Home Educating Children: The Very, Very Beginning

One of the aspects of homeschooling that I love the most is the freedom to do what I want, when I want, how I want, and to move in the direction I see fit for each of my children collectively and individually. Although the task at hand may seem daunting at times, this is something that truly gives me peace.
For many people, schooling begins when a child enters preschool. Usually around 3 or 4. I have decided that it will begin for Kai at two and a half. It is what we call Tot School. Not quite as formal as pre-school but more structured than free play for a part of the day. The Tot School Idea was created here.

To be honest, most mothers start tot school with their little ones without even knowing it. It's the concept of giving our kids opportunities to develop and learn while still keeping the environment one which fosters a child's natural desire to learn. This day in age, it's very easy to get stuck sticking your child in front of the tv for far too long or to walk out of the room and be uninvolved in playing with them. I am guilty of this. Which is why I decided that tot school was going to happen in our home at least once a day for an hour or so. That way I know without a doubt, that I have dedicated a decent amount of time where I am completely focused on Kai's education.

We have chosen a direction that is a mix between Montessori, traditional, and classical learning at the most basic level. Most of what we do is hands on, but Kai also has a big interest in sitting down and writing while using simple worksheets. The materials I use are things I have on hand or inexpensive items I find at the dollar store or dollar section at Target. There is also a boat load of free resources online that I print out at home and laminate. It's all about being creative! I can't tell you how many games I have come up with using dry beans and kitchen utensils. I have started a running list of "Things I Would Like to Own" where I put the items that cost a little more money. But for now, simple is working just fine for us.

Since this is an introduction to preschool, it is very relaxed. I follow Kai's lead 99% of the time. If I come up with a game that I think is awesome and he does not, I do not push it on him. Then I silently remind myself that this is meant to be fun. As he gets older and his attention span grows, I will add more structured guidelines. My end goal is to have him fully ready for an actual formal pre-school setting around 4 or 4 1/2. I will post our first week of tot school soon. We loved it! We did a theme week about plants, it was a blast. Honestly :)