Preschool Homeschoolers

[MidnightCafe]

Anybody just want to share what you're doing with your preschool-aged homeschooled kids this week? Sometimes it's just fun to hear what everyone else is doing!

Here's what we've been up to:
Started "rowing" the book Ask Mr. Bear using BFIAR. We're Using BFIAR loosely & definately not doing the books in order. We've already done Corduroy and Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear?.

Went to the library on Tuesday and checked out a book about real live bears since all of our BFIAR books have been about bears so far! ;) So, I guess science this week is about bears!

We're also following loosely the idea of Letter of the Week. This week we're working on B & we wrote a big B on the patio window with window crayons & drew pictures of things that start with the letter B.

I also wrote the Bible verse from BFIAR on the window with window crayons & drew some pictures around it to cue Mane to remember the words. We practiced the verse yesterday & today, talked about what it means & how it applies to real life.

We've been to Vespera's soccer games this week, did a lot of running around...took the bus & walked all over to get to the library, bank & co-op. Mane jumped on her trampoline this morning after having breakfast on the porch.

This is the format I want to keep following loosely all year - BFIAR stories, Letter of the Week, Bible verse, physical activity, and a trip to the library to get books related to the other things we're learning about.

Mane also tends to participate in whatever I'm doing. This morning we picked tomatoes from our garden & canned a bunch of tomatoes. She helps empty the dishwasher & folds clothes & washes the fronts of cabinets and appliances in the kitchen while I'm cleaning.

When we both need some down-time, Mane has a leap pad that she plays with a few times a week & she plays some on-line games a few times a week (Julia's Rainbow Corner & the FOSS science curriculum website).

In spite of looking organized, this all pretty much happens of its own accord. I sometimes send us in a particular direction, but Mane is the one who takes off & runs with it. I feed her interest in whatever comes up. We play a lot, and I also encourage her to play on her own. She asks for worksheets sometimes & in the past couple of weeks we've done worksheets I found on-line relating to numbers & patterns.

So, what's everybody else doing?

[Wholly Mama]

How fun!! :tu
It sounds like you are doing almost exactly what I did with my oldest when he was 3-4 yo! I really like BFIAR.

This year, my 4 yo is following along with some of the things that big brother and I are doing. I'm helping him to learn letter recognition and number recognition, while big brother is learning to read and doing math. He's reading the poems and fables and stories with us, and loves participating in science. We do daily nature walks and explorations. We're focusing on trees right now.

[purplerose]

What's BFIAR? :shifty

[MidnightCafe]

Sorry. It's Before Five in A Row. :grin

http://www.fiveinarow.com/before/

[purplerose]

Thanks!!! :grin

[DogwoodMama]

Right now, nothing in particular... but I'm expecting BFIAR and Jodi's Naturally Three soon, so things might change. :) Charlotte is very resistant to anything "schoolish" mostly because it's a concept she's totally unfamiliar with, so I'm sure we'll start slowly with whatever we do. :grin We just go to the library once a week, lots of free play, water play, playdough, etc and she is really into Blue's Clues right now (a clue! a clue!) I got her a "Marbleworks Castle" the other day and she's been playing with that a lot, both with the balls and using it as a prop for her little people.

[BeckaBlue]

my dd's are learning about how the body works (with help from the kidshealth website)
they became curious with abbey's very obvious ear infection and so it kept going
we're watching plants sprout that they planted last wk
and kenzie is doing a lot of practice on her writing, which abbey joins in for too
nik jsut keeps working to perfect his football pictures, and making his basketball shots

[Tulip_Plus_3]

Last year was our BFIAR and LOTW year. :tu

This year we're doing Sonlight Pre-K. I don't follow the schedule, am just doing my own thing with the books to better suit how my kids & I prefer stories. I also have bought some fun workbooks, puzzles & educational-type toys from other places because my kids just love stuff like that. Hopefully next week we'll start fitting in our "out of the house & regularly scheduled" activites. I'd also like to get the first FIAR curriculum guide & books so we can incorporate those into our day. The BFIAR books were SUCH a huge hit with my kids, and remain so. I'm sure the FIAR books will be equally adored.

[Leslie]

Is Miranda preschool age yet? She'll be three in 2 months. We're doing . . . absolutely nothing, actually. I try to remember to turn on Mister Rogers every day. Other than that, my focus is on keeping her from being too much of a disruption while her brothers are trying to do their school.

[DogwoodMama]

Leslie- yes, Miranda is preschool age. :yes :giggle Charlotte's younger cousin is starting 2 days a year, I could have put her in if I had wanted to (which of course I didn't.) I think that if 6-8 years down the road I have Charlotte, Gwendolyn and another child who is preschool-aged I probably would not do much with that child.... not as much as I will likely do with Charlotte. I think organized preschool at home is primarily for moms with only preschool-aged kids. :lol

[Wholly Mama]

I think organized preschool at home is primarily for moms with only preschool-aged kids. :lol


:lol :lol
This is what has happened here, too. I like to think that my younger ones are learning by just being around the daily learning activities of their older sibs.

[AlwaysLearning]

We are off to a late start this year... I have some 3 year old letters and numbers workbooks from ABEKA and 2 year old letter workbook from ABEKA (for Mistic and Faith), We'll be working on those more after we move (this weekend). I'm also working on LOTW and exploring a few other websites to gain ideas. We are moving to a neat house where they can be a lot more involved in daily living so I'm excited about that aspect of "school".