Preschool "Curriculum"

When I posted about what a normal day looks like for us, which included our homeschool preschool, I received some requests to give more detail about the curriculum that I am using for preschool.  So, that is the purpose of this post.  Last year, we dabbled in some preschool activities at home, but we did not stick to a set schedule or have much in mind in the way of goals, etc.  This year, I am more dedicated to it, because C enjoys it so much, and as a preparation for Kindergarten next year.  C is learning constantly throughout the day as she plays and explores and tags along with and helps me, but two days a week for about 3-4 hours, we focus specifically on learning.  As I was thinking about the year, I wanted to have lesson plans in place and themed units for each month...  While those are both great things, I realized that this is just preschool and it is primarily about setting a tone for next year and having fun through learning.  I also realized that I had plenty of materials without needing to purchase a curriculum.  I did some research and made a list of things that I would like to focus on based on what a child should know going into Kindergarten, and based on what others were doing in the preschool years.  This was my starting point.  I decided to keep it simple, so I made a list of nine "subjects" or activities and decided that we would spend 20-30 minutes on each one on our school days.  We don't do them in the same order usually, and I often let C choose what she wants to start with and/or do next.  The only thing that I do try to do is to alternate writing with non-writing to give her hands a break, and also something more active with something less active so she has plenty of opportunity to move around and wiggle.  Also, on our non-school days, she is still doing several of these and actually spends more time on them on those days.  The nine things that we choose from are:

• Calendar Book
• Cutting & Pasting
• Reading/Phonics
• Worksheets
• Picture Books
• Reading out Loud/floor play
• Games/Outside play
• Sensory
• Art/Crafts

Calendar Book

I learned very quickly that google and pinterest are a homeschooling mom's best friends and great resources that I'm sure those that have gone before us wish they had!  As with anything online, you can find more information than you could possibly process, but narrow it down and it is really helpful.  So, a quick search will give you lots of ideas for a calendar book.  This is something that we will probably do for most of the elementary years and continue to build on it as she grows and learns.  For now, we have a 3-ring binder with the monthly calendar page and she traces today's date, and then I have various worksheets for each day where she records the numerical date, what day it is today/tomorrow/yesterday, the weather for the day, her mood for the day, the time, etc.  There are lots of ideas out there for this, so you can make it as much or as little as you want to.  We are also working on identifying the US states, so I found a blank map of the states on google images and we color in a few states each day to learn where they are.  

THIS is a link to some of the pages that we are using for our calendar book.

Cutting & Pasting
Not on the computer...at least not yet.  We are doing actual cutting with scissors and gluing with glue-sticks, usually.  Learning to use scissors is a great motor-skill activity for preschoolers and they think it is great fun.  Cutting with adult supervision is preferred.  (spoken from someone who cut her own EYELASHES with scissors as a child...)  For beginners, these are great scissors for little hands, and using a hole-puncher is a good activity as well.  Creating a Paper-Cutting box is on my to-do list...  We mostly use printables that I have found from searching for preschool cutting/scissor activities on pinterest.  We also have a book similar to this that is fun and colorful.

Click HERE for more information

Reading & Phonics

C has enjoyed playing games on the computer since she was 2, and I have been amazed at how quickly she has picked up using the mouse and navigating her way around on the computer.  I really like the Starfall website and I think the $35/year fee is worth it for all of the programs and printables that are available.  There are a lot of things available for free, but there is SO much more with the membership.  In addition to beginning reading, there are lots of songs that teach things like days of the week, months of the year, etc.  Kids at this age memorize so quickly and learn so fast through music.  My parents gave me this book...

More information here

I am very pleased with this program so far.  Each lesson is short and easy and simple.  The thing I like most about it is that there are NO pictures.  NONE.  Personally, I think this is great for a reading program, because anytime there are pictures, it makes it easier for the child to guess rather than have to work to sound out a word.  Even without pictures, it still holds C's interest and I can tell that she is using her imagination to form her own illustrations for what she is reading.  Every 14 lessons or so, there is a booklet for the child to read, and we just got through the first one.  Let me tell you, C is SO excited that she can read a real book!  And I am excited too because I know that she IS actually reading it and not guessing based on pictures.  We usually spend however long it takes to get through one lesson each school-day...some lessons are longer and some are shorter.

