8/20 Last day of week

Wow this week went by fast! Last day of school for the week. Unfortunately I REALLY wasn't into the school spirit this morning. I didn't sleep well...and let's put it this way...for this particular moment...I LOVED being the teacher! I slept in! :-) I know...not exactly what I NEEDED to do...but I did.

10 a.m I roll out of bed and we go ahead and get started. Thank goodness my husband was here to feed my little man and get him going....too bad he won't teach him today! :-) So it starts the same...pledge, day, calendar, weather, and song. Then we got started. I wanted to tie in some words in the lesson...of course starting with the letter B. So first I give him a worksheet that has pictures on the left side and words on the right. He has to read the words and match to the pictures. Now I have been working with him on words. Every time he asks what something says...I tell him to sound it out as he knows all the sounds of the letters. And he does fairly well with it. So I give him the worksheet...he does it PERFECT! I was blown away! He took every letter in the word, sounded it out, then kept saying it over and over till he figured it out! I was absolutely amazed! The next worksheet had a picture on the left and then on the right...five words to choose from. You had to circle the right word for the picture. Again...no problem! The one that really amazed me was at the top there was a pic of a banana. The words beside it was, bandanna, ball, barn, bell banana. He of course circles the right word...but I asked him why he didn't pick the first word (bandanna). He then explains to me that "banana" does not have a "D" in it and that word did! How smart! So I am totally impressed!
So then I give him a word search that I had made...and of course all the words started with B. He was intimidated...but once I showed him how to do it...he really picked up quick. And again...no problems! I swear...this boy will be reading novels before kindergarten! And it was NO thanks to me! He is just sooooo smart! Here are some pics....


11 a.m. We take a quick bathroom break and get back at it since school was going to be short today. So we moved into the feelings , which was the last part of my "All about me" theme. Austin has a problem dealing with frustration and anger. He is very quick to anger, especially when things don't go just as he wants. He tends to yell at his Daddy more than me...then he breaks down into tears. And I know that he gets that from me. I am bi-poloar and I have issues with my anger. And knowing that he takes that from me really bothers me. So I wanted to definitely go through this part with him and focus on appropriate behaviours. So we did some flash cards with faces I had drawn on them and he was to tell me what that "person" was feeling. Then we talked about them and what we do with our faces and how we react. Then we did a little role play and then I found some videos online about feelings. I got them off the Sesame Street website. It was really good. There was one that had Baby Bear and Whoopi Goldberg on it talking about anger...and it seemed to really resonate with Austin. Then lastly...I give him a worksheet and he had to draw different faces for what it was labeled for...like angry, happy, surprised, etc,. He did really good on that.

12:30 p.m. So we wrap up with a review of the entire week and what we learned. He remembered every little thing! It was awesome. Then I had Daddy and Gramma come in and see what he did for the day and we ended with the "Shake Your Sillies Out" song and the "Head and Shoulders" song.

So all in all...it was a really great week. I think he learned a lot and had fun as well. Me... I learned just how smart my little boy was...and got to spend one on one with him. But I have to say...those who are REAL teachers...BLESS YOU! My goodness....it is a LOT of work. Trying to get everything together..for all the kids...Whew! And I just do it for ONE! It's a lot of work...but it is totally worth it!

So week one...done. Next week...BUGS! :-)

8/16/10

So today was a slow day for me...I was NOT feeling well due to a annoying monthly visitor from Mother Nature. So I slept in a bit...at least until 8:20 am. Finally got up and let the dogs out.Open the door to come back in and find my son standing there waiting on me. I was a little surprised. He then informs me that he had snuck out of bed and slept with his Gamma all night. Well, I am not going to get upset...as long as it doesn't become a habit. So we go up and eat breakfast. I am still yawing when we start school...but at least we started on time today! :-)

9am- We say the Pledge of Alligence and I am amazed at now how many words he knows! Quite impressed! Then we do the day and the date and he moves his little "dud" on his calendar. Then we do weather. To add to a miserable day...it is cloudy outside and looks like it is ready to just POUR rain! So I decide to start off with some music and dancing....to get the blood pumping and try to wake up a little. We start with "Head and Shoulders" sticking with the body theme. Then we did "Shake my Sillies Out"....if you have never heard this song...download it! It is so cute and awesome. We shook, nodded, jumped, an wiggled along with the song and Austin LOVED it! And it really put me in a better mood! It was so fun we did it twice!
Now it was time for some work. I decided to do the organs lesson last. So we worked on this weeks letter and shape. I had worksheets that I printed off line as well as took out of some worksheet books I had got him at the dollar store. He did good. His writing is average. He doesn't always go from top to bottom of line...but he's learning. Coloring has come a LONG way since he was in Preschool in South Carolina! He does reasonably well without going out of the lines too much. He got kinda sloppy on the circle worksheets though. But one thing we will have to work on is drawing circles. They are "circular" but needs some sharpening. He also did a worksheet where he has to figure out the first letter in the word. He totally whizzed through that one like it was nothing! Another amazement! Here are some pics:

10:30 Snack and bathroom break. Austin had fruit while I made some tea. After he finished we were ready to do the lesson on our organs. So we did a science project about our heart. I explained what the heart does and why. I then took a balloon and put a straw in it, filled it with water, and squeezed lightly in a beating manner. What happened? The water squirted each time I would "beat the heart". Austin thought that was just AWESOME! He had to do it for himself...he loved it! Even Robby was impressed by my make-shift heart! :-) So then we headed back to my office. There I showed him some pics of different organs that I had drew out for him. I drew facial features to make them more..."Cute". So I went through and explained what they did. My son then raises his hand, and I acknowlege him. He then asks me why does all of our organs smile all the time?Ahhha....the simplicity of a child. We then color them and cut them out. I put tape on the back and stick them on Austin where they would really go. However...if you ever decide to do this...learn from my mistake as the "Brain" stuck to his hair and his skin and when I took it off...there were a LOT of tears! So might not want to do that! But I had him go and do a presentation for his Daddy and explained what he learned....and he did really great. Then we come back into the office and I had him put his paper organs on his paper self that we made on Monday. He had NO problems. Put them exactly where they went! His favorite organ? Large intestine...that is what makes poop! Hehehe! Here are some pics:


So that was it today. We finished up...had lunch and Daddy and Gramma took him bowling for his play time. Mommy...stayed home and rested to complete peace and quiet! :-)

1st day of school!

Monday, August 16...first day of school. I know...I am pretty horrible making him start a day before everyone else...but he's almost 5...how's he gonna know? :-) So today actually went very well. Austin was VERY excited going to bed last night...he couldn't wait to learn!
So I did some research and seen curriculum's of different preschools and decided to combine ideas of others and customize my own. Each week there will be a different theme, along with a letter, shape, and color. I had my son tell me some of the things that he would like to learn about for ideas on themes. His first answer was, " I want to learn about why plugs shock you if you put your fingers in them." I sat in awe for a moment. How incredibly inquisitive that was and at the same time...definitely something a child would ask. So not really sure on a theme for that one...maybe energy? If anyone has any ideas...please let me know!

So anyway...This week's
Theme: All About Me
Letter: B
Shape: Circle
Color: Green

So here is how our day went:

7:30 a.m. After hitting snooze a couple of times...I finally roll out of bed. My dogs who usually jump up the moment my feet hit the floor to go out...never moved a muscle. Wusses. I get myself woke enough to put in my contacts, brush my hair, and get dressed. I then go to my office where school will be held and make sure I have all my things in order. I also check my business emails and get a bit of paperwork done.

8:34 a.m. I have lost track of time...I was going to get my son up by 8 a.m. Crap. So I go in and lovingly wake him up. As excited as he was last night I thought he would bound out of bed. Instead he stretches and says " can we not do that later today?" I swear day after day he gets more like his father. So he FINALLY gets out of bed and gets dressed. I fix our breakfast. I go to sit down and my lazy dogs have decided to become part of the living...and they need out. Grabbing a bite of cereal and telling my son to hurry and eat...I lead the dogs downstairs. My 10 year old Scottish Terrier waits patiently as I go to unlock the door, while my 3 year old teacup Yorkie is doing so many circles that he is surely about to hurl himself into the air. So the dogs are out and I run back up to finish breakfast. I find my son playing airplanes with his pop tart. It is now 8:52 a.m. and I am NOT wanting to start late! I am late for EVERYTHING...but I can surely do THIS on time. I again tell my son to hurry. I sit down...then I hear an awful rumbling growling sound followed by a sound that I will just simply say unfortunately is the common sound that comes from a man's bottom side....my husband was awake. He then hollers at me and asked if I had made his doctor's appointment. Double crap. And yes... I do just about everything for my husband. I am surprised he wipes his own butt. BUT.. :-)... I love him dearly and don't mind it. So I take another bite of cereal and grab my phone and make his appointment. I rush back to find my son has finally finished his Pop Tart, my cereal is smushy, and it is now 9:08 a.m. Already off to a great start!

