Our First Week of School 2012 *Picture Overload*

We have done some schooling off an on for the summer, mostly just play type stuff. This week we got down to business and started our new curriculum. We had a three day school week as Austin was out of school Monday and Tuesday and I am following the same Calendar as the public school.

Wednesday our theme was Who are You? We started the morning off with me wearing a funny hat. It was my I feel special hat. We talked about what makes us special and how everyone is special in their own way. Then I shared my hat and Dylan told me what makes him special. 

Thursdays morning theme was Hands-On. We looked at a hand print that I printed out and discussed the lines and finger prints on the hand. 

Fridays theme was Favorites. Dylan was allowed to bring his favorite stuffed animal to School for the day. We discussed how different people have different preferences.

He did a worksheet on things that he like, night or day, dog or cat, car or airplane. His favorites were night, dog, and airplane. 

After we discuss these theme we add the Calendar Number to the Calendar. We say what month it is. We sing our days of the week song. Add what today is, what tomorrow is, and what yesterday was. Then we do the weather and season.

We review what our key points of the week are. 

This week it is the Letter A, Number 1, Color Red, and Shape Circle. 

Then we move to the table to do our Circle Time Journal.

 Next is Discovery Time

Wednesday we painted by instruction. Thursday we made finger prints with ink pads and observed them. Friday we colored on black paper with chalk and smeared it with our fingers. 

Our next stop in the day is Geography. We are using Expedition Earth from COAH.We are doing it on a PreK level though. Keeping it very simple. 

We just introduced the globe and some coloring of the globe this week. The second pictures printable came from 1+1+1=1 Continent Kids.

Then we have Art. 

Wednesday- I am terrific hat! Thursday- Hand prints with paint. Friday-Bubble Name Decorating.

 Then it is Free Play (read books, educational toys, or sensory bin) and Lunch Time. 

After Lunch we head back to the classroom to do Alphabet time. 

Here is just a little of what we did for the Alphabet this week.

 Then we focus on our Number of the week.

Then onto Colors.

 Last part of our sit down work is Shapes.

 After all sit down work is done he is allowed to explore and play with educational toys until Austin gets home from school. 

Here are a few pictures from that part of the week.

Last but not least we had some Sensory Bin fun!

 This gives a pretty good idea of what our day is like. We start school at 9am and end at 3pm. We had a few moments on the first day where he didn't want to do what I had planned so we stepped away and came back to it after he calmed down. It seemed to help and he was ready to go from there. Thursday and Friday were great and he was ready to learn.

Linking up

Circle Time Journal

We have started school officially today! 

I wanted to share a little about what we started today with focusing on our Circle Time. 

This is where we start our day. We sing songs, read a book, do Calendar, talk about our focuses of the day such as Letter, Number, Color, and Shape. And we have one focus on a topic, like today's was "What makes you special?" and we talk about it. 

To go along with our Circle Time I wanted something that would help prolong this time just a little bit and to also reiterate on our key points of the week. 

Each day after Circle Time.

He will start with writing his name at the top. 

( I am pretty proud of where he is with this as he has never done this before)

Next we determine what we had just said was the Day of the Week and he colors in the appropriate rectangle. 

Then I write the month as he is not at that point yet and he fills in the number of the date for that day. 

Then we discuss what our letter, number, color, and shape of the week are and he fills them in on each box on the paper. 

Then we discuss what we talked about was the weather outside and he colors in the square that goes with the weather that day. 

Here is the final page from today. 

I have the pages printed and hole punched to fit in a binder with the cover that is in the printable I will share below. 

This will be a daily journal that we can look back on and review with at the end of the year. 

You can get these printables for free HERE or HERE.

I know there are many versions of these printables out there but I needed to make something that went with our Circle Time exactly so I hope you all Enjoy this printable! 

Our Homeschool Day

I figured I should post what our Homeschool Day consists of.

Heres is our Schedule/Routine for the day.
730-745 Wake up
745-830 Breakfast
845-900 Get dressed and ready for School
900-930 Calendar/Circle time
930-1030 School time
1030-1100 Movie time(educational)1100-1130 Lunch
1130-100 Nap and Quiet Time
100-200 School Time200- 230 Snack
230-330 Finish School for the Day
330-400 Outside play time400-500 The boys spend time with Daddy as i prepare dinner
500-600 Dinner
600-630 Bath Time
630-700 Story Time
700 Bedtime
Now on to our Schooling

Here is what our Circle time/ Calendar time area looks like
We discuss what Month it is, The day, The date, The weather, The season

Here is where i got our songs for each of those above http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/Calendar.html
Once we move I plan to use her weather chart, her color of the day. But for now im just using what came with our Calendar.



A uses the Workbox system ( you can read more about it here: http://www.workboxsystem.com/ )

Here is a picture of our system (I redid things to work for the boxes i have and how i want things for our house)
We have 4 boxes( my picture is of only 3 boxes as i hadn't added the 4th one when i took the pic) and they are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 for the first part of our School day then during Movie time and lunch time I prepare them for activites 5, 6, 7, 8 and then during snack time i refill them for activities 9, 10, 11, 12. He has to go in order of the activites.



Here is what my Lesson plan for A looks like (feel free to click the lesson plan to see bigger and print)


1 Letter of the Week
2 Math
3 Sight Words
4 Handwriting
BREAK
5 Reading ( on tape or I read to him)
6 Science
7 Hands On
8 Art
BREAK
9 Cutting Practice
10 Learning Game
11 Social Studies
12 Numbers and Counting

He does each of those every day. The numbers are how they are put into his boxes. When he completes his work he has a bin that it goes into for me to put away in to my File Folder for him.




D uses the Tot Trays System

He has 6 trays that are loaded with hands on activities that he can freely choose to do.

Here is my lesson plan sheet for him (feel free to click the lesson plan to see bigger and print)



I basically just put what activities i want for him to do each day. Then he has free roam of those activities through out the day.

We only do School 4 days a week. Mondays are our day to do field trips, Library anything to that sorts. Thursdays are also shortened as those are grocery shopping, errand days.

Every Sunday I prepare for the week all though throughout the week before I start trying to decide what I want to do for the next week. I like being able to prepare a week ahead as it means i don't have to plan each night or stay up to late. I have a box that has each day and i start the week with Tuesday and behind that it'll have folder 1 through 12 while the other Days of the weeks activities are in there day folder then the night before I move them to 1-12 for that day, I do that every night. I also have a folder that holds my Lesson Plan at the beginning of the File box.

My biggest advice is to have fun! If your not having fun with it you wont continue to do it! Also keep track of what you are teaching so that way you know you cover the whole alphabet all the numbers 1-20 and other things you have goals set for teaching. I wont say we don't have melt downs over some things and if i feel A is getting to stressed over something we step away and do something else and let him finish later that day.

If you want to know something else about our day feel free to drop me an email at momto2boys24@gmail.com and Ill be sure to either cover your answer in a post or email you back!

Have a great Day!