Friday, November 7, 2014

Homeschool Preschool

I have been getting lots of questions lately about our homeschool preschool curriculum. The best thing I can tell you is this- you do NOT need to purchase a curriculum to teach your child.

Children, especially preschoolers, learn best from their environment and everyday activities. We play to learn everyday all day. By providing your child with meaningful play to learn opportunities, interacting with them through play or real life experiences, and allowing them to explore the natural world, you are teaching your child. 

Daily we use everyday toys and activities to make real world connections with academic basics. We also use tons of art projects to explore literature, science, and build a foundation for later learning. Duplos are great for teaching colors, counting, sorting sizes, patterns, and more. ABC puzzles, magnets, and play dough stamps introduce early literacy concepts. 



We are also heavily into sensory play. These provide easy ways to create meaningful play to learn activities that support scientific or academic concepts.  Feel free to take a look at my posts on sensory play 101 and why I love sensory play for more information.

The syllabus we use is very basic and easy to follow. I just made a spreadsheet in excel to keep us on track and for planning. We have 1-2 week theme based units with an ‘of the week’ focus. The themes are usually seasonal or holiday based plus a letter, number, shape, and color of the week. I use books with story stretcher activities to explore themes in depth. We use hands on activities and art projects to teach academics. Weekly letter art is a big favorite at our house.  Our ABC boxes get a lot of use too. Math manipulatives, DIY or store bought, make math practice easy.

The most important thing is for your child to have fun. Preschool age is all about instilling a love of learning and fostering their natural curiosity. Use what your child is interested in and go from there. Personally I am not concerned with when my child master’s his ABC’s or 123’s. When he can spell his name or write independently. I do not stress over pushing academics, he will get there when he’s ready. 


And lastly we read. A lot. It is one of the few times Baby Rex will sit still for any length of time. We read together for 30-60 minutes every night before bed, plus other times during the day. He is also really into board games and puzzles which are great teaching extensions. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything. Have fun and happy homeschooling!

Date & Theme Letter Num. Shape Color Science & Social Studies
September
8  Community Helpers M 6 Circle Purple Comm Helpers
15  Community Helpers B 9 Triangle White Fire Safety
22  Apples A 3 Square Red Apples
29  Apples Z 7 Star Green Johnny Appleseed
October
6  Forrest Friends D 5 Oval Brown Forest Animals
13  Forrest Friends Y 2 Rectangle Blue Nocturnal Animals
20  Pumpkins I 8 Heart Orange Pumpkins
27  Pumpkins O 10 Diamond Black Pumpkin Dissection
November
3  Fall & Leaves 4 Circle Yellow Fall
10  Fall & Leaves P 1 Triangle Pink Leaves
17  Thanksgiving  & Food E 3 Square Brown Food Groups
24  Thanksgiving & Food N 5 Oval Orange 1st Thanksgiving
December
1 Christmas & Nativity J 9 Rectangle White Nativity Story
8  Christmas & Nativity C 2 Diamond Green Nativity Story
15 Christmas & Nativity U 7 Star Red Nativity Story
22   Break/Review
29  Break/Review
January
5  Snow & Ice I 4 Square White Cold/Hot
12  Artic Animals R 8 Circle Blue Artic
19  Transportation G 6 Triangle Purple Wheels & Ramps
26  Transportation F 10 Rectangle Brown Sink/Float
February
2 Valentines/Friends Q 1 Heart Red Character Dev
9  Valentines/Friends V 13 Heart Pink Character Dev
16 Space S 15 Star Yellow Planets
23 Shadows X 18 Oval Black Shadows
March
2  Dr. Suess T 12 Rectangle Blue Mixing Colors
9  Noah's Ark & Rainbows H 20 Circle multi Noah's Story
16  St. Patrick's Day W 16 Shamrock Green Folk Tales
23  Easter K 19 Triangle Orange Easter Story
30  Easter A 14 Oval White Easter Story
April
6  Farm Animals P 17 Square Pink Farm Animals
13  Farm Animals D 11 Diamond Red Visit Farm
20  Weather O 15 Rectangle Blue Weather Words
27  Weather R 19 Circle Yellow Weather Experiments
May
4  Flowers/Seeds S 13 Triangle Purple Plant Parts
11  Flowers/Seeds E 16 Heart Orange Plant Growth
18   Caterpillars/Butterflies B 18 Square Green Butterfly Life Cycle
25   Caterpillars/Butterflies A 20 Circle Pink Butterfly Life Cycle

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