Tuesday 24 September 2013

Preschool: Sept-Oct Setup

Keeping a blog is not easy, especially when you are not being paid :)
I guess this is what people call labour of love.

 By writing, I get motivated to keep up with homeschooling because
I know I am helping others to discover the joy of teaching.
So, a big thank you to you guys for reading my ramblings.

Besides, I need this for blackmail later on when my
kids decide on which old folks home to send me.
Better be a 5 star one, you munchkins!

Back to schooling business.
After reading this, my main concerns are:

1. Balancing learning with play
2. Should I challenge Tiger with more advanced materials as I have done previously?
3. How do I bring more communication & harmony into the room?

Taking baby steps...

Work Appreciation.

Everyone deserves some, no?
I have displayed Tiger's Apple week work for his other classmate to admire.
I used to chuck his work in the bin after he is done, secretly laaa
 

SAND ART
Picture No.1
He has no idea that this was Mr Bean. 
To him, it was just an uncle driving a car.
As you can see, I had a lot of say in the Mr Bean one ---> boring

Picture No.2
This other picture, he chose his own colours.
From the colors, I think he wants to be an American.

Writing station.

"Why you write on the cupboard? Dirty laaa"
I am labeling for you 
Ooooo. Thank you mama.
Can you read what I wrote?
Let /S/ roll
Face palm myself. Write, Let's write
Wahahahaha. Ooookay....write

Made a mess-free writing bag for him.
I saw some blogs using hair gel but I didn't have them on hand, so
I used some white glue mixed with water and some blue coloring to match the cards

Chinese Station
Still using Er San Kuai Du
This week, we are focusing on colours.
Starbucks Bear not related to the theme.
He just loiters around because he is homeless.
Creativity
Added a Craft Bin
This is where I stash materials that we can use to create whatever they can imagine.
Very convenient for pieces of scrap I do not feel like wasting.
 
Montessori
  1. Magnetic playset to create pictures
  2. Geometric solids with cards
  3. Three pairs of sensory balloons. (I filled these with salt, Styrofoam balls and rice)


  • Broad stairs (Mama, you cannot keep my brown steps)
  • Blue and red rods
  • Balancing scale with some blocks ( For More or Less Lesson)

Reading
P&J
We are also trying This Reading Mama's curriculum which is 
for more advanced preschooler's who can recognise letters and their sounds.
A god send.
Trying out our first set this week



Happy Preschooling!



8 comments:

Unknown said...

I always enjoy reading about the wonderful activities you and your family do! The stations are awesome. Thank you for sharing, even if it for free.

Unknown said...

HI Jessica,
you wrote nice chinese characters!
Just wondering, can tiger really understand your instructions written on the white board for the magnetic playset?

Jessica_littletiger said...

Thanks woman! I enjoy reading your activities too!

Jessica_littletiger said...

Hi Rebecca,
Thanks! I think you are the first to compliment my chinese handwriting...haha. There is hope!
When he read the board last night, he needed help with 4 words. Darling, Metal, Tray, and Magnetic. He immediately started looking for it. So, I presume he understood ;P

Unknown said...

wow... he has wide vocab for his age I presume. your hard work paid off.
given a choice again. . will u start similar activities w Tiger? meaning his intensive learning after one.
I m seeing u taking slower steps n different approach w dragon.
m just curios about the outcome.
started some trays w my boy. I kinda feel that they are still too small. Some excuse for myself :)
well.. can never under estimate them right.

Jessica_littletiger said...

Hi Rebecca,

He is okay la...still prefers his alphabets and CVC words over sight words. I just let him be. The things about his trays was out of 10 trays, he may really like 2, so-so with 3 and ignore 5. On rare occasions, I hit the jackpot. The best thing about presenting him with advance trays is the fact that he says things like "Nevermind, I try again." Or "Ooops mama, can you check? Correct? If wrong, I do again" I don't think it was perceived as difficult but as a challenge. In fact, if the tray is too simple, he will tell me it is too easy and please change.

Paul Tough's book resonated so well because that was what I was trying to do with Tiger. To instill grit and determination. If he was into play like Dragon, I probably would not push him so much. The thing is he doesn't play & he is scared to try new things. He like things to be neat and orderly and playing means 'messy' and new things are 'scary'. So, I would prob have done the same things all over if given the choice.

In Dragon's case, she is a natural learner because she is innately curious. She loves book and toys. So, I don't have to do very much. She is more 'normal' compared to Tiger who is highly sensitive.

Unknown said...

hi Jessica
Thank you for sharing so much.
Your sharing really helps me a lot in identifying, selecting activities for my boy and adjusting my own expectation . m sure I w face trials and errors but same time I'm sure I w hit less walls. :) you just unlocked many windows for me.
tks! ! :)

Unknown said...

How should a preschool be designed? Please give me some awesome design suggestions.
Phoenix preschool

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