This finishes up Week Two of our preschool co-op. I'm pleased with it so far. I definitely need to brush up on my "teacher" skills (not that I ever developed any anyway!), but everything is going well.
We plan to start out with a lesson from Five in a Row, though we didn't get to use the manual until this past Thursday, so I can't really say how FIAR will go. The FIAR part is my job. Last week I tried mimicking FIAR without the manual using the book Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel and made up my own lessons. I think my lessons were well-planned and simple, but I it will take me a little while to learn the group dynamics and how to keep the chaos down to a minimum.
We tried to have a little break and snack between the FIAR and Montessori portions. The Montessori part went well, too. The other mom had everything organized so nicely and the kids were definitely interested. I think that part will go more smoothly the more the kids get to know the materials. I still don't know very much about the philosophy of Montessori, so I'm reading up on it, but I definitely like what I see so far. It's all hands-on learning, which is great for active little boys, especially after having to sit and listen to me read and give a lesson.
This last week was a little rough because ironically both families were having sleep issues and the other mom also found out she's expecting as well. This should be exciting! But we're committed and we're planning to continue tweaking it until it's right for our little group. I'm also very happy about how well the kids are all getting along. Trevor and the 6 year old boy really hit it off and enjoy playing and learning together. Conrad is a bit young to really single anyone out to be friends, but the 3 year old likes Conrad and always wants to sit with him.
One day this week was particularly difficult and both of us moms admitted to almost cancelling for the morning. We ended up letting the kids have a playdate instead of doing any lessons, and the older boys ended up finding their own productive activities while us moms watched the toddlers. They opened up a paper airplane shop and made and decorated paper airplanes for everyone, and then they painted pictures, without any guidance from the moms!
Having a preschool co-op has other definite advantages for moms as well as the kids. Not only do the moms get to talk to an adult for a little, but we get to talk specifically about homeschooling and get a peek at how other people do it. It has been especially beneficial for me to watch a homeschool mom who has twice as many kids as I do and a wider range of ages. I'm amazed at how well she can keep track of everyone's lessons and needs. I hope I can develop a little of that!
photo: the boys played dress-up one day after preschool
