Homeschool Preschool - What You Need To Teach Your Child To Read

Deciding to homeschool preschool your child is not an easy decision for a parent. You want what's best for your child but you are unsure about so many things:

· How do you get started?
· Are you even qualified to teach your child to read?
· Should you follow a pre-designed system or should you manage it your own way?
· Will you have enough time?
· What if you change your mind? Will a stranger have the same passion for teaching your child as you do?

So, let us start at the beginning.

I can quite honestly say that you are the best qualified person to homeschool preschool your child. You have taught them everything they know so far, from brushing their teeth, putting on their clothes and shoes, walking, talking, to using the potty and far too many other things to mention here.

You know your child's strengths and their weaknesses and you (better than anyone else) know how to work around it. Believe me when I say that when you know the how, teaching your child to read and write is a walk in the park compared to some of the other things that you have already taught them. By investing in the time to teach your child to read, and in a method that works easily and effortlessly, the how becomes, pardon the pun, child's play.

The first thing to do is to make the decision to teach your child to read. It may sound rather obvious, but you would be surprised at how many people keep putting such an important thing off until tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...

Reading will become your child's primary learning skill in life. For this reason starting early and starting right is of paramount importance.

There is no correct age to begin to teach your child to read. Anytime between the ages of 2 to 4 (or earlier or later), is okay. Some parents prefer to start teaching their child to read earlier, others a bit later. The key is simply to start.

However, it has been noted by various researchers that children have a window of opportunity between the ages of 2 and 5 that is best for teaching them various skills like reading, writing and even chess.

The second thing you need to be successful in teaching your child to read is an easy to use, proven method that will bring out and nurture your child's innate ability to learn to read.

I have heard many parents complain that they have been unsuccessful in their efforts to teach their child to read. On further investigation I usually discover that they have no specific method or system and try everything randomly; a little phonics here, a little sight reading there, a few rhymes and a few songs...

This is like trying to learn to drive a car without having proper instruction; a little automatic here, a little stick shift there, maybe some parking and hopefully by the end of the day you'll know how to drive. Not likely.

Luckily, this is very easy to remedy.

Firstly, make sure that you have a system. Prepare a plan of action, set some goals for you and your child and when you are both ready, begin to teach your child to read.

Secondly, put aside some "reading" time for you and your child. Make sure that you teach your child to read at the optimum time when their energy is the highest.

My son for example, has the most energy in the morning so we schedule his reading lessons after breakfast. Other parents choose the afternoons or early evenings. It all depends on when it is convenient for you and when your child feels at their best.

Time is always of the essence in today's busy world, and a lot of parents who wish to homeschool preschool their children are afraid to undertake this important task because they fear it will take up all their time.

Well let me tell you that teaching a child to read is less time consuming than you think. Children have a limited attention span and anyone who tells you to sit for an hour at a time trying to teach your child to read has probably never spent more than 1 minute with a young child.

In order to be successful, the next step is to make sure their lessons are extremely short. Initially each lesson shouldn't be longer than a minute, although you may repeat the lesson a few times per day. All in all your daily total of time spent teaching your child to read shouldn't be longer than 5 minutes.

Thirdly, make sure that your child doesn't become bored with the material that they are reading. My son for example, was not interested in boring subjects like "the cat sat on the mat" or rhymes. When I tried to use this material his eyes would literally glaze over.

However, as soon as I introduced words that he was familiar with, I could not stop him from reading. We used words that he was very familiar with and was totally "into", like alien, troll, Harry Potter, bugs and Kung Fu Panda. Suddenly his interest picked up and so did his reading skills.

In this way, you can intersperse your child's favourite things with the 100 most common words in the English language. By knowing how to read these 100 words your child will be able to read up to 50% of any given book. This sets a good basis for their reading future.

Finally, put all of these steps together into a progressive system that allows one step to easily follow the previous one and without effort your child will be reading their first book in about 30 days.

