Preschool Week 2!

David and I had decided about a year ago that we wanted to provide preschool for our children at home. One of the biggest factors that played into this decision was the expense of sending your child to preschool. We both hate the idea of paying someone else to do something we could do ourselves! Besides, we usually get a better quality product when we do something ourselves because we are personally invested! The other big factor that played into this decision was that by doing preschool at home you are able to tailor to your child's needs. We were also very fortunate to meet other parents with toddlers in the area, particularly parents with toddlers who had different strengths from our toddler! Not only are the kids getting lots of practice with academic and social skills, but they are also learning about areas they do not excel in as much by watching each other! I also like the fact that we have the opportunity to have siblings in class together. There seems to be a more open dynamic when brothers and sisters are involved!

I forgot to take pictures during preschool again so these are from free time right after preschool. Next time I WILL remember to take pictures!!!

Today, we started out going over our calendar and talking about how it feels outside in January (I think that is a bit of a lost cause as we are wearing t-shirts again!). Next we reviewed the letter A and introduced the letter B. We went through a box of things that start with B: a picture of a baby, a book about beavers, a blanket with a bear on it, a button, a ball, a bag, a toy bed, a Bible, a toy boat, a bowl, a book about bugs, and a book about the Wheels on the Bus. Next we had a snack of apples, bananas, and letter A and B cookies! We put bug, balloon, and letter B stickers on a letter B coloring sheet, and then we went outside and played with a bucket of dried beans and bubbles!

Jessica's best-friend enjoying some puzzle time! (Jessica didn't really sit still long enough for me to get a descent shot of her!)

For the second half, we came back inside and talked about things that go in the air. The kids loved sticking the airplanes and helicopters in the sky! (Once again Jessica felt all things that go should be in the sky! I think we may have a buddying aerospace engineer on our hands!!) We plan to laminate this poster and the pieces so they can be used next year with stick on velcro! Next we read a story about things that go. Then we made airplanes out of foam, colored them with washable markers, and flew them around the room while singing flying songs! Finally, we sorted blocks by color and built an entire town!! I wish I had gotten a picture of Jessica's skyscraper! It really did look like a skyscraper! We had a wonderful time at preschool today! It is amazing to see the kids really excel at things they love and slowly catch bits and pieces of things they find less interesting!