I've been so excited for this week! It's good to have things to look forward to in isolation :) I've curated some fun, simple activities around rainbows, and I'm excited to share our progress. Day 16 - Color StudyWe've been enjoying Color Study by Green Urban Creative. This week's simple lesson on rainbows encouraged us to review the colors of the rainbow as well as review last week's lesson on Color Theory. To help us review Sir Isaac Newton's discovery, we used our own prisms and went on a rainbow walk outside. It was so much fun! We used these prisms from Amazon to go around looking at the world. It's so simple, but there's so much to be discovered here.
Day 17 - Girl Study We started our time together with some wobble board yoga. We love our wobble board! It is so multifaceted and gross motor activity that takes up very little space. We have the Kinderfeets Wobble Board, but this one by Little Dove is very similar. We like our other Little Dove products. We use these free wobble board yoga cards. Penny (and me!) randomly picks 5 cards, and she spends 1 minute in each pose. It's a great 5 minute brain break! After our yoga, we read Billie Holiday in Herstory, which lead to a great conversation on poverty. To finish our lesson, we used some abstract coloring pages by Free Pancakes, which is a supplemental curriculum website. We listened to Billie Holiday's music and colored in an image. We talked about how the music affected us and our color choices. Penny noted that her music is sad so she made a large X through the page. At first I thought this lesson was lacking a little, but then I realized that it was a very powerful yet age appropriate exposure to art in an interdisciplinary way, culture, music, and women's and Black history. Next month, we will listen to another singer and color in our pages. It should provide a great comparison conversation between Billie Holiday and our next singer. Day 18 - Poetry StudyWe jumped out of order in our Love at Home Education's poetry study so we could do Imagine a World by Moira Andrews. Penny colored as I read the poem a few times. She noted how different words were sticking out to her each time. After completing the workbook pages (drawing and writing her own quintain poem again), we did a super fun fiber art project by Wolf Dew. We were so lucky to get one of her DIY rainbows before they sold out, but I will definitely be watching for another one! It was so much fun. Penny noted how much she needed to work with her hands. She is so proud to have it hanging in her room! Stay tuned for the final half of our rainbow week!
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I hope you are doing well! We got swept up in life and work these last few days over here, but we're staying grateful for our health, home, and family. I'm starting to feel very glad I planned out a few weeks of activities for Penny and I because the days are starting to blend together a bit! It's so helpful to have a time to be together, get lost in books or study, and pass the time. PoetryWe are using Love at Home Education's very comprehensive poetry guide. We're moving through the spring time section. On Wednesday, she was pretty wild. We've been sure to get outside but we have not been nearly active enough for her. While we were reading the poem for the day, she was coloring a picture of a beautiful flower (provided in the curriculum), and her coloring was crazy! Like pressing down hard and scribbling all over the page. I wanted to tell her to focus and color so badly, but I reminded myself that art is expression. We are going through a lot right now, and if she wants to destroy a flower image today to express her emotions and needs, who am I to stop her. I said, "wow! It you've added a lot to your picture. How are you feeling about it?" I try to be sensitive if schooling doesn't seem like something Penny wants to do because we absolutely do not need to do anything. However, it seemed like she did still want to engage, she just needed to engage in a very intense way. So we continued.. Penny's favorite part of the lesson was writing her own poem, which she did very well. The artistry of a 5 year old for your enjoyment: Roses smell like rainbows I think they taste like raindrops It feels like petals that are pruney They hear like soft snowdrops They look like a swirling dress PorcupinesWe chose to learn about porcupines for our nature study on Thursday. Penny wanted to make her own book about porcupines and hedgehogs so we incorporated that throughout the lesson:
A loose parts tray is a super easy craft or independent play project. Put some items in a silverware sorter or some bowls or just randomly scattered on a table. Tell your child to make something. Need ideas? Try: a monster, an animal, a person/family, your backyard, a castle, a snowman, a bird's nest, a planet... COVID-19 Lesson
TomorrowTomorrow is cleaning day! We have a lot of work to do now that our little one is mobile! We'll be busy ensuring we've got enough space for her to roam freely during quarantine. Next week we will be busy talking all about rainbows!