Preschool Art Projects - Under the Sea

Under the Sea

No preschool curriculum is complete without a wide variety of art projects. Arts and crafts give children a method of expressing themselves creatively, as well as allowing them to develop fine motor skills such as cutting, pasting, and drawing. Certain themes, such as the ocean and the creatures that live in it, lend themselves perfectly to preschool art projects.

Ocean life is full of fun shapes and colors which are replicated in these preschool art projects. First, here's a project where the kids create stained glass ocean animals by using tissue paper with contact paper or waxed paper.

Look through books about the ocean and its life forms for inspiration first before letting the children create their own sea creature forms from contact paper or waxed paper. Once they have cut out their shape, decorate the shapes with tissue paper to create a stained glass effect. Remember to use glue if waxed paper is being used.

Create your own Aquarium!

In conjunction with the ocean life theme, organize a field trip to a local zoo or aquarium to observe fish in their habitat. After the field trip, try one of these preschool art projects on fish and aquariums.

Children can create a paper plate aquarium from a paper plate or Styrofoam meat tray. First, paint a blue line about three-quarters of the way up the plate or meat tray, and paint the area below the line blue. After the The paint is dry, the children can decorate their aquariums with fish and other ocean life with paint, construction paper, newspaper, yarn for algae principle let your imagination run.

After the tanks are well appointed with a view of another paper plate or tray aquarium strip of meat. Do not forget a small hole at the top of the second plate or bowl with a hole cut that allows children to create their peer aquariums. Another option is a layer of tapeplastic wrap over top of the aquarium tray to represent the glass.

Here's another fun ocean life craft called "3-Dimensional Sea Creatures". To begin, give each child two cutout shapes of an ocean creature, or have them cut and create their own creatures from construction paper. Encourage them to decorate the sea creatures with glitter, googly eyes, paint, yarn, fabric, or whatever else is in the craft supply closet.

Once the creatures are decorated, connect the two halves and stuff the inside of the shape with cotton balls for an exciting 3-dimensional effect. If desired, tape a large sheet of blue paper on the wall and everyone arrange their sea creatures in the water together.

Play Dough Urchins

One of the ocean's most interesting creatures is the sea urchin. The children can create their own personal urchins from play dough and toothpicks. Play dough can be made by combining 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of warm water, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon oil, ¼ cup of salt and food coloring.

Stir all ingredients together over medium heat until the mixture is smooth. Remove the pot from the heat and knead the dough until it has blended completely. Place the dough in an air-tight sealed container or plastic bag until ready for use.

All of these preschool art projects provide teaching opportunities in many areas as well as providing the chance for imaginations and creativity to soar. Enjoy them and modify however you need to encourage the participation of all of your children.

File Folder Games For Preschoolers

Preschoolers should be learning about a wide variety of topics including shapes, numbers, colors, letters, and more. A great way to teach these basics is with file folder games for preschoolers which are simple and fun to make. They involve printing out different patterns or shapes from the computer and then gluing or taping these shapes onto a file folder.

It's best to keep the stray, laminated game pieces in a re-sealable bag that is kept within the file folder. Following are several great ideas for file folder games for preschoolers. These different games help to teach many different subjects and skills in a fun way.

Using Games to Teach Discrimination Skills

Discriminating between different patterns, facial expressions, etc., is something that preschoolers should learn. To create a game that teaches these skills, first pick a theme for the game. If it is October, for example, choose Halloween as the theme.

Print out a number of faceless jack-o-lanterns (5-10), depending on the students' skill level. Glue these pumpkins on the inside of the file folder. Next, create different faces for each of the jack-o-lanterns. Print out two copies of these faces, and glue one set on the faceless jack-o-lanterns.

Laminate the remaining faces and let the fun begin. The goal of the game is for the child to match the face pieces with those jack-o-lanterns with identical faces. You can even switch things up and use numbers, letters or patterns (such as polka dots, stripes, etc.) instead of faces.

Using Games to Teach Seriation Skills

Seriation skills involve being able to situate objects in a particular series. This is another skill that can be practiced and perfected with folder games for preschoolers. Again, pick shapes or objects that fit into your theme. If it's springtime, you may want to use flowers for this file folder game.

