Adam is 30 months old
This is our very first week of Tot School and we had a lot of fun! Carisa at 1+1+1=1 created the idea (or at least the name!) of Tot School. It's not really school....it's just focused time each day with your toddler. I found that since Abby, the days seemed to pass by so quickly and I often realized I hadn't really done anything with Adam other than absent-mindedly played with him that day. With so many other things occupying my time and attention, I knew I needed to plan something beforehand if I wanted it to get done. Every week, 1+1+1=1 posts about their week of Tot School and provides a link-up for those who want to post about their weeks. It's a great way to get more ideas and to see what other kids Adam's age are doing.
About the time Adam turned 1, I started having little thoughts pop into my head. Crazy thoughts. The idea of homeschooling was brought to my attention by my Mom actually. I can't remember what I was telling her about, but it promted her to ask, "Are you thinking about homeschooling?" Um....no! That idea had never even crossed my mind! But since that day, the feelings and thoughts have flooded my heart and mind. I kept telling myself that Adam was way too young to even be thinking about it so I pretty much shrugged it off. During my pregnancy with Abby and the first few months after having her, I really didn't think about it much. But then....the crazy thoughts started again! I'm lucky to have a Mom who is supportive and listens to me ramble on about it. And I'm even more lucky to have a husband who agrees that homeschool our children might be right for our family. We worry about the world in which we live and want to protect our children as much as possible. We want to teach them the values of the Gospel and the values that this country was founded on. We want to teach them correct history and above all, we want to be able to teach our children in the best way they will learn and foster a love of learning that will continue with them throughout their lives. Even though Adam is only 2 1/2 years old, I feel like I should start now. Not teaching him academics, but teaching him through play. Showing him how much he means to me by reading with him, playing with him, and giving him the tools and opportunities to learn all the basic skills and building blocks that will help him succeed later on.
I came across a book/program called Before Five in a Row. The idea is that you spend a week reading a book and doing activities and having discussions that relate to it. I got a lot of the printable activities off of Homeschool Share which made it really easy!
The book I chose to do first was Caps for Sale because it is already one of our favorites. I grew up loving this book and can still hear my Dad saying, "Caps, caps for sale. 50 cents a cap!" Adam also loves it when his Papa reads this book to him!
Counting monkeys and caps
Pretending to be the Peddler. It's not easy balancing all those caps on your head!
Hat Matching Game
Adam surprised me by how quickly he matched all the hats together. We also talked about the different hats: fireman, policeman, cook, etc.
Flipping Through the "Whose Hat?" flip book
This was too hard for him. He was supposed to match up the body, head, and hat. I knew it would be too hard while I was putting it together. Oh well. Maybe we can try it again in a few months.
Playing "Monkey, monkey, sittin' in a tree. Throw the blue cap down to me!"
I would insert a different color each time and he'd have to find the right one to throw down to me. Of course he sailed through this too. He knows all his colors except grey. But, we giggled the whole time and that's all that matters!
These are our naughty monkeys that fell off the bed while they were jumping. We acted out "5 Little Monkeys" and he loved jumping around and then throwing them onto the ground. He then pretended to give them medicine, a band aid, and a kiss on the bumps on their heads.
The rest of these pictures are all of activities that Adam had the chance to choose between each day. I have a little 3-drawer plastic box and each day I would put something in each drawer and he could choose to do whatever he wanted, however long he wanted. He seemed to really gravitate towards the art which makes me happy! I was amazed at just how long he sat and painted the first day. He's never lasted more than 5 minutes or so, but this day, he painted for over 30 minutes!
Color matching blocks....again.....way too easy
Instead, he decided to just make towers and knock them over. Always a favorite!
Stickers
Lots of play-doh time!
Pouring and counting little balls of play-doh
He drew a piano (the zig-zag lines)
Playing his piano
Stringing beads. My friend gave me the idea to use hemp cord because it stays stiff while they are stringing beads. Although it worked well...he was more interested in playing with the beads themselves.
Lesson Learned: Small beads are NOT a "play by yourself" activity! I went to make lunch and that is when he decided to throw the beads around like it was raining.