Worksheets

This one is pretty random for us.  Both of C's grandmothers have given us workbooks for her as they have seen them at good prices or just thought they looked interesting.  I'm very thankful for a mother and a mother-in-law who have walked this road of homeschooling before me and have experience to share with me.  I won't list all of the workbooks here, but they vary in subject from math/numbers, colors/shapes, reading/letters, reasoning skills, etc.  One day we might focus more on reading and one day on math or it may be a balanced mix.  I usually just go through and pull out several or if C sees one she is interested in, we pull that one out and do it.  I mainly want her to get familiar with completing a worksheet, learning to write letters/numbers, and following instructions.  These books can be found anywhere, really...Sam's/Costco usually have them, and of course any kind of bookstore or educational store.  There are also LOTS of free printables available on-line and pinterest is a good resource for that.  You will pay for the cost of ink to print them, but even if you use an entire cartridge, you will probably have a book's worth of pages and the ink probably costs about the same price as a book would.  I have printed several from Confessions of a Home Schooler's blog.

Picture Books

Reading to your preschooler (and baby and toddler) is one of the most basic things you can do in teaching them to read.  We normally read books to C in the mornings and before bed and sometimes during the day, but on school days we set aside 20-30 minutes to read what I call picture books.  These are her choice and usually books from the library or some that we have at home.  Currently her favorites include: Franklin the Turtle, Frances (Bread & Jam), and the Berenstein Bears.  I wrote a post awhile back about resources for finding good books for various ages of children...

click for more information

Reading out Loud/floor play

Reading out loud to your children is another good exercise for them and one they will LOVE.  I remember my dad reading The Chronicles of Narnia to me and my brother and we never wanted that time to end.  Sometimes we would sit outside on nice Sunday afternoons while he read, and I remember having several neighborhood kids come and join us.  Kids LOVE to be read to.  We are currently reading The Little House on the Prairie series, and while I read, C plays on the floor either with puzzles, or legos/blocks, or coloring.  Children at this age tend to listen better if they have something to occupy their hands. :)  Usually a chapter takes me about 15-20 minutes to read, so we just read one a day.  Some other read-aloud books I have planned are Charlotte's Web and other E.B.White books, The Boxcar Children, The Indian in the Cupboard series, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many others.

Games/Outside play

This is a chance for us to take a break...if the weather is nice, we will go outside for a walk or bike ride around the neighborhood or to play on the swingset for a bit.  If it is too cold or rainy, we will play card or board games.  C loves games as most children her ago do.  So many card games are teaching games but the kids don't even know that they are being taught.  Some of our favorites are UNO, solitaire, clock, go fish, and match/concentration.

click here to learn how to play CLOCK

Sensory

This is another one that is key to growth and learning at this stage.  For more information, just google it or look it up on pinterest.  For us, this usually involves playing at the sink -- I fill the sink up with water and C plays with her dishes and teapots and teacups...pouring, measuring, exploring, learning.  Or sometimes, playing in the sandbox...more pouring, measuring, scooping, learning about textures.  We also play with finger-paints, play-doh, or dried beans/rice...  again, pinterest has lots of creative idea for this.

click here to read this post -- it's good!

Arts/Crafts

Girls in particular at this age (but boys too!) enjoy making crafts and they are able to make simple ones on their own and more complicated ones with limited help/supervision.  Pinterest again is a huge resource for these.  We tend to make seasonal crafts, so last month we made a jack-o-lantern and focused on pumpkins, and this month we will do some Thanksgiving projects and some things with turkeys.  

