Curriculum Archives -

A Charlotte Mason Bible Study Lesson

June 15, 2018February 4, 2019 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

A CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE STUDY LESSON

“But let the imaginations of children be stored with the pictures, their minds nourished upon the words, of the gradually unfolding stories of the scriptures, and they will come to look out upon a wide horizon within which persons and events take shape in their due place and in due proportion.” (Mason, vol 1)

First, I explain why I’m focusing subject by subject. I also include Charlotte Mason quotes because I find her original lectures on education to be inspiring and helpful.

Next, please keep reading to see the break down of implementing lessons, the schedule, and resources I’m using that fit our family. Finally, I share the wealth of quality Charlotte Mason resources I have found helpful, from those mothers who have gone before me.

PREPARING THE FEAST

“Our aim in education is to give a full life. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests.” (Mason, vol. 3)

There are MANY subjects included in a Charlotte Mason education because she believed in spreading a wide feast. Sometimes, it feels a bit daunting for a new homeschooling mama. Therefore, I’m attempting to learn, digest, and absorb how I’m going to be teaching each subject. I have decided to compose a blog post on each subject for Form 1B. This will help me prepare to teach my oldest son in the Fall.

SPREADING THE FEAST IS GOOD

“As a matter of fact, it is the man who has read and thought on many subjects who is, with the necessary training, the most capable.” (Mason, vol. 6)

Ms. Mason suggests spreading a wide feast in education, in order to nourish a child’s mind. A Charlotte Mason curriculum aims to be wide and varied. This gives the child a chance to develop many interests and become well rounded. A Charlotte Mason education certainly intends to be rich, varied, and life giving, and this is partly why I choose to focus on her philosophy of education.

“He requires much knowledge, for the mind needs sufficient food as much as does the body.” (Mason, vol. 6)

I became interested in healthy eating almost 12 years ago as a yoga instructor. Once my children were born, I became more focused on nutrition. Thankfully, I was able to breastfeed both children, as babies, because it was a wonderful nutrition option for them.

When I became a Health Coach last year, I focused even more on nutrient dense foods to nourish my family. I aim to give them a great start in their little lives.

“The mind feeds on ideas, and therefore children should have a generous curriculum.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Presently, I continue to to give them a varied and nourishing feast. This carries over to their education. I take it as my job to give a nourishing feast for their minds and body.

Ms. Charlotte Mason also says,

“But, believing that the normal child has powers of mind that fit him to deal with all knowledge proper to him, we must give him a full and generous curriculum…” (Mason, vol. 1)

A CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE STUDY

WHAT

“Children between the ages of six and nine should get a considerable knowledge of the Bible text.” (Mason, vol. 1)

First, Charlotte Mason says a standard Bible should be used. The Bible lesson should not come from a children’s Bible or devotional. Instead, the child should hear the actual text of the Bible since the stories of the Bible are so rich. Therefore, children are worthy of the very best, and rise to the occupation of listening to the Bible in its whole form.

Personally, I choose a beautiful and journaling Bible because I thought I would really enjoy it. So, I’m using a King James Version. Its called Praise: A Creative Journaling Bible.

In Parents and Children, Ms. Mason says the child, “should not be able to recall a time before the sweet stories of old filled his imagination.” (Mason, vol. 2)

If you have preschoolers, this is my FAVORITE Children’s Bible…though the true Bible should also be read to them from a young age.

Finally, THIS is my dream Bible set! Look how beautiful! But, clearly, for a special occasion, because its a little expensive!

WHEN

Charlotte Mason called the Bible lesson, the “chief lesson.” Its upheld as the most important subject, since it teaches a child right from wrong. Therefore, she urges the Bible lesson to be the first lesson of the day. The lesson should be about 15 minutes long. A Charlotte Mason Plenary has linked to the Parent’s Union school Form 1 schedule, which shows “in all cases the Bible text must be read and narrated first.”

Finally, a Bible lesson should occur once a day, five days a week.

Additionally, Sunday readings were recommended from: Parables from Nature.

