Hello 3K!!

The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn. John Lubbock -

There's something about the beginning of the school year that I just LOVE!  Making new schedules, buying school supplies, organizing, etc.  It's such a fresh start-more like a new year to me than New Years.  Anyone else with me? 

Since we've started our 3k I also decided to start back blogging.  I love looking back at what we've done and how much "Miss Priss" has grown.  It's also a great way to make new connections and get some great ideas from other moms.  Here are a few things I thought I'd share about what we are doing in 3K this year.


Our "Curriculum":

 In case you are new here we have been doing Tot School and here is my original post on why I feel this is important and works for us.  I feel that the best way to "educate" your child at a young age is just to spend intentional time with them.  So here we are "Miss Priss" still technically 3 and has 2 more years before starting Kindergarten.  I wanted something that focused more on letters but (as always) still wanted to keep it simple and fun.   Therefore, this year we will be using Letter of the Week by Confessions of a Homeschooler.  So far I'm loving it!  It's well organized yet still flexible and there are SO many activities in which to pick and choose!

While LOTW does include weekly memory verses, we are using Our 24 Family Ways by Clay Clarkson for our Bible verses/character education instead. I love that this has a weekly character trait and family way, daily Bible scriptures and a coloring book!  We usually do our morning devotion Bible time right after breakfast then just review our memory verse and family way during our 3K time.  (Side note:  I also just recently discovered Character Concepts for Preschoolers which looks really great.  It may be something we try in the future.)

Our Schedule:

While almost all of the LOTW course can be downloaded for free, I went ahead and purchased the instant download which comes with lesson plans. Basically my method of teaching is "I do, we do, you do."  So I've made my own all-in-one lesson plan/schedule to reflect this:

We are doing 3K Monday-Wednesday from 9:00-11:00.
 Thursday is our "field trip" day and then Fridays we are using just to review or catch up as we want.  

Here's a brief description of our schedule:

Carpet Time-  We go over the calendar, days of the week, ABCs, counting, colors, and shapes. Then a little 5 minute or so lesson ("I do") on what letter, shape, or number we are focusing on that week.

 Table Time:  This is their guided practice ("we do").   It could be a coloring/tracing sheet, cut/paste activity, art, tactile activity, etc.

Box/Tray Time:  This is their individual ("you do") work.  They usually require little supervision.  Depending on the activity some work better in a tray, some a box!   (Learn more about Tot Trays or Workboxes.) I have 6 tray/boxes a week.  I introduce 2 each day and once they are introduced they can go back and choose which one they want to work on. They can pull the tray/box and take it to any area in our room to work.

Snack/Story:  They eat, I read :)

Music: Monday we sing/dance with CDs, Tuesday they explore some musical "instruments" and Wednesday we come upstairs to the piano and I play, they sing.

Centers/Review:  This time is used to reinforce and review our concept for the day and is usually in a center - technology, blocks, puzzles, reading, art, etc.

This schedule has worked great for us the first week.  It has just enough transitions and movement to keep them on-task yet not bored!

Our Room:
Here is what the main area of our "school room" looks like:

Our carpet time is done in front of the right wall where we have our ABCS, numbers, colors, shapes, calendar, season chart, weather chart, and weekly learning board.  Pretty much all of these are included in the LOTW course.

Here's an up close pic of our Weekly Learning Board.  This is something that just helps keep us on track and is a great visual. It includes our character trait, memory verse, a nursery rhyme/poem, letter, number and shape of the week.

Our Trays/Boxes are stored in the middle of this shelving.  I would love to have some nice shelving from IKEA but this was given to me for free and so I painted it and it serves it's purpose! We also have our Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom tree next to it. 

Behavior Management:

The last thing I wanted to share with you is our behavior management.  Since this is not only our "school room" but also the playroom, I needed to lay some ground rules and distinguish between when we were doing 3K and when we are just downstairs playing!  First of all, the area you see pictured is a part of a larger room and is off-limits unless it is 3K time.  During that time we have our classroom rules or expectations which I found here.

I love these because they are simple, relate to the 5 senses and have pictures!  I also have up a red light and both "Miss Priss" and "Sour Patch" start out each day on green.  First time is just a verbal warning and they move to yellow.  After that they are placed in time-outs. 

