Preschool Corner

~Wyatt is 4 years old. Levi is 3 years old~


Looking back, I found that the last post about our tot school and preschool corner adventures was quite a few months ago! But that doesn't mean that we haven't been doing "school". That's the awesome thing about teaching your children at home, it can happen anywhere, about anything, at anytime! I just happen to "document" on my blog every once in awhile for memory sake (and the grandparents of course!)
Since I posted last, we have decided to send Wyatt to Pre-K at a Methodist Church Preschool just a few miles away from our house. There were lots of reasons for this change and we aren't committed to a full-year, but are just taking it month by month and praying about what is best as this decision effects each of us in our family unit.
Levi has been a different child at home with me while Wyatt is at "real" preschool as he calls it. Wyatt just goes 3 days a week, 3 hours a day. While he is gone, Levi and I do preschool at home. To read more on the "curriculum" I am using, read this post.
Not only is Levi responding better to the school activities we are doing at home (compared to how he did last year when I did it w/ Wyatt and Levi together), he is responding better to discipline and training, as well as controlling his temper.
I'm sure with the closeness in age and same gender, the competitivness was very present when Wyatt and Levi spent every waking hour together. Physically, Levi can do pretty much everything (if not more) that Wyatt can do. But mentally/socially, Levi is truely a year younger than Wyatt which is completely normal!
Levi and I have had a great 4 weeks of preschool already! It's been very easy to stay right on schedule w/ doing preschool at home every M, W, F while Wyatt is at Pre-K. Here are some pictures of Levi's first day of preschool.



Here are some pictures of Wyatt's first day of Pre-K.




Levi worked on the Days of Creation for the first 2 weeks of school. Here are some pictures of the things he made! I got these ideas from ABC Jesus Loves Me and I Can Teach My Child.
Levi cut on the line that I drew, and then glued the "light" onto the dark". The mini oreos are to represent the light and dark.

Levi glued cotton balls for the "waters above", and colored in the ocean for the "waters below". The frosted mini wheats are suppoesd to be the white clouds and the sand in the ocean.

The pretzel sticks are the trunk or the stem and the green M & Ms for leaves and red M & Ms for flowers.

I cut the shapes and Levi glued them!

Goldfish crackers for Creation Day 5

Animal crackers for Creation Day 6

Mini marshmellows for Creation Day 7

Then we spread out all the Days of creation crafts that we had done, and I asked Levi on which day God rested. He grabbed the 7 and promptly laid down on the floor to sleep (complete w/ fake snoring). He can always make me smile! And when Adam first saw this picture, he asked if Levi was having a temper! ha!

Stop waking up TO your children and start waking up FOR your children

Even if you don't like schedules, making lists and having a "routine", please keep reading...I will share some personal changes that I'm working on at the end of this post.
The following is from Preschoolwise:
"Routine Matters--No matter how free-spirited and even defiant your preschooler can sometimes be, know that structure is the best thing for him and your entire household. When children don't know what's happening next, they can feel anxious. And anxious children are irritable, angry, uncooperative, and unhappy. Routines offer security and reassurance. In addition to having clearly stated family rules, many families find that using chore charts and incentive programs encourages good behavior."

That is so true at least in our house. AND it really applies to me as well...when I don't know what is happening next, I can get irritable and unhappy too! Even though that quote is regarding preschoolers, I will have to write another post about the changes we are making w/ the boys to keep them in a routine this fall. B/c like I said, this post is about changes that I am making. I find that when I have too much "down" time, then I lose motivation completely and get nothing done! I would rather have 3 or 4 things that I'm working on at the same time to keep me moving! But that's just me...

Probably since I've had the kids, I have struggled w/ having a consistent quiet time in prayer and reading God's Word. Most times since I didn't have a 30 min. chunk of time to sit and read and study the Bible, I just wouldn't do anything at all.
Then about 3 yrs ago, a friend of mine invited me to a Bible study where the leader really challenged us to just read "what we could, when we could". Only have 3 min while the macaroni is cooking? Sit down (or hide in the pantry so the kids can't find you) and read a few sentences. Then you can think on those few words while you go thru the next few hours of your day until you have another few min. I found that this actually helped me remember things more and really think about what I read.
That approach to Bible study got me thru the diaper stage of my kids' life.

Now that we are done w/ diapers, and they are much more self-sufficient in other areas as well, I knew that I should be able to find that "chunk of time" to read more. And I DESPARATELY recognized my need to start the day off w/ the right mindset and have a little "calm before the storm". Some of you aren't phased by this, but I struggle with it...little voices asking, asking, asking, needing, needing, needing...FIRST THING IN THE AM!! This sounds horrible I know. I mean they are my own children. I do love them. But I'm just being real. It's hard for me to start out my day totally selfLESS and beckon to their every call when I am still in the bed myself and would just like to eat one cookie w/ a bit of coffee before they see me and ask for one as well. Before they start fighting and arguing. etc, etc. (and yes, I often eat a cookie before breakfast) :-)

Somewhere in the blogs that I read, I came across I'm a 5:16 Gal a few months ago. And I last spring I did this w/ a few of my friends. It was good to have accountability w/ others!
-What is a 5:16 Gal? A 5:16 gal is a gal who has decided that she wants to redeem the time with her Savior. She is choosing to rise early, before the day takes her away, to sit at the feet of Jesus
-Why 5:16? Ephesians 5:16 says, "making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." The literal meaning is "redeem the time." We are seeking to redeem the time and make the most of every opportunity to seek the Lord with all our hearts. Because the days are evil. We must prepare for battle each and every day - sometimes just to get through the day.

Then just last month a great friend of mine told me about this WONDERFUL website called Inspired to Action dedicated to practically helping moms develop the habits and skills they need to effectively manage their homes and raise children who are prepared to change the world.
And on this website, there is great FREE ebook called Maximize Your Mornings!
This.Has.Changed.Me.
You have to read the ebook for yourself, or at least the first 5 pages, and then you'll just not be able to keep from the reading the rest!
It's just words that are really mostly known facts, but so, so true and obvious, and helpful all at the same time.
like, "An object in motion stays in motion", and "be consistent", and "just get.out.of.bed"

So, read the ebook, or at least the first few pages!! and to circle back to the beginning of this post about routine...I have made this a routine for the past 2 or 3 weeks. See, I can't even remember, so it must not that be bad to get up early if I can't even think back to when I used to sleep until the kids got up...ahh, that blessed used-to-be 7am wake up...
I won't say that every day has been w/o selfishness once they do wake up, or even that every day I have been alone in my early wake up (seemed to back-fire the first few days w/ them getting up early as well). but I can say that there are more days than before where I am happy, calm, cool, and collected when I hear those first little pitter-patters or the "I'm hungry...", or my favorite, "he's looking at me..."

I set the coffee to start at 6am, and the boys must stay in their room until 7am (we are still working on this). I get up and message some friends who are doing this with me for accountability. Just stating that I am AWAKE, and in the Word. Smart phones are great! It has been very helpful in my early AM study and accountability. I get daily emails on my phone from Back to the Bible, and then I read the corresponding passage in my Bible (see, I don't do everything on the smart phone). Then I have a Bible memory program on my phone called Remember Me and I work on the verse I am memorizing.
It's a start...how about you? Try it! You'll like it!