"Easy Peasy All In One"

     Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool curriculum had been recommended to me by several other Christian homeschoolers.  I decided to check it out and give it a try. And two words can describe what I think of it...
THANK YOU!

This mother of 6 children has brilliantly written a full curriculum for Preschool-8th grade and I believe she is currently working on a high school curriculum. The curriculum is so easy to follow. Simple to teach, simple to learn.  No pressure on the child. And my favorite part is that her methods of teaching make so much sense to me.  I completely agree with her philosophy on learning to read:

"When you read, you use sight reading. You don’t sound out words. You see them and know what they say. That’s how you can read quickly. Phonics is a tool for reading words you don’t recognize. I teach my children the letter names and sounds. Then I teach them to read by sight words. Then I teach them phonics. Phonics is simple at that point because they can already read. All of this takes two years. I do this before they start “school” so that they can do “school” more independently and more effectively. All of my children so far are very successful readers and can read faster than I can, I who learned with phonics!"

 When I first read this, I thought to myself, "Yes! This is exactly how I feel, but I could never express it so clearly." Again, thank you!

TAKE NOTE: This curriculum is totally FREE! She makes it freely available to the world as a service to the Lord.  She is a devout Christian and shares her gifts with everyone.  I love that she also wants to make the resources available so that everyone is able to homeschool if they are prompted to do so.

How did homeschooling become 100 times easier? Research. Look for the resources. Through the wonderful world of technology and global communication, all the resources we need are at our fingertips.  We just need to look for them.

Learning to Read & Write: An Easy 5 Step Lesson for Preschoolers

     Every time Marley sits down to complete some of her workbook, I write her name and ask her to spell it while I write.  After I write her name, I ask Marley to try to write it too.  She is willing to try about half the time.  The other half she says, "I can't do it." The first time I heard these words, it broke my heart.  I don't think anyone wants their children to feel incapable. We want them to feel like they can achieve the impossible.  We want them to be confident and happy to take on challenges.
     I thought long and hard about how to respond to these words.  My response is "You can do it Marley. But it's okay if you don't want to try it today. We can try again tomorrow."  I don't want her to feel pressured, but I want her to feel empowered to try things that seem difficult.  I occasionally throw in an incentive like a treat if she tries. ;)

     Her attempts at writing her own name increased every week.  She felt more and more comfortable trying. And today she did it all on her own and it actually looked semi-legible! Haha.  I was so excited and almost cried when I told her that she did such a great job writing her name. I reminded her of when she used to say "I can't do it" but she worked hard and did it. She was SO proud of herself.  I also internally reminded myself of those times when I would get frustrated with her refusal to interact during our lessons. Those are the times when I felt sad and hopeless and like a failure homeschooler.  This was a big victory for both of us! YAY!

     MY 5 STEP READING & WRITING LESSON:

     During our morning chalkboard activities, I review letters and sounds using a method similar to the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  It has been highly recommended by many moms, so I gave it a try.  I read the book through and liked the concept. But I gave it my own entertaining spin so that the lessons would be more fun. My personal belief is that children learn more when they think it's a game instead of a "lesson".

     1) IDENTIFY: Draw the letter on the chalkboard and ask your child to identify the letter.  If they know but have forgotten, give them a moment to try and remember. If your child still doesn't know, go ahead and tell them. Then immediately re-ask your child to identify the letter. Just getting your preschooler to speak the letter out loud while looking at it will help them file away the information.

     2) SOUND IT OUT: Draw a small button under the letter and tell your child that it is the "quiet sound button". Press the button and whisper the sound of the letter. Then erase the button and draw a much bigger button under the letter and tell your child it is the "LOUD sound button". Press the button and shout out the sound of the letter (maybe fall back as if the big sound scared you). This is usually funny for a child to watch.  [It makes my daughter laugh hysterically! She can't wait until it's her turn to press the buttons] Allow your child to draw the small and big buttons and make the sounds.  As you can see by this big smile, Marley is so excited to make the sounds that it motivates her to remember the correct letter sounds.

