Ah, the seemingly endless (although I hope it isn't) search for a good homeschoolling "fit."
The past 6 months have been quite an adventure for me--- trying to figure out what to teach Bean and how to teach it. It has been a learning experience for us both, and a lesson in patience and understanding! Although it continues to have some days of struggle, I am really enjoying this homeschooling journey of ours. I am learning so much about my daughters strengths and weaknesses and how she learns. And I am learning so much about my own strengths and weaknesses as well!
I don't have experience from the "other side" of things, but I am really happy I started doing this so young. It has given me a lot of room to experiment and change my mind and mess up without Bean missing out on any vital information. I'm sure she would have been just fine, but I would have felt very guilty if I did this much mind-changing and wobbling and slacking off through 1/2 a year of 1st or 2nd grade!
All that is to say that I have made yet another change; one that I hope will stick this time! I am just not organized or dedicated enough to design a whole curriculum myself. I am still sticking with our character program, but we are adding in Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven Preschool Curriculum.
I am so excited about doing this program. I downloaded the first week and did it with Bean (Bug tagged along too, and actually did really well with some of the activities) and we both really enjoyed it. I love that it only takes about 30 minutes a day, is pretty much totally prepared for me, and is BIBLICALLY CENTERED. It doesn't just have "bible lessons," it revolves around the bible. In the first week we went through the story of creation, the fall, and Cain and Abel. And in enough depth that Bean can tell you what Cain and Abel did and how Cain sinned (she can tell you the other stuff, too, but Cain and Abel was the one new story for her).
The only thing (besides the character training) that I am adding are some art projects. It has a devotional that we will be going over every night with my husband and even has its own simple art projects and worksheets.
I'm waiting impatiently for all the materials to arrive in the mail! I'll let you know how it goes once we start!!!
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2013
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Kindness
These past two weeks we have been learning about Kindness in our morning character time.
... I have noticed that whatever character quality we are studying is the one that the devil really tempts both Bean and our whole family with at that time... sucks to be him, though, because I'm taking this as an encouragement and "counting it all joy" instead of being deterred!
As I wrote about in my initial post on our character studies, we use a few tools to help with these morning study times:
--We Choose Virtues mini-posters and Character Chart
-- "God, I need to talk to you about..." books by Dan Carr
-- Character Builders DVDs
-- Memory Verses
-- Bible stories that relate to what we're studying
So, for this *series* (for lack of a better word) we're reading "God, I need to talk to you about... sharing and hurting others" which are both really relevant to an almost-3-year-old, as well as watching the Character Builders on Sharing and Kindness.
Our current memory verse is Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
We are reading about The Good Samaritan and Jesus healing the paralytic who was lowered through the roof.
It's really funny how the things that a preschooler struggles with are the same things I struggle with as an adult. That's the one thing these character studies have really convicted me of---
I am no better than a preschooler.
My problems are slightly more mature (sometimes) or complicated (sometimes), but really no different. We are trying to teach her to "Use gentle hands, nice words, and think about how others feel." That part I (sometimes--- are we catching a theme here?) have down. But the most important part is that we want her to show kindness to others even when she doesn't feel like it, when they are mean or unkind to her, and when they don't *deserve* it. Why? Because this is what Christ did, and continues to do, for us. He shows us love, forgiveness, grace, and yes, kindness when we least deserve it. When we've denied Him, or disappointed Him, or disobeyed Him, or ignored everything He's told us, he returns all those downright *mean* actions with love and kindness. With gentle words, kind correction, and thinking about what is best for us.
And how often does my first reaction to some one's actions--- no matter how I try to intellectualize it or reword it so it sounds grown-up and responsible--- really amount to "But they're being mean to me! I don't wanna be nice!!!" I'm only a (sometimes VERY small) step away from chucking a toy at their head and screaming "I don't like you!" while stomping into a corner to pout.
... or yelling angrily what an idiot someone is while flashing angry hand gestures and speeding as fast as I can to get in front of them and cut them off in turn...
I asked Bean to tell me ways she can practice kindness and wrote them down. I said "How can you be kind to..." and listed people. This is word-for-word what she said:
My Sister: "Not push her, share toys."
My Dad: "Not get in trouble, listen to him, give him hugs and kisses."
