Preschoolers. Oh boy. Mine can really do a number on the room, the schedule, my nerves and the peace efforts of any diplomat. She's also quite a clown. So funny, happy, smart and very sweet. I can't imagine doing all this without her. She loves to do her schooo-work just like the others. I feel urgency to get a plan for her learning time this year. Not just so that she won't be a disruption, but so that I effectively steward her time and effort as well.
Preschool is a time for fun with learning, although some is rote memory. This year for our preschooler, she will be using lots and lots of good picture books from our local library. Older siblings will read to her and the entire crew will enjoy audio books. There will be times when she will be playing counting games with a brother, drawing pictures for her stories, practicing tracing with her sister and of course, she gets to do art with the rest of us.
Her schedule is semi-organized, meaning I don't have it down to the very activity for every minute of the day. I do, however, have a general idea of what I want her to do by the end of the week. Each day, we do Circle Time. This is mainly for the younger two children and is a daily review/intro as you would expect to see in a regular school setting. It makes them feel all school-y to say the Pledge of Allegiance, sing their little song and go over the date and such. She will be doing one new letter each week and several activities that go along with that letter. Many of my materials are downloads from Confessions of a Homeschooler, whose blog I stalk love. She has lots of cool games and printables for each letter. But, I never stray far from my roots. I began my homeschooling career using Five in a Row with our youngest and continue to love this method for my younger students. It has brought us many memorable learning times together.
I know I haven't been specific on this post, but many days are "go with the flow as long as we get it done". This is the stage of schooling/life we are in right now. Sometimes it takes forever to recapture attention, others it is all done and idle hands create boredom. So, as long as I have a general idea, I can usually roll like that. Every day, I hope, holds only what the Lord has ordained for us to accomplish in a meaningful manner.
I would love to hear others' preschool plans!
