Squishie and Tiny are now 2 years old! I have decided to begin "pre-homeschooling" them, haha. Essentially I'd like to begin getting into the habit of focusing on their learning in a structured way. Some points I have to keep in mind are:
- To toddlers, everything is a learning experience.
- If I plan too much, we will all become overwhelmed.
- Learning through play is a great way for tots to explore and stay engaged.
Remember, I am a working mama so above all I'd like to keep things simple... structured, but simple. So for starters I came up with a weekly chart so I can track what we do. At the top is a list of things that are "set activities" for the day (what I'd like to get done at a bare minimum). It includes things like Read A Book and Puzzle Time. These are simple enough that they can be done every day easily, not much effort. On Thursdays I have Bible Lesson listed, and on Mondays Trip to the Library.
See? Pretty simple. A friend of mine suggested regular trips to the library and I can't believe it didn't occur to me before. Not only is our library extremely kid-friendly, filled with all kinds of fun activities to explore, but there isn't a better way to keep their learning materials (books, dvds, etc) fresh and exciting. There is a world of learning literally at your fingertips... and for free.
On the chart, I also keep a blank area underneath the "set activites" for things we added in that day that were significant educational and/or social activities. This helps me to chart how often I'm getting them out of the house and what I am exposing them to. For instance, on Tuesday we went to the Zoo. Yesterday we went for a bike ride and watched Muzzy.
While I'm focusing on their learning it is also important to me to keep a Christian influence in my teaching as well as a 2nd language. Papa and I have some schooling in German, so that is what I have picked since it will be easiest for all family members.