Whew!  That was a LOT of information -- not sure that ANYONE is still with me at this point!  This is just an overview of what is working for us, but there is probably a lot that I have left out.  A huge part of learning at this stage is learning through play, so providing lots of time for children to play and explore and imagine and create is what helps them to learn.  They remember things well and learn quickly, so even just basic conversations are teaching tools.  C is learning all day long, but the subjects listed above are just when I am specifically focused on "book learning."  She is learning personal hygiene when she dresses herself, washes her face, brushes her teeth, about health and nutrition when we discuss food choices and when she helps me cook...math when she helps me measure ingredients, science when she stirs, more science when we discuss plants and animals, history when we talk about stories, and the list goes on and on.  Every opportunity is a teaching opportunity. :-)

One last thing -- at this age, children memorize so easily and the best thing to fill their little minds with is Scripture!!  We are working through the Children's Catechism with C as part of a program at church, and she has verses to memorize each week for Sunday School.  Teaching these questions/answers and verses, as well as hymns/spiritual songs is good for the mind, and good for their little souls as well.  Most of us still remember the children's Bible songs we learned as a kid, right??  A good book to use for teaching Scripture to preschoolers is this one...

click for more information

Okay, one MORE last thing -- all kids learn at different levels.  What we are doing is probably more like beginning Kindergarten.  I have adjusted what we do so that it is at the level that C needs to be at...where she is learning new things but it is not too hard that she is getting frustrated.  So, the things that I have suggested may be too hard or too easy for your child, even if they are the same age.  Adjusting to each individual child's need is one of the great things about homeschooling.

Done.  Wanna talk more?  Contact me -- it's one of my favorite subjects. :)

Spring Apothecary-Style Jars (DIY)

5 steps to enjoying {an organized} Christmas...

This is my absolute favorite time of the year!  I love the months of October, November, and December, and I'm like a kid at Christmastime.  I get a little giddy over it all -- just ask my husband (or mom). This year, since Thanksgiving was early, we have a little extra time to recover from Thanksgiving and get ready for all the advent festivities and exciting things to do, see, taste, smell, and just enjoy in December.  I feel like a lot of the enjoyment of the holidays gets missed when we get caught up in all the things we "have" to do.  One of my friends said on facebook this week that she wished she could bottle up her preschoolers' excitement over everything Christmas-related, and I feel the same way watching my daughter...  I want to be especially conscious this year to take time to enjoy this season, to focus on the Greatest Gift we have been given, and all of the other gifts that flow from Him.  Having this week in between Thanksgiving and the 1st of December has provided me with time to plan and organize a bit and I wanted to share some of those ideas.

1) When it comes to decorating -- keep it simple.  Pretty doesn't have to be extravagant...often it isn't.  2 years ago, I went through all of my Christmas decorations and purged and donated a lot of things that I didn't love and didn't have sentimental reasons to keep.  It has made my decorating much more efficient (and easier to keep my house clean!).

source

2) Set up a gift wrapping station somewhere in your house.  As gifts arrive in the mail or you go shopping, wrap them as soon as possible to stay ahead.  (Note: Husbands find this particularly helpful so that they do not have to go hunting around trying to find supplies to wrap present for their wives.....)

source

3) Add some holiday pages to your home notebook, or if you don't use a home notebook, create a holiday notebook...or just choose a few of the pages that would be helpful to you in planning and organizing.  This website has tons of printables and it looks like they are free pdf files. (I already had some printed from another site that I have been using, but I'm curious to poke around this site a little more...)

source

4) Make a bucket list of activities that you want to do with your kids/family and if necessary, make a note of where you saw the idea so that you can find it quickly if you need to.  I want to try to do one Christmas activity each day for the month of December, so I have "Christmas Activity" on my to-do list for each day of the month and will choose from the bucket list one that suits that day.  I'm planning to make the same sort of list for new recipes that I want to try and old favorites that I want to be sure to make.  Then, when I have to make something to take to a party or serve to guests, I can just consult my list and choose something.  (I hope to publish all of these lists on my blog soon.)

source

5) If you like to take pictures, wish you took more or better pictures, want something creative to do with pictures for Christmas, or need some blog ideas, consider participating in a photo project for the month of December.  You do not have to have a fancy camera or a blog...you can publish your photos to facebook if you wish, or keep them to yourself.  It's a fun activity that really helps you stop and notice aspects of the holiday season that you might otherwise overlook.  Remember...we're about enjoying...  Here's the photo project I'll be doing in December...

source

So, that's all I've got for today.  Hope you found these ideas helpful...or at the very least enjoyed reading about them. 

