Week One Plans

After some rather hurried research, I decided to try a modified version of the Brightly Beaming lessons for two year olds. My primary changes are substituting the letter "E" for "A" and adding a Bible story, as well as implementing learning activities other than the ones the BB curriculum suggested.

I decided not teach the Little Lady her letters alphabetically. My purpose with teaching letters is for her to be able to recognize letters -- I think the best way for this to be achieved is to start with letters that she has shown an interest in. I'll be using the letters of her name, her baby brother's name, our names, etc., to begin letter introduction. My husband and I had already started working with her on her name, resulting in our Little Lady being able to recognize (most of the time) the letter "E." This week, I'll be trying to reinforce "E" with her.

As far as the Bible story goes, my husband and I have been wanting to find a good way to introduce the Little Lady to Old and New Testament stories, as well as reinforce the stories she is learning in Sunday School. We are going to follow the method some of our good friends shared with us; we'll be focusing on one story each week, reading that story every night before bed. During "Tot School," I will use art projects and songs to help her remember the story.

Here is an example of what I'm planning for this week (click on the images for full-size viewing):





I did NOT include any "times" with this lesson plan. I intend to keep "Tot School" very fluid and playful. I don't want my Little Lady to feel as though this is a chore. There is a lot of story time, song time, game time, art time, and play time because those are things she likes. I am not planning on really using work-sheets or drilling flashcards. The Little Lady likes to be active; she doesn't respond well to static instruction.

We'll see how this week goes; I will continue to research other at-home preschooling mamas for ideas. If you have idea or website suggestions, PLEASE let me know!