All About Me!

     

    We are slooooowly beginning our school year!  This week we had a "soft start" - basically slowing adding in one subject/thing at a time.   We, of course, start with the fun stuff...duh!  Yes, we are working on Math and Grammar but, we love hands-on ALL TOGETHER LEARNING!   I mentioned that we are trying out Experience Curriculum (Mother Goose Time) for a few months to see if it works for us going forward.  The first kit that we received was September and the first week is All About Me!  

   Here are some of the ways that we incorporated this curriculum in to our "soft start" week.   I am a fan of Charlotte Mason who quotes “Picture study gives us a simple yet powerful tool to influence our children’s sense of beauty, to cultivate within them a taste for what is good”.   I love this!!!! And I was PUMPED to see the ‘Invitations to Create’ included in our new @experiencecurriculum and that we could do this ALL together!   We learned about Pablo Picasso and how he painted portraits of himself! We looked in the mirrors and they made their own self portraits!   Age 4, 7, 11 - can you guess which one they each did?

    Books!!!  We incorporate a ton of books throughout our day!  There is a great book list that comes with the curriculum.  Here are some of the books that we requested from the library. 

    Next, Let me fill you in on a little secret. shhhhh!   As a mom, I don't teach everything to every single one of my kids.  What?!?!  Did you catch that?  There, I said it!  I outsource!   Let me explain.  I have 3 kids and we do do a LOT of learning together but, there are also times where I need to work one-on-one with each child.  Hello, Reading!   So I am going to share how we do this in my house.....  BUDDY TIME! 

    I don't have many pictures b/c I was busy working one on one but, here's a picture of the trays with the Experience Curriculum activities that come out during Buddy Time.  

    Here's how it works and ways we are going to incorporate Experience Curriculum during BUDDY TIME!  

1. I always start with my youngest first.  He turned 5 this week!!!  I work with him on his reading lesson while my older 2 (Age 7 and 11) have buddy time!  They are playing a math game, reading, practicing spelling words, doing a craft, etc.  They work while the timer is set (you can get a LOT accomplished in a 20min timer)!   

• Use the fun manipulatives from the kit and practice skip counting and addition facts with my 11yr olds help.   Good refresher for my 11yr old too!
• Read out the vocabulary words for the theme and practice spelling!   
• Use the vocabulary words to come up with a wacky story and practice creative writing

2. Next, I work with my 7yr old (again, a 20min timer).  We do her reading & math lessons while my 11yr old works with the 5yr old.  

• They cuddle up and read through that stack of books that go with the theme.
• They practice math - he can work on his pattern strips & measure themselves with blocks
• He practiced his name pocket that I had prepped

3. Lastly, I work with my 11yr old on his Grammar while the 7yr old works with the 5yr old. 
        

• They worked on their Family Puppets
• They played with the Tangrams 
• Button Patterns with the guides, buttons, and string
• Journals    
• Labeled the Theme Poster

Just LOOK at how much can be accomplished in a 60 minute block of time each day!  BUDDY TIME is a special time of our school day!!

    We had fun and added a sensory bin with bones to practice handwriting, googly eyes, mirrors and skeletons!

    We love breakfast for dinner on Wednesday’s so we continued with our “All About Me” unit with and made pancake faces 🥞 

We had a GREAT first week!