My Dog: "Pet him."
My Mom" "Use Nice Words to her."
Jesus: "Give him hugs, celebrate his birthday, not think about myself--- think about Jesus and THEN myself after."
... I have noticed that whatever character quality we are studying is the one that the devil really tempts both Bean and our whole family with at that time... sucks to be him, though, because I'm taking this as an encouragement and "counting it all joy" instead of being deterred!
As I wrote about in my initial post on our character studies, we use a few tools to help with these morning study times:
--We Choose Virtues mini-posters and Character Chart
-- "God, I need to talk to you about..." books by Dan Carr
-- Character Builders DVDs
-- Memory Verses
-- Bible stories that relate to what we're studying
So, for this *series* (for lack of a better word) we're reading "God, I need to talk to you about... sharing and hurting others" which are both really relevant to an almost-3-year-old, as well as watching the Character Builders on Sharing and Kindness.
Our current memory verse is Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
We are reading about The Good Samaritan and Jesus healing the paralytic who was lowered through the roof.
It's really funny how the things that a preschooler struggles with are the same things I struggle with as an adult. That's the one thing these character studies have really convicted me of---
I am no better than a preschooler.
My problems are slightly more mature (sometimes) or complicated (sometimes), but really no different. We are trying to teach her to "Use gentle hands, nice words, and think about how others feel." That part I (sometimes--- are we catching a theme here?) have down. But the most important part is that we want her to show kindness to others even when she doesn't feel like it, when they are mean or unkind to her, and when they don't *deserve* it. Why? Because this is what Christ did, and continues to do, for us. He shows us love, forgiveness, grace, and yes, kindness when we least deserve it. When we've denied Him, or disappointed Him, or disobeyed Him, or ignored everything He's told us, he returns all those downright *mean* actions with love and kindness. With gentle words, kind correction, and thinking about what is best for us.
And how often does my first reaction to some one's actions--- no matter how I try to intellectualize it or reword it so it sounds grown-up and responsible--- really amount to "But they're being mean to me! I don't wanna be nice!!!" I'm only a (sometimes VERY small) step away from chucking a toy at their head and screaming "I don't like you!" while stomping into a corner to pout.
... or yelling angrily what an idiot someone is while flashing angry hand gestures and speeding as fast as I can to get in front of them and cut them off in turn...
I asked Bean to tell me ways she can practice kindness and wrote them down. I said "How can you be kind to..." and listed people. This is word-for-word what she said:
My Sister: "Not push her, share toys."
My Dad: "Not get in trouble, listen to him, give him hugs and kisses."
My Dog: "Pet him."
My Mom" "Use Nice Words to her."
Jesus: "Give him hugs, celebrate his birthday, not think about myself--- think about Jesus and THEN myself after."
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Our week(s) in photos
I posted last week about some of the general school stuff we've started.
Now I'm going to start a cute apocalypse by sharing some of the pics.
I've been trying not to lock them up all day, but it's really hard with 100+ degree weather. A few weeks ago we had our BFFs over for some outside playtime, so I decided it was a good day for making sidewalk paint. I can't remember where I found the recipe, but it's all over the Internet. I used 2 tbs cornstarch, 4 tbs water, and food coloring.
It was really watery, so I nuked it for about 10 sec at a time until it was a pretty thick, paint-like consistency. If it gets too thick, just add a few drops of water to thin it down.
The best part was that they could paint each other, their clothes, the ground, my car, my garage--- it just washes off. I didn't have any problem with staining (except for my fingers while I mixed the paint--- but that's my own clumsiness!). Also, my little bug that likes to taste-test everything could eat it to her heart's content. She didn't WANT to (of course, the only time), but she could without me worrying about it!
We did do actual "school" stuff, I swear. I just didn't take too many pictures. Mostly because my camera died and I was too lazy to charge it.
Our "unit" study these past two weeks was pirates--- which Bean LOVED. She's a pirate freak. We read some pirate books:
How I Became a Pirate and Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long
Shiver Me Letters by June Sobel
Sheep on a Ship by Nancy E Shaw
Bean REALLY loved the Melinda Long books. We probably read those 15x in 2 weeks!
