Two Points: This is MY method, and not necessarily right for you, your teaching or care philosophy, your set-up, or your students. Curriculum participation by my students is VOLUNTARY. I invite them to participate, but if they choose not to, then that is fine. I usually offer them a choice of a few of the activities and let them decide where we start and where we go. An engaged child learns, a dis-engaged child rebels. The 3-year rotating curriculum is theme based. Some times we stick to the plan, but usually I observe what they are interested in learning about, what they are asking questions about, and suggest up to three different themes they can choose from for us to study. I make my own 3-year rotating curriculum for many reasons: Packaged curriculum is often only one year. Since I teach for 3 years, this would be redundant. Most packaged curriculum focuses on skills my students master early. My 2s count to 20, know 11 colors, know most of their phonics, uppercase and lowercase letters, 10 shapes and some of their numbers and I still have 3 years of curriculum to teach them. They often are worksheet intensive. My students usually are cognitively advanced from their fine motor skills. I have 4 year olds that still can't write well. If I had relied on worksheets for the last 2 years, there is no way they would have the skill sets they have. Worksheets are also not considered Developmentally Appropriate Practice [DAP] for children under the age of 8. We use them here for writing practice starting at age 4. [Yes, worksheet-intensive public schools are not using DAP for kindy through 3rd grade!] They can be expensive. If you are purchasing worksheets, why would you spend even $1 a week/$52 a year when you can purchase a 400 page Scholastic preschool workbook from Sam's Club for $8 that covers probably more material, is most likely aligned with the public school expectations, and is colorful. Colored copies are NOT affordable to make from packaged curriculum. Most [ALL!] preschool learning should be interactive. Pinterest is a better source for ideas. My students change every time I do a theme. I have to be able to tweak it to the interests and capabilities of those currently in my care. Plus, I'll find more interesting activities on Pinterest, have an idea for a new game, etc. It's a constant evolution to keep my curriculum relevant to our current group, situation and resources. However, curriculum planning and creation is very time consuming. Even with older curriculum I spend several hours going over it prior to teaching - updating, creating new materials, purchasing and setting new classroom decorations. While I have had my 3 year curriculum, this year I found myself wanting a more specific schedule to focus on specific skill sets for this particular group of children. Most of these skills can be incorporated into our themed curriculum, or they take 5 minute sessions to pop into our day. I have two groups, the younger preschoolers are 2-3 years old and the older ones are 4-5 years old, all at the same developmental and skill set level within their group. This makes it easier, as I can tailor everything to just 2 groups. If I were to have additional levels of children, then it would be tailored to each level. Children here are taught at their developmental level, not age. Asychronastic development is normal, so I may be teaching a child at various levels depending upon the subject matter. For the younger preschoolers, I came up with this structure. For the older pre-k students, I came up with this one. For instance, both of them have Measurement & Comparison on Friday for Reasoning. However, for the younger students, this would be a more/less, longer/shorter, big/little, etc. activity, while the older students would be measuring with rulers, yardsticks, tape measures, measuring cups, unit blocks, foot steps or themed units, and graphing the measurements to compare. Same skill set, differentiated at vastly different levels. Even this needs conditional tweaking. All the pre-k's know how to spell their last names now, so that is no longer a relevant skill activity for music and will be changed out. In another post I'll get into the curriculum components and the importance of each. For instance, how counting on Friday teaches 1-to-1 correspondence and creating method processes for counting groups of objects. CLICK PICTURES TO VIEW LARGER I use this MS Word template, available for FREE on TPT, for curriculum planning. Often, the daily skill sets above are either already incorporated, or can easily be incorporated, into the theme planning. For an example of a completed curriculum unit, check out our Owls Theme. Each monthly theme is broken down into 4 sub-themes. For instance: SPACE Astronauts & Rockets The Universe Our Solar System Aliens & Robots We also have a musical component, often classical, and an art component, often a master, and Spanish vocabulary component that we incorporate. This planning form may not include all games, file folder games, manipulatives, room-set up, etc. that I utilize. For those of you trained in curriculum creation, I do NOT do a full curriculum development for each activity. With having these children usually from infant to school-age, I keep an internal evaluation of progression and plan out only weekly learning objectives. Since I am creating the activities for my personal use, I do not need to create written procedures and evaluations. My curriculum is stored currently in file folders in a large office bookcase unit. I would like to get it into boxes so that I could have EVERY theme-related item, including dress-up, room set-up, manipulatives, etc. together for an easy pull. File boxes will most likely be the easiest, but they do take up a lot of space. In each file some of the things I probably have: Completed