Wow- what a week! Much more difficult than I expected but I suppose it is a work in progress. We had our first "official" school day on Monday and for all intents and purposes we did accomplish pretty much everything I intended to and we did stick with our routine. HOWEVER, I would still pretty much classify it as nightmare! We tried to do all of our work at the kids table in our school room and Lion Cub screamed the ENTIRE time. It was horrible. Rhythm was trying to concentrate but it was near impossible for either of us and he kept asking when we would be done because he just wasn't used to it yet. I walked away from that morning actually seriously doubting (for the first time) if this was actually going to work.
Tuesday, though, I got up a little earlier, got a little bit more prepared, had my morning tea and my time with the Lord and vowed to not give up. Awwww... what a better way to start the day! I also changed a few things about how we did school! After our Calendar time (which I will be posting on in more detail soon) we grab our workbox and Raising Rockstars Preschool learning board and move out to the dining room table. This way I can strap Lion Cub into his seat and have Rhythm in his chair on the other side (key#1- keep them separated!). I was then able to keep Lion Cub busy with snacks and Tot School activities (key#2- plan things for the 14 month old to do! More on this soon!), thus allowing Rhythm (and myself) to be less distracted. Thank Jesus for how smooth this morning went-it completely restored my hope and confidence!
Each day has been different and I won't say that it has been a picnic since Tuesday, but we are starting to get into a rhythm. Both boys seem to be getting used to how our days are beginning to flow now and they kind of know what to expect. Every day I have learned a little bit more about how I should arrange our school schedule and our daily routine to better fit our needs, so every day it gets a little bit better. There is still some tweaking to do, but I already feel more confident and can see that after a few weeks our new routine will feel like old hat for all of us. Be sure to stop back by on Monday for more details of how I have set up our routine!
But now, on to the actual school work!! We started using Carisa's AMAZING Raising Rockstars Preschool curriculum this week and we LOVE it!! It composes the core of what we are working on and it is a terrific fit for us. Rhythm really enjoys all of the activities and I am amazed at how quickly he is picking up new (or in some cases remembering old) skills. I can really see his sense of pride and satisfaction when he finishes his work also, which I think will be key to his success and love of learning.
Here is what we did this week:
First day in the classroom...
Rhythm working on his Weekend Report (this printable coming soon!). He was really trying but....
it was difficult!
Day 2- our new set-up...
much better!
Saying his verse with hand motions that we added. By Thursday (we only do a 4-day week) he had his verse down pat! (me- beaming with pride!)
Cutting out his vocab cards. It took him a while but he didn't complain once!
He really enjoyed putting them all in their spots!
Just delighted with himself!
Of course, this is the picture he wanted me to take! Don't you love his little eyes peeking through?!
Here is a pic from his perspective! Obviously, this wasn't Day 1!!!
Working hard on writing his "L"s!
This boy isn't huge on coloring but he LOVES to paint (although markers are used more than crayons)! He keeps telling me that he is an artist!
- Clothes Pin Number Match from Confessions of a Homeschooler
- Bastien Piano for Young Beginners
- Nature Study (printable coming soon for this one too!)
- Lots of reading about Farms! We are gearing up for our field trip to the fair so this week we were learning all about farm machines. I am going light on this unit though, so we are just doing the reading portion and no other activities. We are breaking in slow!
- Finishing up Winnie the Pooh! I am still so surprised by how much Rhythm enjoys this book and look forward to wrapping it up and beginning Charlotte's Web next week.
We also LOVED the music we downloaded to go with our Raising Rockstars Curriculum! I downloaded 5 of the suggested songs that Carisa posted with the Letter L week on her site from iTunes and we not only listed to them to sing along to during the lesson, but we also played them quietly in the background while Rhythm did his other work and also various times throughout the day. We especially loved the song from the Seeds Family Worship CD and enjoyed the songs from Praise Baby as well. It was so nice to have God's word sung through our home all day, especially since we would get the songs stuck in our heads. The music also seemed to have a calming effect on both boys, helping things be a little less hectic, and promoted concentration.
Alright, I know this post was a little wordy, but it was honest and I hope some of you can relate! Like I mentioned above, keep your eyes open for some upcoming printables I am going to debut and a post about our routine and school schedule on Monday! Be sure you don't miss out on the giveaway I am having for The Hands on Bible too!!
Oh, and if you haven't checked out my main blog lately (The Mama Kenz Studio), I have lots of cool stuff going on over there with my new sponsor, Marmee's Bread Market, and I am going to have a big announcement about an upcoming raffle for a Bosch Universal Plus mixer AND a giveaway with multiple winners starting Monday! So, be sure to drop by and check it out!
OH!! AND!!
(I know, you're thinking, "More? Seriously?!") But this is my 100th post on this blog!! Happy dance! Sorry- I couldn't help myself!
To see other fun preschool posts take a look see over at Homeschool Creations for the latest Preschool Corner Link-up!
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