Roll Out the Dough

Supplies: Brown or tan towel and rolling pin

Process: Three year olds have a difficult time roll playing at times. Interacting with you during an activity like getting down and pretending that you are a rolling pin didn't go well at our house. So, out came the rolling pin and we pretended to roll out the towel to a baking poem instead.

September 2010
Originally uploaded by Teach Well Teach Often

Teach Well: Use real pastry and create something yummy to eat for snack while reciting a poem would work even better.

C is for Cookie Kitchen Band

Supplies: pots, pans, drum sticks, song "C is for Cookie"

Process: Inspired by Mailbox Magazine, Kitchen Band, we set up the laptop with You Tube and played "C is for Cookie" while rockin' out in the kitchen. 

September 2010
Originally uploaded by Teach Well Teach Often

Teach Well: Make sure you do not use plastic bowls. I was the one that broke a large plastic mixing bowl during this activity. ;)

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Puppet

Supplies: 2 brown socks (one dark brown and the other light brown), black and pink felt or fabric, and washable fabric glue

Process: Pre-cut the shapes for the mouse's face and tail. Have the child use a Q-tip to dip into the fabric glue and put glue on the pieces. Then, have the child carefully place the pieces on the sock. Place the tail on the heal of the sock. Dry for several hours before handling.

September 2010
Originally uploaded by Teach Well Teach Often

Teach Well: Create the puppet after reading the book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Have the child use their mouse to act out the story and to share with.

Smiley Face Jar*

Supplies: two containers (one red and one green), two 3x5 cards, crayons, and decorative rocks

Process: Draw a smiley face with a green crayon on one 3x5 card. Draw a sad face on the other 3x5 card. Place each card in the matching container (I used two small planting pots). Fill the red container 3/4 with decorative rocks. You can use any sortable material. I used bugs from the local dollar store.

During every activity, the child may earn a rock for the green jar. Green (the color for "go") represents making good choices and red (for "stop") for bad choices. Just like earning rocks for the green jar for making good choices the child can also have them removed and placed back in the red jar for making bad choices. For some children, filling the green jar may be easy. But, for others, each activity is an incentive to try their best.

When the child fills their green jar, they may earn their reward. You must decide what that reward may be.

Teach Well: For some children their reward may be small since they are able to fill their jar faster than others. For some it may take a week or more and their reward may be a trip somewhere or $5 to spend in the toy department.

*Idea was inspired and by Kati Padgett

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

This month we are learning about sharing through the lesson of "Jesus Feeds Five Thousand." My first lesson with this story is always telling it in a "hands-on" way. Check out my post here on how I do it.

This Week's Lesson Plans

I will try and post my lesson plans as I go, so if you would like to follow along with us this year, you can. You may print this out. Before you do make sure you check out my policies and copyright page. I have left some spaces in between to add your own notes. This way you can keep it in a three-ring binder and save it for next year. You can also find the week's lessons in the navigation bar underneath my blog's header. Feel free to email me or comment with any questions about a lesson.

Morning Preschool Schedule

8:30-8:45 Opening/Prayer/Songs

8:45-9:00 Calendar/Songs/Days of the Week/Weather

9:00-9:15 Pray/Bible/Verses
“Sharing” Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

9:15-9:45 Jamboree Time (Gross Motor Play)
· Aerobic Wednesdays

Wednesday:“Group Publishing: Inside Out & Into the Bible” on You Tube on the TV with Jumping on the trampoline 

Thursday: Rhythm sticks/CD

Friday: Rollin’ In the Dough pg 43 Mailbox Magazine

9:45-9:55 Drinks/Bathroom Breaks

9:55-10:20 Activity Time
· Wednesday Literacy/ Writing Readiness “I can Draw”page page 9&14; Snip It: Rainbow
· Thursday Small Motor Skills/Computer: Snip It: Tree
· Friday Science/Literacy “Irreversible Change”(Sid the Science Kid PBSKIDS.ORG) use your science journals and create cookie dough. Ask, what will happen if we use heat with our dough. Answer with a drawing in the journals. While cooking the cookies, watch video on laptop.

10:20-10:45 Snack

10:45-11:00 Story Time “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”; 

Thursday: Have him read to you the book and do make a video; 

Friday: The Doorbell Rang (use a doorbell sound effect) 

11:00-11:20 Craft

Wednesday: “Mouse Manners” pg 40 Mailbox Magazine make paper bag puppets (no paper bags, use brown sock, and cut pieces out of fabric.

Thursday: Cookie Kitchen Band singing “C is for cookie” from Sesame Street use the laptop and Youtube for the song

Friday: Make cookies (Share with friend)

11:20-11:30 Clean up/Song Time/Pray

A New School Year

Hello friends! I am looking forward to getting back into posting this school year's lessons. Thank you for the encouragement that you have given me to keep up this blog. God has truly blessed me with new lessons and I would love to share with you as I homeschool my son.

This summer, my husband and I were looking to place our son in a preschool to help his social development. I would have to admit that a once teacher now mom can be quite the critic. I realized that parents need to know what to ask when looking for a preschool for their child.

Here are some important things to be looking for...

1. What Bible curriculum do you use?

This is the most important question to ask a teacher. If the teacher wavers in their answer about God's Word it shows then what is most important to them in their classroom. Ask when they teach Bible. Is it first in the day or last? Why? If they don't have a curriculum ask them why? Ask to see the Bible they teach from. Is it a real Bible, children's, or just a devotional?

2. What preschool benchmarks are they teaching?

If the teacher doesn't know what you are talking about then that should be a sign that they are possibly just a daycare and not a preschool. Not all states have benchmarks for preschool but some do. There will be a time when, if your state doesn't already have benchmarks, your state will. You can find Washington State's benchmarks here. Ask to see a preschool progress report. If the preschool doesn't have one ask them why not? The answer, "They are just 4 year olds" isn't a good enough answer.

3. What are your discipline procedures?

Do the teachers send children to timeout, the corner, or do they even have a discipline procedure? Do they involve the parent in that procedure?

In our search we found a beautiful preschool program where they love the children and I agreed with most of their teaching styles. Not everyone is going to teach hands-on or the way I would. But, then, God didn't create every teacher the same. Everyone has their own gifts.

But, alas, make sure you ask the following question...

4. Does my child have to be 100% potty trained.

Most likely the answer is yes. For liability reasons your child needs to be able to help themselves in the bathroom. So, by the end of August, my little man still isn't potty trained and is going to be homeschooled again this year.

I am excited to share with you new activities with weekly themes this year instead of my usual monthly themes. Most themes will be written around literature since my three year old is obsessed with the written word.

Feel free to print off my schedule in the sidebar and follow along yourself. If you are homeschooling your child as well, the information above is quite helpful for you as well. Make sure you are asking yourself the same questions. Find out what is important to you and to your child. Make a list. Use that list to set goals for yourself and your child.

Stay tuned in for a supply list and new lessons to come!

Teach Well: Before starting the school year, make a list of the goals you would like to set for yourself and your child.