     3) REVIEW: After you have learned a few letters, review the letters and sounds. It is especially important to review the letters your child has had difficulty with.
(Advanced phonics involves pairing together multiple letters and learning the sounds, such as "Su" and "per", then putting it together to make "Super."  Above Steps 1 & 2 can be used to do this as well.)

     4) REVERSE ROLES: Children love to be the teacher. Ask your child to be the teacher and write the letter. You may keep an example at the top of the board so they can copy it.  [Marley writes the letter and asks me, "What letter is this mommy?" I pretend to think hard and give her my guess.  She likes this part.]

     5) WRITE THEIR NAME: Make sure your child sees their name written as many times as possible. Repetition is key!  This process works for all words, but it is common to start with learning how to read and write your own name.

     *I like to supplement this lesson with letter tracing worksheets and reading the Bob Books together.

     The key to early childhood academics is to make it optional, fun, and self paced.  There should never be pressure, stress, or sadness.  IMPORTANT NOTE: Formal schooling is NOT necessary in early childhood, but I like to provide the opportunity to progress if ready.  Remember to be patient with your child and follow their learning pace.  Don't get discouraged.  Have faith that the information is sinking in somewhere. Once in a while, we actually see the fruits of our labor. And then all the planning and effort is worth it! :)

UPDATE: 8 months later, Marley (4.5 years old) is now writing her name legibly without help. She is also asking to read the BOB Books to me now!  She has made great progress, and all without any expectations or pressure.  Age or school grade should not determine whether a child is ready to learn certain skills.  Each child is different and when they are given the freedom to learn at their own pace, they will advance with confidence and enjoy learning.

   

Happy Chinese New Year

I did a brief explanation of Chinese New Year with M today. We then read Sam and the Lucky Money. A very sweet book about a boy who discovers how to be selfless.  It is a beautiful story and perfect for preschoolers.














RED ENVELOPE - We then made our own red envelope by cutting out a piece of red paper in this shape. I then drew the Chinese lucky fortune symbol on it and gave M some glue and sparkly decorations to use.  I love these kind of art projects that exercise fine motor skills and also cause her to be focused and quiet for a long while.  She was very excited to get her own dollar bill in her red envelope to spend however she wants. Dollar Store, here we come!


YEAR OF THE HORSE - I also informed M that this year is considered the year of the horse.  She enjoys doing Do-A-Dot pictures, so I printed out a horse outline and allowed her to color it with dots.

Here are two other art projects I thought were cute, but I didn't get around to preparing.

LUCKY HANGING

CHINESE DRUMS

I like using the current season or holidays to create preschool activities. It's much easier than actually being creative. Haha. ;)

Happy Birthday Mr. Mozart!

     This past week we did a unit on music in honor of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His birthday is TODAY! January 27th, 1756. This theme was inspired by Robyn's entry in the Creative Curriculum Challenge. Thank you Robyn!
I am a fan of classical music and an advocate of all arts. Even though my preschooler probably won't comprehend the historical significance of Mozart, I knew we would have fun talking about him and doing projects associated with music.

STRAW PAN PIPE CRAFT.
This link to instructions for this super easy craft was fun to do with Marley.  She was happy to help and have an instrument to hold and play. The sound was not what I'd hoped but the project was simple, fast, and enough to capture Marley's attention.

TRASHIN' THE CAMP was SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!
I took the girls to DISNEYLAND this past week for Homeschool Day and while we were there, I decided to use the Disneyland resources to enhance our music unit.  We went through Tarzan's Treehouse and both my girls had fun playing the musical instruments at the end of the attraction.  I pointed out the instruments and had Marley help me name them. We also stopped to listen to The Pearly Band in Fantasyland.  We love hearing their covers of all our favorite disney tunes.  I like to ask Marley to name that tune.  She listens carefully and usually guesses them pretty quickly. Listening to music and identification is a fun way to get kids exercising that part of the brain that aids audio recognition.

