GETTING DIRTY

Several months ago, I made the decision to homeschool my oldest two for preschool. Not because I am some overachiever. No, no - that is not why. I made the decision because I am cheap. And lazy. Preschool is nearing $100 a pop. And that is just for ONE kid for ONE month. That would be nearly $2000 for my two kiddos for a year. YEAH. RIGHT. I'd rather spend that money on something else. Like Christmas. And home improvements. And baby clothes... PLUS I would have to drive back and forth a billion times a week with four kids in the car and that gets exhausting. Anyway. I made the decision back in April or May and immediately began to search through curriculum materials and schedule layouts. Hated everything I found. Too basic and easy. Nothing really met the level of expectation that I had. SO I MADE MY OWN. I built a curriculum based on what I knew would offer my kids an adequate challenge. Threw in a couple of fun subjects and holiday-themed units. 17 weeks of preschool materials and activities - DONE. Fall semester is going to rock (need to work on our 17 weeks for spring semester... sigh). We are already 4 weeks into preschool and I have to say, I LOVE IT. I love the time I use to focus on the kids. I love being able to help them learn and grow. I love seeing them eat this up.
This week we focused on dinosaurs. Talked about environments, diets, and fossilization. Capped the week off with an awesome dinosaur dig activity. Used brushes and chisels to unearth some dino bones. The older two even let the babies lend a hand. It was seriously such a fun adventure.