At Home Learning: Homeschool Supplies on the Fly

I'm becoming increasingly excited about our decision to home school our PreK aged daughter. The process has become much less overwhelming and now my focus is all on preparation. I was super excited to hit the mother-load in the Target dollar section recently. I officially purchased my first home school supplies on a complete whim, which is something that happens often at Target! I was quite pleased at my finds - jumbo dice, counting blocks, number and alphabet charts, a weather chart and a day of the week chart. What a score! One of my favorite items is a "feelings wheel." I snagged a few extra for work. My little one is already eager to get some use out of that materials. 

I have a decent board racking up ideas on Pinterest, I'm hoping that by the end of next week I'll have a basic curriculum made and a supply list, so the real shopping can begin. I am also going to scour the interwebs for home schooling corner inspiration. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a dedicated space to materials and supplies for this crazy adventure I'm embarking upon.

For all my homeschooling mamas out there - what is on your "must have" supply list?

At Home Learning: Hello, Homeschool

When I began my parenting journey, homeschooling was never in my plans. In fact, I would cringe at the thought of homeschooling. Homeschooling, I was certain, was not for me. As you can imagine, it was quite the surprise to others - and mostly myself! - that I have made the decision to homeschool my daughter for her last year of preschool beginning in September.

My daughter had attended two years at a co-op preschool up until this past May. We loved our co-op. My oldest son had attended the co-op, the co-op was small and intimate. The teachers knew all of our family of 5 by name and vice versa. The co-op was truly our extended family. We were crushed when the co-op closed it's doors to financial reasons at the end of the last school year. We were also totally thrown for a loop, as the decision to close was announced late in the year. Suddenly I was thrust into a panic of having to find a new school for my daughter, a task I had been able to avoid since my son enrolled in the co-op 4 years prior. 

I spent the next couple of months searching and visiting area preschools only to continually be disappointed and unimpressed. Nothing in our price range measured up to our co-op, and all the pricier dream schools were too far of a trek anyway. I finally settled on an option that was in our town, minutes away from our home, and at the same price range as the co-op. I made the decision somewhat reluctantly. Many people had good things to say about the school, but something about it bugged me. It was dreary. It was lacked the life of the co-op. The kids even looked dreary. Other's dismissed my worries, but I couldn't shake the gut feeling that this was NOT our school. A second pending issue looming in the background, was the new changes to the vaccination mandates in New Jersey. 

The decision to homeschool became more and more and option as I became more and more uncertain about the option we selected.  However, the thought of home schooling was scary. In reality, it's "only" preschool, but the thought of being responsible for my child's education, even a small part, is terrifying. What if I didn't do a good enough job? What if I didn't have enough patience? What is my daughter was bored? What if I couldn't fulfill the social aspect with enough playdates? What if I didn't give her the tools she needed to learn to transition successfully to kindergarten? It was A LOT to consider, especially for someone who had never looked into homeschooling, much less had a desire to homeschool.

In an effort to figure out if homeschooling would be a route I wanted to take, I reached out to a few friends who had also homeschooled through the preschool years. Talking with these moms put a lot of my worries at ease. They made homeschooling sound feasible and manageable. I also talked with our old co-op teacher, and she reminded me that not only had I been helping out in the classroom for years, but my skills as a child and adolescent therapist and my knowledge of child development will not allow me to fail in making sure my daughter is mastering the skills she needs to know. As my confidence and comfort with the idea of homeschooling increased, I became more and more excited about the concept. 

After a talk with my husband, I have officially decided to dip my toes into the world of homeschooling. I feel 100% satisfied with our decision, which was the type of gut satisfaction that I didn't feel from any of the schools we toured. I'm excited for our journey and excited to share it with all of you. I'd also love any feedback or resource shares from any of my readers who homeschool.