This is our very first week of Tot School and we had a lot of fun! Carisa at 1+1+1=1 created the idea (or at least the name!) of Tot School. It's not really school....it's just focused time each day with your toddler. I found that since Abby, the days seemed to pass by so quickly and I often realized I hadn't really done anything with Adam other than absent-mindedly played with him that day. With so many other things occupying my time and attention, I knew I needed to plan something beforehand if I wanted it to get done. Every week, 1+1+1=1 posts about their week of Tot School and provides a link-up for those who want to post about their weeks. It's a great way to get more ideas and to see what other kids Adam's age are doing.
About the time Adam turned 1, I started having little thoughts pop into my head. Crazy thoughts. The idea of homeschooling was brought to my attention by my Mom actually. I can't remember what I was telling her about, but it promted her to ask, "Are you thinking about homeschooling?" Um....no! That idea had never even crossed my mind! But since that day, the feelings and thoughts have flooded my heart and mind. I kept telling myself that Adam was way too young to even be thinking about it so I pretty much shrugged it off. During my pregnancy with Abby and the first few months after having her, I really didn't think about it much. But then....the crazy thoughts started again! I'm lucky to have a Mom who is supportive and listens to me ramble on about it. And I'm even more lucky to have a husband who agrees that homeschool our children might be right for our family. We worry about the world in which we live and want to protect our children as much as possible. We want to teach them the values of the Gospel and the values that this country was founded on. We want to teach them correct history and above all, we want to be able to teach our children in the best way they will learn and foster a love of learning that will continue with them throughout their lives. Even though Adam is only 2 1/2 years old, I feel like I should start now. Not teaching him academics, but teaching him through play. Showing him how much he means to me by reading with him, playing with him, and giving him the tools and opportunities to learn all the basic skills and building blocks that will help him succeed later on.
I came across a book/program called Before Five in a Row. The idea is that you spend a week reading a book and doing activities and having discussions that relate to it. I got a lot of the printable activities off of Homeschool Share which made it really easy!
The book I chose to do first was Caps for Sale because it is already one of our favorites. I grew up loving this book and can still hear my Dad saying, "Caps, caps for sale. 50 cents a cap!" Adam also loves it when his Papa reads this book to him!
Counting monkeys and caps
Pretending to be the Peddler. It's not easy balancing all those caps on your head!
Hat Matching GameAdam surprised me by how quickly he matched all the hats together. We also talked about the different hats: fireman, policeman, cook, etc.
Flipping Through the "Whose Hat?" flip book
This was too hard for him. He was supposed to match up the body, head, and hat. I knew it would be too hard while I was putting it together. Oh well. Maybe we can try it again in a few months.
Playing "Monkey, monkey, sittin' in a tree. Throw the blue cap down to me!"
I would insert a different color each time and he'd have to find the right one to throw down to me. Of course he sailed through this too. He knows all his colors except grey. But, we giggled the whole time and that's all that matters!
These are our naughty monkeys that fell off the bed while they were jumping. We acted out "5 Little Monkeys" and he loved jumping around and then throwing them onto the ground. He then pretended to give them medicine, a band aid, and a kiss on the bumps on their heads.
The rest of these pictures are all of activities that Adam had the chance to choose between each day. I have a little 3-drawer plastic box and each day I would put something in each drawer and he could choose to do whatever he wanted, however long he wanted. He seemed to really gravitate towards the art which makes me happy! I was amazed at just how long he sat and painted the first day. He's never lasted more than 5 minutes or so, but this day, he painted for over 30 minutes!
Color matching blocks....again.....way too easy
Instead, he decided to just make towers and knock them over. Always a favorite!
Stickers
Lots of play-doh time!
Pouring and counting little balls of play-doh
He drew a piano (the zig-zag lines)
Playing his piano
Stringing beads. My friend gave me the idea to use hemp cord because it stays stiff while they are stringing beads. Although it worked well...he was more interested in playing with the beads themselves.
Lesson Learned: Small beads are NOT a "play by yourself" activity! I went to make lunch and that is when he decided to throw the beads around like it was raining.
It was a great week even though he came down with a fever Thursday and Friday. We're both feeling under-the-weather today so hopefully it doesn't hamper this coming week. We're reading Blueberries for Sal and I have lots of fun ideas! Including making a yummy blueberry dessert for Family Home Evening tomorrow! (Family Home Evening is a night set aside each week to spend time together learning about the Gospel, Jesus Christ, and having fun. We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Go to http://www.lds.org/ for more info)
