We are gearing up to start our first year of homeschool with Owen in just a few weeks! Its hard to believe he's old enough to start school and even harder to believe that I'll be teaching him. I've never really been all about homeschool and I honestly think that there are so many routes to a great education, but i've really been encouraged by the idea that its *just* education. Of course, its important, but ultimately I want my kids to know how to live, not just how to learn. This idea has helped to take the pressure off and to really focus on the essentials, especially for Kindergarten. Something I really want to focus on is just enjoying our time working together and in that vein, I've been working on finding fun projects and games to help make school fun. We're going to be loosely following The Playful Pioneers Curriculum as well as mixing in our own math and reading (we're working through "How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons").
While looking for some fun activities, I recently came across a really fun brand of interactive puzzles and games called Mudpuppy. If you're addicted to Chick-fil-a like we are, you may have seen their crafts in one of the kids meals:) Mudpuppy so kindly sent us a few puzzles and activities to try out and we have been LOVING them. Leni gets out her little "My First Puzzle Pairs" and works completely on her own for a good 10-15 minutes putting each one together. They also have English and Spanish words on each piece, so we've been working on getting acquainted with the sounds of Spanish (they also have a set with English to French!). Owen has been gravitating towards the "Map of the USA" puzzle, which actually has the puzzle pieces in the shapes of the states. All of Mudpuppy's products are really well made and adorably illustrated with clear pictures and words. Take a look for yourself and head over to their website to snag a few activities before the school year starts! (Bonus: if you follow Mudpuppy on facebook, you can get 30% off!)
GIVEAWAY!
Mudpuppy gave us a whole bunch of games and now they want to give you a whole set of fun games for your family! The prize pack includes: 1 Map of the USA Geography Puzzle, 1 Under the Sea Long Puzzle and 1 Spanish to English Ring Flash Cards for one lucky winner!
To Enter:
1. Head over to Instagram and follow both me (www.instagram.com/jmtrovato) and Mudpuppy (www.instagram.com/mudpuppykids).
2. Like my post on instagram and leave a comment tagging two friends you think need to know about Mudpuppy!
3. For an extra entry, leave a comment here giving me your best school tips and tricks!
Okay so I have no school tips, ha. Theodore has really benefited from us reading to him and in front of him.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, so much cuteness! �� I'm not to the school stage yet, but I love picking up tips and ideas from friends. :) My mother-in-law has used the 100 Easy Lessons book successfully and it sounds great! My parents used Sonlight curriculum with us which is very reading-heavy, and I absolutely loved being on the learning end of it. I'm definitely going to look into using it with Beatrice and Charlie when the time comes. :) I know one of my Mom's tips is to be patient and know that if you provide the tools, every child can learn to read in their own time (I wanted to read so badly I taught myself by age 4, while my brother wasn't at all interested until age 7 but then took off like a shot). :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pictures and beautiful ideas! I love how you said it's "just" education. Last week we started a preschool curriculum with Helen and I can tell already that homeschooling is going to be educational for both of us. Helen will be learning to listen and concentrate, and I'll be learning to not be controlling and to trust her. So far, one thing that has helped me is to remember it's not about getting it right it's about trying and cultivating a culture of bold and limitless learning. Being a parent and teacher is such a humbling experience, but also such a bright gift. Much love to you all!
ReplyDeleteOh Jen your photos are beautiful!! Love the last one of O and Len and the one of them with Horace. Oh and Lenny's hair when you put it up! I'm so excited that you're joining me on this homeschool journey! My tip is to not forget about you in this whole process. Moms are "persons" too! I'm making a point of scheduling in time for me to do things that make me happy/energized/rested. One of those is reading books that challenge me or that are just fun. Another is a CM study group I'm part of that meets once a month. Even though they're not huge things, both of those have made me a better mama and teacher because I'm happy!
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