During this crazy pandemic, I'm sure you're all asking yourselves I wonder what Emily's morning was like? Well, let me tell you anyway. Penny's breakfast consisted of stale popovers that were left out all night (uncovered.. but on a plate, don't worry). That's the kind of morning. Very little motivation meets a heaving spoonful of WORKING ALL THE TIME results in stale popover breakfasts. I'm not worried. My current standard for myself is: Did I get both kids outside today? If that answer is yes then I pat myself on the back and say "you're a good mom, Emily." I also give myself a bonus pat if I take the dog for a walk. Self Directed LearningI've mentioned before that I am a huge proponent of self-directed and self-initiated learning. Learning does not need a screen, worksheets, a lesson plan, a desk, a timed schedule. Learning only needs a good environment. One with lots of play time, nature, some time to read, and love. In that space, children will learn. They will thrive. If I wasn't already a believer in children being capable of directing their own learning, I totally am now. Penny has decided, completely on her own, that it is time to learn how to read. I had started by giving her some sight words to try and "help," but it proved totally useless. Why? Because she's got it all on her own. She spends the majority of her days recreating books, making words out of blocks, and writing on her whiteboard. Children find the most appropriate ways to challenge themselves. Parents and teachers can provide opportunity, but only a child knows exactly what they need in order to challenge themselves while still loving what they're doing. If that wasn't enough, we're also watching baby Flora make huge leaps in her gross motor capacity. From the start, I've tried to adhere to Madga Gerber's RIE philosophy on movement. As an infant, I only laid her on her back for play. I put her on her stomach only once to help her pass gas. We don't use exersaucers or bumbos or high chairs. We've let her figure out her own body in her time. Well, her time has come to move. She rolled onto her belly 1 day after turning 4 months, and she has wanted to spend every waking (and sleeping) minute on her belly since. Now, she's army crawling all over our home. I see her challenging herself in so many ways. I'm just so in awe of my children, and I am so excited to go back to work to awe over the beautiful development of the other children in my work community. Filling the AfternoonFortunately, with Penny's desire to make books all day, she was alright with me moving our Girl Study to the afternoon to accommodate all the work things that needed to be done. So, we were able to use our afternoon time with much more purpose and intentionality today than we have in the last week. After a bike ride/walk around the lake (got the kids outside CHECK), our study went as follows:
Tomorrow:Tomorrow starts our poetry study! I'm a little nervous seeing as I'm not a huge poetry fan, but I'm hopeful doing it with Penny will spark a new interest. We'll see!
I will start by saying that I really love the little packet on Color Study by Green Urban Creative. It is so engaging and inspiring! Penny and I had a lot of fun together. Here's how our morning went:
What I LearnedOne of the greatest joys in this experience is getting to know my daughter on a deeper level. It's amazing to see her brain work. I am repeatedly blown away by what she knows, is capable of, and all the ideas she has (she's a never ending rant of ideas). In addition to all the things I am learning about her gifts, skills, and work ethic, I also have the great gift of time on my side when I see her not understanding something. For example, today, I noticed her interest in prisms, but she was also still struggling to tell the difference between a prism and a pyramid. So, we will continue talking about that in new ways! I ordered us some prisms for next week's talk on rainbows, and I will plan to revisit the concept when I can throughout the week. One tip for emerging readers: when kids ask you how to spell something, see if they can find that word written in a book. This encourages kids to be resourceful and independently problem solve! The AfternoonsI think our mornings will continue to flow well; however, our afternoons still need some work. They are lacking any semblance of structure, which is both great in that it allows for us to all have time to explore our interests or needs. Yet, it also leaves the afternoon feeling a bit like an abyss.
Just as I was starting to feel the day drag on, Penny asked if we could make popovers (apparently she learned about them on Amazon Story Time on Alexa). That turned out to be a lot of fun for us. They're super easy too! As we move forward, I might seek out some more home education for us to partake in during the afternoons like baking/cooking, finger knitting, or home care. Stay tuned! Last week came and went like a whirlwind! I cannot believe how much energy the week took from me. I've heard many people saying what a year last week was! Ain't that the truth. I took Friday to sort through my thoughts and plans then Saturday and Sunday were family, playing outside, cleaning, relaxing, and getting accustomed to, what appears to be, the new "normal" ... at least for awhile. It's been a few years since I've done a toy rotation; however, now seems like a good time to try it again. I decided to refresh Penny's shelf in her room with some "Spring" looking toys. Even if you don't have extra toys hidden somewhere, just moving toys around, reorganizing them, or setting up an inviting scene is enough to spark new ideas. Finding a BalanceI came into the teaching profession, in part, due to my love of creating lesson plans. It is so joyful for me to plan, prepare, and organize all the coolest (freest) things I can find. However, it is also a lot of work! Especially, now, since I'm doing it for my classes as well as for my child. So, after doing much searching (and scrolling, let's be honest), I've come to a new plan. This is, what I hope, will take us through the indefinite amount of time we have in lockdown. I have pulled together various resources to create a plan that allows me days of very little planning with some days of more thoughtful lesson creating.
