I have been following your blog for only a short time but I am super impressed! I have a 2 year old that I am considering homeschooling and would like to get organized. You seem to have it together in the organization department and also the amazingly creative, fun activities you do with your kids. Before my daughter I trained to be a Montessori teacher, completed the program and interned for a year but never had my own classroom. How do you organize your days, do you just come up with activities on the spot and then blog about them or do you plan ahead, I would love some advice! My training really comes in handy when it comes to putting together lessons but some days it feels weird to have a “schedule of activities” at home instead of letting life just flow, how do you balance that?
Thanks for any info!
April
Hi April!
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment! I love to hear that you are enjoying amomwithalessonplan! I’m also glad to hear that it looks like I have it all together. I do like routine and love a good lesson plan. 😉 I think my kids function better when they know what to expect (and I’ll admit part of that is because I function well with an organized day).
When M and M were younger and not in school I did schedule our days. (And now I do for winter/ summer breaks from school). I switched their toys every couple of weeks trying to give them a range of skills to practice. I loved to set up pretend play areas. I would also plan some of the activities, but mostly we played. Kids have a great way of learning quickly when they are engaged in activities that interest them. While I do put these Lesson Plans together here, they are not always so “together” in real life. Some activities take prep time, some don’t. Most of what we do is inspired by M and M. I usually just take what they are already playing and bump it up a bit.
Even if it feels awkward… I would use that training to its fullest! After all this is the best teaching position you could have possibly hoped to get!
Happy learning… I mean playing.
Jillian
Great question and post! I too have wondered how much I’d like to structure my daughter’s day. I go back and forth and wonder sometimes if I’m not “teaching” her enough. She is only 19 months and after all my back and forth, for now I’ve opted for more play much (like you suggest, Jillian)! There is certainly a routine to our day, but even at two-years-old so much learning happens from doing our daily activities!
I do love the idea of rotating toys. I posted about it on my blog and have seen with my own daughter the learning benefits. Each time a “new” toy is pulled out there is something she learns from it that she didn’t just a few weeks prior.
http://thelittlestories.com/2011/12/12/how-to-rotate-toys/
Thank you for the comment! I’m going to head over and check out your post on switching toys!
I like the idea of “bumping it up a little” Great way to describe a healthy balance between all work and all play!
Thank you! Balance is what it’s all about!