(Marathon) Baking Day

Yesterday was one of those days where I thought I'd tackle a few small projects and be done in a relatively short amount of time.  8 hours later (and really, really sore feet!), I finally finished.  Whoa.

I grocery shop for two weeks at a time.  That sounds like I spend two weeks shopping.  I go grocery shopping every other week.  There.  That's better.  This saves me both money and time and I'm happy about both of those.  I also make a lot of what we eat from scratch.  We're pretty much getting to the point that anything we eat is either whole food (by that I mean fruits, veggies, meats/protein) or homemade.  There are still a few exceptions, but they are becoming the (very small) minority.  What all of this means is that I usually have a baking/cooking day once every two weeks where I try to make a lot of the things we will need for the next week or two, and then I just fill in with other things when time allows.  I hope to be able to share the recipes (and pictures...since I have a cutey-patootey-helper!) for future baking days on a regular basis in order to encourage and inspire you all to have your own baking days.  For me, being in the kitchen is relaxing, even with 4 things going on at once and my helper underfoot.  I have my mom and great-aunts to thank for that.  I know for some it is not, but I hope that whichever side you land on, you will at least find a recipe or something from these posts that is helpful for you.

Today, I was having camera issues again (shocker!), so I don't have any pictures that are worth posting, but I will try to link to the recipes that I made, and you can look at the original pictures on those sites.  Note that today was a longer-than-normal day for this sort of thing...normally we are only in the kitchen for 3-4 hours at a time.

Easy Homemade Flour Tortillas

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Chicken Salad with Grapes (no recipe...just toss it all in)

Hard-boiled Eggs (to go in my tossed salad lunches)

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Granola (altered recipe slightly with fruit/nuts)

Homemade Wheat Thins

Homemade Cheese Crackers

Brownie Bites

No-Knead Bread (which I plan to bake today in my crock pot...stay tuned...)

Fiesta Lime Rice

And, can I just say that I loved being able to move 6, yes SIX pins to my Tried and True board on pinterest?!?!? :-)

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Scheduling...

While we're not officially done with summer yet, everyone else is getting ready to go or already started back to school.  And, while I've thoroughly enjoyed our relaxing summer (pool days in abundance!), I've found myself craving structure, organization, and yes, even a schedule.  While there are many days when I throw the schedule out the window and just "go with the flow," there are also a good many days that we do try to adhere to a schedule for the most part...at this stage of life it's a "loose" schedule, but it mostly keeps me focused and accountable for being a good steward of my time (or at least that's my intention...).  SO, over the course of a few evenings last week and a few hours on Saturday afternoon, I was able to put together a daily schedule for us and on it I have just about every hour from 6am-11pm assigned.  Yesterday was our first day "following" it and I have to say that we both seemed to be much happier campers.  

C is three...as she is quick to tell anyone who will listen. :)  She loves to learn.  She is a sponge.  I love watching her learn and I love the gift I've been given to be able to teach her about God's world.  At this age, she needs SO. MUCH. TIME to play, pretend, imagine, and explore, but she also enjoys more structured learning times too.  So, as part of our schedule, we are starting some pre-school type work, both in worksheet form and of course LOTS of hands on.  I hope to spend some time planning for each month and working around a theme.  I'm not sure who is more excited about this...me, or her.    :)

You know I have a love affair/addiction with Pinterest, but I'm happy to say that I have found so many helpful resources from that site and it really is helping me to improve in many of my responsibilities.  Time management NOT being one of them.  Ahem.  The point being -- I discovered some scheduling tools from pinterest that I wanted to share...

