School/Awana

(yes, we started Labor Day)

Well, I am happy to report that we survived the first week of Preschool and Tot School.  The months of planning definitely make things easier on my part.  Eden also started Awana Cubbies so she can have interaction with kids her own age.  This is taking some adjustment but we're getting there. 

So I've decided to blog about how our week went and share different ideas.  Let me begin by saying that most of the ideas are from blogs/websites that I've browsed.  You'll find a list of those sites on the right of my blog page under Educational.

We start the day with Calender Time.  We sing the Days of the Week song and indicate which days are Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.  Then, we sing the Months of the Year song.  I have the kids turn the wheel to find the right season and weather.  The maps of Belize and US are to familiarize them with where they live and where I grew up.  We then go over the Character Trait for the month.  This month, we did Orderly.  The verse they learned is 1 Cor 14:40 (with actions).  I then showed and instructed them on how to be orderly by making their beds.  *NOTE* Click on images to zoom in.

Here are sample forms I use for planning the week:  Several ideas I also got from Department of Education of Lousiana criteria for PreK. I actually found their detailed curriculum and grade level expectations:

 Preschool

I put all of Eden's printable worksheet in protective plastic so she could use dry erase markers and we can reuse the worksheets.  We did graphing, writing, power point on shapes, and other things related to the theme.  I tried to make sure that we covered Language, Math, Science, Music, Computer, Bible, Writing, Art, Fine Motor skills, and Gross Motor skills. 

Tot School 

Lincoln loves school.  He even tags along when I'm helping Eden.  I will try to cover the following every week:

Sensory	Puzzles	Fine Motor
Art	Blocks	Life Skills
Alphabet	Manipulatives	Shapes
Numbers	Writing/Drawing	Name ID/Spelling
Colors	Social	Tot Books
Music	Bible

 

 

I also made lunch fun.  Since we learned about the Body this week, I used a hand and foot cookie cutter to make shaped quesadillas.  Wilton has a cookie cutter set that I am so glad I bought from Walmart.  It makes lunch time so much more fun.

 

 Here's my Cubbie.  She started Awana 3 weeks ago and still cries when I drop her off but when I pick her up, she's always so excited to tell me about her night.  The leaders say that after I leave, she snaps out of it and has a blast.  She got her first patch last night:) I'm so glad we are making her do this.  She needs time away from me and time with other adults and kids her own age.  Thankfully, we don't have to drive very far.

So there, that's a condensed version of our week.  Our schedule is still flexible because I have an almost 2 month old (what? when did that happen?) I also need to attend to.  We're making the best of it all and I'm so glad I have God to call upon every morning and throughout the day for guidance in raising and teaching these precious gifts.