MUSIC APPRECIATION.
I asked Marley what instrument she would like to play if she could play any instrument. She said the violin. I pulled up this video of Hilary Hahn (a very talented violinist), and showed it to Marley. It was a beautiful piece! Marley watched the whole video attentively and when it was over, she said "She did really good!" I adore watching her love for the arts grow.  So special.

WRITING PRACTICE.
I like to write a word out on our chalkboard easel each week and Marley will trace the word as best she can to help her fine motor skills and letter memory. We also review each letter and sound a few times per week.


WRITE YOUR OWN MUSIC.  This is a cute one that young children enjoy.  I took a few feet of butcher paper and drew 5 equally spaced out (about 4 inches apart) lines across, to create the look of blank sheet music.  I then printed several copies of music notes and cut them out.  Then I squeezed white glue all over the butcher paper and let Marley "write her own music." After she was finished, I tried to play her song out on the piano. It sounds silly, but it is fun and made my daughter giggle to hear her unique song played out.

Deciding On A School Name

     Yes, we are homeschoolers.  Just after I gave birth to my first daughter we decided to homeschool our children.  Ever since, I have been on a mission to make sure they get the most amazing quality education I can give.
     One of my favorite projects was deciding on a name for our "private school." In California it is required to file as a private school to enroll children ages 6-18 in a school other than public. This is the process for legally homeschooling children.  You would do so through the California Department of Education.
It seems complicated at first, but it is really simple and several sites give step-by-step instructions on how to file your affidavit.

     I've been thinking about a name for the past few weeks. I wanted a name that represents our family educational philosophy and something that sounds legitimate.  I wrote out a long list of words that expressed independence, art, beauty, and hope for the future. My husband helped me come up with some options and we both agreed on the name...
      
     INSPIRED ACADEMY.  

     He thought is sounded girly at first, haha. But I explained to him why I loved it.  It reflects my hope for our children to be educated in a beautiful and loving environment.  I want to create an educational environment that encourages passions, goals, and dreams. I want our children to be "inspired" in their education to use their imaginations and their intelligence to expand their knowledge and to make goals for physical, spiritual, and emotional happiness.

Philosophy: "Our homeschool is based on inspired interest led learning, with an emphasis on hands on experience.  We highly encourage artistic expression and innovation."

Our school will be divided into 3 different school levels:
      Inspired Play Academy (ages 3-7)
     Inspired Learning Academy (ages 8-12)
     Inspired Knowledge Academy (ages 13-17)

INSPIRED PLAY
Fun! Fun! Fun! I firmly believe the key to a great education as a child is to play, have fun, experience games, go outdoors, go on field trips, and so forth. I like the term "play" because it expresses the joy that children should be experiencing in these early years.  Aside from the obvious basics of reading, writing and math skills we will be covering, play and fun will be nurturing the brain and giving the children energy to think and ask questions and teach themselves. A happy child is eager to learn.

INSPIRED LEARNING
The reason I decided to separate our middle school at the age of 8 is because in our faith, we believe that when children turn 8 years old, they have reached "the age of accountability." This is the age when children are given the opportunity to be baptized and will feel a sense of responsibility for their decisions and choosing right from wrong.  I believe this is a very special time for children and is a beautiful right of passage into experiencing the gifts of free-agency.   I look forward to my children being baptized and I want them to feel that they are advancing in all aspects of life. The term "learning" indicates observation and analysis.  Discerning right from wrong is a significant portion of this age range and I believe children do the most "learning" at this stage.

INSPIRED KNOWLEDGE
Once my children become teens, educational goals will begin taking on a different form.  I believe at this age, our children can start to explore their passions and what they would like to do in life.  They will be taking control of their educational direction and building their own paths. At this stage, I hope my children will begin to explore their skills and abilities. When I think of "knowledge" I think of applying education to life and enhancing the mind by setting goals.

     I love our homeschool name and regardless of the bumps, accidents, and roadblocks we will encounter, I intend for our journey to be inspiring.

Very First Sewing Lesson!

I am finding that my best homeschool lessons are last minute activities prompted by interest or questions.  Taking my cues from what M wants to learn or is interested in, is part of what makes homeschooling so awesome.

