Preschool Resources

I promised a post about what I use for preschool a few weeks back. I started the post several times, but I kept stopping because really, I didn't do very much formal learning when they were 2-3. And honestly, I still feel like our homeschooling isn't very formal. Its surprising how much young children can pack into their brains in such little time and without a whole lot of effort!

The majority of our preschool was learning through play. They learned how to count by counting cars and animal crackers. They learned to recognize numbers by pointing out the cashier numbers in the line at the grocery store. We read books A LOT and as I read I point out the letters. Normal, everyday stuff. One "game" that we did was "Hop on the Letter". I spread out construction paper on the floor and each was marked with a letter. I would call out a letter and they would hop on it. If they got the letter right then the paper would be eliminated. Super easy, but fun for them.


A few things that my kids loved for preschool and that I will be using for Anna Grace is


Melissa and Doug Latches Board


Melissa and Doug See and Spell


Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks






Can we just talk about how amazing The Letter Factory is? I don't know one mom/kid that doesn't love this little movie. It is so entertaining for them and it is amazing how quickly the kids will pick up letter recognition/phonics!


Leap Frog Fridge Magnetic Phonics Set

Ansleigh had a little more trouble with sounds/letter recognition (and I'm still working with her). But this helped tremendously!



"Curriculums"

I use  the word curriculum very loosely because I wasn't very strict with it. Mainly, it was something for us to do to pass time and to keep them on track with the rest of their peers. I would try to do it everyday, but if I didn't it was no biggie. My main goal with preschool is to make learning fun. If I sensed that they were starting to stress, I would ease off for the day or do something else fun.



1)We used Carols Affordable Curriculum between the ages of 2 1/2 -4.  I would wait until after their nap and have everything set up with a little snack. They loved it and they still talk about it! What I loved about Carols Affordable Curriculum is that EVERYHING (right down to the little cheerios that you glue on the activity) comes in the box once a month. The lesson plans are already set and the activities were simple and fun.

2) I would supplement CAC with ABC Jesus Loves Me. I loved their handwriting chants (which we still use) and their silly songs (ex. we learned the days of the week to the tune "Where is Thumpkin"). I didn't use this program as a whole because I didn't want to do too much planning, but it is great and I do recommend it.

3) I know so many people that use Confessions of a Homeschooler. I used the Letter of the Week program and I loved how hands on it is. We didn't use this for very long (because I loved CAC so much), but I did want to throw it out there! :) It is a fantastic website full of amazing resources for preschoolers/homeschoolers.

4) My kids also loved sensory bins. Sensory bins are fantastic for imaginative play and my kids would play with them for a good hour or so! Pinterest is full of ideas (just type in sensory bins or Montessori ideas) for all types of ages. Here is another good website for sensory ideas.


Anywho, that is our preschool resources in a nutshell. :) I get asked about homeschool/preschool activities  all the time and I am so happy to help. I have learned that I have a passion for homeschooling/being a mom and I could talk about it all day!

If you want to know more about one of the resources or need recommendations email me at alanandcarla@gmail.com :)

-Carla

Slowing Down (A humble ramble)

God has been speaking to me in so many areas in my life, but mostly in regards to parenting these precious blessings that He has lent to me for this short time.

Last Thursday was absolute chaos. I found myself in a frantic hurry the whole day. We woke up late so I was in a hurry to get myself and all 3 kids clean, fed, packed, and out the door (talk about not having a peaceful morning) After CC, I had a to-do list a mile long and it all had to be done before Ansleighs ballet class. We had several stops to make and (bless her heart) she just wasn't as fast as I needed her to be. As I was getting her out of the car (shamefully fussing at her) to run into Hobby Lobby I noticed that she was starting to get frazzled right along with me.

God stopped me in my tracks.

Thursdays are our special day and I cherish the moments that I get with her. I realized that I didn't want to hurry, because hurrying these moments would be hurrying her and hurrying her would be hurrying her childhood away. Does that make sense? It may not (and probably a little dramatic), but God did use that moment to speak to me and tell me that I needed to slloowww down and get my priorities right. Between having 3 small kids, and Alan in school, and me owning a growing business, and homeschooling, and preparing for Tutor lessons, and Church, and family and everything in between I have been a little on the crazy side.

