When I transitioned to being a stay at home mom, the months stretched before me like a vast plain. It was slightly overwhelming- the time before me was void of a lot of the stress I had so often abhored, but how would I keep myself busy? My friends and family were all in Oregon, I was in a new city, and Micah was busy with his new career. It was entirely my own responsibility to make the most of the time I had with Penny now. Of course, I knew we would be doing a lot of visits to the library, parks, the zoo (thanks to my Aunt Meg for the awesome membership!), and playdates, but I wanted to make the time at home a little more meaningful and intentional. Preschool is not really an option for us financially and so I thought I would see if I could replicate the experience without leaving the house.
So, after some quick internet searches, I discovered there was enough free material online for me to put together my own homeschool curriculum. The following is a pretty typical day for us at "school," which we will do about 2-3 days a week.
We start out pretty much the same way each day: First we talk about the day of the week, the month, and the date and write it on our chalkboard. I love this art easel from Ikea: the best $15 I have spent in a long time on Penny. We sing our "Days of the Week Song" to the tune of "If Your Happy and You Know It":
Every week has seven days, yes it does!
Every week has seven days, yes it does!
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
Every week has seven days, yes it does!
Today is Wednesday, Wednesday, yes it is....etc.
Next we talk about the theme/topic of the day and the letter it starts with. Penny helps me choose the subject or theme she would like to learn about. Due to frequent readings of Charlotte's Web, "Pigs" was the topic of choice this week. I will often pick a topic based off of what library books are available at our weekly trip to storytime. Sometimes I will plan ahead and place books on hold, but often I'll just go with what is available at the time. Being a teacher really brings out the procrastinator in me.
After a dizzying rendition of the ABC's (she spins in circles whenever we sing), we do our memory verse of the week (or month). Sometimes I will pick the same one she is learning at Sunday school or pick one that seems relevant. She was dealing with a lot of fears a few months ago, and I was amazed at how teaching her Isaiah 41:10 really helped calm her in moments of distress: "Do not be afraid, for I am with you." Being able to teach Penny truths about God has been the most rewarding part of being at home. Though I grateful for the place of Sunday school in her spiritual development, I want to help her discover the beauty of God on a daily basis.
We use the back part of the white board to practice phonics with the letter of the day. We will help each other come up with vocabulary with beginning with the letter and illustrate the words. This princess has really got it going on:
We will often be counting the days down until the next holiday or family visit. This month we made a paper chain to count down until Kiki (my mom) comes and St. Patrick's Day.
After our little introduction, I'll get her started on some worksheets, which I will find online for free. There really is an incredible abundance of free materials online. I will use our theme to find pre-writing, pre-math, concrete thinking skills, and coloring/art worksheets. Here are just a few of my favorite worksheet websites:
http://www.first-school.ws/INDEX.HTM
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/
http://allkidsnetwork.com/
After she completes all of her worksheets, it's computer time. We usually start by doing an online puzzle Penny is getting so good at these- she made a record today of finishing it in 58 seconds! Then we read an online book of the Three Little Pigs- an obvious choice for a pig-themed day! Then she gets some free time to play at PBS kids- this is probably her favorite part of the day so I usually have to put a time limit on it or she would play right through lunch. Her favorite games are Curious George and Sesame Street.
Our day isn't over here, but this is getting a little bit long, so I'll be finishing the rest of our fabulous day of swine with a separate post.
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