How We Started Home Schooling

Beau finished his Mother's Day Out program at the end of May, so we started homeschooling the first week of June. Melissa, who has homeschooled since her oldest, uses My Father's World, so that is what we are using too. Since I love to implement my own stuff, I am just using the curriculum but adding in my own books/ worksheets/ activities. For both of our four year olds, Melissa and I decided to to start with the two's and three's curriculum, just to get Beau and Daniel in the routine of schooling at home. To prepare for that, I had to set up my Surprise Bins, various school materials, a calendar, and an alphabet and number wall. Here is a little peak of what how it looks and what they entail. I'm sure as time goes on I will tweak this, but it has given us a good base to start routines.

Beau's Calendar

 

I bought Beau's Melissa and Doug Magnetic Calendar off Amazon.
I hung it on a small wall in our laundry room, which is in a hallway going out to our backyard. 

 

Since it is super close to our kitchen, I felt like the laundry room was a good place for it. It is tucked away so its not in visitors view, but out enough to where Beau can do it everyday. He really enjoys doing it, and we do it every single day. I printed a Days of the Week poster that I just randomly found on Google. This helps Beau to know which day comes next.

 

 I also found he only knows his numbers up to 13 so I printed chalkboard numbers 1 through 30 from One Sharp Bunch and hung them up.

 

 It was completely free, all I had to do was go like her page. Above the calendar is an ikea hanging basket, with the extra calendar pieces and a marker. I also have our Surprise Time bucket hanging there (If you know My Fathers World curriculum then you know what these are).

Below is a video of Beau's calendar routine.

 

We also hung an alphabet up in the laundry room. Now, I know the curriculum we are following doesn't discuss the alphabet yet, but I went ahead and put it up because I plan on extending a little from the curriculum. For example, this month we are focusing on the color red. Beau has known his colors for two years. So we are going along with the focus, but I am more focused on teaching him how to spell red. At the end of this month our 'red' card will go under the letter Rr.

In a coat closet right off the breakfast room, I put in one of those cheap plastic shelves. 

 

This is where I have all of Beau Surprise Time bins. I try to change them up about once a week and they are just various toys/activities we have around the house. I also keep the books we are reading for the month, any stuffed animals or props, Beau's and Harper's bible, supplies, etc. I also have a Busy Bin that has various activities that Beau can choose from when we have some free time.

 

With My Fathers World twos and threes curriculum, library trips, fun adventures with Melissa and her gang, cooking lessons, and a lot more stuff, we have made it half way thru June and are really liking this whole homeschool life!