Dear Blog Friends,

With the help of my dear husband, here's the photo of my bulletin board from November 2006. I keep my bulletin board very simple; the learning charts and place value charts always stay posted. I simply add a new calendar (created by my kindergartener), kid art and a couple of theme-related or seasonal items each month.

Both of the kids sit with me at the start of our day for "Together Time" in front of our bulletin board. You can view the last post for a general listing of the activities we do.

Here are specific examples of "Together Time" activities that we do. We don't do every activity every day. Some activities are geared toward my kindergartener, and some toward my pre-schooler, but we do them all together anyway.

Calendar activities:
1. Count the days in the month.
2. Sing the months of the year to the tune of "Ten Little Indians," the last phrase being, "these are the twelve months of the year!"
3. Sing the days of the week to the tune of "Oh, My Darlin'." The second verse we sing is, "There are seven days, there are seven days, there are seven days in a week." (You can also use the "Munster's Show Theme Song" tune... "There's Sunday, then there's Monday...." ...Days of the week (snap, snap)...Days of the week (snap, snap)...Days of the week, Days of the week, Days of the week (snap, snap))
4. Sometimes, we put stickers on the calendar in a pattern. The children take turns posting stickers and naming the pattern.

Math activities:
1. Using a "100 Chart," I ask children to locate a number using my teaching pointer. I also have prepared a baggie full of number clues for each number from 1-100 (such as 1 more than 1; 2+0; between 2 and 4; 1 less than 5), and sometimes I'll ask them to draw a card and find the number indicated.
2. We practice counting by 1's to 100 and beyond.
3. We practice skip counting by 10's or by 5's. I often let them use rhythm instruments as we count.
4. We do an activity related to a concept that's being introduced in the workbook in the coming week. For example, if dimes are being introduced, we play with and count dimes. We might play "store" and purchase items with dimes. We might use manipulatives such as counting bears or unifix cubes or something I've made to match our science theme to practice finding missing addends or sums.

Language activities:
1. We do "Show and Share" once a week (usually!). I give each child an assignment to find something (something red, something that starts with the letter "c," something that reminds you of spring, etc.). They describe it, and answer questions about their object, then pass it around for group "inspection."
2. We use an A Beka phonics chart daily. I do a different chart each day. Once a chart is mastered, the children may have a turn holding the chart in the "teacher chair" to lead the oral exercise.
3. We recite poems or do fingerplays. An A Beka poem poster, "Right Hand, Left Hand" is posted on the bulletin board photo above, and is one we recite often.
4. We sing alphabet songs.
5. We sometimes play an alphabet or word game such as Boggle, Jr., Fetch the Phonics Dog (by Fisher Price), or Dora ABC's, or we use alphabet magnets or tiles to review letters and build words.
6. We learn new seasonal sight words each month and review them daily.

I'd love for you to share ideas from your morning routine. Let me know if you have other questions, too. Have a great weekend!

Happy Home Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry

Q: Mrs. Sherry,
Could you please post samples of the lesson plans you use for your pre-schooler and kindergartener? Thanks, Shawnee

A: Sure! Here's a detailed sample of a day in our school. Please note: I don't include all of this in my lesson planner. I just write the basics such as the theme or page number. I've added more here so that it makes sense to someone besides me. By the way, the times are VERY approximate. We take the time we need, and take breaks when we need them.

9:00 "Together Time" (The kids sit in chairs in front of the bulletin board to start, then we move around for each activity as needed.)
1. Share prayer requests and thanksgivings. Pray.
2. Recite and/or sing memory verse.
3. Stand and recite Pledge of Allegiance.
4. Do calendar activities.*
5. Using a purchased set, we count straws to tally the number of days of school we've had so far.
6. Do a math activity.*
7. Do an reading or language activity.*

*I'll write a separate post to give ideas for the areas indicated by the asterisk.

9:30(ish) "Table Time"
Notes: My 3 year old sits at a kid-sized table across from me, and my kindergartener has a desk that's right next to me. I help each one as needed, and they work independently as they are able.

Pre-School:
1. Do one page from A Beka Letters and Sounds A (1 or both sides, depending on the day)
2. Do one page from A Beka Numbers and Skills with Button Bear.
3. I usually plan one extra hands-on activity for her to do, like arrange letter tiles to form her name, order number cards from 1-5, or use play dough to make the "letter of the day." Sometimes, my kindergartener will join us in this activity when he's finished.

