First Month of Pre-K

Leah and I embarked on the Pre-K journey the beginning of September. This year, I've made a few changes to school, the main one being the amount of time each week (and my flexibility/ rigidity when it comes to our schedule). This year, Leah has school three times a week, which doesn't sound like much, especially considering traditional pre-k programs for 4-year-olds, but for us, it keeps us busy, leaving less free time for errands and the like.

Anyway, our first week of school consisted of reading, writing, math, and art (the second week we worked on science instead). Our focus for the month of September was "All About Me", so aside from the reading activities, everything else focused on Leah-- her interests, address, family, phone number, and what makes her unique. The end result was an "All About Me" book, complete with photos (taken by Leah, of course!).

This first month has been fun, but not without its challenges (a precursor of next year?). Slowly but surely, I'm learning more about her learning style and preferences. For instance, when faced with a challenge, she tells me, "I don't want to do school anymore." (Good thing we're learning about/ practicing perseverance in our virtue study.) Guess she has a bit of a perfectionist tendency (something I can relate to). Variety is also key to connecting with her; she prefers choosing the order of activities for a given school day. Her favorite subjects are reading (but not practicing it), math, and art.

The challenge is staying organized and diligent... on my end! Thankfully, we're on a six-week schedule, which allows for a week off to take trips or simply relax from school. (And that first week off will be here soon!) That should also provide me with time to plan for future units. (So grateful for Pinterest! That's been perfect for planning and organizing units/ lessons.)

Hopefully, Leah can maintain her enthusiasm and interest while learning perseverance and diligence throughout the rest of the year. And if not, well, I'll certainly have the opportunity to exercise those skills, all the while making notes for next year.

Sept. 2, 2013. Leah wanted to wear her "pretty Tinkerbell dress" on the first day. All smiles to begin our journey in learning!

Hunter had to jump in the photo, too. He's doing toddler school this year, which is basically small activities (thanks again, Pinterest!) that he can do alongside Leah or independently while I'm working with big sis. The best activities, though, are those the two can do together (and that's what science/ art Fridays are for!).