Home Preschool - Week 1

Caroline started "official" home preschool this past monday. It's official in that, I'm actually sitting down and planning for us to do school work three times a week. We are also following a character based Bible curriculum from http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/. I'm mainly taking the Bible story, character trait, and associated memory verse from the curriculum. Then we are doing a Hooked on Phonics lesson on Monday. And then we do "folders" on Tuesday and Thursday. For folders, we either do worksheets that I've found online that reinforce something we've talked about during the week, review things we've learned in the past, or are something fun to practice motor skills.

Here's the full Lesson Plan run down (and I have pictures of some of the stuff at the end of the post:


WEEK 1 – FALL PRESCHOOL

CIRCLE TIME FOR THE WEEK
SONG: This is the day that the Lord has made
CALENDAR: Days of the week song
BIBLE STORY: Creation
CHARACTER TRAIT: Orderly (1 Co 14:40 "Do everything in a fitting and orderly way.")
MOVEMENT ACTIVITY: God made the world (Mary had a little lamb) song

MOTOR ACTIVITY FOR THE WEEK:
Numbered Easter eggs (16) and beads (Caroline)

MONDAY:
FAMILY: Bible Story Coloring Pages
SCHOOL: HOP Lesson; Yellow Kindergarten CD 2:1-2 and Plural Worksheet I created

TUESDAY:
FAMILY: Outside play in sand table (talk about all the things God made and arrange things fromt he yard in the sand table).
SCHOOL: Folders
M&M (Mom and Me): Creation Mini book
http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/creation/book.htm
SELF (On her own): Circle the beginning letter worksheet with rainbow (Set 5, number 10) http://www.beginningreading.com/January_30_2000.gif

THURSDAY:
FAMILY: Nature walk at the duck pond. Pick up things that God made and make a nature box. Materials: Shoebox
SCHOOL: Folders
M&M: Stamp ABC’s on paper. Materials: ABC stamps and ink pads
SELF: Creation Sequencing Cards (made from mini book images)


Sunday night, I showed Caroline our entire new routine and got her all excited about it. We let her open a big giftbag of random school supplies that I've been collecting for a few weeks. Most of it, I have no immediate use for, but it's just fun stuff that I know we'll come up with activities for. I also got her a handwriting curriculum that I'll probably start sometime this winter.




Even when you are homeschool, you have to have a first day of school picture. Charlotte got in on the action too.




We had two center type activities this week. One was transferring water from one bowl to another using a sponge. It was really intended more for Charlotte, but since she wasn't interested, Caroline was happy to have a go.

We also used out 18 counting eggs this week. I made it back during Easter with 18 numbered Easter eggs in a 1 1/2 dozen carton. Caroline counts out the right number of beads and fills each one.

Kevin is getting in on the teaching too. He decided all on his own that he's going to do a science or social studies lesson on Mondays. This week they did the four seasons. Then on Wednesdays that they don't go to practice, he's starting music lessons. There was no practice this week, so he taught Caroline some music theory with flashcards (he made!) on whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, sharp, flat, and natural signs.

Circle time was the biggest hit of the week. We ended up doing it all five days because Caroline liked it so much. Charlotte was cranky on Monday (her latest molar I think), but she participated really well the rest of the week. The girls are in charge of setting out and putting away the quilt. Charlotte is even taking an interest in helping fold it back up at the end.


This week our Movement Activity was ribbon sticks (that Caroline helped me make).

Doing the Creation sequence cards and sorting some items we picked up on our outing to the duck pond (according to the day they were created).




Caroline also has an extra folder of random activities to choose from. This one had her make her own letter cards and then spell out words. I let her take pictures of each word for fun.