planning sheets All the books I own for that theme Flannel board Sentence and word walls File folder games Samples of previous crafts DVDs CDs Coloring pages Mini-book(s) Build-a-[theme item] game Curriculum creation is one of my great joys. I love the research and compilation, the creativity and excitement of bringing something fun and educational to my students. Learning is rarely linear. Children take developmental leaps, sometimes in odd directions. As a teacher, it is important that I keep each one challenged without pushing or inhibiting their growth, and that takes constant evaluation and a good eye for when those leaps happen so that we can move on to a higher level of instruction. When we do an activity, I constantly question if they WANT to do another round, another activity, and I usually cut them off while they are still engaged. I want them wanting more, and they will usually ask if they can continue. One of the most important desires and abilities I can instill in them is that of self-directed learning. So as they choose to go off with their rulers after we've spent several minutes doing a measuring activity, conferring between themselves as to procedures and what to measure next, I step back and let them. They know I am here as a resource, rather than an intrusive director. It is my job to ensure that when I invite my students to learn, they glow with excitement and anticipation of a fun, interactive, playful time. The results, so far, have been astounding. A few of my complete curriculum units are available through my TPT store. Apples Dental Ice Cream Penguins Rainbows St. Patrick's Day Valentine's Follow Connie -'s board Classroom on Pinterest. Tags: preschool, child care, pre-k, curriculum, development, teaching, education, homeschooling, homeschool, home, school, preschool curriculum development, planning
Is homeschooling free? Yes, it can be! Here's a list of my favorite homeschool curriculum that you can find online for FREE!
Teaching kindergarten from home is easier (and more fun) than you think. Homeschooling younger kids doesn't mean boring curriculum or worksheets! This kindergarten at home learning guide provides you with low maintenance tips, tricks, and fun ideas to teach kinder and preschool home school.
These 18 completely free preschool curriculum options will make homeschooling your preschooler affordable- and fun! Find the whole list here!
Preschool homeschooling should be filled with fun, interactive educational activities that little ones can enjoy! There are a lot of free Preschool Homeschool Curriculum options to help keep you from breaking the bank! Little ones are often ready to start learning long before we even begin thinking about their education. It is important for parents …
This preschool curriculum covers everything your kids need to know before kindergarten PLUS it is super easy for you to follow and implement as a parent!
It's hard to believe that we are nearly at the beginning of another school year already! Our 2021/2022 homeschool preschool unit studies will cover everything that Bitty is most curious about!
Fantastic Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum choices, tips and resources. Can you homeschool kindergarten without curriculum?
Preparing to homeschool but not sure where to start? This 5 step method has been my go-to for years and it totally works, you guys!
I was asking this question 4 years ago, so I'm writing the post I wish I'd had. 🥰A little background: Our family began officially homeschooling when our oldest son was entering kindergarten. I wasn't homeschooled and only knew a few homeschooling families, so I had a lot of questions (and trepidation) about choosing a curriculum.Here's what I've learned along the way:+ An open-and-go, boxed curriculum can be very helpful for your first year. We used Sonlight (with no regrets!) and I have many friends who love My Father's World. You go to their website, select your child's grade level, and order the materials. All you need for the year - the instructor's guide, books, and supplies - arrives at your doorstep. You're ready to homeschool! This helped me feel confident that yes, I was doing enough, and had advisors ready to help me if I needed it.+ A trusted homeschool mama in your community is an invaluable resource. If there's a homeschooling mom in your church whom you admire, ask her all your questions. How did she get started? What curriculum would she choose (or stay away from) if she could do it all again?+ Start simple, as it will take a while to find your rhythm. For example, all that a kindergartener *really needs* is a reading/phonics program, a math program, and (for Christian families) a morning Bible/devotional time. If that's all you do for your child's kindergarten year, great! You can add history, handwriting, science, and other electives as you grow more confident.+ Remember that you may not land on your favorite curriculum or educational philosophy your first year. And that's ok! If you're interested in finding your homeschool style, I've linked a helpful quiz in my profile.+ After you've narrowed it down to a handful of curriculums you're interested in, I love Cathy Duffy's review site (cathyduffyreviews.com). Her reviews are straightforward and very helpful.
Are wondering what your preschooler can be learning? Here is a checklist to help you have a successful preschool at home.
1. Hold schedules loosely The little years can be unpredictable; with sicknesses, growth spurts, developmental leaps, and oftentimes toddlers or babies underfoot. Rhythms and routines are indeed important, especially for little ones, but the schedule your family needs might look different from the
See which preschool homeschool curriculum we're using for the 2021-2022 year, and read why it was our top choice (+ how we're liking it)!
