Homeschool has taken on a different look this past year. Since our last post, we have added two baby birds to the nest. B just turned 5, O just turned 3, and E is creeping up on his first birthday.
Last summer when I was 100 months pregnant and my husband was completely out of commission with a back injury, I dreaded the start of homeschool. I was afraid I would be stressed with a new baby and a husband recovering from back surgery and everything else life tends to throw at you (tires being stolen off your car, finding mold in your bathroom, family members with health issues, etc. etc.).
That's when I stumbled onto the idea of a "Storybook Year" from a blogger my sister loves.
Enter angelic music and lights beaming through the windows. We LOVE to read. We love books. We love snuggling on the couch with a blanket and a pile of Fancy Nancys, Bernstein Bears, or Frog and Toad.
So, what does a storybook year look like for us?
First. I went on Pinterest and pinned any list I could find about Best Children's Books, Classic Children's Books, Books that Make You Laugh, and I made a list. I started at the top and requested books from the library (we don't buy books very often unless we fall head over heels for them - like It's a Tiger by David LaRochelle).
Second. Once I secured the books from the library, I made a basic calendar in Microsoft Publisher and planned out the books we would read. If there was a holiday or birthday, I tried to plan books accordingly.
Third. With my schedule of books to read in hand, I planned activities for the day. I wanted the kids to "respond" to each book, which is challenging when they cannot write on their own yet. I found these awesome Pre-K journals from -- my home away from home -- Walmart. My plan was for the kids to "respond" with art. They love, love, love to create: draw, color, paint, glue, cut, whatever (and so do I)!
And that is when I found it. The perfect addition to my storybook year. Art for Kids Hub. It is a YouTube channel that has drawing tutorials for kids. They are amazing. They reiterate great rules of drawing (always do your best and it doesn't have to look like theirs) and do awesome animals, people, characters, and so on. I started looking through the books I had planned to read and chose something from each book to draw together. Almost 90% of the time they had a video for what I wanted. If not, we drew a picture from the story.
Fourth. After our creative time, we answered the 4 BIG Q's from each story (characters, setting, problem, solution) and then gave it a thumbs up or thumbs down. I dictated that, of course, but B did some of her own writing.
Fifth and final. We did something. Some days I had fun activities planned from the story that related in some way (my favorites were Katy No-Pocket and Big Red Barn, which I will post on later).Some days that was it, and we played games together (I have amassed a collection of school games). Some days we had a related outing. Some days we took a nap on the couch.
It was extremely relaxed, but they loved it. I loved it. Everyone loved it. Stay tuned for more detailed posts about each week (books and activities!).
Three Cheers for this storybook year, which just wrapped on Friday. ::sniff sniff::
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