Print out a number of differently sized flowers (5-10), depending on the students' skill level. Decorate the folder to suit the flowers. For example, you may want to glue some green grass to the bottom, white clouds in the sky, and a bright yellow sun in the sky. The goal of this game is for the student to place the flowers in order from smallest to largest, or vice versa.

Using File Folder Games to Teach Math Skills

For this preschool math activity, you will again want to choose a theme. If it's February, for example, a good theme to use would be Valentine's Day.

Print out a number of hearts (5-10), depending on the students' skill level. Number each heart, laminate them, and then put them aside. Print out another set of hearts. Using a marker, place one dot on the first heart, two dots on the second heart, and so on.

Glue these dotted hearts on the inside of the file folder. The goal of this game is for the student to match the numbered hearts to the correct dotted heart.

File folder games for preschool children are both fun and educational. You can even children in the creation of the file folder games, so that the experience doubly enjoyable to attend.

Middle School Lesson Plans - Gather Up Tests, Quizzes, and Movies - Put Them Into a Lesson Plan!

Middle school is a trying time for many students. However, teachers across the country can do their part to make their lives a little bit easier by investing in quality middle school lesson plans. Here are a few ways that this simple device can make teaching much easier.

Middle school lesson plans typically consist of texts, quizzes, tests, movies, discussion topics, and other everyday activities. Depending on the subject you teach, you may want to include other events, such as science labs, field trips, art projects, oral presentations, and others. You'll also need to include other concepts, such as class objectives, mission statements, and other informative pieces. This lets both students and parents know your exact motives for teaching.

Some school districts require that your school plans undergo critique by a committee of qualified teaching professionals before it's deemed acceptable. This ensures that your outline is accurate and feasible. It also makes sure that the texts and other materials you plan to use are up-to-date. Along with making the process of teaching much easier for you, it also prevents a lot of conflict in the long run. If your middle school lesson plans don't meet their requirements, you may be required to alter them accordingly.

There are those who believe that lesson plans are too structured to promote ideal teaching. While this is true, it is possible to create extra time for emergencies. These include incidents such as classroom disruptions, classroom discussion tangents, or simply days when your students collectively need an extra day or two to make a tricky concept stick. Keep in mind when organizing your middle school plan that many school committees are also somewhat lax regarding exact day to day activities and only care about the general plan.

Another commonly overlooked concept in middle school plans is the issue of the outline. Some consist of simple lists, while others use frames or tables to neaten up otherwise complex plans. Ideally, your lesson plans should be easy to read and organized. This will prevent a lot of confusion and mistakes in the long run.

By doing your best to make your middle school lesson plans as best as you can make them, you are doing more than just making the process of teaching run a bit smoother. You are also doing your part to make sure the lessons you instill remain in your students' minds long after they move on. Learn more today about how lesson plans can benefit you!

Beginning of School Activities for Preschool - All About Us

If you're searching for fresh ideas for beginning of school activities for preschool, try this one. Some of the most memorable activities I have done are ones that span the school year. Parents and children love to see how they have grown through the year!

Parents are anxious about their children starting their first year in a setting other than home. They want to be reassured that the teacher and staff recognize and value their preschooler's unique qualities.

The preschool teacher also has the responsibility to teach the children to get along in a group and begin the process of respecting other's unique qualities as well. This is a year long goal, as well as a life long goal for all of us!

All About Us Preschool Activity

The project that I call All About Us is one that helps the students, teachers and parents have a visual display of how the class is changing throughout the year. This display is not left out continuously but rather brought out at different times during the school year to note new changes, abilities, differences of any kind.

This is one of those preschool activities you can use for teaching many skills such as color recognition, numbers, counting, comparisons, opposites, etc. You can also identify abilities such as letter recognition, name recognition, favorite books, toys--the range is up to the teacher to decide.