We did some Pirate activities: Made pirate hats and eye patches, talked like pirates, watched "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything," and played with our MegaBlocks Pirate Ship.
We also did a Treasure Memory match with the letters she knows and was learning-- S and P (our new letters), A, R, W, O, and J.
The cards are 1/2 sheets of construction paper that are laminated. The other side has the colors written out so Bug can use them for color sorting. But she's not there yet...
Probably Jo's FAVORITE thing to do--- shaving cream letter hunt. I don't know how I thought of this one... sheer brilliance... I hide some small magnetic letters in the shaving cream; she finds them, washes them off in the bowl of water, and then matches them to the foam letters on the table.
The paint is non-toxic, although once this batch of store-bought Crayola runs out I'm going to make some (off pintrest, again). Although, then she will WANT to eat it...
I'll let you know how that goes.
XOXO (because I think I'm Gossip Girl, have I told you?)
--Beka
PS: I forgot! Bible Time--- Both girls doing their Hallelujahs :)
Now I'm going to start a cute apocalypse by sharing some of the pics.
Reading with Daddy... one of their favorite things to do. He usually does afternoon school--- reading and whatever activity we have for the day. The first two weeks it was pirates (although they're reading Fancy Nancy, here)
I try to do some art time every day. Which never happens. So maybe 3-4 times a week? Little Bug is not content to toddle around while sis is busy with fun stuff like paint and markers, so I tried this "no mess fingerpaint" idea I saw on pintrest.
If she looks less than amused... it's because she was. It just wasn't a big hit with her.
Most likely because Bean was next to her getting good and messy. She kept signing "all done" and then pointing to Bean and saying "That. THAT!"
Bean, meanwhile, wanted to do bag fingerpainting. So next time maybe I'll switch them and see how that goes over...
I've been trying not to lock them up all day, but it's really hard with 100+ degree weather. A few weeks ago we had our BFFs over for some outside playtime, so I decided it was a good day for making sidewalk paint. I can't remember where I found the recipe, but it's all over the Internet. I used 2 tbs cornstarch, 4 tbs water, and food coloring.
This stuff was SUCH a hit!
The best part was that they could paint each other, their clothes, the ground, my car, my garage--- it just washes off. I didn't have any problem with staining (except for my fingers while I mixed the paint--- but that's my own clumsiness!). Also, my little bug that likes to taste-test everything could eat it to her heart's content. She didn't WANT to (of course, the only time), but she could without me worrying about it!
We did do actual "school" stuff, I swear. I just didn't take too many pictures. Mostly because my camera died and I was too lazy to charge it.
Our "unit" study these past two weeks was pirates--- which Bean LOVED. She's a pirate freak. We read some pirate books:
How I Became a Pirate and Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long
Shiver Me Letters by June Sobel
Sheep on a Ship by Nancy E Shaw
Bean REALLY loved the Melinda Long books. We probably read those 15x in 2 weeks!
We did some Pirate activities: Made pirate hats and eye patches, talked like pirates, watched "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything," and played with our MegaBlocks Pirate Ship.
We also did a Treasure Memory match with the letters she knows and was learning-- S and P (our new letters), A, R, W, O, and J.
Bean really liked this game... we still play it, although we've started eating the booty. I got the gold coins in the bulk section of WinCo and wrote letters on one side with Sharpie.
I also made a Pirate Treasure Map/Letter Hunt. But, alas (matey), no pictures. I drew pictures of areas in our house (front door, basketball hoop, fireplace, under the table, slide, and "X" and put letters next to each picture, and then taped 1/2 sheets of paper with those letters in those corresponding areas. Under the "X" was some "gold"--- peach sourpatch candy. It was a big hit!!
These are two of our "general" activities--- this one is one-to-one counting. This day she was using poker chips and chip clips. Sometimes she uses candy, or little knick-knacks (erases, dinosaurs, etc).
The cards are 1/2 sheets of construction paper that are laminated. The other side has the colors written out so Bug can use them for color sorting. But she's not there yet...
Probably Jo's FAVORITE thing to do--- shaving cream letter hunt. I don't know how I thought of this one... sheer brilliance... I hide some small magnetic letters in the shaving cream; she finds them, washes them off in the bowl of water, and then matches them to the foam letters on the table.
