Have a preschooler? Yes, you can homeschool!

Ok, haven't touched on this part of my homeschool life much.

Usually, it is about my boys and homeschooling them!
Guess what, in case you didn't know...I also run a childcare/preschool for kids who prefer a smaller family environment!
At this point in my business, I have 6 part-time kids. 2 are special needs. And while this is challenging at times, it is one of the most rewarding things next to being a Mom and getting to homeschool my own kids.

A typical day in our daycare!
Kids start arriving at 8am. Bright and early! Learning starts the minute they walk in the door!!
Manners are on the whole time you are.
Breakfast is on.
We get to eat and watch Sesame Street as a group. We chat along with the program, chat about ABC order, letter of the day, number of the day, dance with Elmo.
Then it is Circle Time.
What day of the week it is, what our day will be like, chatting about the color of the week, go over the alphabet again, talk about something new in our lives.
Free Play!
Why free play? Free play is VERY important to a child's learning. But they are just playing.... well, they are learning socialization, sharing, manners, decision making, patience, organization and the list goes on and on about the benefits of free play.
Lunch
Nap time!
Afternoon Time
We do our preschool games, afternoon craft or outside play-depending on weather.
Then it is free play until pick-up time. Kids can color on the coloring wall, read a book in the reading center, play and explore in the sensory table, use their imagination building with blocks or create a town with Little People.

At the end of the day, they have received a full day of love, learning and fun.
Homeschooling a group of preschoolers is just as rewarding as homeschooling my teen boys.
Happy Homeschooling!

Midway through our 7th year of homeschooling! How about you?

So, we are in January 2015 and that means we are midway through our 7th year of homeschooling!
How is that possible?
We started this for 5th and 6th grade, using Time4Learning and we have stuck with it!
When I looked up the 5th grade curriculum and 6th grade currirculum, I knew it was a good start for us.
My boys started from day one and it just clicked for us.

7 years later, we are still here!
They now have high school levels and OMG!
The biology teacher is the current favorite for my boys. He cracks them up and they are learning.
Mom is happy that she doesn't have to find and cobble together stuff.
Nope, 5 classes online and they are smart as whips!

When we started out, I put them in the same grades that they had been in public school. Older son started only 6 weeks into 6th grade so he really had not learned anything yet. Younger son was midyear when we pulled him and he started at the beginning of 5th grade. He was shocked that he had not been taught much of what was required. So was I.

We walked away from public school and never looked back.
My boys have flourished! They do not lack socialization. They are at ease talking to both adults and kids.
They can handle almost any conversation thrown at them.
Homeschooling was the best decision we ever made!

Our only regret is that we did not do it sooner.
Have you been considering homeschooling your child? Just pulled them and don't know where to start?
Well, you have come to the right place! Check out all my posts and I bet you will get LOTS of answers!

Happy Homeschooling!