"School"

Regarding all of the activities that we do for "school"...
Ideally, on the either Saturday or Sunday, I go to the following websites to get ideas and prepare for the next Letter of the Week:
ABC Jesus Loves Me
Confessions of a Homeschooler

In ABCJLM, we are doing the 3 yr old Curriculum. I click on Weekly Lesson Plans, and read thru all of her suggestions/ideas and pick and choose which ones I think would benefit our family the best. She has the weekly lesson plans corresponding w/ the calendar school year of the end of Aug. to the beg. of May. We started off right along w/ her calendar, but the "plus" side of homeschool-preschool is going at your own pace, and taking breaks for different life changes like sickness, travel, or something "minor" like MOVING! :-) We are currently on Week 20 which she had set for the 2nd week of Jan, so we are a little behind, but I dont's spend a whole week on review like she has worked into the schedule, so we should be able to catch up if we do 2 letters/week here and there.
I LOVE ABCJLM for the emphasis on the Bible. We learn verses, Sunday School songs, and Bible stories all focused on the same theme!

Then I go to COAH, and click on the ABC's & 123's drop-down menu, and choose the letter that we are going to work on. I pick and choose the printables and activities that I think will best benefit our family. Aftering printing, I laminate most of COAH's print outs so that I can use them again next year with Levi or even again w/ Wyatt.
Both websites have Book Recommendations to correspond w/ the theme and/or letter. I then go to my local library's website and search for and reserve those books. If your local library has this option, it is PRICELESS!! I love getting the phone call that I have books waiting for me at the library! It's much easier than trying to search for specific books w/ 2 preschoolers in tow.

Those 2 websites + my local library are the main tools I use for resources for our homeschool preschool. But I also preuse the following websites for ideas, inspriration, and encouragement:
I Can Teach My Child
No Time for Flash Cards
1 + 1 + 1 = 1

Tot School

~Wyatt is 4 years old. Levi is 2.75 years old~



Once again, it's been awhile since I posted anything about our Tot School (now also Preschool Corner for our new 4 yr old!). We have done fun things pertaining to Letters L and M since my last Tot School post. And we've had many (probably too many) days "off" from school b/c I was busy packing boxes, and now I'm busy unpacking them at the NEW HOUSE! We'll have to move fast in order to get all the way thru to Letter Z before we go to PA for the summer break. But then again, after Wyatt's 4 year old well-check at his pediatrician, we could probably afford to slow down w/ "school". Have to brag just a little b/c the pediatrician was very impressed how Wyatt could write his name, and said that he had the skills of a 5 year old about to enter kindergarten! Yay Wyatt!

In this picture, Wyatt was building the pattern w/ Ladybugs that he saw on the print out from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

Levi sorted these Ladybugs from smallest to largest.

I hit the jackpot with all things Ladybugs at the Resource Center. Wyatt put these ladybugs in a big circle, and then pretended one was his pillow and took a "nap". Then Levi joined him for rest time w/ the Ladybugs!


This was the intended use for the Counting Ladybugs...put the correct # of velcro black spots to correspond to the number sewn on the ladybug's back.

We also did "L" is for Lion and learned all about the Bible Story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. These fun paper bag puppets were something I found on First-School's website


Levi really got into this Ladybug fine motor-skills craft. He wanted to do it "by himself" and did very well handling the glue stick and ladybug spots.


Meanwhile, Wyatt was practicing writing his name w/ these fun Crayola markers from Grandma.


For the Letter M, we had a Monkey themed week. Below Levi is trying to match up the shapes that the Monkey is holding. (another printable from Confessions of a Homeschooler)

Wyatt put together this M is for Monkey "puzzle". I printed and laminated the picture, then cut into 6 equal pieces and he had to put it back together.

Wyatt is working on a counting activity from Confessions of a Homeschooler, and Levi was putting marbles into Valentine Hearts ice cube trays. Notice all of their Monkey Friends that joined us at the school table that day. The Money holding the bananas was another Resource Center find!!

You can click on any of the individual pictures to enlarge the view.