Kindergarten:
1. Do one page from A Beka ABC Manuscript Writing Tablet, K4, OR (starting Jan 1) do one entry from "My Days, My Pictures" journal (which he LOVES! You can contact the author for a copy at Shoestrings Memory Journal, PO Box 2543, Dunnellon, FL, 34430; I got mine at the HEED conference; I've seen them at local scrapbook stores, too.)
2. Do one page from A Beka Letters and Sounds K or from Carson-Dellosa's Pre-Reading Home Workbook.
3. Do one side of math from A Beka Numbers and Skills A. (We do hands-on activities to supplement the math workbook page as needed to provide instruction. My three year old often does these activities with us, at a different level of expectation.)

10:00 "Ticket Time"
For this time, each child has a punch-card style ticket. When they complete their "ticket time" task pleasantly, they get a punch on their ticket. Five punches earns a piece of candy; a filled card earns a learning prize (inexpensive book, new crayons, etc.) for my pre-schooler, and a free mini-pizza through a local pizzeria's reading incentive program for my kindergartener.

Usually, after my kindergartener reads for me, he joins his sister's activity, or we all read together for awhile.

Pre-School: I select an activity for her to do independently each day from an index card file I've made. The choice categories include: ABC's/Pre-reading, Numbers/Math, Motor Skills, Language Development (which includes dramatic play). Occasionally, I do give her a choice. I give her directions and help her get started. The rule is that she can't interrupt my time with her brother if she wants to get her card punched.

Kindergarten: We sit on the sofa together, and he reads aloud to me from his A Beka reader or selected text at this time. Sometimes, we do book-making projects during this time.

10:30 Break: We get snacks or drinks as needed. Sometimes we play or read together. If the weather's nice, we go outside!

11:00 "Table Time" (part 2)

Pre-School: She usually does a page from a Pooh Bear workbook she likes, or I have another "sit-down" activity ready for her. She LOVES sticker activities, so we frequently do an activity from a book I purchased at Target: My Giant Sticker Activity Book by Priddy Books. Sometimes, if her attention isn't up for that, I let her continue to play quietly while I work with her brother. The older she gets, the easier this routine has become!

Kindergarten:
1. Do a spelling activity. (We work on 5 spelling words per week that I select from his reading and/or his journal activities.)
2. Complete the back of the math worksheet and/or any other incomplete work from earlier in the morning.

11:30 Science or Social Studies
We do a science OR social studies activity or reading every day. I concentrate on one or two themes per month.

For science, I use Discovering God's World 1 by A Beka as our base, but I re-arrange the material to fit the time of year I want to cover each theme. I also add extra themes, such as dinosaurs, and use my own material.

For social studies this year, we are using the Community Helpers K Activity Book and the first half of My America and My World 1, both by A Beka.

Noon-ish: Lunch

After Lunch: Bible Time
I have a large basket filled with Bible books. They each choose a book, and sit and look at it quietly. (I usually read or study at least a couple of pages from my Beth Moore study.) When I'm done, the kids show me what they chose, and we read something aloud from each of their books.

Then, the kids play for awhile, and they both take "naps." My kindergartener spends 30-minutes resting quietly in his room, but (yee-ha) my 3-year old still takes a 2-hour nap!

They play the rest of the day, and my kindergartener reads something to his Dad each night. We watch very little television, and play a lot of games together. We usually read a couple of chapters from a chapter book and several picture books aloud before bed each night.

I schedule "school" 4 or 5 days per week. Each week, I try to provide a variety of activities to supplement their home learning. We go to church, go to the library or gym and have a play date with friends every week. We go on a field trip or participate in a special group activity once or twice a month.

Like all other home school families, I figure running errands and doctor's appointments into our routine, so one day doesn't always look like the day before. I try to keep things balanced, and make schooling our priority, however. I do my writing when they're resting/sleeping or when they're with Daddy or a sitter.

I hope this is helpful to you. I always find it interesting to see how different each family organizes their days. I'll add additional posts explaining our "Together Time" later this week.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

Dear Blog Friends,

Many times, we find that deep issues of the heart surface when we talk about our children.

