Preschool Co-op

I'm so excited!  We've finally found another family to do a preschool co-op with again!  We tried to get one started at the beginning of the year, but it turned into a playgroup, which Trevor and Conrad enjoyed, but it wasn't what I was looking for for the boys.  I was planning on trying again after the summer was over, and we were so lucky to have just the right family move into our ward.  The mom homeschools her four kids and was very interested when I mentioned joy school. 

This other mom has some very good ideas.  We had a meeting last night to plan.  I didn't have any big plans myself, I just wanted Trevor and Conrad to get something a little more structured with other kids on a regular basis.  I really want to keep it simple with being pregnant, something that will last through the pregnancy and a newborn without being overwhelming.  I'm really blessed to be doing this with a mom who is a little more seasoned in the homeschool scene.  She suggested that we have two segments to our preschool. 

The first segment will be a lesson from Five in a Row.  It seems to be a very simple curriculum.  It comes in four volumes, $35 each.  You read the same children's book five days a week (hence, five in a row), and each day there's a short lesson based on a different subject (social studies, language arts, math, science, art).  And that's as complicated as it gets. 

The second segment is Montessori time.  This other mom is really getting into Montessori and has ordered lots of Montessori materials.  So she will have several stations set up where the kids can work on a Montessori activity while she and I will go around helping and guiding if necessary. 

I'm so excited!!  The Lord really knows who to put in our lives, like angels to bless us.  I was worried all summer about what to do because I really felt strongly that Trevor especially needed more than just the lessons we're doing at home.  Playgroups are fun, but I felt the boys needed to know what a structured time felt like with other kids.  As fall came nearer, I worried more and more because I hadn't figured it out yet.  I was tempted to put Trevor in preschool for one or two mornings a week, but after discussing it with Sean, I knew we couldn't afford it right now.  I kept getting this feeling that I shouldn't worry, that something was on its way.  I know it sounds silly, but these are the things I worry about most, and I'm just so grateful the Lord has helped me provide our boys with what they need. 

Our first day is next Tuesday!  Oh, and Trevor finished lesson 36 today.  He was having a hard time remembering several sounds, so we took a few days off of formal lessons to play go fish and other memorization games with the sounds.  He was excited to learn even more when we got back to doing lessons.  Yesterday we were snuggling and talking together and I told him I was proud of his work on his lesson today.  He said, "Yeah.  I'm so happy I learned two new sounds.  Do I get to learn a new sound tomorrow?"  I love that boy.