WHY

“And perhaps it is not too beautiful a thing in this redeemed world, that, as the babe turns to his mother though he has no power to say her name, as the flowers turn to the sun, so the hearts of the children turn to their Savior and God with unconscious delight and trust.” (Mason, vol. 1)

I love this quote because it shows we should model humility, and faith for our children so they may come to have a relationship with God. Perhaps most importantly, the child learns to have a heart for God, and to develop a personal relationship with God.

“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? And He called a little child, and set him in the mist. Here is the divine estimate of the child’s estate.” (Matthew 18: 1-2 King James Version, and Mason, vol. 1)

Then, the Bible goes onto say that those who enter Heaven must be like the child. Since children are so precious to Jesus, we should respect them as persons and nurture them in this endeavor.

“…their Bible lessons should help them to realize in early days that the knowledge of God is the principle knowledge, and therefore, that heir Bible lessons are their chief lessons.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Also:

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name…” (Psalms 92: 1 King James Version)

The purpose of the Bible lessons is to lead the child to the knowledge of God.

HOW

“Read your Bible story to the child bit by bit; get him to tell you in his own words (keeping as close as he can to the Bible words) what you have read, and, then, if you like, talk about it; but not much.” (Mason, vol. 2)

For Form 1B, in other words, first grade, the Bible lesson encompasses most of Genesis from the Old Testament. Also, it is suggested to cover the appropriate portions of Matthew from the New Testament. A Delectable Education recommends to alternate Old Testament and New Testament daily for lessons because it may hold a child’s attention better. Each Bible lesson should cover about 10-20 verses per day.

Additionally, Charlotte Mason says the parent should continue to read aloud the Bible passage, even after a child can read it on his own.

NARRATION

First, read the Bible passage to the child once.
Then, ask the child to tell back what he heard, using as close to the words he heard as possible. This is narration.
Finally, Mama and child can discuss what was read.
As an option, Charlotte Mason Poetry notes suggest on how to begin the lesson: ‘Tell the story to the child, only giving the necessary explanations.’

RESOURCES FOR MAMA

Here are some suggested readings for Mothers to prep Bible lessons and discuss with their children following their narration.

“But it is well to let the pictures tell their own tale. The children should study a subject quietly for a few minutes; and then, the picture being removed, say what they have seen.” (Mason, vol. 1)

PICTURES

Moreover, you can choose to share pictures to compliment the Bible stories following the narration or Bible lesson.

RECITATION

“The learning by heart of Bible passages should begin while the children are quite young, six or seven.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Finally, you can have young children learn by heart parables and stories from the Bible. For recitation purposes, the Homeschool Mama should read aloud the passage a few times. Then, the child can narrate back only when they feel they know the words.

FAVORITE RESOURCES

Finally, I have come across some outstanding resources in learning about a Charlotte Mason education. I’m so happy to share them with you! Some of these are sources I return to daily because I’m preparing to teach my children. Also, some of these listed below are specific to a Charlotte Mason Bible lesson study.

GENERAL CHARLOTTE MASON RESOURCES

A Charlotte Mason Soiree Educator Courses (free and amazing!)
A Charlotte Mason Soiree Facebook Support/Discussion Group
Volume 1 Charlotte Mason’s Home Education
Volume 2 Charlotte Mason’s Parents and Children
Volume 3 Charlotte Mason’s School Education
A Delectable Education Scheduling Cards
A Delectable Education Curriculum Templates
Morning Tide to Even Tide Homeschool Planner

CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE LESSON RESOURCES

A Delectable Education podcast on the Bible subject
Also another A Delectable Education podcast on a simulated Bible lesson
My Current Bible I plan to use for lessons (Praise: A Creative Journaling Bible, King James Version)
Charlotte Mason Poetry – Presentation on Mason’s Program for Bible Lessons
Penny Gardener Children’s Bible Scripture Suggestions
Suggested Bible Artwork Resource
Another Bible Artwork Space Online
Homeschooling Printing Company to Print out Bible Pictures
King James Version of the Bible
Parent’s Union School Form 1 Schedule
Dream Bible Set
Volume 1 Charlotte Mason’s Home Education (pg. 247-253)

OUR PICKS

Finally, if you are interested in additional Charlotte Mason information, feel free to check out these previous blog posts:

Thank you so much for checking in! Please stay tuned for the next A Charlotte Mason Subject Lesson post.

