Preschool and First Grade at Hodgepodge

We are homeschooling the stretch of ages this year – preschool, elementary, middle school and high school. I shared a couple of weeks ago an update on homeschooling high school. Today I’m highlighting the little ones – our preschooler and first grader. Here we are half way through the year. Here we are in February and that makes me want to cling to the next few months. Because these are our last months of preschool. Next school year, Lil’ Buddy will be a kindergartener!

What have our preschooler and first grader been up to? Well, we are still pretty much staying the course I shared in Preschool to First Grade Curriculum and Organization. I start our homeschool day with the youngest two, sitting right there in that little school chair between the two.

A Typical Homeschool Morning with the Little Ones

In between helping Littlest Girl with a Saxon 1st Grade Math lesson, I read Rod and Staff’s Bible stories. Sometimes we get totally sidetracked playing with teddy bear counters. We practice some handwriting. Lil’ Buddy does a page or two in his current Rod and Staff preschool workbook. Both children complete a page or two in Alphaphonics – reading aloud. Once they both finish with these basics, they are off to play together.

These two join us again at lunch time when we fit in some of the extras. Depending on the day that means they participate in science, Tapestry of Grace, nature studies, Harmony Fine Arts or any of those enriching subjects, each at their own level…

Learning to Read

But the highlight of this week is this. I brought a stack of favorites from the shelf on Monday. I sat the stack on the family room table. And I asked Littlest Girl to read to Lil’ Buddy each afternoon after lunch. I’m saving this photo essay for always. Because it’s happening again. An older sibling teaching the younger one to read. Those pages of 

Getting things accomplished isn’t nearly as important as taking time for love. ~ Janette Oke

Here are a few more posts I’ve written on the subject of learning to read:

• The Gentle Ways of Reading – all the readers and resources we love
• I hope you will click over and read my Alphaphonics review.
• Slow and Steady Get Me Ready
• Answers for Preschoolers
• All the Hodgepodge Curricula and reviews

Scoop those children up on the couch and enjoy!

It was a week of getting back into a routine and taking care. I got back from BEECH Retreat on Sunday to find out that Middle Girl was sick. The scarlet fever part of strep – rash and all! She is much better this Friday. 1. Littlest Girl working on Saxon Math 1st Grade | 2. The younger two had strep tests too but thankfully only have colds | 3. Littlest Girl was very busy this week – here she helps big sister practice her Glinda lines for drama troupe’s Wizard of Oz | 4. Hodgepodgedad reads our AiG Science & Technology lesson on computers | 5. We finished Sign of the Beaver early in the week and enjoyed more Ben Franklin books with our Tapestry of Grace studies | 6. The brothers Hodgepodge

I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. Ephesians 3:17

Many thanks to our Friday hostesses!

• Collage Friday hostess Mary at Home Grown Learners
• Homeschool Mother’s Journal at iHomeschool Network
• Weekly Wrap-Up hostess Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
• No Fear Homeschool High School at The Daisy Head

How is homeschooling your little ones going this year? I’d love to hear in the comments…
Hearts and Trees: Art, Handicrafts and Nature Study for your Homeschool