Because I'm starting a "new year", we're easing into it again. Rather than doing activities in "units" or themes this year, I've set up a system to broaden Bu's experiences. Every day, we do a couple of pages in a workbook (to get him used to the idea of workbooks, in case we decide to go that route in the future for curriculum), something technology based (like online curriculum or watching an educational video) and something hands on. This way, he's experiencing learning from many approaches. I always plan to keep the workbook to 2-3 pages a day this year because it's not his favorite, but I'll likely do less videos and more hands on activities as the "year" builds up.
The work online is typically going to be either ABCMouse or Time4Learning. I'm more interested in him becoming familiar with using the computer, learning to use a mouse, etc than I am about the actual curriculum. A lot of this year is about deciding that he's old enough and at a high enough level of understanding to try new things, so we can determine how he learns best and, more importantly, how he WANTS to learn.
I've set up a visual schedule on the table we work at, so he always knows what we will be doing and how much more there is to do. We're also working with "first, then" to help motivate him to do the work. His favorite thing is his iPad (filled to the brim with only educational videos and apps), so we do "first work, then iPad" several times a session to break up the work and give him plenty of motivation to get it all done.
I'm looking forward to sharing our activities again this year, and to keep you all updated on Bu's learning and progress. I hope everyone has a great school year! Let me know what you're all up to!
