What We’re Doing for Preschool for the 2024-2025 School Year

I have the school year for each of my kiddos planned out for next year, so I figured it was time to go ahead and share what we’re doing. I know many people don’t use anything for the early years, but Miss Three cannot wait to be part of the studying crew. As it is, I often keep extra crayons and pens and paper nearby so she can “do school” while her older siblings work.

That said, I still want to keep preschool gentle, especially since Miss Three already knows her alphabet, can count to 20 accurately with and without objects, knows her colors, recognizes numbers, and is starting to read simple CVC and sight words. Here’s what we are doing.

Our Curricula Choices

Blossom and Root Early Years Volume 1

I’ve been watching Blossom and Root for a while and decided this year that I really want to add their curriculum to our homeschool. I went ahead and purchased Blossom and Root Early Years Volume 1 to use for this year. I really like their literature activities, gentle science and nature activities, and music and art studies. I’m really excited to get started with their program.

Little World Wanderers Preschool

Note: This curriculum company publishes religious content, but this curriculum does not include religious content. I stumbled across Little World Wanderers Preschool by accident, and shortly after, I purchased Blossom and Root. I fell in love with their diverse preschool reading list, which, like Blossom and Root, is based on Charlotte Mason principles. Each week has a book, a little geography, and activities that relate to the book. I find more to it, like a chore list, useful.

Babes, Tots, and Kids Units

I purchased this one when the 10-year-old was 3 and had it in my files. I’m mostly using it as a jumping-off point for books to read and activities that go along with the books and weekly theme. I am eliminating several units – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter – for being either problematic in their book lists or containing religious elements. I wouldn’t be using it if I didn’t have it already, but I find many units usable and appropriate for our needs. More importantly, many themed crafts can help her stay occupied while I’m doing read-aloud or teaching her older siblings.

Critical Thinking Company’s Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 1

We had this and book 2 on hand from the 10-year-old. It’s been passed down through the kiddos. Even though Miss Three knows most of the content here, I’ll use it when she wants to do a workbook like her big siblings.

Scissor Skills Workbooks

I have the Scissor Skills Preschool Activity Book, Let’s Cut Paper (Kumon), and Learn Scissor Skills! sitting around that we received as gifts from grandparents, they never fully consumed. Scissor skills are great for little kids and their fine motor skills, and why not use something we have hanging out if she wants to hang out at the table longer?

Other Kumon and Preschool Workbooks

We have some other Kumon coloring books and thinking skills workbooks hanging out – again they were gifted to us and then not used. Workbooks won’t be a main or every day thing at all. I just like having them on hand because, well, if you’ve ever tried teaching 10-year-old fractions with a 3-year-old trying to steal her pen so she can do school, too, you get it!

Our Schedule

I plan to do a little bit every day with her. We will see how that works out. Right now with how I have things scheduled, we’ll be doing lots of reading (which we do anyway, just now we’ll have themes each week). While the above seems like “a lot” the only real difference between what we’ve been doing and what we will do is adding the activities, themed art projects, and field trips for our units to our schedule. We’ll break activities up throughout the day, and if we don’t do what I’d scheduled, no biggie.

Since she’s dropped nap time completely, she’ll also get to hang out for poetry tea time, which should be fun. I look forward to sharing more about what we do for that special time in our household.

She’s looking forward to having her own school time, which I plan to do with her while the others do their independent reading activities. I’m really looking forward to it too.