At the start of the preschool year, I make one chart per child on a piece of cardstock or heavy grade paper that will last the school year. On the left side of the chart I list: name, birthday, height, hair color, number of siblings, favorite food, colors I know, letters I know, favorite book, etc. (This is your own list to create so feel free to add other things if you wish.) Then across the top, put columns where you can record dates of entry. If you have access to a camera, take each child's picture and put add this to the chart.

I have a hallway or wall set aside for everyone to see. Another way to display this is to attach the papers to a long piece of ribbon to make a banner that can span the wall or a corner. I use this often the first month of the year at circle time to show how to measure height, ask children their eye color or hair color. We count how many siblings are in a person's family.

You can record the children's answers to the list on your sheet and then add these to the charts. I also think it is important to provide them the opportunity to decorate their sheets with stickers or crayons. Personalization of their own part of the banner.

After a few weeks, I take this down and then bring it out every couple of months to see how things have changed. As the year goes by, the children will have acquired so many skills and enjoy being able to "measure" height, count, put in the letters they have learned. Some like adding information next to their name such as "can cut with scissors", "can stand on one foot", "can hop", "made new friends". Listen to their ideas for inclusion here. This is an excellent way to hear from their own mouths how they think they have grown!

The self esteem that this promotes will be evident when you bring this out throughout the year.

Parents love to have this visual chart for them to see and at the end of the year--what a wonderful gift for your preschooler to take home. It is his/her validation of how much they have learned and grown throughout preschool.

These beginning of school activities for preschool will provide fun throughout the year and will be a welcome gift at the end of the year.

Preschool Puppets - Using Puppets in the Preschool Classroom

Preschool puppets are a wonderful addition to the preschool classroom. Children can play with animal puppets or people puppets to act out stories or make up their own. As a teacher, preschool puppets can be very helpful in getting the attention of your young pupils. Kids love story time and the colorful and funny puppets will give them something to look at and focus on while you teach different preschool skills like counting, abc's and getting along with others.

Using friendly characters can be a non-threatening way to introduce healthy behaviors like keeping your hands clean or trying new foods. Just about any child can relate to a fuzzy monster that is learning to use the potty.

Puppets can also help teachers with more advanced subjects like foreign language and different cultures. Science is another subject that can be made really simple to understand for preschoolers with the use of puppets. For example, a caterpillar puppet that turns into a butterfly can help demonstrate how things grow and change.

There are many ways to use puppets in the preschool classroom. Singing a song with a puppet while sitting in circle time or having a real puppet theatre with an assortment of puppets for kids to pick from will enhance their day with story time and imaginative play.

Puppets are a valuable addition to any preschooler's day whether at preschool or at home. Moms and Dads will find puppets a wonderful teaching tool at home as well as a favorite toy for their children. Older children enjoy puppets as well and it is a creative alternative to television or video games.

Preschool puppets are available in many shapes, sizes and characters. There are many stories that you can find to perform for young children or that you can help them do. Preschool puppets can be educational, fun and a favorite of children for years to come.

Free Preschool Lesson Plans For Making Music With Your Preschooler

Here are some free preschool lesson plans for making music with your preschool class or your own preschoolers at home. These are very simple, and will introduce your preschooler to listening and thinking about music.

These activities will help your preschoolers learn:

-To listen for the difference between loud sounds and soft sounds
-To identify how sounds are the same or different
-Different ways they can create music with their own voices.

Now, onto the fun!

1. What's making that sound? Look around your home and collect items like marbles, bells, pencils, paperclips, and other small items. Put one item in a small box and shake it around. Ask your preschooler what they think is in the box. Does it make a soft or a loud sound?

2. Make your own rock band! Go outside and collect rocks of different sizes. Your preschoolers might even enjoy helping you with this. Then pick up various rocks and Bang them together, one pair at a time. Ask your pre-school children, if you know if the sounds are different rocks do the same or different. If they are different, how do they differ?

3. No discussion allowed! Play with your children in preschool, where we talk to talk to each other instead of singing their words. For some reason, this game reminds me of a scene from the film "Finding Nemo" where Dory "talk" was the whale. If your preschoolers are familiarwith the movie, you might use that as an example of how to sing words instead of speak them.