Homeschool Preschool Supplies List

All of the quotes mentioned in this blog post, come from Home Education by Charlotte Mason. The Living Press published my favorite version of her books. I TRULY recommend any parent read Charlotte Mason’s books since I have gained so much from them! They are truly treasured words I believe I will be reading and re-reading for many years to come.

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

Letter J Preschool Unit

January 17, 2018March 20, 2018 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter J. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

We currently follow the Peaceful Preschool curriculum by Jennifer Pepito and we love it! The content is full of rich literature, therefore it is a perfect fit for my book-loving family. We read through many rich, classic stories. We also complete playful projects to go with the literature theme or letter. Download Unit A for free to try it out with your littles to see if you like it.

The community she has created is such a beautiful resource and I’m grateful to be a part of it. Jennifer has included a wonderful preschool e-book which helps you prepare to guide your child in early learning. We have found her curriculum perfect for our homeschool preschool. The curriculum is comprised of Read Aloud, Phonics, Counting Skills, Fine Motor Skills, Large Motor Skills, Practical Life Skills, and Art Skills. Also, here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. Feel free to explore all of our letter units!

LETTER J REVIEW

Its so exciting to discover a new letter together! The focus books for letter J are The Giant Jam Sandwich and Sheep in a Jeep. We also added Jack and the Beanstalk since we all love reading, and I already had a few different older versions from my childhood on hand. Finally, we read the Jesus Storybook Bible Jonah and the Whale story.

GLITTER GLUE LETTERS

Next, we created glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

My parents gave the boys some Glitter Markers so they were eager for this letter to try them out. Typically, however, we use the glitter glue as mentioned above for this activity since it is recommended by the Peaceful Preschool.

J IS FOR JEEP

For our first book, we read Sheep in a Jeep. The boys liked this book because it is simple with lots of rhyming words. After reading it through the first time, we read through it a few more times, and they took turns finishing the sentences!

I found a tutorial on You Tube on how to draw a simple jeep. We each drew a jeep on these watercolor postcards we had left over from my older son’s art birthday party. My older son did an excellent job drawing out his jeep, although he got frustrated with some of the process, so he made a second drawing.

My youngest son LOVES these oil pastels so I thought he would be interested in coloring in the jeep I drew with them. When he finishes up a picture, he loves to rub his fingers all over the chalk or oil drawing. We have so much fun using our hands to create and learn!

Jeep Study

COUNTING

Since we were focusing on a jeep/car theme, we gathered toy cars from around the house. Next, the boys sorted them by color, and matched them with their corresponding number cards. My youngest loves to trace the numbers and letters with his fingers, and my oldest also sorted them by size!

J IS FOR JONAH

We LOVE Jesus and the Storybook Bible. Next to Nature Anatomy, it is probably one of our most well-read books. My boys love manipulating the play dough. Since I try hard to keep natural materials for our children to play with, I usually purchase natural options or make our own. We purchased this lovely wooden play dough set more than a year ago and it has had lots of use! I love how it comes with some lavender and chamomile calming herbs to enhance the senses.

We also brought out some sea creature cookie cutters we used in our letter F unit to go along with the Jonah and the Whale study. The boys took turns making sea creatures from modeling clay.

LETTER J WRITING PRACTICE

I saw this idea from my friend on Instagram. She traced over this letter board so we just had to try it too! The boys were delighted to see the letters show up on the paper because they are beautiful! My oldest son is interested in handwriting and therefore we practice handwriting often in the car. I love using these mini chalkboards because they are convenient, a great size, and come in their own pouch for easy clean up!