Looking for a preschool homeschool curriculum for 3 year olds? This is the one we are using for our family along with how we are organizing it to help keep us sane.
I'm sharing our multi-age homeschool schedule for preschool, kindergarten and 2nd grade with a total of 7 kids in 2020!
What do children learn in preschool? Learn the essential homeschool preschool skills they need to know before kindergarten. Free printable checklist included!
When I was creating our kindergarten homeschool schedule and gathering ideas for curriculum, many moms said, "Don't fret. Work on reading and math and let them play!" While that's great advice, I wanted some specifics, which is what I'm going to share with you. You probably have questions like what a typical day might look
We decided to try using a homeschool crate system to organize our entire year of curriculum. The draw for me to try this was that it's beautifully organized, easy to track which week of the school year we are in, and everything is ready to go for the whole year. This crate system took me
Grab our free, clickable Mega List of Themes and Skills for Pre-K & Kindergarten Lesson Plans to see what themes/skills I cover in my classroom all year!
As I write this post we just finished up with Letter V and are on the home stretch to finish up our first year with The Peaceful Preschool curriculum . I knew when we started this curriculum that I would be repeating it again, and my kids and I are already getting excited to start again with Letter
Ready to start Kindergarten with your child? I know homeschooling can sometimes
Are you looking for free preschool curriculum? This is the ultimate list of free preschool curriculum to help you make the best choice!
How to homeschool preschool! Learn from moms who have taught preschool at home. Preschool activities for learning through a play curriculum.
When my oldest was 4, I decided I would teach him preschool at home. As scary as it may seem to you now, you can learn how to homeschool preschool! You have what it takes to get your kids ready for kindergarten. Although my kids were learning through play, they weren't learning some things yet
Welcome to Rooted in Abundance Farm! Your Download Link for Free Gardening Curriculum Should Pop Up in a Moment! 🌿 Welcome to the Child-Led Homeschooling and Wild Mothering Resources Landing Page! …
After 17 years of homeschooling--I've tried a lot of curriculums! Discover my top 12 homeschool curriculums--old favorites and new treasures!
When my oldest was 4, I decided I would teach him preschool at home. As scary as it may seem to you now, you can learn how to homeschool preschool! You have what it takes to get your kids ready for kindergarten. Although my kids were learning through play, they weren't learning some things yet
A huge list of free homeschool curriculum avaliable for your family to use. Find out what free homeschool resources are available for your family.
The best free online homeschooling websites, resources and printable worksheets recommended by 2,000 homeschoolers.
Welcome to our Montessori Homeschool Room Tour! See a homeschool setup for toddler, preschool & elementary - a Montessori prepared environment
If you're new to homeschooling, you might think you need to know all about everything. Here's what first time homeschool moms need to know.
The Good and The Beautiful, Everything you want to know about The Good and The Beautiful Curriculum, The Good and The Beautiful language arts and reviews on the homeschool curriculum, Good and The Beautiful Organization, Pre k and Kindergarten
Find the best Christian homeschool curriculum packages. Including 2023 programs for online, high school, mailable, Charlotte Mason, Classical, & free.
Learn how to make preschool lesson plans easily. This lesson planning process is fun and perfect for homeschool preschool or in-home daycare.
Wondering where to find free curriculum for Preschoolers? There are so many amazing free homeschool preschool curriculum options!
Welcome to Rooted in Abundance Farm! Your Download Link for Free Gardening Curriculum Should Pop Up in a Moment! 🌿 Welcome to the Child-Led Homeschooling and Wild Mothering Resources Landing Page! …
Preschool themes from A to Z. Choose a theme that is best for your preschooler or preschool class from over 130 preschool themes!
A classical-relaxed pre-kindergarten homeschooling curriculum with a printable comprehensive checklist of learning objectives.
Want to see the best math curriculum? Here are some of my top math curriculum and resources to use in your homeschool!
46+ weeks of free preschool lesson plans | free preschool at home lesson plans | preschool theme ideas | preschool spring themes | preschool summer themes
So you've decided to start homeschooling! First of all YAY I'm so excited you are on this journey and that I get to be a tiny part of it. And I know you're probably thinking, "O crap, what in the heck do I do next?" It's like you've entered a new world that you know
Have you heard about The Good and The Beautiful controversy? It is a hot topic in homeschool circles and I'm sharing my thoughts here.
This curriculum was wonderful for teaching Pre-K at home! Not only did my daughter learn her alphabet & letter sounds but she also learned to read!