She will do this for HOURS if I let her... I usually just let her go until the shaving cream runs out or she starts using it to decorate herself or her sister.
"Hey, I found an H for HOLLY!" she says...
Meanwhile, in Bug land... I learned my lesson from the ziplock painting and didn't even ATTEMPT to entertain her with something less-than-messy. I gave in and let her fingerpaint. I've done it a few times with paper, but this time I just let her paint the highchair tray. I added some water so it was a little more squishy and entertaining...
She actually didn't PURPOSELY paint her face... she just got sleepy. And then signed "Sleep." And had hands covered in blue paint.
The paint is non-toxic, although once this batch of store-bought Crayola runs out I'm going to make some (off pintrest, again). Although, then she will WANT to eat it...
I'll let you know how that goes.
XOXO (because I think I'm Gossip Girl, have I told you?)
--Beka
PS: I forgot! Bible Time--- Both girls doing their Hallelujahs :)
Monday, August 20, 2012
Our first 2 weeks of homeschool: Check!
We just completed our first *official* two weeks of homeschool.
By official, I mean I actually set out to do somethings, and I did... some of those somethings.
I admit that I was being very (overly) ambitious--- more with myself than with Bean, as she will pretty much learn/memorize/complete anything I put in front of her.
But that's ok! It's preschool, it's homeschool, and it's MY school, so I don't have to live up to someones checklist of what needs to be done--- which, by the way, I LOVE.
Overall, I'm quite proud of myself. We managed to do some amount of school for at least 4 days each week, and a decent-to-extraordinary amount for 2-3 of those days each week. I'm going to go into detail about what, exactly, we did in the next post. But now I'm lazy; I don't want to plug in my camera and download the pictures of what we did, so that's not happening.
Here is what I learned these past two weeks:
First: I was really intending on doing an equal smattering of Character (morning), letters/numbers (pre-lunch), unit studies (after nap), and fine motor/art (pre-dinner with Dad). Needless to say, our days didn't (ever) look like that.
Oh well, that's what experiments are for!
My priority with Bean was, is, and is going to be making sure that we work on Character and Bible. I figured out that the best way to do that, for us, is to talk about it at the breakfast table while we eat every morning. Then, if I have a book, DVD, or craft/activity for us to do, we can do it after. But she learns really well from just discussing it on a daily basis. This works well because our breakfast table is also our school table, and all the Character materials are on display in the corner where she can see them while she eats.
Letters/Numbers got scrunched into unit studies and/or art (although I did have a few days where we did some letter activities before nap still). Nik has pretty much taken over this area (yay!). I do the planning, but he actually does the "lessons" with the kids. It gives me a good break for the day!
Planning day-by-day curriculum just DOESN'T work for me at this stage. Maybe because I'm pregnant and lazy. Or because I hate being stuck inside all day and all my day trips ruin my plans. Regardless, I can't stick to doing things on that exact of a schedule.
What DOES work for me (us) is to have a list of projects, activities, movies, etc that go along with what I want to do (either with the unit we're doing, or just general number/letter activities and art things) and then look at it during naptime and decide what will be best for the day. I really love this because then I can actually judge "Ok, she's in a drawing mood today, she'll like doing workpages and tracing, etc." or "No way this kid is gonna sit still for a lesson, maybe we better do hopscotch" or "they're in a really messy mood, let's bust out some shaving cream or fingerpaints."
I guess I'm turning into a hippie or something.
Oh, on a practical note, I also learned that I need to *remember* to order my books from the library at least a week in advance. I'm still working out the timing on this one. I forgot this time, didn't order this weeks books until Friday, and I'm not really sure that they will be here by tomorrow (Tuesday). Whoopsie.
Anyway, not a terribly thrilling topic, I know. But it's good for me to have these things in writing so that when I try to go crazy next year (or next week), I know better...
Just a *small* preview what we did get accomplished (specifically) these last two weeks:
--Bean learned 2 new letters (recognizing and some sounds)
-- We both learned 2 new verses
-- A new Character Quality
-- 2 new bible stories
-- Lots of swashbuckling fun.
Till next time (when I get my pics uploaded!)
--B
By official, I mean I actually set out to do somethings, and I did... some of those somethings.
