Lesson Seven: Momma's Got Some Tricks Up Her Sleeves!

I cannot stress enough how much I don’t have plans.

-Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

 

 

     When I started getting ready for our homeschool adventure, I knew it would take a lot to keep him entertained with the idea of "school". After co-teaching 18 3-year olds (gasp! I know.) for over a year and spending almost three years in a preschool/daycare/after-school care environment, I had learned a few tricks from some amazing women.

     The first was to get organized! Now, I must tell you, I'm not the most organized person. I do try. I can achieve it for a while but, once I need to find something again, I tend to make a mess.

 

 

     Above, is my planner. Notice the scribbles? And the arrows? And this is a good week! Ha! BUT! It's planned and my ideas are written down. Heaven knows they aren't safe in my head! This is where I started. Super big thanks to MudHutMama for helping me get started! It was her website and this planner for a couple of weeks before I even started tackling the making of things!

 



     These were some of the first things I made for my sidekick. The color circles are for matching, we have upper and lowercase letters for matching, as well. I have numbers in word form and in dot form for some reading/math practice. Also, shape matching. We like to match. :)

     These handy boxes are my keeper of all things. The top picture is my art stash. It's in our garage where I can easily grab markers, paints, playdough, etc. Things we use pretty often go in here. It's quite full. I also stack all our paper on top so it's readily available for the sidekick to make his masterpieces.
     This bottom picture is my homeschool stash. It's upstairs in my messy "room of requirement". Here are all the things that I may (or may not) need to accomplish our schooling. You can see our pattern blocks, leftover rainbow rice, other art things, and also some future projects (that I should probably work on completing so he can use them!).

     I have much more scattered and tucked into places around my house. I keep a file folder in a cabinet next to where we sit and do school each day. In it I keep around three weeks of planned out work. Such as his crafts and the things that need to made ahead before he gets his hands on them. I make good use of things we already have (like using his toys for our letter scavenger hunts) and try to reuse everything I can. I am in the process of covering all his paper things (color circles and such) so they will last longer. Contact paper is an amazing asset.

     I must say, I wouldn't have most of this fun stuff without the help of my mom. She sends me all the things I can't find here in Italy and are not worth the shipping price to buy online. I don't thank her enough but, pretty sure, she knows I'd be lost without her.
    
     Trust me, if I can do this homeschooling stuff then so can you! It's great fun and a wonderful bonding and learning experience for you and your little(s).

    

Happy Homeschooling!