That's an overview of our 3K!  Our first week doing letter "A" was very successful and I'll share more about it later!  In the meantime, anyone else using LOTW?  Or maybe even another form of 3K, Tot School, etc?  If so, I'd love to hear about it!

31 Days to Clean: Maintaining by Planning

This week (Days 21-25) the Mary tasks are all about planning and organizing your home.  To me the actual cleaning is not the difficult part of managing a home-it's keeping it that way!   A major key to that includes planning and organizing. The first time I did 31 days I made a detailed cleaning plan in which I never used. I'm talking about it didn't even last 2 days!! 

However, there are 2 things I wanted to share that have really helped me in managing our home:  a simplified cleaning schedule and my Home Managment Binder.

Simple Cleaning Schedule 

After my detailed cleaning schedule being a total flop; I realized I needed something simpler and more flexible.  I ran across Courtney's (Women Living Well) schedule and liked it so I modified it a bit for me.  I've been using it for about 3-4 months and so far it works great!

Monday-laundry. This is not the ONLY day I do laundry but I do make sure it's all caught up, folded and put away.
Tuesday-toilets and tubs (bathroom)
Wednesday-whatever day!  Catch up/get ahead or maybe something else that's not necessarily on my weekly schedule but needs attention!
Thursday-Dust/clean kitchen

Friday-Floors. I sweep all floors and mop our living room and kitchen every week. Then I alternate mopping the spare rooms and bathrooms and our bedroom/bathroom every other week.

Home Management Binder 

A Home Managment Binder is simply a binder you use to keep important information, schedules, and lists that help you manage your home.  There are ALL sorts of schedules and lists you can print out to include in this.  (Simply google Home Managment Binder or Home Managment Binder Printables).  You can even buy books to teach you how to construct one. 

I did not make one of these the first time I did 31 Days.  However, after utilizing my Untangling Christmas Planner I realized how much simpler it was having everything organized in one spot right at my fingertips!  It helped so much through Christmas that I was lost without it at the first of the year! So I simply took another binder, some pocket tabs, a zipper pouch, monthly calendars (I print off 3 each month), sheet protectors and some notebook paper.  Then I customized a notebook that works for me.  I have good intentions of decorating the outside and making it a little more attractive but I have yet to get that far! 

In the very front I have a zipper pouch in which I keep any important loose items.  For example, right now mine has a few receipts I needed to keep and some doctor appt slips.   Then I have the binder divided into sections using my pocket tabs.  Here's an outline of my tabs and what I included in mine:

1. Schedules (1st Tab)
1. Family calendar-I use one calendar each month and write down any important dates the whole family needs to know about
2. Hubby's Softball Schedule (so I'm actually still waiting on Curt to give me this one-but I have a spot for it!
3. Hubby's School Schedule
4. Tot school schedule
5. My Cleaning schedule
6. My Morning and Evening Routine
7. Before I bought my mini dry erase board I also kept my 6 list here.
2. Menu (2nd Tab)
1. Monthly plan-I only buy groceries once a month so at the end of each month i'll make a menu for the next month on the second monthly calendar I've printed.  I'll place this in the pocket tab.  I don't stick to this to the exact day but we do usually end up eating these meals sometime during the month!
2. Sheet protector-If I run across a recipe I want to try then I'll stick it in this sheet protector until I get a chance to try it out. If it's a keeper then I'll move it to my recipe binder.
3. Notebook paper-for my grocery list
3. Tot School - (3rd Tab)
1. Monthly calendar-my 3rd and final monthly calendar I print with an overview of our weekly theme.
2. In the pocket tab I'll also place ideas I see from magazines, blogs, etc.
3. Notebook paper- for more detailed plans and ideas
4. Budget/Finances - (4th Tab)
1. Sheet protector-When we get the couple of bills we have to pay by snail mail I'll place them in this sheet protector until we pay them
2. Monthly Budget
3. Notebook paper-for keeping track of how much we actually spend each month on things that aren't set amounts (gas, groceries, etc).  I'll then total these sheets to see when we've reached our budget.
5. Inspirational- (5th Tab)   All I have on this section is the pocket tab and notebook paper.  I use this to write down quotes I like, scriptures, my goals and resolutions, a list of books I hope to read, etc. 
6. Crafts - (6th Tab)
        I have the pocket tab, a sheet protector and notebook paper in this section. If I see something online or in a magazine I want to try to make then I'll place it in this section. I also use it to make lists of materials I need for the crafts.
7. Projects - (7th Tab) This section also just consists of notebook paper and I use it to plan and organize any "projects" I have going on. For example the tea party we organized around Valentine's Day.  Right now I also have a couple pages on 31 Days, nursery,  and a few other things I'm working on!