Although we're using some found/purchased items, I will be sure to share my suggestions for making a free version for yourselves at home within the posts! Stay TunedTomorrow it begins! Let's see how this goes...
Once again, I had to do a bit for work this morning. So, after getting Penny her breakfast, she followed the same list as yesterday. Now that she's adjusted to her morning chore of taking out the recycling, we've added letting the dog out in the morning as well. It's quite a job because we do not have a fence around our yard (yet) so the process does require some supervision and responsibility. So far, she's doing great! A Little Lesson with a BIG BookA few months ago, I found a LARGE teacher version of The Little Red Hen book. I hid it away to use for a rainy day. Lo and behold, it was a rainy day, and I had little planned. I planned just a couple different things, and Penny completely self directed the rest of the day from there.
Looking AheadTomorrow I must leave the house for a bit to gather some things for work! I don't know whether to be terrified or excited, but that means there will be no lessons for Penny. The next post from me on here will be on Sunday with a recap of our weekend adventures.
For those of you following from my ECFE class, we have been working very hard to build an online learning platform for you all. We are hoping to roll that out early next week as well! Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission - at no cost for you. For more information, click here. Each day, I write down something I am grateful for. Especially in times like this, it feels so uplifting to reflect on the amazing things going on in my life. Today, I am grateful I work part time. I had a logistically challenging morning. Normally, I can do my work after my kids are asleep. However, today I had a work phone call that I had to time with my younger daughter's nap. I am really feeling for parents who need to fulfill 2 full (or part) time jobs from home (or on site) right now. If that's you, BRAVO. You are amazing and powerful! I hope you are taking a moment to remind yourself that you are incredible. If you are looking for some help managing that transition, here's a good article on Working From Home with Kids. How We Handled ItI made a checklist for Penny's morning, and I got her all set up with a craft to do by herself. Of course, she finished while I was still on the call so I simply told her, "I'm working right now. You need to be in your room. We will get to work on things together when I'm done." Setting limits is a necessary part of self care and balancing. Our children need limits and rhythms in order to thrive and feel safe, and we need them in order to be productive and sane. How have you been successful in limit setting? Creating a Lesson 101We had a zillion interruptions today, but we were still able to do some fun things together. I think FUN is key in creating this homeschooling environment. I trust my children will learn simply by living and experiencing. I trust her to handle her own development. In fact, I trust ALL children to handle their own development. So I do not "homeschool" because I think she needs it. I am doing this because it's fun for us. When I am setting up activities, I am thinking of a couple things:
So if you decide your time at home with your kids is going to be filled with reading books and playing in the yard - that's absolutely perfect. If you decide you're going to structure your learning time so you can have time to work or because you like structure - sounds great! If you decide you're going to spend this time learning how to bake bread - I bet you and your kid will LOVE that! This time is hard enough. Don't make it harder on yourself. Reflect on what can make this a special time of bonding for your family. Our Lesson: Boudicca
Homemade BattleshipYou need:
What's AheadSo many people have stepped up to offer free homeschooling lessons and activity ideas, and I've had so much fun exploring other people's amazing thoughts. Lesson planning is a lot of work so I have been spending time thinking about how we will set our time so it's sustainable. From the sounds of it, sustainability is going to be crucial. We do not know how long we will be quarantined for. I do not want to feel burnt out when my goal is to simply enjoy my time with my children. I want to find a balance between new adventures together, activities to keep P busy and engaged, and time to do things I enjoy on my own. As I try out new things, I will keep everyone updated. I hope this page serves as inspiration for ideas, support for your process, and resources.
In all truth, I had a rough morning. Amidst the chaos, I think I'm trying to find my own way of being helpful, and, in doing so, got swept up in many directions. So, after a morning of tears and recovery, I decided we just needed to get outside. The Simplest LessonOur lesson today was so simple.