I admit that I was being very (overly) ambitious--- more with myself than with Bean, as she will pretty much learn/memorize/complete anything I put in front of her.
But that's ok! It's preschool, it's homeschool, and it's MY school, so I don't have to live up to someones checklist of what needs to be done--- which, by the way, I LOVE.
Overall, I'm quite proud of myself. We managed to do some amount of school for at least 4 days each week, and a decent-to-extraordinary amount for 2-3 of those days each week. I'm going to go into detail about what, exactly, we did in the next post. But now I'm lazy; I don't want to plug in my camera and download the pictures of what we did, so that's not happening.
Here is what I learned these past two weeks:
First: I was really intending on doing an equal smattering of Character (morning), letters/numbers (pre-lunch), unit studies (after nap), and fine motor/art (pre-dinner with Dad). Needless to say, our days didn't (ever) look like that.
Oh well, that's what experiments are for!
My priority with Bean was, is, and is going to be making sure that we work on Character and Bible. I figured out that the best way to do that, for us, is to talk about it at the breakfast table while we eat every morning. Then, if I have a book, DVD, or craft/activity for us to do, we can do it after. But she learns really well from just discussing it on a daily basis. This works well because our breakfast table is also our school table, and all the Character materials are on display in the corner where she can see them while she eats.
Letters/Numbers got scrunched into unit studies and/or art (although I did have a few days where we did some letter activities before nap still). Nik has pretty much taken over this area (yay!). I do the planning, but he actually does the "lessons" with the kids. It gives me a good break for the day!
Planning day-by-day curriculum just DOESN'T work for me at this stage. Maybe because I'm pregnant and lazy. Or because I hate being stuck inside all day and all my day trips ruin my plans. Regardless, I can't stick to doing things on that exact of a schedule.
What DOES work for me (us) is to have a list of projects, activities, movies, etc that go along with what I want to do (either with the unit we're doing, or just general number/letter activities and art things) and then look at it during naptime and decide what will be best for the day. I really love this because then I can actually judge "Ok, she's in a drawing mood today, she'll like doing workpages and tracing, etc." or "No way this kid is gonna sit still for a lesson, maybe we better do hopscotch" or "they're in a really messy mood, let's bust out some shaving cream or fingerpaints."
I guess I'm turning into a hippie or something.
Oh, on a practical note, I also learned that I need to *remember* to order my books from the library at least a week in advance. I'm still working out the timing on this one. I forgot this time, didn't order this weeks books until Friday, and I'm not really sure that they will be here by tomorrow (Tuesday). Whoopsie.
Anyway, not a terribly thrilling topic, I know. But it's good for me to have these things in writing so that when I try to go crazy next year (or next week), I know better...
Just a *small* preview what we did get accomplished (specifically) these last two weeks:
--Bean learned 2 new letters (recognizing and some sounds)
-- We both learned 2 new verses
-- A new Character Quality
-- 2 new bible stories
-- Lots of swashbuckling fun.
Till next time (when I get my pics uploaded!)
--B
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Morning Bible Time
I get to brag on myself, a little bit.
... well, not really...
But I get to brag on GOD, which I like much better.
Bean, Bug and I have started doing morning bible time. Like, actually DOING it. Over the past 5-6 months, I have *wanted* to do it, and I have done it occasionally (read, every 5-10 days). But this past 2 weeks, I have actually been doing it.
Let me just tell you what a difference starting our day with God makes.
I am seeing more and more (and more and more and more) how important it is to start everything with praise and worship. I realized (I know, LIGHTBULB!!) a few months ago how important it was to go into prayer time and church all praised-up, but it just clicked with me that our days should start out the same way.
The Bible says "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name," (Psalm 100:4, NIV). I don't know about you, but I'm figuring out I prefer to spend my entire day (and not just my Sunday, or my Tuesday night) in His courts.
Before (read, last month) I would send Bean and Bug to our playroom for their "play alone" time right after breakfast. This almost always ended in Bean being angry because she wasn't getting enough attention (rightfully so), and Bug standing at the gate, shaking it violently and yelling in her best prison-movie-riot-impression. They had too much energy, not enough Mommy, and definitely not enough Jesus to start their morning on a good note.
Let me tell you what we do NOW:
Eat Breakfast
Get Dressed
Bible Time!
