Homeschool

I put a book together of all the artwork from Mae's K2 year of preschool at the Learning Train. A book full of Jack-o-Lantern's, Turkeys, hand prints...Valentines, Snowmen and Shamrocks. Mae doesn't remember making them, and doesn't remember what the leaves look like in the fall or Santa's famous words, "Ho, Ho, Ho!". It will be a whole new experience all over again when the seasons change, Christmas comes and even when we make Valentine cards for our family and friends. Mae and I really enjoyed looking at it together and I explained to her that she made all of the beautiful pictures at school, "Remember, Mae, with Ms. Ashley?" It's been a couple of months since she's been to "school". She looked at me, a little puzzled, and said "No, Mommy. That's my s'cool." as she pointed to the little corner I created for us. I made that space for us to huddle together as we talk about letters, numbers, shapes and colors. We'll sit together on that over-sized pillow and discuss the weather, days of the week and the activities of the day. She'll learn from puzzles, books and bible stories. She'll use markers, crayons, playdough and most importantly her own imagination to discover new things. Our adventure in homeschooling is soon to begin!

I realize that one of the most important parts of preschool is being around other kids, "socialization," and also learning to follow instructions in a group. We'll have to put forth effort to make playdates and do community activities with groups of children. I'm using the ABEKA K3 books for numbers and letters, and following my own ideas for seasonal units. I'm really excited, and I'm so happy Mae is catching on to the new idea that her school is at home.