Katie Thompson

We had another great week of home preschool! I will admit that I have not been the greatest at lesson planning these past two weeks. Typically I sit down on Sunday evening and write out the lesson plans for the week ahead, however, I’ve been going day-by-day recently and let me tell you, that is NOT the way to do it. In fact, I am procrastinating finishing tomorrow’s lessons by writing this blog!

One thing that has been saving me lately and I can’t stop talking about are all of the many activity kits out there. The kits? They’re it. 

The newest addition to our stash is this All Ready for Preschool Kit, it has many different activities to choose from all in one box. I also like that the activities are each structured around topics like shapes, or colors, and can be done in steps that allow kids to learn new skills and progressively engage them. Last week we focused on colors, and did everything from a hide and seek color game to color bingo using the items in the kit and around the house.

We also busted out this amazing painting kit and made sun catchers. Even if you aren’t homeschooling your kids, I highly recommend having this kit around for rainy days. It has everything you need to make sun catcher keychains, peel-off window decals, and supplies to paint pre-made wooden and even plaster-molded creations. I have a feeling we’re gonna get a lot of mileage out of this kit, and it definitely beats the hassle to buy all of these separate crafts individually.

Another great find we discovered is this modeling Fun Foam. It is excellent for sensory activities and leaves ZERO mess. Add in this jumbo tub of cookie cutters and you’ve got an activity you can do throughout the year using different seasonal shapes!

Since last week marked the start of September, we started focusing on more fall-themed lessons. We made leaf rubbings, busted out the fall stickers, and made fall discovery bottles for our fun Friday activity. They were super easy to make and can be customized for each season.

While homeschooling seems to be going really well for all of us, there are still a few hiccups we’ve run into. When Hamilton can’t figure something out, he tends to get real frustrated and anxious, and then I flashback to crying in the 5th grade because I couldn’t figure out a math problem. I don’t want the same for him, but how do I make him ease up on the pressure he puts on himself? I try to emphasize that as long as he tries and does his best that it’s okay to make mistakes, we’re all learning! But I really want him to know that. Any suggestions to help keep his (and my) confidence boosted are welcome!