J IS FOR JAM

We make it a priority to eat nourishing foods, so when I found this lovely wildberry jam at Whole Foods that contains no sugar I was super excited! The boys spread it on gluten free toast on their own and made a delicious snack to enjoy while we read through the Giant Jam Sandwich.

We were able to check this book out, from our local library. It was a big hit because it was also the audio version. We read through this story about 15 times. The boys didn’t want to take the book back to the library since they loved it so much! If you have never read this book, I highly recommend it!

Previously, we made homemade strawberry jam together. Here is the recipe here if you want to give it a try because it is so simple and easy!

Finally, we painted our letter J template with jam!

J IS FOR JELLY

These three part cards can be found at Simply Learning Kids. My boys are finally grasping this activity well enough to do all of the cards in one sitting. We finished off the activity with a Peanut Butter and Jelly Larabar! I feel good about giving these as a convenient snack to my boys occassionally because they are gluten free, contain simple ingredients, and they love them! I have found the price is better on Amazon so if we are going to have them, I make sure to order them there.

Finally, we practiced handwriting skills with these free sheets from Simply Learning Kids. We have used these alphabet stamps many times. This was one of the first times my oldest son tried to write the word completely on his own, which was super fun to observe!

SUPPLIES

The Giant Jam Sandwich
Jesus Storybook Bible
Glitter Glue
Oil Pastels
Modeling Clay
Alphabet Stamps
Watercolor Paint Brushes
Tactile Letters
Rainbow Stamp Pad

OUR PICKS

Finally, here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. We had so much fun with letter A and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter I Preschool Unit

December 21, 2017March 20, 2018 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter I. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER I REVIEW

We began the letter I unit and had so much fun with it! The focus books for letter I are Ice Cream Summer, Inch by Inch, and a story from the Jesus Storybook Bible. Also, we read The Little Island, and listened to the audio version of this one before we purchased it.

Then, we created glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

We used some spare loose parts to create ice cream cones and also read through Ice Cream Summer.

I IS FOR ICE CREAM

I love gaining inspiration for our homeschool on Pinterest. This simple idea came from Pinterest to cut out ice cream templates using colorful construction paper we already had on hand. The boys took turn adding scoops to correspond with the number on the ice cream cone.

SENSORY WRITING PRACTICE

Next, we added old sprinkles to a tray so the boys could practice writing the letter I.

I love providing these tactile, sensory experiences for them. Of course, the boys take the opportunity to sneak a few sprinkles into their mouths!

ICE CREAM PLAY

The boys worked together to “earn” this special Melissa and Doug Ice Cream Shop about six months ago. We brought it out to go along with our ice cream theme since it worked perfectly!

We also played with these felt ice cream shapes and glitter. I wouldn’t recommend it however, because it was time consuming for Mama to make and one of those activities that the boys were not engaged in for very long.

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

Last summer, we purchased our first homemade ice cream maker and made our own strawberry mint sorbet. I counted this as “ice cream.” The boys loved helping me make this recipe and it was super simple. Feel free to read the post which includes this recipe here.

ICE CREAM – LICK HONEST ICE CREAM VISIT

Finally, we visited our favorite ice cream spot: Lick Honest Ice Cream. I love going here for an occasional treat because they offer delicious vegan ice cream made with coconut milk.

Then, for their dairy versions, they source milk from local dairy farms who feed their cows primarily grass. We try for whole milk, grass fed dairy options we can! Another sneaky trick about this place is they offer a hot pink ice cream which my boys love and the flavor is Beet Mint! I love how adventurous my little eaters are.

COUNTING PRACTICE

We reviewed our numbers with these beautiful wooden trays from Jennifer. One side is a great fine motor and counting activity using these little wooden beads.

And the other side has numbers for tracing and writing practice.

We reviewed numbers 0-10 with these fun tactile sandpaper numbers that come with a really nice storage box.

Finally, we created more glitter glue numbers and reviewed them. These are such sweet cards that come with the curriculum.