And even though I absolutely love everything that I am doing and even though I know that God has called me to do all these things, my number one job at this stage in life is being a Mom and pointing my children to Christ.

So, as I was getting  her out of the car and as I took a breath to relax I asked her to forgive me for being so nuts. Goodness, please tell me I'm not the only one that is CONSTANTLY asking forgiveness from my children?! Its embarrassing.

I then slowed my pace down, went to Starbucks (because Caramel Frappuccino's and oatmeal cookies make everything better) and we enjoyed the rest of the day (we didn't even finish my to-do list because I realized that the things that were causing anxiety really weren't very important after all).


So, here I am, slowing down. Managing my time a little better, knocking a few things off my plate. Getting my priorities right and leading my children right to Jesus (or trying my very best to).

First Day of School

 

Be still my heart!

The day that I have been waiting for is finally here! Ansleigh is in ballet! I kid you not, I have been dreaming about pink ballet slippers since I was pregnant.

And look!


Here she is :)

She and I both are down right giddy over her little ballet slippers...

and little white leotard..

and pink ballet tights..

 

So.Stinkin. Precious.

2013-2014 Homeschool Routine and Curriculum

Tomorrow we start our second year at CC! I am beyond excited because I am also a Tutor for Chases class this year. A little nervous, but mostly excited. :)

We have been doing school at home the whole summer, but we will start adding in our new memory work (English Grammar, Timeline, Math, History Sentences, Geography, Latin, Ephesians 6) to our day.

I am not much of a schedule person. It gives me way too much anxiety to stick by actual times. Instead, our family has a routine that works really well for us.

Breakfast
Bible
CC Memory Work
Brush teeth and get dressed

English
Math
Math Worksheets (Chase) and Handwriting (Ansleigh)

Snack and Outside Break

Sonlight Reading List
Free Play
Lunch
Educational video (right now they are loving The Magic School Bus. Any other recommendations?)

Room time

Chores
Snack
Handwriting (Chase)

Free Play/Errands
Cook Dinner
Reading With Daddy

Family Time
Bath/Brush/Book/Bed

And that's pretty much it :) It took me awhile to get into this routine, but once we got into the rhythm it totally transformed our day.We have school Monday-Wednesday, CC is on Thursday, and we have a free day on Friday.

Ansleigh pretty much does the same work Chase does (the great thing about having them only 19months apart!). I work more heavily with Chase on reading and copywork, and Ansleigh and I are working more with letter/sound recognition and writing letters.

For this school year we are using-



1. Saxon Math- I have found that people either hate Saxon or love it. We love it! I love that it tells me EXACTLY what to say and my kids love that it uses manipulatives. It takes us about 30 minutes to get through a lesson (without interruptions from Miss AG) and is age appropriate for both kiddos.




2. First Language Lessons- I LOVE this! I bought this at a homeschool book sale thinking that I would use it in a few years. A friend of mine said that she used it for her first grader and so I gave it a try and it was a success! Again, it tells me exactly what I need to say (I'm not afraid to admit that I need a confidence booster in this area!). It teaches the kids to recite whole poems and my kids love that. I also love that the lessons are so brief. It usually takes us less than 10 minutes to do a lesson. Perfect for their attention span!


3. Handwriting Without Tears- We haven't started this yet, but I've heard good things! So far they have been doing copywork. This will be good because Chase needs to work on correct letter formation and Ansleigh just needs more practice. I will probably add this in next week.

4. Sonlight Reading List
I am so glad that I added this in. The Sonlight reading list is fantastic! I love that these books are a little above their reading capacity, but still interesting enough to grab their attention. Our favorite book so far has been Ten and Twenty by Claire Bishop. It tastefully touches on World War II in a very age appropriate way. It was full of suspense and both Chase and Ansleigh begged me to keep reading. Love that!

5.Cycle 2 Memory Work
This is going to be such a fun cycle for Chase! This year we will be learning Astronomy, Ecology, Physical Science, Pre-Reformation to Modern World, European and World Geography, Pronouns, Adverbs, Conjunctions, Impressionists in Art, and more!