Bark RubbingBark rubbing is very straightforward:
Nature JournalingOnce we got home, we spent 30 minutes writing in our journals. Penny mostly drew pictures of the things she found and what all she did with her stick. I responded to a prompt from my journal reflecting on the wisdom of a river. We shared our journal entries with one another and with dad. If you don't have access to a nature journal, it's a very simple concept, and it is accessible to children of all ages (well, as soon as they can grasp a crayon). Give your child a piece of paper and some colored pencils, and say: "Write about / draw a picture of what you saw in nature today." You will learn so much about their interests and preferences by what they answer. How We're Handling Screen TimeAfter nature journaling, Penny had her first (likely of many...) Facetime playdate with a good friend from school. We are strong proponents of limited screen time in our home so I thought I would share about our family's evolutionary relationship with screen time and our new position during social isolation. Our current screen time rule: In our home, Penny can watch one show or movie a month (usually on a holiday). However, when she's over with friends or with grandparents, we loosen our grip. We came to this after trial and error. For the longest time, we allowed TV on weekends, but we were so frustrated that Penny struggled to get into independent play. As soon as Thursday would roll around she would start talking about watching TV over the weekend. This was rather displeasing. So, we made an adjustment. We had a screen-free month in January, and since then we have been doing one TV time each month. It has been amazing! Like, parenting life changing. Penny plays in her room for hours on the weekends. She seeks out projects she's never thought of before. She is more excited to play outside and see friends. This was absolutely the right move for our family. Ready to be Flexible We're prepared to make some changes to accommodate the new situation. With her no longer in school 3 days a week, my husband and I both working from home, caring for a new baby, and the general close proximity all the time, we will make an adjustment to our plan.
Word to the WiseMy work in parent education has shown me that there are so many ways to create a healthy relationship with the screen. I want to be clear that what I am choosing for my family may not be right for your family. That's OK. That being said, I want to encourage parents to be active in limit setting around the screen. The screen is alluring. It is going to try and convince you it is educational and important and relevant. It truly is not. Your child will learn more from watching you cook dinner than they will from watching someone read a book out loud to them. I just encourage you to be intentional. Here are my considerations in limit setting around the screen:
Final IdeasSo you want to heed my advice about screen time? COOL! YAY! But then... reality! Life with kids! At home! ALL. THE. TIME. Here are some other ways to use tech without a screen:
I'd love to hear more ideas on how to use technology without a screen for kids! Or share some other fun, easy adventures you've done outside with your kids.
Today was a day of trial and learning! I had an idea in my head about how the day would go, but after an immediate disagreement with Penny, I realized something: who cares! Kind of a ridiculous realization, but it turned out to be so important. As adults, we have an idea of what learning should look like, and that idea is likely closely aligned with how our school system functions. That is not the only way to learn. We do not have to ring a bell to move onto the next subject. We don't even need to separate subjects! When our kids get wiggly, we can go for a walk or send them outside or say it's free play. I changed my mentality, and our day turned out amazing! Feel free to read the entire post detailing our morning, or if you're just looking to copy what we did, I've attached a png. of our lesson plan at the bottom. Here's how it went: Sight WordsAs I mentioned in the last post, P has been doing a lot of phonetic spelling, and just last week she asked me when she'll finally be able to read. She has repeatedly expressed interest in this, which is signaling to me that it might be an appropriate time to work with her. I want to emphasize that I do not believe earlier is better in reading. I believe in a slow cultivation of a love of reading over anything else. If your child loves to be read to, you're doing the best thing for them. The rest will follow. Even if your child can't sit still through a book right now, that's OK too! Everyone moves at their own pace. That being said, I am definitely a proponent of child-directed learning. She's been asking so forward we march. I downloaded a list of the top 100 sight words, and I figured we would start with the first four and slowly move our way down. I showed her the words "The" "A" "And" and "Of." She immediately read them to me. So, my second mistake of the day: see where my child is at before making assumptions. I brought out the list of words. She read off the first column, stumbling over three words, then began a few words in the second column. So, now I know where to begin. Adding School to the Morning RhythmAfter P wakes up for the morning, she plays with her sister for a little, eats breakfast, gets ready for her day, and takes out the recycling. She's always ready to greet the day so I knew the morning would be the best time for our preschooling. After she finishes her morning routine, she'll start her sight words. She builds them with the letters then copies them into her book. She can do that all on her own. If you don't have letters, your child can write in sand or dirt, trace, or build with playdoh, toothpicks, or