Right now, this consists of:
Praise and Worship--- Usually 3 songs (although sometimes 4 or 5). Bean pretty much ALWAYS insists on "How He Loves Us" by John Mark McMillan (FYI- I personally think this is a MUCH better version than the more popular David Crowder redo). She also really likes "Deep Cries Out" by Bethel). Bug usually tots in and out. She likes to shake her booty, so she's more patient with the fast songs. Although she's getting into cuddling and worshipping, too. She sits next to us and raises her hands up during the slow songs.
Prayer--- Short and sweet. Bean likes to thank God for "our wonderful day, all our friends, all our family, and Jesus amen." I pray for patience for ALL of us, good attitudes, etc. I think it helps Bean to hear me pray for help from Jesus for things I have been struggling with because we teach her to do that as well. She likes to pipe in during my prayer and say "I pray for patience with Mommy and Sister, too."
Bible Story--- We've been going over what we are studying as a family with Bible Study Guide for All Ages (right now, Joseph) and whatever other story Bean wants to hear. She's really into Jesus Calming the Storm right now, although today we also talked about how Jesus was sold for silver just like Joseph was. That kinda blew her mind.
(once "school" starts in August, I'm going to put all our character study into this time as well, but I'm easing myself into that... a first, for me!)
We start our day off this way, and it is (I was going to say magically, but) faithfully transformed. I find myself with more energy, a much better attitude, and MUCH more patience. My kids are better behaved, with an added bonus of having gotten a substantial amount of energy out of their systems during praise. Bean plans (yes, the 2 year old plans) what we will read about and worship to during Breakfast. It's a great moment for me to see her eating her cereal and having an out-loud debate with herself:
"Hmmm. I think I want to hear about Joseph. No, Jesus calms the storm. No, maybe Joseph. Maybe both. And we will listen to 'How He Loves Us.' And maybe 'Furious.' Or 'Mountaintop.'"
I will end with this (our latest memory verse; Bean mastered it a few days ago):
"I have written you words on my heart, O Lord, so that I might not sin against you." --Psalm 119:11
... well, not really...
But I get to brag on GOD, which I like much better.
Bean, Bug and I have started doing morning bible time. Like, actually DOING it. Over the past 5-6 months, I have *wanted* to do it, and I have done it occasionally (read, every 5-10 days). But this past 2 weeks, I have actually been doing it.
Let me just tell you what a difference starting our day with God makes.
I am seeing more and more (and more and more and more) how important it is to start everything with praise and worship. I realized (I know, LIGHTBULB!!) a few months ago how important it was to go into prayer time and church all praised-up, but it just clicked with me that our days should start out the same way.
The Bible says "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name," (Psalm 100:4, NIV). I don't know about you, but I'm figuring out I prefer to spend my entire day (and not just my Sunday, or my Tuesday night) in His courts.
Before (read, last month) I would send Bean and Bug to our playroom for their "play alone" time right after breakfast. This almost always ended in Bean being angry because she wasn't getting enough attention (rightfully so), and Bug standing at the gate, shaking it violently and yelling in her best prison-movie-riot-impression. They had too much energy, not enough Mommy, and definitely not enough Jesus to start their morning on a good note.
Let me tell you what we do NOW:
Eat Breakfast
Get Dressed
Bible Time!
Right now, this consists of:
Praise and Worship--- Usually 3 songs (although sometimes 4 or 5). Bean pretty much ALWAYS insists on "How He Loves Us" by John Mark McMillan (FYI- I personally think this is a MUCH better version than the more popular David Crowder redo). She also really likes "Deep Cries Out" by Bethel). Bug usually tots in and out. She likes to shake her booty, so she's more patient with the fast songs. Although she's getting into cuddling and worshipping, too. She sits next to us and raises her hands up during the slow songs.
Prayer--- Short and sweet. Bean likes to thank God for "our wonderful day, all our friends, all our family, and Jesus amen." I pray for patience for ALL of us, good attitudes, etc. I think it helps Bean to hear me pray for help from Jesus for things I have been struggling with because we teach her to do that as well. She likes to pipe in during my prayer and say "I pray for patience with Mommy and Sister, too."