The other day I was fixing a pair of pants. As I sat at my machine, measuring, marking, cutting, etc., M came up and started watching me asking "What are you doing?" "Why are you cutting that mommy?" My first reaction was to tell her I was busy and she should go play. She remained quiet and stayed watching me attentively.  I stopped and noticed her curious eyes.  After mentally slapping myself on the wrist for ignoring such an obvious teaching opportunity, I smiled and asked her if she would like to learn how to sew.  Her smile was so big while she nodded profusely.

I grabbed some extra fabric and decided to walk her through the steps of sewing a Simple Drawstring Bag.  I really don't know too much about sewing, just the basics, but I know enough to teach some beginner projects.  I knew she would be most impressed with something simple and quick.  The drawstring bag was perfect.  I talked her through all the steps and asked her to help me with as much as possible. Note: Don't be afraid to let kids handle scissors or needles. Monitor closely. And let them experience things for themselves. Being very involved will help them advance quickly and they will remember the activities with great appreciation. 
I sat her in my lap and showed her how to position her hands on the fabric to guide it through the machine.  She was so quiet and careful.  Her little hands were so carefully placed that it was the most precious view ever! (My instant thought: Quick! Grab the camera!)
M couldn't reach the peddle of course, so I told her to tell me when I should start. She said "Go!" and I pressed the peddle and guided the fabric through her hands and fingers.

She loved the experience so much and was incredibly proud of the final product.  Showing her bag to daddy was a special moment.

At this rate, she will know more about sewing than I do by the time she is a teen. I'm sure she will be teaching me soon enough. :D

K is for Kid who drives me nuts!

We reviewed K and had an "eventful" morning...

     First, I used my little chalkboard easel to go over how to write K.  M asked if she could try it. :) After I did a little happy dance in my head, I told her she could try it.  One nice thing about a chalkboard is that after erasing an image, the lines are still faintly visible.  Makes for perfect writing practice for little ones.  M traced the faint lines and was very proud of her K.

     Since M is into princesses, I thought it would be fun to discuss Kings (aka..the dads of our favorite princesses). She liked talking about them.  Just carrying a dialogue with a preschooler can be so fun and support creative thinking and visualization.

     We set up M's new bowling set (dollar store item) in the kitchen and did some bowling.  My girl loves to bowl! I stopped playing long before she did.  I explained to her about the term "kingpin" and "kegler" because they both start with K! Works nicely doesn't it?  Did you know that "kegler' means bowler? Neither did I until today. We both learned something new. Haha.

MID-MORNING TANTRUM: After she was finished playing the bowling game, I asked M to clean up the set.  She tried to run away and I physically picked her up and brought her back to the set and said she had to clean it up. She threw a lovely tantrum.  She cried and screamed "I can't! I'm so tired!" It was not fun.  I had to stare at this screaming crying face and explain to her (using an angry voice) that she was going to clean it up whether she liked it or not and that sitting there crying was not going to change that fact.  My explanation did not make it any easier and it did not make her calm down.  She cleaned up each piece while still crying her eyes out and I wanted to tear my hair out. But the set was cleaned up and I didn't give into her excuses.  I don't think I handled it quite right but I hope someone (her or I) learned something from the frustrated outburst. At this point, I'm just glad it is over. But I wish I had gotten a picture of her flipping out. It would have been funny for the blog. Oh well, next time...and I'm sure there will be many next times. Haha.

     K IS FOR KING ART: After taking a time out (my time out), I gathered up my energy and we did an art project.  I printed out a K outline and instructed M to color in the K however she wanted.  I told her to cut out the K (her favorite part) and to glue it down.  I cut out a crown shape for her and she glued it onto her K to make him a "king."  I then gave M some sequin confetti to bedazzle her King's crown.  I loved watching her eyes light up when she saw me dump out the sparkly pieces on the table. The whole project was done calmly and with smiles, as if the prior incident never happened. It's funny how quickly we can move on from frustrating events.

   
     We had our ups and downs, but overall it was an educational morning. We learned about K. K is for Kindness and kindness does not come easily during a tantrum. ;)