For the first week of my series on planning I have Alecia from Learning to Walk sharing about how and why she plans Preschool:
In this Series:
Week 2: Planning An Eclectic Homeschool Year Type A Style
Week 3: Planned Unschooling ... Why?
Hi. My name is Alecia.
I am a mommy to 2 darlings
And yes, I PLAN PRESCHOOL.
Now before you rake me over the coals, let me explain. When I say that I plan preschool (or J School as we call it), I don't bust out a ton of curriculum and I don't strap my 2-year-old to a desk and chair. J school for us is simply 30 minutes a day to focus on learning.
BUT WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO A 2 YEAR OLD?
What's my reason for planning J School?
Two reasons. First, having this scheduled time brings order and some semblance of sanity to my life and theirs. Structure is important for kids and this is just part of our daily structure. And my 2-year-old loves it. She doesn't even realize that it's school. Second, if I don't plan J School ahead of time it won't get done. I am a mommy of 2 under the age of 3. What does this mean? It means my days are not my own and I look forward to nap times. There - I said it. It also means that having a long shower is impossible when my kids are awake and washing my hair is a luxury. My days are hectic and my 'schedule' is chaotic. Planning things ahead of time helps.
HOW I PLAN?
I will not get into the specifics of what I use for J School but I will leave you with a general idea of what happens.
First, I gather all the books and anything else I need for the week. We are currently using Before Five In A Row (reading), a math program, and a language arts one.
Next, I figure out which book we will be rowing (reading) through that week. Once this is decided, I start searching for printables. I search Pinterest and Google for the title of the book we are reading and then I hit up my favourite sites: Homeschool Share and Homeschool Creations. Once I find printables that I believe J can do and ones that can challenge her, I print them. And then the real fun begins.
I then sort the printables according to subjects. Yup, I sort those printables like it's nobody's business. I categorize them by subject and, once that's done, I divide them into 4 or 5 piles, one for each day.
Once this is done I get Plan It!, my weekly planner. I type in the subjects that we will be doing, fill in my activities, and print. And that's it!
Alecia is a Janadian (Jamaican + Canadian) mommy of 2 energizer bunnies
aged 2 years and 8 months, a pastor's wife and a newbie to the blogging
world. If you want to hear more of what she has to tell about her homeshooling life, make sure to visit her at Learning to Walk.
In this Series:
Week 2: Planning An Eclectic Homeschool Year Type A Style
Week 3: Planned Unschooling ... Why?
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