Bible Story--- We've been going over what we are studying as a family with Bible Study Guide for All Ages (right now, Joseph) and whatever other story Bean wants to hear. She's really into Jesus Calming the Storm right now, although today we also talked about how Jesus was sold for silver just like Joseph was. That kinda blew her mind.
(once "school" starts in August, I'm going to put all our character study into this time as well, but I'm easing myself into that... a first, for me!)
We start our day off this way, and it is (I was going to say magically, but) faithfully transformed. I find myself with more energy, a much better attitude, and MUCH more patience. My kids are better behaved, with an added bonus of having gotten a substantial amount of energy out of their systems during praise. Bean plans (yes, the 2 year old plans) what we will read about and worship to during Breakfast. It's a great moment for me to see her eating her cereal and having an out-loud debate with herself:
"Hmmm. I think I want to hear about Joseph. No, Jesus calms the storm. No, maybe Joseph. Maybe both. And we will listen to 'How He Loves Us.' And maybe 'Furious.' Or 'Mountaintop.'"
I will end with this (our latest memory verse; Bean mastered it a few days ago):
"I have written you words on my heart, O Lord, so that I might not sin against you." --Psalm 119:11
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Character for Preschoolers
I really wanted to do some good, in-depth character lessons with Bean when we start "offical" preschool in August.
Immediate problem encountered: I did not like anything I found. I like peices of what I find, but it is either too watered down, or too complicated for her, or not engaging enough... I decided very quickly that doing a little song and pointing out when she was being (insert positive Christian character quality here) was not going to cut it. While I'm all for letting kids learn as they play and as they go about their day, I do think some things NEED to be purposeful--- especially those things that relate to building their relationship with Christ. So if I want them to grow up displaying Christ-like qualities, I need to be intentional in teaching them those qualities and making sure they know what they are (and are NOT), what God says about them, and how they can display them.
I ended up borrowing (hey, I paid for everything that needed to be paid for) aspects of a bunch of different programs and came up with something that I really like. Let me tell you about what we're doing for Character this coming year and how I came up with it.
First, I started with a chart that was recommended on a message board. It is the Operational Definitions of Character Qualities. This particular link will send you to the Duggars' website where you can download a PDF of the chart. It is available other places, as well.
There are a lot of versions of this list out there. I like this chart because it is quick and easy. I went through and highlighted everything I wanted to cover with Bean (in an ideal world) that I thought she could grasp at 2 1/2. I then ordered it in "importance" (for us), and narrowed it down to 12-14.
Another friend had recommened We Choose Virtues as having great resources for Character Curriculum. After searching this website, I found some things I REALLY love. The first clue that this was going to be great for us was that the 12 virtues the beginner program focuses on were the same ones I had already chosen. I ordered the Kids Virtue Poster and the Kids of Virtueville Mini-Poster Set to use as visuals in our "school room." They also have a great free PDF download of bible supplements that has a bible character and a bible verse to go along with each virtue.
The virtues/character qualities I'm going to cover with Bean for at least the first part of school this year are (in no particular order): Attentive, Content, Diligent, Forgiving, Gentle, Helpful, Honest, Kind, Obedient, Patient, Perserverant, and Self-Controlled.
Then I just kind of looked around, went with some recommendations from others, and found what I needed to supplement the visuals and the information from the first two sources. One source I really like is the Kids of Integrity website. They have free PDF lessons for many, many character qualities. These lessons include memory verses, bible stories that demonstrate the quality and/or its opposite, and (my favorite) suggested prayers for the kids and parents. It is so important that my heart is in the right place when I'm teaching Bean these things, and that I am demonstrating what I want her to learn in my own life, so I really love the prayer and parent prep portion of these materials.
There are also some great activities, visuals, and songs on Hubbard's Cupboard. We will be using some of those, as well.
I am using DVD's called Character Builders. I bought the boxed set (8 DVDs, 16 episodes) on Rainbow Resource Center. The same site has these great little books called the God, I Need to Talk to You About... series. I got 11 of those, as well.
