Mama School

My kiddo and I are doing some "schooling" on the days she doesn't go to daycare. We keep her in daycare two days a week during the summer to hold our spot for fall. I used to feel a little guilty about this, but then I realized it is good for her because it keeps her in routine, and it's good for me because I get things done around the house.

I've collected ideas from Pinterest, and utilized some materials I had from before I switched from teaching elementary school to middle school. We've been working on letter sounds and recognition, counting and sorting, and number recognition. We're also doing some science and nature lessons and Bible lessons, too.

Throw in some art, free play both in the playroom and outside, and we've got ourselves a full day. Emorie really loves learning and she loves the one-on-one attention, so it works well for us. I thought I'd share some of my favorite things we have done so far.

We are currently learning about seeds and growing plants. Emorie has been helping us water our garden and our flowers, so she already knows a plant's basic survival needs. Not in those terms, of course, but she knows they need soil, water and sunlight. I thought I'd make it more personal for her by having the two of us plant something together and observe it. We also read The Tiny Seed  by Eric Carle a few times so we could talk about how plants grow. When I was teaching elementary school, I purchased a Toysmith Root Viewer kit. I still had it on hand and decided to use it for "Mama School."

The kit comes with three root tubes and a wooden stand, three peet disks, and three packs of seeds (radishes, onions and carrots.). So far, only our radishes are blooming, but we have really enjoyed watching them.

The best part is when the veggies are ready, you can eat them :)

You can purchase the kit here on Amazon. com.