BALANCE BEAM – LARGE MOTOR SKILLS

Then, we found an old board lying around and some left over brick when our house was built. The boys helped me create a balance beam and then took turns using it!

We took out our measuring tape to measure how long and wide the board was.

I IS FOR INCH WORM

Have you read Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni before? It is a quick read and I love the illustrations and focus on nature. It is a sweet story of a clever inch worm who is requested to measure different birds. After reading the story, we collected some of the boys toys and measured how long they were.

ALPHABET PRACTICE

I love these beautiful sandpaper alphabet cards and they are pretty inexpensive. Its really nice to have the boys trace these with their fingers to practice pre writing skills. My youngest especially loves to practice writing this way! We also used play dough to form letters. I think my oldest made A, B, and C before moving onto another activity.

I IS FOR ICING

Finally, during this time of letter I study, we celebrated my oldest’s fifth birthday. I made homemade sweets for his little party. We made a healthy cocoa sweet potato icing since it was delicious, nutritious and easy! If you are interested in learning more about clean eating, check out my wellness mamas post here.

SUPPLIES

Montessori Moveable Alphabet
Sandpaper Alphabet Cards
Ice Cream Summer
Inch by Inch
Jesus Storybook Bible
Construction Paper
Sprinkles
Cusinart Ice Cream Maker
Montessori Sandpaper Numbers
Glitter Glue
Natural Play Dough
Melissa and Doug Wooden Ice Cream Shop

OUR PICKS

Finally, here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. We had so much fun with letter A and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter C Preschool Unit

July 30, 2017September 1, 2017 nourishedchildren 2 Comments

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter A. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER C REVIEW

The letter C unit was fun! There was so much to explore. We began by creating our glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, textured alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

EXPLORING NATURE

We went outside and gathered wildflowers since our yard is full of them. This time of year, the wildflowers begin to fade, so we were lucky! We sorted the flowers, and counted them with our number cards. Finally, we filled up our letter C template with petals.

LETTER C INSPIRED FOOD

Included in the curriculum, is a homemade whipping cream recipe. It was simple and easy to make. We mixed three ingredients in a small, mason jar. When it was complete, my boys topped homemade gluten-free pancakes with it.

My boys also worked with their daddy in the kitchen. They sorted, counted, and peeled heirloom carrots. We are members of a local CSA and these carrots were from Johnson’s Backyard Garden.

BOOKS

We read through Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. This one surprised me because at first glance, I thought it was too babyish. It is a wonderful alphabet book and my children love it! They have brought this book to me countless times to read aloud. Corduroy was the next book to read. This was nostalgic for me since I also read this story as a child. To include an activity, we counted and sorted buttons.

We also began a simple button sewing craft on burlap to enhance fine motor skills. I gained the idea from the Peaceful Preschool community Facebook page and I’m so grateful to have this as a resource.

ADDITIONAL BOOK AND ACTIVITY

I also included the Carrot Seed book. We purchased it at Half Price books for a few dollars. My children, especially my youngest, love the story. We created a sensory bin for them to plant carrots. I found a similar idea on Pinterest. Dried chickpeas became the rocky soil. My older son and I made carrots out of natural scented play dough. He also added brown play dough for dirt soil and planted a chickpea seed.

In conclusion, we cut out and differentiated between Living and Non Living characters and parts from the story. I’m so thankful for the Peaceful Preschool curriculum because it provides the boys with many skills they need. Most of all, we are having fun while we are learning.

SUPPLIES

Glitter Pens
Vanilla
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Corduroy
Colorful Buttons
Burlap
Plastic Needle
The Carrot Seed
Natural Play Dough
Wooden Trays

Also, here is how we enjoyed the letter D unit. I can’t wait to share what we are learning next!

