We're Back

Well the family is back from vacation and getting ready for school. My son starts third grade on the 17th, and my daughter will be starting her official year of preschool on that day, too. This week I'm going to blog a little about school preparation and how to prepare for that first week, or at least how we prepare for that first week.

The first step to preparation is organization. I cleaned out the cabinet where I keep all the supplies for learning and fun and took an inventory of anything I needed. A basic list for homeschooling preschoolers includes:

Crayons
Blunt scissors
Construction paper
Glue
Handwriting tablet
Paint
Glitter
Brown lunch bags
Paper plates
Markers
Cotton balls
Pipe cleaners
Feathers
Googly eyes
Coins - fake or real
Counting manipulatives

Not every family will use all of the things I mentioned, and some will need added materials to teach. As you can see, I didn't mention workbooks because I think every family should decide whether or not they want to go the workbook route. I do have a couple workbooks I picked up at yard sales, but most of our activities I print off the Internet or create myself. If you're not sure what to use some of the mentioned materials for, feel free to ask and I'll share some ideas. Happy homeschooling!

Preschool Homeschooling Websites

When it comes to homeschooling, the Internet is my best friend. There are so many free resources that I don't understand why some families spend hundreds of dollars on a prepackaged curriculum. But I also understand that surfing the net for ideas and lessons takes time that some families don't have. So here is a list of some of the sites we really like. Maybe this list will help save you some time.

Universal Preschool
The Best Kids Book Site
Mr. Kent Interactive Online Exercises
Free Kids Crafts
First School
DLTK
Letter of the Week

I have a bunch more, but I don't want to overwhelm you. I'll try to give a short list every couple of weeks to keep the resources fresh. If you have any online sites you use in your preschool homeschool, please share them!