Depending on your home and tasks you may need different categories so customize yours and make it work for you!  


So that's a couple ways I stay organized around the home!  Heave you found anything that's made managing your home simpler?? Please share!!!

*By the way, if you haven't already purchased 31 Days to Clean you can get the PDF version 50% off with code SPRING! 

My Secret to Getting it “All” Done

There’s one thing I learned from 31 Days that I still do nearly every day and that’s make a “Six List”.  The Six List has been a lifesaver for me in managing the house (and in everything I do)!   There have been those moments when I felt SO overwhelmed and behind that I thought I’d never get it done!   However, one six list a day and before I knew it I was caught up!  Here are a few reasons I LOVE the Six List:

1.        It’s Simple: It only takes me about 2 minutes every night to make the list. I used to write my list on paper but then I found this dry erase board at the Dollar Tree and I’ve been using it every since (and yes it came with the marker and even a string to hang it-for $1!!) Every night I simply erase my list and create the one for the next day.  (I also keep my prayer list at the bottom of the board just as a daily reminder J)

2.       It’s Short:  Since it is only six things I almost always finish it. This makes even those big tasks manageable and gives me a sense of accomplishment!

3.       It Helps Me Stay On-Task:  It’s easy to get distracted when you’re at home all day! And some distractions are alright but some aren’t!  So having the six list in front of me all day helps me remember what I need to get done that day and stay-on-task. 

4.       It’s Efficient:   If for some reason I don’t finish a task then I move it to the next day and since I get tired of writing the same thing over and over I’m less likely to procrastinate! Instead I get it done so I can check it off!

So I challenge you to give it a shot! See if it doesn’t make your life simpler! 

How’s the challenge going for everyone else?  I must confess we were out of town Thursday and Friday so I’m a little behind myself and have some catching up to do!

For the complete history on the Six List click here.

Tot School - Week One

Last week we did our first week of Tot School and overall it was a success!!  I loved having those couple hours a day to do nothing but play with "Miss Priss".  Her cousin, "Sour Patch Kid" (first he's sour, then he's sweet) also joined us for most of the time.  

As I mentioned earlier, we do Tot School Monday-Wednesday.  The we go on a Field Trip on Friday.  This is our very laid back schedule:


9:00-  Circle Time:  We go over what we're going to be learning, our monthly memory verse, and usually read a story
9:15-  Table Time:  usually involves a craft, sensory activity (play-doh, sensory bin), puzzles, etc.
10:00- Snack
10:15- Music
10:30-11:00- Floor Time:  Blocks, pop beads, dramatic play (kitchen, dolls, farm, etc.)


Tot School basically works around weekly themes.  I decided to set a monthly theme where we focus on one thing each week but reinforce the other skills throughout the month.  For example, our theme this month is Apples.  This month has five weeks we will be learning about:  red, circle, number 1, body parts, and apples. 

I've decided to not really focus much on letters other than just saying our ABCs.  I think we have plenty of time for that later.  I'm more interested in "Miss Priss" learning her shapes, colors, nursery rhymes, etc. this year!  Our monthly Bible memory verse this month is Gensis 1:1 and we're also going to be learning about creation.  Each morning during circle time we sing our memory verse to the tune of "Are You Sleeping":


Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Tune:  Are You SleepingIn the beginning, (2x)
God created (2x)
The heavens and the earth (2x)
Genesis 1:1 (2x)

This came from the ABC Jesus Loves Me Curriculum.


 Our focus this week was on red.  Here are some hi-lights from our week!






Miss Priss coloring her Red Crayon





During Circle Time reading a story on Creation




Making our red, apple-scented play-doh!  They LOVED this!!!  We got our recipe from here but halved it!

 


Painting Elmo Red

 

One of our floor activities - dress up with red clothes, jewelry, hats, shoes, etc.

   
 

 





 



Enjoying one of our snacks - Watermelon!!



Our Friday Field Trip was to Noccalula Falls to ride the red train!









We're already off schedule this week with Labor Day and we were  a little lazy today with the rain still going on but looking forward to doing circles tomorrow!