For those of you who find that you may need someone to walk with you during a challenging season of parenting and/or home schooling, let me offer some options for Christian counseling in the central Iowa area.

http://www.team-restoration.com (Indianola, Pleasant Hill, Leon with
other satellite locations outside DSM to be announced soon; see link to the right)

http://www.familylegacycounseling.com (Johnston/Des Moines)

If you live outside the central Iowa area, and are feeling frustrated as a parent, let me just encourage you to be pro-active in getting the help that you need. Maybe you need to invest in a friendship, get better connected with a church, or seek Christian counseling.

Whatever level of help you need, don't wait until a problem becomes a crisis. If a ship sprung a leak, you wouldn't wait until it was underwater to board a lifeboat. It seems that we often wait until we're drowning before we seek a buoy for our families. Don't let pride or fear stand in the way of your asking for help. It's the wise thing to do.

Blessings to each of you!
Sherry

Hey, Blog Friends!

I know, I didn't get that picture of my bulletin board posted yet. I didn't know my husband had removed all the photos from our hard drive and put them on a disk: how very motivated of him! Anyway, I'll post the pictures as soon as my husband gives me a quick lesson in using the disk-thing. I know just enough about computers to be dangerous, and need frequent tutorials!

Here's the part for laughs:
We were playing a Bible trivia card game today that my son received for Christmas. When asked, "Which Bible person wore camel hair and ate locusts and honey?" My three year old answered, "Pooh Bear!"

We laughed until we almost cried, and my poor daughter looked at us like we were crazy, and said, "Well, Pooh Bear does eat honey!"

We'll work on New Testament characters next week, maybe. :)

For those of you attending my Motivation 101 seminar, I will post a message on this site tomorrow, Monday, by 4:00 pm if we need to reschedule because of this winter weather. As of right now, I'm still planning on seeing you all tomorrow evening! We're a hardy group, and can brave a little snow, right?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Blessings,
Sherry

Q: We don't have a lot of space in our home. We also don't have a lot of money to spare. Do you have any ideas for making our house more "home school friendly?"

A: Actually, my husband should probably answer this question. He's the decorator at our house! But, I do have a few ideas that might be fun for you to try. One thing I always keep in mind is that I am a home schooler, so my house is a home schooling house! I don't try to hide all my school "stuff."

We do have a home school room, and I love being in it! The key is to design a space where you enjoy spending time. Get a hot glue gun and go for it!

1. Put up a bulletin board. I change mine every month to reflect the current month and theme. (Check back tomorrow to see pictures.) If you really don't want one hanging in your kitchen, you can put up smaller bulletin board strips, or you can attach cork board to the inside of a cabinet door or entertainment center door using hot glue.

2. Use double duty items. For example, I hot glued felt onto the back of a medium-sized dry erase board. I store it on the side of my fridge, and nobody knows it's there! Your fridge is also a great place to stick up a small dry erase board, or do magnet activities. You can also use chalkboard or magnetic paint to create dual surfaces inside cabinets...or if you're feeling brave, paint part of a wall!

3. Use learning place mats on your table. You can get almost any thing on a place mat: alphabet, numbers, multiplication tables, maps.... That way, you don't have to have lots of posters hanging up.

4. Display kids' work as art. One of my favorite items in my home school room is from Pottery Barn for Kids. My husband got it for me for Christmas last year, but you could do something similar for just pennies. It's a wire extended between two rustic-style stars with clips on the wire for hanging kid-art. We also display kid-art in our school room in picture frames. It's a great shabby-chic way to decorate AND show off the kids' hard work!

5. Use cubbies and baskets to organize your "stuff." I like to organize everything into a bin or basket with a label. You can purchase cubbies/bins/baskets at Pottery Barn for Kids, or check Target or Wal-Mart; they almost always have the knock-off version of whatever is in Pottery Barn's last catalog. A simple, short book case with baskets would work just as well. JoAnn's Fabrics is also a great place to get baskets if you watch for their half-off sales. You could just use Rubbermaid Tubs, but if you're trying to capitalize on your space, it's a little cozier to use the baskets or canvas bins. Everything stays organized, and as a plus, it looks cute.

If anyone has any other fun ideas, let us know.

Happy Home Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry