Yet another year of homeschool begins. This year I am managing three kids in the lesson plans. I have a 6th grader, a 4th grader, and a pre - schooler. I have a plan to make everything work, and it all has to do with these plastic bins I got from COSTCO. I have also seen these at MICHAELS craft store, they are scrapbook supply storage bins. I like the large square size of the boxes, and they stack together. I am going to call them "Busy Boxes."
This is an example of one box. I am trying to mix in activities that she can do alone as well as activities I will help her with. All the flashcards will be done with me, the alphabet puppets can be colored and cut out by her, with help from me to glue them down on the paper-bag in the right places. The stamps are more of a filler activity when she gets frustrated with something, or I need some time with the older kids alone.
We are going to be building a number train across the top of the wall, she will start that activity today. Each day we will add a new train car to the line which has a new number on it. I pre - cut these train cars to make it simple to put up right when she decorates the car and puts the number of the day on it. My daughter loves mini books that she can color, so today she will color a mini book of "Billy Goats Gruff" and do some activities with that.
I am going to introduce a Bible story every other day. It is nice to store the book in the Busy Box so I can keep track of it. I have some stickers to make a story scene of this story. She is also going to make a lion mask. If I can get the older kids involved later on in the day we will act out the story.
I am going to find a cartoon DVD that relates to one of these themes and add that to the box for the ultimate melt down, which tends to happen right before lunch. I will have 30 minutes of bliss while that is on.
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| As you can see the number train is growing. |
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| The alphabet puppets are being made. We try and make up a song with each of the letters. |
Here are some other ideas I am working on for the rest of the boxes.
Sorting colored beads of different sizes and hues.
This is a fun activity, print out a close up facial shot of a family member, this is my sister. Laminate, or slip the picture into a clear plastic sheet. Use dry erase markers or dry erase crayons for hours of fun. And remember to make one of these a picture of your child so they can dress themselves up too!
Paint chip color match. This activity is SUPER EASY to put together. Simply go to your local hardware store and get some paint chips, some clothes pins, and glue. Cut a thin strip off the side of the paint chip and glue a piece of each color on separate clothespins. It is fun to match the different hues of color. My older kids couldn't resist this.
You don't have to MAKE everything. Throw some paint with water pages in each box, NO MESS, just water and a paintbrush.
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