This cleaning agenda is what I'm hoping to stick with on normal weeks 

when I can just clean a little bit each day.

If I decide to clean the house all in one day, I'll probably follow this method.

And I love this deep cleaning schedule,

I just wonder if some of these things need to be cleaned more than once a year!

All of these schedules are kept in my home management binder, and I found lots of helpful (and FREE)  printables HERE.

And, THIS is a fun daily schedule printable that I use sometimes, and other times I just use a more boring gray/white one.

It was a pinteresting day...

So, if you've spent any length of time here at Eagle's Nest, you've picked up on the fact that I'm (a little bit) obsessed with Pinterest.  It's really a very useful tool (for more than just wasting time and feeling falsely creative!).  For example...Father's Day brought to you by...Pinterest....

Educational games for my pre-schooler (GULP!  we are out of the toddler years, I think)... a day at home today and we were able to actually complete some of those cute things I pinned ages ago...we had fun making them and more fun playing with them afterwards. 

And, my latest "holiday" project that is not yet complete, but very close....

All of this while we were a little preoccupied with our latest hobby...for which we also received some Pinspiration....

And this....pretty much sums up my lack of blogging lately....but I'm not going to tell you where I found it. ;-)

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May 15th: Salsa for Breakfast...

This is a strange post - you have been warned.  I ate salsa for breakfast...corn salsa...a pinterest find.  You can see the original recipe here, and my changes are as follows: no scallion/cilantro - substituted fresh chives, basil, and parsley, added a can of black beans, and used regular chili powder instead of chipotle.  It is so-amazing-I-can't-stop-going-back-to-the-fridge-for-more-eat-it-with-a-spoon-good.

I can't wait to try it with some greens for a refreshing lunch salad.  1 cup has about 150 calories, so it's not too bad -- it's the chips that get ya!  

But still -- salsa for breakfast.  NO...not pregnant.  (Just in case any of you went there.)  

I just finished up a 7-day cleanse "diet" with yesterday being my last full day -- so this morning, I had NO limitations as to what I could/could not eat, and the salsa had been sitting in the fridge since I made it yesterday afternoon...all the flavors blending together.  YUM.

So this cleanse -- it's supposed to flush your body of impurities, and over the week, you should lose somewhere between 5-11 pounds.  (**Losing that much in a week IS.NOT.HEALTHY...on a regular basis...just clarifying.)  I was intrigued and decided to try it.  I think I was being driven by hitting the first plateau on this weight loss journey and being frustrated with "doing all the right things" but not seeing too many results.  (Turns out I had some numbers wrong, but anyway...)  

So here's the plan:

Day 1: Eat only fruit, but NO bananas.

Day 2: Eat only veggies, but NO peas, corn, beans.  For supper a baked potato with butter! 

Day 3: Eat only fruit and veggies...no potato today.

Day 4: Eat only bananas and skim milk (or yogurt made with skim milk).  Up to 8 of each.

Day 5: Eat only chicken or turkey and 6 tomatoes.

Day 6: Eat only chicken, turkey, and veggies...no potato.

Day 7: Eat only Miracle Soup.  (onion, cabbage, green pepper, celery, tomatoes, onion soup mix, water)

Yeah....so I learned a LOT of self-control this week...and throughout the process ended up losing just over 7 pounds...which was a really nice added bonus!  This is not a very balanced diet obviously, so it would not be a good idea to eat this way regularly to try to lose weight.  Plus...you might go crazy.  I was SO ready for the week to be OVER!  I can't really tell any difference in my body as far as the cleansing aspect, but the weight loss was nice and hopefully jump started things again so that I will continue losing and not gain it all back.  I searched around a little bit and discovered there are several variations on this, so if I end up doing it again sometime, I will read up on those before I start.

SO -- maybe NOW you understand WHY I ate Corn Salsa for Breakfast. :-)

Generosity

"Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share,

and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age."

