Homeschooling Preschool: Charlotte Mason Method

When Evie was just two years old, I remember people asking if we were going to enroll her in preschool. I have to admit, it surprised me that preschool was even available for children that young.

I knew long before she was born that we would more than likely home school. Its something both my husband and I wanted. Family time and having the ability to instill the belief and character virtues that we find important were vital to us. At the same time, we also believed in giving children freedom and flexibility to find their learning styles to better suite their individual needs.

I spent months pouring over web sites, reading books and studying curriculum. The thing that really stood out to me was the "out of the box" thinking that many Montessori and Charlotte Mason educationist shared via the web. One article in particular that stood out to me reiterated something I had felt all along: we put too much pressure on young toddlers and preschoolers.

So, I put away thoughts of curriculum and spent time reading, playing, coloring and simply enjoying my children.

But, as with anything, there comes a time when a little structure is necessary.  I waited for the cue's that I felt were necessary to really dive into preschool with my oldest.

Now, we follow a very light-hearted schedule and focus on areas that come natural to curious preschoolers: numbers, letters, drawing, art, nature, etc.

My focus is nurturing their heart, head, hands and home with simple and fun based learning.

Here's a simple breakdown:

Heart: We rotate between Psalms 121 & 23 every morning and an age appropriate Bible story or devotional. This is our "Morning Basket" time, and my oldest loves it!

Head: We read inspirational books together following a Five in a Row method. We also watch videos and talk about character building lessons from each story.

Hands: We use this time to inspire their creativity through play dough, coloring, drawing, building forts (with daddy), painting, etc. This is also the time I choose to play hymns, classical or jazz music.

Home: I believe children should take ownership of their home so that home is more than just a place to rest their head. They help me decorate, clean, bake, and make things cozy (all age appropriate of course). They love helping and it gives them a since of pride over their space. It's just a few minutes sprinkled here and there, but it is so worth it.

The rest of their day is filled with free play, being outside and quiet time. We also love watching movies and dancing to silly music. There is time for blocks and My Little Pet shop. When it comes to these methods of learning, to me, it is all about balance and finding what works best for YOUR family. I'm a Type A, introvert/extrovert and I NEED schedules and routines. Following this loose schedule and channeling the CM/Montessori style has given me just the recipe that works for US.

What are your methods for schooling children? I love learning new ideas!

Our January Home

In our January home, you'll find lots of Mrs. Meyer's Products. This scent is my favorite. It smells so fresh and so clean! I like to give our house a big scrub down during the month of January.

Also, this is such a yummy candle. It smells so good! I've already switched it out again, but I'll bring it back out when we get a snow. *crosses fingers* We haven't had any snow! Or sleet! Or anything! Just below average temps and very damp days.

Which means, it's been Crockpot meals kind of weather! I know the Instapot is all the rage, but I just can't part with my good 'ol friend Crockpot. I've had him for years, and he works like a champ. Plus, what's better than the smell of dinner cooking throughout the afternoon while you work? To me, it's the best part of homemaking.

We are also back into the swing of preschool at home. We are focusing on letter sounds and recognition, using colorful counters, learning through play, and lots of snuggle (reading) time together.

Rambling Friday Post

It's Friday! I am probably a little too excited, but yet, it was a long week for some reason. We stayed home most of the time, and I had a lot of catching up to do around the house. And now that I feel much better about our current laundry situation...I'm ready for a little adventure around town.

What are some of your favorite thing to do when you are out an about? My favorite things would include book shopping, picking up an iced latte, and getting a pedicure. I also love to visit antique stores and flea markets. So, I may squeeze in one or two of the above later this afternoon. We'll see.

This morning, I went through the girls clothes to take note of what we needed for both fall and the coming Christmas season. I know it's still summer, but our local consignment sales tend to start early in August, so I need my lists ready to go.

Speaking of fall, I've spent the last year slowly collecting books and activity sets for Evie as she starts preschool at home this fall. I found the cutest little counting set on Amazon, and tons of Scholastic and Usbourne books at a local thrift store. I'm all about hands on activities and sweet books to read this early in the game, but Evie really does enjoy the learning process. This summer, she took it on herself to learn colors. She would randomly walk around the house trying to guess colors. So, I picked up flash cards and a couple of books that covered that topic. She soaked it all up like a sponge. I really am in denial that I have a preschooler on my hands.

Another thing I worked on this week was re-vamping my menu planning process. Typically, I do my shopping once a week on Monday's and build a meal plan for 4-5 meals (honesty moment--we eat out several times a week). I've decided to start doing my shopping on Thursday evenings, and planning for 5-6 meals each week. That we can still enjoy eating out or ordering take out, but just wanting cut back just a tad. Also, I'm trying to rotate one new meal each week just for kicks. All that to say, it just worked better with our schedule. Ok, that was probably a boring paragraph? I'm nerdy like that. ;)

Happy Friday!