Letter E Preschool Unit

July 18, 2017September 1, 2017 nourishedchildren 4 Comments

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter A. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER E REVIEW

We loved the letter E unit! The focus was on eggs and that is one thing we love. Eggs are a great superfood so this Mama was happy to introduce a unit focusing on them. We began by creating our glitter glue alphabet letters and read through Rechenka’s Eggs. We had fun creating bird’s nests out of natural play dough and making miniature play dough eggs for the nest. It was such a joy since I got to see my sons get creative in forming the nest and eggs.

The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, textured alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far, and it is really one of my children’s favorite parts. They added birdseed to their letter E template and we also added bird seed to our bird feeder out in the front!

E IS FOR EGG

We made hard boiled eggs together and dyed them with natural dye. My boys participated in collecting ice so we could cool down the eggs in an ice bath. They also love dipping the eggs in the natural dye we created out of blueberries, turmeric, and spinach. I typically have brown eggs on hand and they don’t work as well as white eggs in absorbing the color!

We counted and sorted a dozen wooden eggs. The boys made muffins and cookies with their pretend blender set and they used their wooden eggs in their pretend play.

Colored Egg Play. Boys helping in the kitchen.

I have created a Preschool Letter Unit for each letter on Pinterest. Pinterest provides a wealth of inspiration for extension ideas to go along with the Peaceful Preschool. We also use Simply Learning Kids to add additional learning activities. My boys took turns cutting various egg cracks and matching them back together in order to practice fine motor skills and work with patterns.

Then, we used some wooden buttons to complete an egg shape. My older son also had more scissor practice as he cut out the egg shapes and matched them together.

Finally, to wrap up the letter E unit, we used watercolors to paint the Earth. You can purchase watercolor paints at Target, however, we really enjoy these from Amazon.

SUPPLIES

Rechenka's Eggs
Glitter Glue
Natural Play Dough
Sunflower Bird Seed
Scissors
Wooden Eggs
Wood Mixer Toy Set
Wooden Buttons
Washable Tempera Paints
Watercolor Paper
Nature Anatomy Book

Please let me know if you have any questions. Finally, we hope you enjoy nourishing your children too! We can’t wait to share our next letter since we are having so much fun!

OUR PICKS

 </p> <p>

Here is how we schedule our days.

We Love Simply Learning Kids

May 31, 2017August 19, 2017 nourishedchildren 5 Comments

SIMPLY LEARNING KIDS

We began our preschool at home using free curriculum, books and projects provided by Simply Learning Kids. I highly encourage you to check Kaitlyn out – she’s amazing! We have read and created learning opportunites on great preschool toddler books suggested by Simply Learning Kids such as: Good Night Gorilla, Little Blue Truck and Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site. The three books listed above are repeatedly requested by my youngest three-year-old. When my oldest son was two, these were on consistent rotation as well! I just love these board books – there are so many different discussions and themes to build on and play with that can spark your imagination (and your children’s) while reading these stories. The illustrations and sweet little stories stick in your mind long after you close the books.

There are consistently the same education tools used in Simplylearningkids with each of her literature units:

great books
three-part cards (a Montessori concept)
fun, hands-on activities that promote exploration of letters
simple counting activities
crafts

DOWNLOAD EACH LETTER UNIT FOR FREE. Simply click on the link and it will download to your computer in a PDF format. Then, you can choose to print off the pages you would like your child to work on. I like to coincide the Simply Learning letter units with the Peaceful Preschool curriculum we are currently using. So, after we introduce a letter with the Peaceful Preschool, we then complete the Simply Learning letter that corresponds with it.

PRESCHOOL AT HOME

This was our first introduction into preschool at home. We fit it into our schedule when we can, and I continue with my children only as far as they are interested. Above all, I maintained an attitude of no pressure. They love it! We enjoy focusing on the good books, fun and simple crafts therefore my children have so much fun. This is our first time working on becoming familiar with letters. The art projects are so much fun (even for Mama). We can help you find our list of essential preschool homeschool supplies.

Best of all, her resources are completely free! She also has an abundance of resources on Pinterest to compliment her learning units. You can follow her on Pinterest here for even more ideas on supplementing your current learning curriculum.

