I have really been enjoying teaching my daughter preschool at home. I don’t know whether to call ourselves a homeschooling family yet, but I am enjoying all the educational materials we are perusing these days. And who knew preschool could be so fascinating? Maybe it’s my education background or my own exploration of an area that I have never taught, but it’s a thrilling adventure and we are learning so much.
Preschool Art by Mary Ann Kohl: I can’t say this book looked overly impressive initially, but upon first (and second and third try) of different art activities, I have been excited with the results. The painted dough (where we made a simple watery flour dough and then colored it with food coloring) had a fascinating effect on paper. The sand painting was a great outdoor art experience with an interesting kinesthetic result. The projects are very easy to follow and perfect for my daughter’s age.
Learning at Home by Ann Ward: This book is designed as a curriculum for a kindergarten (or an advanced Pre-K curriculum) using only the library as your resource! The author who is both an educator and homeschooling mom put a lot of detail and thought into her lesson plans. If I homeschool for kindergarten I will be adding this book to my library.
Homeschooling: The Early Years by Linda Dobson: Designed to give an overview of the homeschooling process and be a resource for parents beginning to explore it, this book is packed full of great resources for reading, writing and math but is probably most useful for the parent just starting out on the homeschooling journey.
A Beka Curriculum for Preschool: I started using their preschool materials last year including the alphabet workbook and number workbook. The materials are colorful and high quality and my daughter really enjoys using them. My only complaint is the price. I have a teacher friend who uses the A Beka curriculum at her preschool and really likes them too.
If you’re looking for a fun homeschooling blog, I really enjoy Pioneer Woman’s homeschooling section. It provides some good laughs in the midst of personal homeschooling insight.
And then there is always our excellent library system which will compile books about any subject for a homeschooling family. Awesome, huh? I think I’m having about as much fun as my daughter most days. It’s amazing to see how much she wants to learn too. I’m so glad I don’t have to miss out on that.
Sara,
You should look into the “Five in a row” series. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it, and I think it’s something you guys would really enjoy.