelvemonth I volition select them start memorizing retentiveness verses. This is something that nosotros select been doing amongst our oldest since he was 3-years old. We used the verses he was learning at AWANAS, which nosotros select non been able to represent into our schedule final twelvemonth or this year, as well as discussed them throughout the day. I dear memorizing Bible verses amongst the kids because I experience that it teaches lots of things. We write the poesy downward as well as volition betoken to it equally nosotros tell it-- it teaches words select meaning. When they run into the retentiveness poesy card, they oft start recognizing letters, "That's an A, Momma!" They run into the letters exterior of their alphabet books as well as puzzles as well as start looking for them everywhere, "Momma, I run into another A!" I also dear that it helps them larn to retain things I instruct them. The other affair well-nigh retentiveness verses is that choosing key verses helps instruct them things well-nigh their ain deportment as well as God's character. We larn to forgive because God forgives. We larn to attempt out our ain actions, was I beingness fair to my brother? We larn to tell I'm sorry without prompting from a parent. Right at ane time nosotros verbalize well-nigh their older brother's retentiveness verses as well as nosotros role diverse phrases when dealing amongst conflict amongst each other, "Was that a form affair to do to your brother? Do yous retrieve that made him experience happy or sad?" "How do yous retrieve nosotros could present your dad nosotros dear him when he comes home?"

Next twelvemonth our toddlers volition do some other twelvemonth of preschool. They volition last 4-years quondam at the outset of the twelvemonth as well as plow 5-years quondam during the year. I volition in all likelihood start some of the methods that I used doing 5-year quondam preschool amongst their older brother. We will do letters of the calendar week or colors of the week. Preschoolers dear present as well as tell. During Red Week, I'll select them present as well as tell us well-nigh something red. During "A" week, I'll select them present as well as tell us well-nigh something that starts amongst an A. I'll in all likelihood role our Saxon Math K majority again. I've liked Saxon Math because the scripts are in that place to assist explicate something if yous wishing them. I also similar that it completely explains a sure enough activity, like introducing them to money or manipulating linking cubes or using counting bears. I similar the Math K majority because it was a nifty resources for me to abide by ideas for an activity if I needed assist coming upwardly amongst some sort of lesson for the day. I could opened upwardly up Saxon Math K, read a lesson that involved counting bears, push clit out the counting bears as well as say, "Okay, let's play amongst these for awhile." Then I could guide the play inwards a agency that taught the lesson. That is how I most oft used the book-- getting ideas, reading the scripts, as well as thence applying it inwards a agency that represent our preschool technique.

I actually similar unit of measurement studies for preschool. One unit of measurement report nosotros did final twelvemonth was on water. We merely talked a lot well-nigh water. What happens if nosotros acquire H2O actually hot? What happens if nosotros acquire H2O actually cold? What letters are inwards the give-and-take water? What makes alphabetic lineament makes a "whu-" sound? Where do nosotros abide by water? What animals alive inwards water? Let's read books that select H2O inwards them. What movies select H2O inwards it? What do nosotros telephone phone H2O that comes from the sky? What is H2O practiced for? On as well as on as well as on... So many fun experiments as well as lessons yous tin do inwards a unit of measurement study. Library trips. Movies. Books. Unit studies are nifty likewise because it actually lets the preschooler's imagination run wild as well as lets them inquire questions as well as abide by answers. (Unit studies are also a nifty agency to include kids of dissimilar ages!)

How do yous proceed preschool fun?

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