Now that I look at that... it looks like a lot! But you have to factor OUT all the thought processes that go into that long list of information :)
What I ended up with is a basic outline of what I want to cover every 2 weeks. It looks like this:
WCV “I am/ I am not”:
Child’s Prayer:
We won't be doing every item every day. What we will be doing every day is going over the We Choose Virtues materials (They have an "I am... I am not..." statement for every virtue), the age-appropriate definition that I come up with, the memory verse, and the prayers. Bean is at the level where she can memorize about 1 verse/week, so, depending on if there are any memory verses from our family bible study, we will have either one or two verses for each quailty. Everything else is going to be cycled in and out for the two weeks.
So that's that... I'm very proud of anyone who made it this far! It was quite a lot of information, I admit.
Until next time...
Immediate problem encountered: I did not like anything I found. I like peices of what I find, but it is either too watered down, or too complicated for her, or not engaging enough... I decided very quickly that doing a little song and pointing out when she was being (insert positive Christian character quality here) was not going to cut it. While I'm all for letting kids learn as they play and as they go about their day, I do think some things NEED to be purposeful--- especially those things that relate to building their relationship with Christ. So if I want them to grow up displaying Christ-like qualities, I need to be intentional in teaching them those qualities and making sure they know what they are (and are NOT), what God says about them, and how they can display them.
I ended up borrowing (hey, I paid for everything that needed to be paid for) aspects of a bunch of different programs and came up with something that I really like. Let me tell you about what we're doing for Character this coming year and how I came up with it.
First, I started with a chart that was recommended on a message board. It is the Operational Definitions of Character Qualities. This particular link will send you to the Duggars' website where you can download a PDF of the chart. It is available other places, as well.
There are a lot of versions of this list out there. I like this chart because it is quick and easy. I went through and highlighted everything I wanted to cover with Bean (in an ideal world) that I thought she could grasp at 2 1/2. I then ordered it in "importance" (for us), and narrowed it down to 12-14.
Another friend had recommened We Choose Virtues as having great resources for Character Curriculum. After searching this website, I found some things I REALLY love. The first clue that this was going to be great for us was that the 12 virtues the beginner program focuses on were the same ones I had already chosen. I ordered the Kids Virtue Poster and the Kids of Virtueville Mini-Poster Set to use as visuals in our "school room." They also have a great free PDF download of bible supplements that has a bible character and a bible verse to go along with each virtue.
The virtues/character qualities I'm going to cover with Bean for at least the first part of school this year are (in no particular order): Attentive, Content, Diligent, Forgiving, Gentle, Helpful, Honest, Kind, Obedient, Patient, Perserverant, and Self-Controlled.
Then I just kind of looked around, went with some recommendations from others, and found what I needed to supplement the visuals and the information from the first two sources. One source I really like is the Kids of Integrity website. They have free PDF lessons for many, many character qualities. These lessons include memory verses, bible stories that demonstrate the quality and/or its opposite, and (my favorite) suggested prayers for the kids and parents. It is so important that my heart is in the right place when I'm teaching Bean these things, and that I am demonstrating what I want her to learn in my own life, so I really love the prayer and parent prep portion of these materials.
There are also some great activities, visuals, and songs on Hubbard's Cupboard. We will be using some of those, as well.
I am using DVD's called Character Builders. I bought the boxed set (8 DVDs, 16 episodes) on Rainbow Resource Center. The same site has these great little books called the God, I Need to Talk to You About... series. I got 11 of those, as well.
Now that I look at that... it looks like a lot! But you have to factor OUT all the thought processes that go into that long list of information :)
What I ended up with is a basic outline of what I want to cover every 2 weeks. It looks like this:
Character
Quality:
WCV “I am/ I am not”:
Webster’s
Definition:
Age-Appropriate
Definition:
Memory Verse (s):
Child’s Prayer:
Parent’s
Prayer:
Animal:
Bible Stories:
DVD:
Book:
Song/Chant:
Activities:
We won't be doing every item every day. What we will be doing every day is going over the We Choose Virtues materials (They have an "I am... I am not..." statement for every virtue), the age-appropriate definition that I come up with, the memory verse, and the prayers. Bean is at the level where she can memorize about 1 verse/week, so, depending on if there are any memory verses from our family bible study, we will have either one or two verses for each quailty. Everything else is going to be cycled in and out for the two weeks.
So that's that... I'm very proud of anyone who made it this far! It was quite a lot of information, I admit.
Until next time...
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