Kaitlyn has a visually pleasing blog and recommends some great quality products. I was one thankful Mama when I found her website since she makes teaching easy. The peace of mind that comes from simply being able to download a learning unit and immediately work on it with my children has been phenomenal. Please check simplylearningkids.com out!

Simply Learning Kids Duck Craft Letter D

OUR PICKS

Playing with Nature and Homemade Playdough Recipe

Essential Homeschool Preschool Supplies

May 29, 2017December 2, 2017 nourishedchildren 4 Comments

HOMESCHOOL PRESCHOOL SUPPLIES

My children are at home for preschool. I enjoy keeping them close, and because I love learning and teaching, this is a good fit for our family. While you don’t need a ton of materials to get started teaching your children, there are some key supplies very useful to have on hand. I love online shopping on Amazon because it is so convenient, especially when you have littles. I like to click on items we need, and then click on “Save it for Later” because it will save in my Amazon cart. Then, when financially possible, I move it to my cart so we can purchase what we need!

ORGANIZATION SUPPLIES

First, find a yearly planner you love to use because you will use it often. I like the ones without dates because you can customize it to fit your needs. We use the curriculum from thepeacefulpreschool.com since it has been amazing for us! I can’t wait to share with you some lovely lessons we are moving through from the Peaceful Preschool since they have been fun and filled with learning. You can also download unit A for FREE to see if it is a good fit for your family! Finally, we use both our dinner table and a child sized table for our preschool needs.

ARTS AND CRAFTS SUPPLIES

We mostly spend our time together, reading classic books, and playing with art! We value nature outings, a minimal home atmosphere, and quality children’s toys and materials. However, it can be expensive to choose quality! Therefore, we include both quality items and affordable items when we choose our homeschool supplies. My boys love to freely draw with the oil pastels and usually make a big mess. I don’t mind the mess because they are creative!

LETTER LEARNING

Alphabet Stamps
Alphabet Manipulatives
Letter Work
Lowercase Alphabet Stamps
Sandpaper Letters
Tactile Letters
Animal Alphabet Cards
Magnetic Black Chalkboard with Chalk Tray

OPTIONAL SUPPLIES FOR LEARNING

We purchased our wooden calendar fromJennifer Etsy shop since it is adorable. This may be one of the most expensive purchases yet, but it is such a great and beautiful learning resource. We enjoy talking about change of seasons, months, weeks and days with this beautiful resource. We also bought the small wooden clock and this wooden alphabet tracing board. I could purchase one of each item from their shop since they are so beautiful and well made.

I also purchased the nature themed play dough set from the Montessorirestore shop for my son’s birthday. My children could play with this for hours daily. The set allows for their creativity, and I love they are playing with items from nature. They use the play dough to form letters and also reinforce concepts from the stories they are hearing.

BOOKS

We stick close to the books that are part of the Peaceful Preschool curriculum because they are typically classics. You can find the books listed below on Amazon. You can also choose to check them out at the library for free! Below are some books we love that are additional to the curriculum we use. My children bring these to many over and over to read aloud because they are so good!

BOOKS FOR MAMA

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

Then, butterfly symmetry art supplies because we love art

Also, here are five amazing art supplies for preschoolers.

OUR PICKS

While there are tons of useful learning supplies for your homeschool preschool, these are the ones I have found to be necessary for us.

Finally, what are your favorite homeschool supplies?

Tag: Curriculum

A Charlotte Mason Bible Study Lesson

A CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE STUDY LESSON

PREPARING THE FEAST

SPREADING THE FEAST IS GOOD

A CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE STUDY

WHAT

WHEN

WHY

HOW

NARRATION

RESOURCES FOR MAMA

PICTURES

RECITATION

FAVORITE RESOURCES

GENERAL CHARLOTTE MASON RESOURCES

CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE LESSON RESOURCES

OUR PICKS

Letter J Preschool Unit

Letter I Preschool Unit

Letter C Preschool Unit

Letter E Preschool Unit

We Love Simply Learning Kids

About This Site

Search