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No matter how much I read, how much I experience, and how much I prepare for homeschooling, I am 100% thrown for a loop. As most of you know, I am implementing Montessori Homeschool for my almost 5 year old.
He’s excited.
I am excited.
All good, right?
Not really.
He has an older brother whom he adores who flew off to 1st grade this week and he has a younger brother whom totally adores him who won’t leave him alone this week. Bottom line: adjusting to homeschool takes time. Take deep breaths. Experiment with various approaches. Find what works for your family. Don’t give up. Here are a few specific tips on how to approach homeschool with your kids.
Big Picture Prep
- Show your child around the “environment” that you’ve prepared for him. I made sure he knew where to find the colored pencils, the tracing paper, the metal insets, the scissors
- Decorate a Work Folder! This activity is a fun thing to do & gives you an opportunity to talk about your homeschooling year or fall. Plus I suggested using the metal insets to make cool designs to sneak in a bit of fine motor work.
- Introduce a work plan that gives the child a visual of the week and gives the child control over his progress throughout the week. It also gives the teacher visibility into when the child needs guidance
- All About ME poster
Related Read: Beginning Homeschool Routine
Montessori Works Introduced
Math
- I introduced a short bead stair work. We worked together on addition using the bead stair.
- We also worked on the Hundred Board. I printed out a control hundred board, re-introduced the concrete hundred board, and offered him a Do-A-Dot Marker to dob each number he identifies.
Language
- Building Words with Sandpaper Letters
- We also revisited earlier pre-reading lessons mainly to give my son a bit of confidence. These works were easy for him but a good building block to moving onto more difficult works. I had to back peddle on this one when things were not going well on our second day of homeschooling.
- Rainbow letters spelling his name
- Reading Aloud with lots of questions and conversation within the context of reading comprehension
- Audio Books – His favorites right now include The Boxcar Children, Secrets of Droon Series, and the Magic Tree House Series.
Play/Science
- Lego Building – I invested in a Lego Education Space & Airport Set. There is a lot of building involved in the set as well as lesson ideas. We built a good chunk of the set this week. I have loads of ideas for the next few weeks exploring space, planes, and community helpers.
- Nature Walks – a natural part of our day is to go outside at several points. My sons are always on the hunt for discoveries. Their attention to detail astounds me as we wander through our yard, and especially into our forest.
Related Read: Our Morning Time {Homeschool Routine}
How is your homeschool year going?
Marnie