Home Sweet Homeschool

No, we haven't made the big decision about where Emma will go to school.  The whole homeschool/private school/public school debate is alive and well in our house (and getting more intense as Em's first day of kindergarten approaches at what feels like the speed of light).  I was homeschooled until college and had a very positive experience overall (with a few bumps along the way).  Jeremy went to public school and had a very positive experience overall (with a few bumps along the way).  So we definitely approach the "Where should Em go to school" question from two totally different perspectives.


All that aside, we have decided not to send Emma to preschool for now.  Being the OCD former teacher that I am, I'm getting W-A-Y too excited about doing preschool at home with her.  Our first day of "school" is tomorrow, and I think Emma is just about as stoked as I am.  We're doing a camping theme for the month of September.  Here's a little bit of what I have planned.  (Remember, I warned you about the whole OCD thing. :)


-Songs - We're going to learn a few camping songs that I found on the internet.  (You can't have preschool without singing, right?)  I We might break a few windows, but we'll have fun anyway. :)


-Storytime - I checked out some great books about camping (fiction and NF) from the library.  I'm going to have them out to read with Em and for her to read/look through on her own.


-Poems - I love poetry.  When I taught first grade, the kids had so much fun (and learned lots of reading skills) studying poetry.  This week Emma and I are going to read a poem about fireflies.  I have this plastic hand pointer that she is completely in love with, so she can try using it to follow along with the words as we read aloud.  We're also going to use the poem to practice some other reading skills (identifying letters, rhyming words, etc.).


-Reading Readiness - We're doing a lot with uppercase and lowercase letters this month.  Tomorrow Emma gets to "make" letters out of campfire sticks.  (Twice this week I've been cutting something out and she has stolen the scraps to make letters so I think she's going to love this activity.)


-Math - This month we're working on counting from 1 to 20 (why is 13 so tricky?!?) and identifying the numerals 1-5.  I got some fun frog counters from the library so we're going to try those tomorrow.  We're also going to talk about shapes and sorting/classifying later this month.


-Snacks - Emma loves to bake and cook.  I'm looking forward to making some yummy things with her and practicing math skills at the same time.  Tomorrow we're making trail mix.  Emma has to count ten of each ingredient into her cup (Froot Loops, M&M's, mini marshmallows, raisins, peanuts, and chocolate chips).  Super healthy, I know!


-Crafts!  This week we're making a backpack out of paper grocery bags, fabric, and paint.  Next week is a raccoon puppet. 


I decorated the living room after Em went to bed tonight so she'll be surprised when she wakes up in the morning.  I think she's going to love her reading tent.  (Of course, her OCD mama might not be able to leave it set up in the living room for the entire month of September. :)

Our library has these amazing activity bins that can be checked out and renewed just like books.  I borrowed two: "Camping by the Seashore" and "At the Pond".  Em loves them both.  (Trying to hide them until the first day of school was a total no-go.  I'm going to need to scope out some good hiding spots before I start Christmas shopping.)  Both bins are full of great stuff - puzzles, books, videos, games, and learning activities.  


Em's favorite thing so far is a magnetic fishing activity.  She made up her own game using the plastic camping cups from the camping bin.  (She's matching the colored fish with the colored cups.)

Okay, so there are all my best-laid plans.  We'll see how well things go when I have a real three-year-old student tomorrow.  I'd love to hear from any of you who have done homeschool-ish things for preschool.  For all my OCD planning, I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing! :)


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I can't end this post without wishing a happy birthday to this beautiful girl.

It's almost impossible to believe that this chunky, curly-haired cutie weighed four pounds and looked like this a year ago...

Happy birthday, sweet Raya!  I'm so glad I get to be a part of your life!