6. 100 Easy Lessons- This book is so/so. Again, it tells me what to say (see a pattern, here? ha!), but it takes us foreeevvvverrrr to get through a lesson. Chase likes that it has repetition and he likes that it has a picture after each lesson. He also likes that it asks questions about the story (reading comprehension). But this book requires multiple breaks (and multiple reminders for me to BREATHE) in order for us to get through it and some days I give it to Alan so that he can finish while I cook dinner. Learning comes fairly easy to Chase and this book pushes him, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

I am sticking with it because I do think that it gives Chase a pretty solid foundation in reading. By the time we get to lesson 100 (we are on 51) he will have a 2nd grade reading level.

I haven't decided if I will use this book with Ansleigh. I think I might need to find something a little more fun and colorful to keep her interested.

BTW- Check out these CC geography flashcards! They.are.amzing. A must have in your CC toolbox. (Plus, proceeds will go to the adoption of three precious blessings from Congo! yay!)
 http://www.madetoorganize.com/2013/07/geography-flashcards/

I get asked all the time about what I did with Chase and Ansleigh when they were in preschool. I will be adding a post about my favorite pre-school resources SOON!

-Carla :)

Last Day of CC

Our last day of CC was last Thursday. I cant believe we are done with our first year of  homeschooling! We will continue to work on math and reading throughout the summer. We will also do light review on Cycle 1, but we will be on break for the most part!

Alan came with us to school on our last day. Poor guy came home from a night shift at work, took a shower and changed clothes, and headed off with us to CC. He was delirious by the end of the day, but it meant so much to Chase that he was there (and I still wasnt feeling 100%, so I was grateful that he was there!)

The tutors and Ms. Kelli had a special surprise for the kids on their last day. The each took a turn navigating a compass which led them to a special surprise- an Easter egg with $2 inside!

 They each got $2 to spend at the ice cream truck. The kids loved it!

A few from my phone..

Such a fun last day! Our closing ceremony will be on April 20th and Chase is so looking forward to it :) 

today was a doozy.

Today has been a complete doozy. My kids are all tucked in bed snoring, and I am sitting on my couch wishing for a do-over. I hate going to bed with that stomach clenched feeling because I had a mama-gone-crazy kind of day.

Yesterday, was a good day. I felt half dead with Bronchitis, but I sucked it up and took my kiddos to Applebees for lunch, went to a local Planetarium for a field trip, and then picked up a Starbucks treat for all of us on the way home.

I had no voice, running fever, convinced that I was dying- but by golly I was bound and determined that we were going to have a good day. And we did.

 I think yesterday sucked up all of our good because today was horrific.

And it was mostly because I did not feel like doing the "mom thing" today. Isn't that horrible? Its true. All I wanted to do was lay on the couch (and I did) and play on facebook and not talk and not wipe hineys and not fix lunch and snacks and refill cups for the zillionth time.

I just wanted to lay there, with my zebra snuggie and sleep away my fever.


And those three sweet little youngins' of mine were NOT having it. All they did was fight and complain and whine and cry out for my attention.

By 430 I had had enough and got them all dressed and went to Target (I swear Target is my go-to to fix the grumpies). I picked up starbucks (um yes, that would be TWO starbucks in two days-I was having a rough week-what can I say? )and pizza on the way home and we had dinner outside.

And the fighting and the complaining and the grumpy attitudes died.

After putting Ansleigh and Anna Grace down for the night, Chase came and sat beside me on the couch.

"Mama, we need to talk."

"What about Buddy?"

"Mama, I think you hurt Jesus' heart today. You weren't being very nice. You lost your temper and you scared me. And that hurt my feelings."

How awful is that to hear? Break. My.Heart.

So I asked for forgiveness from him and then from Him.

I thanked him for coming to me when he felt like I had wronged him.

Because this isn't the first time that I have wronged him, and unfortunately it wont be the last.

This parenting thing is not easy (especially when you're sick!) . It is a complete die-to-self situation. Every.Single.Day.

Our Pastors wife once said the her daily prayer is that God would cover her in front of her children. That He would hide her sinful self from them, and that anything Good He would let shine.

That has become my daily prayer also.

Today I am so thankful for Grace and forgiveness. Thankful for love. Thankful
for these three. And so very thankful for do-overs. :)

(& this picture makes me laugh. It is SO them! )