I spent the evening before stressing out about having enough materials and having everything look put together and clean. I told Daniel, "If I'm going to do this, I want to do it right!" He pointed out that I have to remember I'm working with a three-year-old, and things probably weren't goign to go the way I planned. Despite the fact that he was completely right, he very sweetly helped me clean and set ups so I could feel somewhat prepared for the morning (this is when I regret not having a degree in education like most of the rest of my family members do!) I even had some jitters this morning. Luckily, Anni was just really excited to get started!
We did our lesson plan for the day when Lettie went down for her morning nap (she took a wonderfully long one, which made our first day much easier), except for the craft. One of Anni's sweet little friends came over to do our Angel craft with us, and then we repeated some of the lesson again (with a very interested baby by the end).
It was a happy first day, and Anni was super excited to share her angel craft with Daddy when he got home from work (in fact, she even shared it with our dinner guests!) It must have tired her out; though, because we definitely had more nap time drama than usual. Always something new and exciting, right?
One piece of advice: don't expect Anni to concentrate on one task for more than 3-5 minutes at a time; the more she moves and talks about the experience, the more she will remember; it may take 5-7 trips to the same concept to solidify it, and only then if she is in a sensitive period for that information. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Good to know and makes sense with what I've experienced so far. The "script" I'm following moves along at a pretty good pace, and then I try to talk about little points throughout the day when we aren't "doing school" (like: What's the letter of the week? Do you remember anything that starts with that Letter? What craft did you make? Stuff like that.) Even if she doesn't retain a ton (though I hope she does!), it give us a little structure to the day... sometimes I'm not very good at thinking of things to do otherwise!
DeleteI really admire you for all this! I try to have structure for the boys but it would just stress me out too much!
ReplyDeleteI completely admit that I've stressed out some about it... but, I felt like I needed some guidance in giving her stuff to do during the day... I'm not very creative! Luckily, I keep reminding myself that she's only three, and it's okay if things don't go to plan.
Deleteyou're so great
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks! I'm trying, but I have a feeling it will be a humbling year ;-).
DeleteWhat kind of topics or activities do you do with the Good Shepherd? I'd like to somehow incorporate that into my child's activities.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of 26 letters to Heaven. Would you recommend it to go along with the Catholic ABC's? Thank you and God Bless!
She hasn't started classes yet (she's taking them at the parish), but from what I know of the program, they take themes from the Bible and liturgy and use manipulatives to get the idea across to the littles. If my sister pops back on this thread she can explain it better (really, either of them) as they are both catechists.
DeleteI do think 26 Letters to Heaven is a good supplement. It's straight text (no photos, if that matters for you, but some great copies at the back), and some of the work will be a little above my daughter's head this year; however, I like that she breaks down a whole slew of ideas in each discipline (math, science, faith, etc) for each letter of the week. We pulled the virtue of the week from this (ABCs doesn't have one), a couple projects and some recipes. I've liked having that second resource to pull from, though I'm not very far into it as of yet :).
If you are interested in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the nations website is cgsusa.org. They give a good overview of the philosophy. What I really admire about it, as a teacher and a mother, is that it's very concrete yet has a lot of room for prayerful, thoughtful response from the child. It's all based in either the Bible (all the parables/prophecies/events in Jesus' life used are straight and undiluted--and the children get that!) or the Liturgy (again, words taken directly from the Mass or the Sacraments, no dumbing down). It's an incredibly meditative, deep type of learning that visibly enriches the already existing relationship between Jesus and the child.
ReplyDeleteTrying to give my own response other than the official one--hope this helps.