Today was our second day of home preschool. It was a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon. I am finding that this structure in the home is GOOD for me. The thing I struggle with most these days is wanting so badly to stay home, but then going stir-crazy after having been home for only an hour or two since my children seem to get bored and whiney so easily. Sometimes it is a sanity-saver to wake up, serve breakfast, get everyone dressed, and then get out of the house as soon as possible. I'll go shopping, run errands, and even reward myself with a cup of Starbucks coffee from the drive-thru. Then I'll come home, serve lunch, and then get the boys down for a nap. The trouble is that while the boys seem to be happier with the get-out-of-the-house/get-up-and-go lifestyle, it's exhausting me. I can't get the laundry done when I'm not home. I can't cook a meal when I'm not home. I can't blog when I'm not at home. So there has to be a balance. There just has to be. And finding that 'balance' is something I am trying so hard to do as a mother. My growing belly and the little kicks I've been experiencing are also a constant reminder that in four months I will be forced to create a more disciplined home-centered life.
Home preschool is helping with this. The structure it provides has been good for both me and the boys. Since the teacher comes twice a week from 11:15 - 12:00 (Tuesdays and Thursdays), this means that I stay home all day on those days. This leaves Monday mornings and Wednesday mornings for outings and errands. Friday mornings I have playgroup with some of my closest mother friends, and then I volunteer as a doula at the hospital on Fridays from 3-11. I am also still teaching my Bradley childbirth classes on Wednesday nights which I love. And if I or the boys are getting restless, I can always head to the drop-in Playschool down the street - an absolute sanity saver. Winters are really tough in New England, especially with small children, so I am already preparing.
Today the teacher brought over an activity that corresponded to the book of the week. Leo learned to make a barn using scissors, construction paper, crayons, stickers, and school glue. Behind the doors of the barn he was able to put stickers of his two favorite animals from the story. He chose a butterfly and a puppy.
The teacher helped teach Leo how to use glue for the first time (Leo insisted on calling it "lotion")...
Then the teacher taught Leo how to use some special scissors designed for 3 year-old's. Leo had trouble learning to use the scissors, so the teacher gave them to him (for keeps!) so he could practice.
Then the teacher pulled a wooden alphabet train out of her bag. Each 'train car' had a letter on it, and they all connected magnetically to form words. Leo was asked to find all the letters "A-Z," identify them, and then connect them in alphabetical order. He was able to identify the letters quite well, though he had a difficult time connecting all of them in alphabetical order, which was interesting to me as a parent since he LOVES to sing the alphabet song, and can sing it perfectly! So this is something we can work on this week together. What boy doesn't love trains?
It was a wonderful visit, and we are definitely looking forward to the teacher returning on Tuesday! By then I am hoping Leo will be able to connect all of the trains in alphabetical order! It's nice to have goals, and some direction. As a side note, I was amazed how restless Leo was until the teacher came. He was whining and complaining about trivial things, and then when she showed up and started interacting with him, he was super-focused. Hmm... So this means all I have to do to keep my kids from whining is to fully engage them every second of every day they're awake? :-)
3 comments:
What a great idea! Where on earth did you find a "teacher" who comes to your home?
@ Ashley - See the post further down entitled "Home Preschool." I explain how the program works in that post. This is a FREE program our town offers as an alternative to formal preschool which costs $1,500 per/year. It's excellent. Parents must be present for the entire sessions. The teacher comes twice a week for 45 minutes, and you get the same teacher for THREE YEARS. And as an added bonus, we get to keep all of the books and materials she brings. It's really great. We've known a lot of good families out here who've taken advantage of the program.
That is so cool. Yes, the structure and being at home more will be really important.
I'm amazed at kids who can recognize letters. John finally recognizes one letter (J) and he turns four in six weeks. And he knows no letter-sound pairings.
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