“All children start their school careers with sparkling imaginations, fertile minds, & a willingness to take risks with what they think.” -Ken Robinson

I wanted to share about how our homeschool journey is going. This is my second year using the same curriculum & I love it just as much this second time through as I did the first time! If you are interested in finding out more, check out thepeacefulpreschool.com 

“There is no school equal to a decent home & no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” -Mahatma Gandhi

Here we are in my favorite month of the year- OCTOBER! Hooray! Fall is my favorite season & this is my favorite month. I love the weather & the way the trees change color, I love getting to go on walks with my family & all the leaves that get collected by my littles (& myself!). I love baking again after not really wanting to during the hot summer months, drinking tea, having the windows open, getting to wear slippers & cuddle up under a blanket, decorating with pumpkins & the scent of cinnamon in the air, going for hikes further up the hill to see the colors & getting to finally put my little squish in cute sweaters & hats. Oh & I am very much looking forward to getting back into knitting again. It’s a good month man. I love it. I also love it because with school, we have fully gotten into a rhythm, which is a really great feeling. Especially with the added juggle of a wee one thrown into the mix of everything. But we’ve figured it out! So let me share what it has been like thus far.

We usually have a slow(ish) morning that includes getting Brother fed, myself & the girls fed, dressed, breakfast cleaned up, I pump, we get our dance party on with some worship, open up the windows & get the day going. After that, we head up the stairs, into the school room & then we begin.

Our school day varies day by day, but the focus remains on the same areas of development. We also add a verse for the week that we work on each day with memorization & by the end of the week the girls are rewarded with a chocolate for all of their hard work. It’s a beautiful thing for myself as well, filling our hearts & minds with the living breathing Word of God is SO GOOD.

For example, last week we worked on the letter G & our verse was: “Good & upright is the Lord.” -Psalms 25:8

Besides our weekly verse, our days always include the following:

-Read Aloud

-Phonics

-Counting Skills

-Fine Motor Skills

-Large Motor Skills

-Practical Life Skills

-Art Skills

LOTS of skills to pay the bills. 🙂 Just kidding. But really, I LOVE the way this breaks down each day into focused development in so many areas. I think this is an excellent tool to also stretch myself (as a teacher) out of my comfort zone to remember that ALL areas of development are important especially in this age group (the first 5 years of life).

“America’s future will be determined by the home & the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence we must watch what we teach, & how we live.” -Jane Addams

We also usually start the day with “Circle Time” around our school table where we start with several books that reinforce the letter of the week that we are working on. I love books, so we usually have a handful that work right into the curriculum that we pull off of our shelves at home, as well as using the books we get at the library. When we aren’t able to get the books that our curriculum specifically calls for, we can usually find them on YouTube. After reading, we move to phonics, counting, etc. We are usually able to get through the majority of our daily activities by the time Brother wakes up from his morning nap, & if not he enjoys “joining” us. Sometimes I have to improvise & we pull out the playdough or play money to occupy little hands & spark some imaginative play while I feed Sebastian. After that we end with our art time. Some days I follow the curriculum’s suggested art activity specifically & some other days call for a bit more freedom. Eliana LOVES watercolor, so some days I just let her have at it. Cora loves our paint sticks, which is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE art medium this year. It has become my go-to gift for kiddos of any age because they are the easiest things to use & they don’t.make.a.mess. HALLE! We buy Kwik Stix off of Amazon.com. They are amazing! After art, we usually read more books, play with their kitchen or have free play with puzzles to fill the time until lunch. If it is nice outside we DEFINITELY use that time for getting some energy out with riding bikes, drawing with chalk, taking a walk around the neighborhood, etc. Outside time is good for us all. I’m so grateful we have a swing I can sit on with Sebastian while the girls have their free time. (Thanks Mom & Dad!) That usually concludes our “school day”. Some days after naps we will bake or cook together to continue with school, but that is not everyday. Fridays we try to take a field trip that coordinates with subjects we have studied throughout the course of the week, or we make that our library day. Sometimes it is just our day to drive up the hill & explore outside. Or, we call them fun Fridays & we stay in our jammies until lunchtime & bake in the morning. Each week is different, it all just depends on what we need the most that day.

There you are! That is a brief overview of how our preschool days look with a 4 1/2 year old & almost 2 1/2 year old. It has been a joy! I have loved it & it has been so rewarding watching the growth that has occurred because of using the Peaceful Preschool curriculum. This is the second year we have done it & both Eliana & now Cora are learning & retaining SO much! I learn right along with them & continue to grow in my understanding of what makes them come alive as we learn. It has also taught me the necessity of play & imagination. Our word for this school year is PLAY! I can get too caught up in academics sometimes because I love education. Throughout this year & the years to come I am determined to value & make space for playing, even more so than academics because it is so VITAL for their development & growth! It is stretching for me to find balance but I can honestly say that I am loving it! I never want to stifle my children on this journey of homeschooling. I want to love it & I want them to love it. Playing all day long is good first step, especially in these early years.

I’m sure I will share more as this year goes on about our time in the school room & beyond, but for now, this gives you a good idea of what we are doing. If you have any questions, please let me know! I am still learning about this myself, but I would love to encourage you if you need it!

This has been & will be, a GREAT school year.

“A system of education is not one thing, nor does it have a single definite object, nor is it a mere matter of schools. Education is that whole system of human training within & without the school house walls, which molds & develops men.” -W. E. B. Du Bois

Cheers,

Katie.