sticks. HerstoryToday we read about Hatshepsut. She is the oldest figure in the book, which is why we're starting with her. We read slowly through the story, pausing to answer questions, hear her ideas, and explain some bigger concepts. We're in no rush. Her full understanding is key. Then we moved onto our first activity: writing cuneiform. I brought out playdoh and a toothpick to pretend like we were carving in clay as the Egyptians might of. I found a simple image of cuneiform letters on the internet, and she started by writing her name. This exercise was tricky for her. She wanted to give up. So I sat down with her and practiced it myself. I was sure to laugh at my mistakes and commiserate over the tricky letters. It's all about the process. We are enjoying trying something new together! She ended up loving it so much that she went on to write all of her loved ones names in cuneiform and then write them in her notebook with markers as well. She spent over 30 minutes enjoying her cuneiform activity. PyramidsIt is nearly impossible to talk about ancient Egypt without diving into the pyramids. P was immediately drawn to the drawn images of the pyramids in the book so we decided to build our own pyramids. I initially wanted us to start by building with toothpicks and playdoh, but, once again, I realized P didn't know the difference between a pyramid and a triangle so we did a little comparison. After we used magnatiles to explore the differences between the triangle and the pyramid we decided to try building our own pyramid. I honestly had no idea how to do it so we navigated it all together. We made so many mistakes, but then we got it! We were so excited. Penny decided we should try to make a bigger one then an even bigger one! Getting AntsyI anticipated our lesson to last us maybe an hour. We went well past 2 hours! As we were building a larger pyramid, I started to notice her getting antsy and chatty. I was starting to feel drained, too. She wanted to keep building, but I decided we should pause here to take the dog and baby for a walk, and we could get back to it after quiet resting this afternoon. After a lovely walk, a nice lunch, a couple chapters of our book (we're enjoying the Sophie Mouse series), and a quiet rest time, I think we'll feel refreshed to finish our pyramid and move into some free play. Thanks!If you have any ideas on how to alter the lesson or feedback on how it goes in your home, please share in the comments! Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission - at no cost for you. For more information, click here.
We will be focusing our home study on a book we received as a gift for Christmas from a dear friend and women's rights advocate. We will be going through, chronologically, the women in Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World by Katherine Halligan. I decided to use this as the basis for our preschool study for a few reasons:
I also want to be sure to incorporate nature study into our time at home. Nature study might be the center of your entire time! Or, perhaps, it's just a space for free play. However, we are choosing to incorporate it more regularly for a few reasons (maybe you'll see the connection to the reasons above):
Nature Study WeekendsWith Herstory at the center of our weeks, nature study will be at the center of our weekends. So much of it can be done for free, but if you are looking for inspiration or a little help, consider bopping over to the Firefly Nature School's online shop. Her lessons are $4 each, and you can get the first one for free for signing up. Our Morning LessonOur morning lesson was a hike! We just walked around our favorite regional park, Hidden Falls in Saint Paul. We explored a marshy area, my husband and daughter had a stick fight, they hiked the stream, the baby napped in her carrier. We honestly had a fantastic morning in the woods. I did no preparation. There was nothing to "learn about." We were just enjoying being outside. If you wanted to do something more intentional, consider bringing a pad of paper and some markers or colored pencils. Have your child find the coolest place they can (encourage each child to find a different place) then sit down and draw what they see. This is a simple nature journaling exercise. It doesn't matter if your child spends 2 minutes or 45 minutes working on their piece. When they're done, they can explore around them until the other child(ren) are completed. Just ensure the child(ren) still working get peace and quiet. P likes to use sticks to measure how deep the water is. That is a math lesson waiting to happen! Our Afternoon LessonWe spent a little time this afternoon pressing flowers. My kind husband brought home some flowers for me after work the other week, and now that some of them are dying, we decided to press them! We have the Moulin Roty le Jardin flower press, but you can press in a big old book or make your own press if you're even the slightest bit handy. My daughter did a little journaling. She is currently in the Phonetic Spelling stage so I really encourage her to write out her own thoughts. For younger kids, you can be their scribe. By writing down word for word what they say, you are modeling the power of writing. This is an important step towards literacy. She answered the following questions in her journal:
Wrap it UpEach night after dinner and after the baby goes to bed, we're playing a board game together as a family. Not only are board games a fun, family activity, but they also promote executive function skills in kids and usually incorporate math. Tonight was my night to pick the game so we played Monopoly Junior! What Will You Be Doing?I'd love to hear about you're structuring your time! Share with me and others in the comments so we can get more ideas!
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