At Home Learning: C.A.L.M

In addition to being a part time blogger and busy mama of 3, I am also a child and adolescent therapist. Being a child and adolescent therapist has given me a unique perspective on parenting. My children would say that having a therapist as a mother means having a mom who "always likes to talk about feelings!" It should be noted that this statement is not said with excitement, but is usually followed by a sigh. Ah, kids!

We do, in fact, talk about "Big" feelings a lot. Especially since my oldest son has his fair share of challenges regulating and verbalizing his emotions. We often talk about healthy options to express emotions. This also means we do a lot of activities and have a lot of reminders of those options around the house. The C.A.L.M chart is one of my favorite reminders. When feelings are on the verge of getting too big to handle, I point to the C.A.L.M chart as a reminder, and suggest trying one or all the tips.

• Center yourself . This involves participating in a relaxation activity. The child can take a break - walk away from the source of frustration and engage in a calming activity; have a bit of cuddle time with mom or dad; or go for a walk. Another potential option is belly breathing (deep breathing) by breathing in through the nose, picturing the breath traveling down the body and filling up the belly, holding for a count of 5, and breathing out through the mouth while picturing the worry/frustration leaving the body. Progressive muscle relaxation is also another fun way to calm the body. Look up videos on YouTube as a guide. Kids love it!
• Activity! Big emotions often come with an overabundance of energy. Getting some of that energy out can help re-center the body and mind. Take a run outside, dance, play a sport, go swimming, do jumping jacks, play tag - anything that involves movement.
• Logical thinking. This is one of the harder suggestions for kids to do on their own, but it's also very effective. Often times when emotions get too big, they are accompanied by "worst case scenario" thoughts. Encourage your child to challenge these thoughts by helping them identify what is true, instead of what might happen. For example, if your child is getting anxious about attending a social event and is fearing that no one will talk to him/her, remind your child that he/she has several friends who will be at the event, and that he/she has always made friends easily.
• Mindful Memory. Have your child recall a positive and happy memory. Encourage your child to identify two characteristics of that memory for each of the 5 senses. Two things that he/she saw; two things he/she heard; two things he/she touched; two things he/she tasted; and two things he/she smelled. This will allow the child to re-create the full experience of the memory. and the joy and happiness experienced during the event will translate to the present.

One of the key components of developing healthy coping skills is practice. Practice makes perfect! I equate this to extracurricular activities such as dance or sports to make the concept relatable to kids. Very few people can just walk out to the field (or court or dance floor) and execute a flawless performance. Frequent practice is often crucial to performing at the event. Much like dance or sports, it is difficult to implement coping skills during the height of frustration/anxiety/sadness, if you haven't prepared your mind and body with plenty of practice .I suggest setting aside 10 or 15 minutes each day to practice coping skills with your child. Remember, being able to manage big emotions won't come over night for your child, it takes time and patience before positive coping skills become habit. Set reasonable expectations for yourself and your child. The complete elimination of big feelings isn't realistic, but becoming better equipped to manage them is something most children can achieve with your support!

At Home Learning: Dollar Tree Finds

I recently ventured into Dollar Tree for the first time in a long time and I'm glad I did. I knew the store had a section devoted to teaching supplies, but I never stopped to really look at the offerings until recently. It's an at-home learning goldmine!  I found so much great stuff that is perfect for keeping little minds learning during summer breaks. 

This large foam clock is perfect for teaching time to my toddler. The clock has also been helpful in setting things like bed times, meal times and chore times. The kiddo enjoys moving the hands to set the time and when the foam clock matches the working clock, he knows that playtime is over, it's time for a bath or it's time to say goodnight. I glued a magnet to the back so it is easily visible to the kiddos on the fridge.

These weather cling-ons have found the perfect place on our sliding glass doors. Although my son has a good grasp of the weather, he enjoys assisting his little sis in identifying what the weather outside is like by matching the outside weather with the cling-on.

Finally, a giant alphabet chart on the fridge is a great daily sight reminder of letters and numbers.

Not bad for only $3!