Our little Lukka is now three years old (3!), and he has become much more interested in reading, asking questions, and wanting to know "What does this say?" It's high time he learns some letters! I have a few fun things planned for the kids this year including Ani's first swim lessons, a fun 12 week Music Time for both kids (siblings under 2 are free!), a few days at the gymnasium to see if they like to tumble, and another round of swim lessons for Lukka. That might sound like a lot, but stretched over nine months is not overwhelming to me at all, especially when each spurt is 6 weeks here, 6 weeks there. The only exception is the music lesson from Around the Corner Music Studio, which will be done before Christmas.I thought this year I could spend a good amount of one on one time with Lukka learning his letters; to sound out, and quite possibly, to encourage him to learn to read. It may take him a few months to learn to read, it may take him a few years, I'm okay with whatever happens, but when the curiosity is there...you run with it!
For his 'preschool curriculum' (or rather, a loose schedule of things I'd like to do with him), I've decided to follow Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve. This is a huge 200+ page curriculum packet written by a mom of four boys who homeschools. There are so many activities in here, it could easily last his two years of preschool, so we are taking it easy. Each week we focus on a different letter, and with that letter, comes books, poems, activities, crafts, recipies, and examples on how to serve God while learning! An example page, if you're interested to read more, can be found HERE.
We're also helping Lukka learn the sounds of letters by using Leap Frog's Letter Factory DVD, a 30 minute cartoon that sings through the alphabet with sounding out each letter and showing what it looks like. Lukka has already loved watching this and when I ask him what letter makes what sound, he knows! Exciting stuff, since we've had it a week, tops.
Lastly, I bought these Montessori Sandpaper Letters off etsy. These are great for learning to write each letter, since the letters are large (vowels are even colored differently) and there is a dot where the actual 'writing' starts. The sandpaper's purpose is to allow the child to have a sensory 'feel' of tracing each letter, making it easier to develop a sense of writing letters. He has already played with these and likes them a lot, though if interested, I would try to find cheaper ones, as the ones I bought were a bit expensive once I saw the final product.
All in all, I am very excited to do this with Lukka. I have lots of one-on-one time with him during the day, since he normally wakes up 30 minutes before Anikka, takes his Rest Time 30 minutes after she goes down, and goes to bed almost an hour later. I think, though, that I will try to do all of our 'learning' before the day really takes off and we get busy. Routines are always easier for me to do in the mornings!
What are you excited about this school year your kids?
Comments