9-ish: So we finally get into my office...his classroom. I have the desk cleared and everything ready to go. New pencils, markers, crayons, glue, scissors, paper, dry erase board, and even an American Flag hanging. Austin's eyes were wide with amazement! He sit down...speechless as he looked at everything.Then he said, "Wow momma! You finally cleaned off your desk!" Kids....you gotta love 'em. So I explain to him what we were doing and for how long. Then we done the pledge of allegiance. He says that's a lot of words to remember. Then we talked about the date and so I had made him a calendar and put it on my cork board. I then took a fuzzy craft ball, put eyes on it, drew a mouth, and glued him to a tack. Austin then takes this little "dude" as he calls it and puts it on the correct day. Next we do weather. I made some weather cards out of blank index cards. I had sunny, rainy, partly cloudy, cloudy, stormy, windy, and snowy. I had him look outside and tell me which one matched the weather today. He did great...partly cloudy! Now it was time for the lesson. Today we were talking about the body. I showed him a picture of a "cute" skeleton. We talked about what a skeleton is and why we have one. We also talked about other creatures that have skeletons. I took out a worksheet that I had made about skeletons. I had downloaded pics of different animals skeletons and then pics of the actual animals and had him draw lines to match them up. Then I had drew a replica of the "cute" skeleton and then cut in different pieces: Head, torso, hips, arms, hands, legs, and feet. His job was to glue the skeleton together the way that the original skeleton looked. He done really well! Here are some pics:


So now we talk about muscles and why we have them. He of course has to show me the only muscle he knows, thanks to his Daddy...his bicep. Hey...at least it was a muscle! So then we talked about the things that we needed to do to maintain our bodies. He come up with a great idea...he said..."Well if our bodies run down...we just need to put new batteries in them. Mommy? Where do our batteries go?" Stone faced I told him to ask his Daddy after class! :-) hehehe!

10:30 a.m. Snack and bathroom break. He gulps down some fruit, his favorite snack, and I refill my cup for my much needed sugar rush from Sweet Tea. Breaks over! Back to work!

10:45 a.m. We are making a life sized Austin. He is soooo excited! So he lays down on butcher paper and I trace the outline of his body. Now I am VERY artistic and can paint, draw, and sculpt really well...however...my tracing skills are the result of sleep deprivation in this instance! :-) After I get done tracing him I have him draw his face, hair, and clothes. Then he asked where his privates were on his drawing of himself. All I can think about is I only have a year to deprogram his Daddy-isms out of him! So he forgets that and goes along. Here are those pics:


So the whole body drawing was a success. He even draw his plaid shorts! It was very cute! Now it was back to the classroom. So we hang paper Austin up. Now Austin wants to draw me a picture. So I let him and while he is drawing we listen to the song "Dem Bones". This is a bluesy style and he loves it. And he draws an adorable picture of me with one of my favorite things...flowers. And he is obviously listened to what I have talked about. He included a head, neck, arms, hands with fingers, torso, hips, legs, and feet with toes! Normally when he drew people it was a circle head with face, a stick body, and sticks for arms and legs! So that was really cool!


Its now about 11:30 and we have 30 minutes till lunch. So I squeeze in the 5 senses and we practice writing some B's with a green marker. Then circle the ones that are really good.

12:00 p.m. Lunch

12:30 This time was suppose to be for outside play...but I had to end up putting him to bed early because I had to get ready to take my husband to his doctor's appointment. Gramma was home to watch him. So I read him a story, snuggled a bit, and then tucked him into bed.

Day one...all I can say....unexpectedly fun. Really. As chaotic as it was... it was fun teaching him things and seeing him actually using what he learned. It was a great one on one with my son that I hadn't had with him in a while. I stay so busy that I just couldn't slow down for hardly 30 minutes. So the past three and a half hours were a lot of fun. Now I am not naive and think that everyday is going to be like this...but I will take it for what it is...one day at a time! So can I do this? Today...yes. Let's see what Wednesday holds! :-)

Welcome!!

Hello and welcome to my Home school Preschool Style blog. My name is Arlissa Green. I have made this blog for two reasons. One, for friends and family to see how my son is doing in "Preschool" and two, to show and give advice to other mothers who are thinking about homeschooling their Preschooler. My life is busy as can be and making the choice to home school my son for Preschool was a hard one. Where do I have the time? I am an artist with a successful business, a homemaker, mother, wife, daughter, and friend...who can't even keep up with the demands of THOSE responsibilities! How could I possibly home school? I have no training...no resources. I consider myself relatively smart...but teaching is something I never had the dream of doing. I have witnessed home schooling gone bad and I don't want to start and then something happen and I don't finish. It isn't fair to my son. However...with today's economy...we just couldn't afford to send him to Preschool and we made too much to enroll in head start...so we had to do something. So I made the decision to do it...really without telling anyone until just a couple of days before we started. I am sure there are those who think that I won't follow through. But this is my son and getting him ready for kindergarten is something that I think that is important. So after many hours of researching, using my creativity, and organizing...class is about ready.

I will be holding my son's Preschool Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m - 1 p.m.

So can I do this? Really...I don't have a clue. But I will try my best...because my son deserves it. So follow along with me as I hopefully have some great accomplishments and some inevitable failures.