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Preschoolers

Kindergarten, Play, and Testing Obsessions

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Here is another great video about the importance of play for young children. This video focuses specifically on play in kindergarten.The push to full day, academic kindergarten is such a tragedy. Expecting all children to learn to read by the end of kindergarten is simply wrong. The push for the Common Core standards is just going to make all of this that much worse. High-pressure standardized testing in early elementary is criminal. We are burning out these sweet children and will pay the price later on.My favorite quote from the … [Read more...] about Kindergarten, Play, and Testing Obsessions

Bumblebee made with toilet paper roll craft

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Isn't this just so cute?I saw this bumblebee made with toilet paper roll craft and knew that I had to share it for those with little ones in the house. Cute and simple.  My kind of craft!Click on over to Preschool Spring Crafts for the details and template!If you are learning about insects or butterflies with your children, you might enjoy my sets of fact cards that contain all kinds of fascinating information about them.Butterflies Fun Fact Cards are full of beautiful photos and amazing facts! Insects and Bugs … [Read more...] about Bumblebee made with toilet paper roll craft

The Importance of Play for Small Children

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Perhaps one of the hardest decisions I've made as a home educating mother was the decision to let Caroline play. Sounds silly? I can imagine it does, especially because I believe in the importance of free play for small children.But it is hard to swim against the cultural tide that is currently obsessed with academics and performance. Even though I believe in the importance of play for small children, I second and third and fourth guessed myself as I really backed off from most things academic and just let Caroline play. Preschool Play or … [Read more...] about The Importance of Play for Small Children

Teaching Our Spirited, Active Child to Read

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I wanted to bring together two topics near and dear to my heart in this one post: spirited children and homeschooling. More specifically, teaching a spirited child to read. (If you aren't familiar with the concept of a spirited child or wonder if you have one, you might want to check out my spirited child page that has lots of resources and links.)I think that effectively teaching a spirited child to read boils down to one thing: Don't teach her to read.Yes, you read that correctly. Don't try to teach her to read. Allow the child to … [Read more...] about Teaching Our Spirited, Active Child to Read

Science and Art in the Bathtub with Crayola Color Bath Dropz

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I happened on Crayola Color Bath Dropz at Meijer and decided Caroline might enjoy them. I had no idea they would revolutionize bath time!We now have science and art in the bathtub!She enjoyed playing with them, but was continually putting containers of colored water up on the edge of the tub. She wanted to mix the colors and experiment, but I was concerned about a huge colorful mess ending up on the floor.In a flash of genius, I grabbed the white plastic crate we use to hold all the bath toys, turned it upside down in the tub, … [Read more...] about Science and Art in the Bathtub with Crayola Color Bath Dropz

How a Homeschooled Dreamer Does Preschool Math

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One of the things I enjoy about Caroline is the fact that she is so imaginative and creative. She has a rich imagination that far exceeds anything I ever had as a child. In the Strong-willed Child Or Dreamer? book, I am a doer and she is a dreamer.One of the things that makes life challenging for me is the fact that she is so imaginative and creative. I still have not completely grasped how I am going to effectively homeschool her, but we'll take one day at a time.But here is an example of how a dreamer does math:No, she wasn't … [Read more...] about How a Homeschooled Dreamer Does Preschool Math

Reflections on Our Homeschool Preschool

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I mentioned in April that we were going to give homeschooling preschool a try for a bit and see how it worked. It has been interesting. Here are some random observations in no particular order. What Hasn't Worked Well - Repetition Caroline does not enjoy doing the same thing or similar things more than a few times. We started out making those cute foam letters and by the time we got to about F or G she had totally lost all interest. It didn't matter that they were different or super cute. She just didn't care to do the same kind of project … [Read more...] about Reflections on Our Homeschool Preschool

Our Homeschool Preschool Plans

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We started doing homeschool preschool this week and so far we are off to a good start. Caroline is excited each morning to come down and see what is planned.I have to say that none of these preschool ideas are original to me. I've done a lot of surfing, looking for ideas that I thought would work well for us. I am keeping it pretty low-key to start with. My main goal is to get off to a fun start with this. Yes, Caroline will be learning as well. But given her personality, my biggest goal is to get her hooked on learning and find it … [Read more...] about Our Homeschool Preschool Plans

Should I Send My Child to Preschool? Thoughts on Education, Family, and Community from a Christian Perspective

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I've been finding interesting reading here and there online over the past week that has helped me as I've been processing the whole preschool thing.  My gut tells me not to send Caroline to preschool, but I am also trying to be open to God leading in another direction.  She belongs to Him and He has plans for her. So I've been talking, reading, researching and praying to see if God might lead us in another direction. Socialization Like many parents, I think I struggle most with the idea that she needs friends and a social outlet. With her … [Read more...] about Should I Send My Child to Preschool? Thoughts on Education, Family, and Community from a Christian Perspective

How I Homeschool My Three Year Old

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Several days ago Kat left a comment asking if I would share how I organize Caroline's day, what we are doing with her learning, etc. So, for what it is worth, here is where we are right now with Caroline as a three year old. And this is honesty at its finest.I am motivated. Caroline is not ready.I feel guilty for not doing more structured things with her. Caroline is not ready.I am tempted to feel angst over the "lost" months this summer when I was too sick to do much of anything with her except watch Pride and Prejudice (A&E) … [Read more...] about How I Homeschool My Three Year Old

Easy, Creative Fun with Do-a-Dot Paints and Books

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This summer I introduced Do-A-Dot Rainbow Art Set Paints to Caroline. I wasn't sure what to expect, but she LOVED them.  She's used them regularly ever since.I purchased a few of the books such as Do-A-Dot Discovering My World Activity Book and have been making copies of the pages that interest her. (That way the books last a lot longer and I'm within the copyright permissions in the book.)I also give her plain paper at times so she can be creative and do her own designs.I like that they allow her to be creative without creating a … [Read more...] about Easy, Creative Fun with Do-a-Dot Paints and Books

Using Sticker Books as Learning Tools

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Like many little ones, Caroline is fascinated by stickers.  I found My Big Book Of Stickers and it was a fabulous teaching tool!We garnered hours and hours of learning time from this one book. I actually should say David did because this was an activity that primarily David did with Caroline after supper while I was walking. Using Sticker Books for Learning The sticker book offered the opportunity to work on fine motor skills. Peeling and working with those little stickers is a great exercise for a toddler. Caroline's skills in this area … [Read more...] about Using Sticker Books as Learning Tools

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