"They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that 

they may take hold of that which is truly life."

1 Timothy 6:18-19

resource

linked to Women Living Well

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Tuesday Tips: DIY Coasters

Before I get started on this post...here's how we spent a rainy afternoon:

C was making play-doh muffins, and I was cleaning out my coupon binder for the new year.  It was a good time! :-)

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was probably one of the least expensive, but there was time and love put into it which makes it very special.  And, it's a super-cute gift!!

THESE are my new coasters!  Are they not adorable?  I love them and it makes me happy, every time I look at them.

It gets even better...my {new} sister-in-law MADE them!!!  She made a set for my mom too, and I have to admit I was a little hopeful after mom had opened hers and I was handed a small, square gift with some weight to it...

Aren't the colors great?  She knows I love bright colors and these look so nice in my family room with the yellow walls and denim couches.

The underside has felt and looks like this...

Okay...ready for the how-to?  This was originally found on pinterest {of course!} and it's 4x4 tiles from Home Depot ($0.16 ea), Scrapbook paper, Mod Podge for adhering, clear spray paint for sealing (she did 3 coats, I think), and felt pads glued to the bottom.

Can you imagine the possibilities for these?!?  You could make a set of coasters for every season, every holiday, and think of all the gifts!  You could have coordinating coasters for every room in your house...  I really could go on and on....

Thanks, Rachel, for a great gift and an exciting blog post! :-)

linking up at Women Living Well Wednesdays


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Monday Musings: My Father is...

This was something that I saw on Pinterest, and as an exercise for myself, I hope to write out each of these verses.  What a great way to meditate on our Heavenly Father this Christmas season!

My Father is:

• Loving - John 3:16
• Caring - Matthew 6:26
• Forgiving - Psalm 103:12
• Compassionate - Psalm 103:4-5
• Giving - Romans 8:32
• Understanding - Psalm 139:1-2
• Accepting - Psalm 139:1-6
• Satisfying - Psalm 107:9
• Persistently Pursuing - Luke 19:10
• Reasonable - Isaiah 1:18
• Pardoning - Psalm 103:3
• Healing - Isaiah 53:5
• Redeeming - Job 19:25
• Loving-Kindness - Psalm 86:15
• Renews - Isaiah 40:31
• Righteous - Jeremiah 9:23-24
• Gracious - Ephesians 1:7-8
• Sovereign - Psalm 103:19

Tuesday Tips: Decorating with what you have... (and a link-up!)

The Christmas decorating has commenced around here, and I'm mostly done, save for a few finishing touches here and there. I've spent a lot of time looking around on Pinterest for decorating ideas, and knew that I had to do this one, especially since I have the exact plate that is used (a silver charger, or any other plate would work also!).

credit

I was going from memory, and so mine is a bit different. Like I said, I have this plate, and then I used the scrabble pieces, and put the extras beneath, a few branches from the Christmas tree, and a couple of ornaments (and a few small pine cones that I will pick up next time I am out shopping) and tada!

I loved that I was able to create this with things that I already had in my home...and things that I would not think of using in my Christmas decorating!!! Here's a few of our other decorations...

(our main table, with Jesse Tree in the background)

(This photo album holds all of our Christmas Card pictures from friends since the first year we were married. It's so fun to look back through it each year.)

(Dining Room table...the bowls have since been filled with a white pillar candle in the center and red berries surrounding the candle inside the bowl.

Recognize those napkins from my yard sale post???)

(Dining Room Buffet)

(Living room coffee table...

with the decor that C is allowed to play with.)

(The piano)

Please share your Christmas decorations with us using the link-up below!! I don't have a button (yet), but if you would be so kind as to link back to my blog, I'd appreciate it. And, if you visit other bloggers, I'm sure they'd like to know you were there and how you found them. :-) Let the Christmas-ing begin! :-)


linking up with Teach Me Tuesdays, and Women Living Well Wednesdays