The Homegrown Preschooler

If you have young kids, you need The Homegrown Preschooler: Teaching Your Kids in the Places They Live. There are not too many products that I say, Quick, buy this now!, but quick, buy this now! I've read many books, I've searched countless blogs, I've seen projects and tips and ideas. This book, by far, has been my favorite resource.

I enjoy getting products to review with the kids, but I love when I get a book for me. So, when I received my package from Gryphon House (an award-winning publisher of of early childhood resources), I tore it open and began flipping through the pages. It's full of pictures, and since I'm a very visual gal, I liked it immediately. You can't thumb through the book without wanting to open a bottle of paint, squish some dough between your fingers, or dress up like a pirate.  

The Homegrown Preschooler was written by two homeschooling moms who have 12 kids between them. I've never met Kathy or Lesli, but I like them already. They are very open and honest throughout the book. They tell stories, relate struggles, and prove that they are just like you and me. They're philosophy, that learning should be fun, mirrors mine exactly. I always say that homeschooling is learning in everyday situations. This book shows you how to make sure that happens.

The first half of the book will help you determine your values and goals for your family. It will also show you what the days will look like during this season of life. There are recipes, tips, and ideas sprinkled throughout.

• Chapter 1: Homeschooling--Harvesting A Bountiful Life - helping you consider the learning style and unique talents and interests of your child

• Chapter 2: Learning Through Play - helping you understand the importance of making memories, discovering, experiencing, and playing

• Chapter 3: Sowing The Seeds--Preschool Learning - helping you cover all the developmental and educational bases so your child can transition into kindergarten (homeschool or secular) 

• Chapter 4: Setting The Stage - helping you use your home productively as the natural environment for learning 

• Chapter 5: Home Life = Learning--Slow Down And Teach - helping you find the lesson in everything

• Chapter 6: Who Has Time For This - helping you find a schedule that works for you

• Chapter 7: Organizing It All - helping you organize so the day runs smoothly

• Chapter 8: Days And Seasons That Don't Fit In The Box - helping you cope on the unpredictable days

• Chapter 9: Special Circumstances - helping you deal with illness, developmental issues, and adoption

The second portion of the book is full of developmentally appropriate activities that will set your child on the road of life-long learning. The activities are divided into target areas of growth. There's even a checklist to ensure to help strengthen each area. There are also plans for light and sensory tables and a Plexiglass easel included. 

• Home Life - setting the table, mixing ingredients, washing the car, planting a garden

• Science - evaporting art, fizz fun, nature table, bird calls

• Gross Motor - animal charades, obstacle course, outdoor bowling, pop popcorn

• Fine Motor - toe pick-up, kneading dough, lacing beads, placemat puzzle

• Math - sorting beach shells, rhythym sticks, TP measuring, Mom's store

• Language and Emergent Literacy - reading spot, sandy alphabet, playdough letters, nursery rhymes, songs

• Art and Sensory - puffy paint, tongue painting, fruit stamping, stained glass art, fly guts

• Social-Emotional - dress up, hair salon, post office, thankful jar

Not only does it list hundreds of ideas of how to teach your preschooler (or any child really), it describes each idea thoroughly. I've seen many of the concepts before and have executed quite a few of them in my home with my children, but there are some suggestions that seemed so obvious that I wondered Why did I never think of that? and others sounded so fun that I knew we'd have to try them. So many people scour Pinterest to find activities to do with the kids. The Homegrown Preschooler is Pinterest in tangible form. 

Between the slower schedule of summer and trying to play catch-up from various circumstances, I had started to slack in the play department. Sure, my kiddos always help in the kitchen and I strive to apply a learning attitude in our everyday life, but I wasn't being intentional in my playing with them. This book has helped me renew my love of intentionally playing with my little ones. I love when they're learning and they don't even realize it, when they're "doing school" but simply having fun.

The Homegrown Preschooler costs $29.95 and is worth every penny. Coming from a coupon-using, deal-finding, savings-loving girl, that's saying a lot. So, let me say it again, quick, buy this now. Even if you're not planning to homeschool, even if your children will one day head off to a brick building for education, give them a solid foundation for learning. I guarantee I will reference this book many times as we continue this journey.


Some of my Crew mates reviewed Global Art: Activities, Projects, and Inventions from Around the World, also from Gryphon House. Head over to the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog to read those reviews and more of The Homegrown Preschooler.

Active Play

My kids love to exercise. After the last couple babies were born, I used a postnatal tae bo video to help lose some of the extra weight. Each time, I'd have little sidekicks exercising right along with me. They ask even now if we can pull the video out and all exercise together. Imagine 3 little kids and me standing in a tiny living room trying to bend and kick and punch. Zac, the 3-year-old, jumps randomly around the room; Alyssa, the 5-year-old, mimics everything I do and practically stands on top of me; and Jake, the 7-year-old, thinks he's a martial arts expert; all while I attempt to follow the video and avoid punching one of my children in the head. Yeah, we don't pull out the dvd all that often. 

So, when I told them about Dr. Craft's Active Play books and explained that Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children was their very own exercise book, they were excited! Needless to say, this has been one very fun review.

This spiral-bound book is filled with 52 activities and is meant to get toddlers and preschoolers physically active while having fun. Not only are these activities good for exercising, they're also good for strengthening gross motor skills; recognizing objects, shapes, letters, colors, and numbers; teaching spatial relationships, following directions; and pretend play. The book is written primarily for childcare providers, but can easily be used at home by parents.

There are plenty ideas for both indoor and outdoor use. Some require a little setup and others can be played immediately. Most of the equipment is regular household things that you probably already own: balls, baskets, paper plates, hula hoops, nylons, socks, etc. There is also a chart at the beginning of the book that lists all the activities and the skills they develop. 

Since the book was written with young children in mind, I had to be a little creative to get Jake interested in some of the activities. Even though he's only 7, there are times he thinks he's 17. For the game Alligator Pit, you place flattened pool noodles on the floor and carry objects across the balance beam while avoiding the "alligators." It just so happened that we had found a  buried treasure! We had to carry it across the bridge over the alligator pit to reach our get-away plane on the other side. But if that wasn't bad enough, we had to hurry because the natives were chasing us to steal the treasure. We were halfway done when Zac slipped off the bridge and almost fell into the alligator infested waters! Thankfully, Alyssa grabbed him just in time and she and Jake pulled him to safety. We got the treasure all in the plane only to discover that it wouldn't start. We then had to drag the box containing the goods all over, trying to find someplace to hide. We encountered many hardships along the way, but eventually got the treasure home!      

  

 

The kids ask every day if it's time to play our exercise game. With games like Clean out the Backyard, Hoop Limbo, Lug-A-Jug, and Sock Tails, it's easy to keep that excitement. I love that the book is simple to use, the equipment is easy to find, and my children are physically active. But the thing I love the most? Listening to my kids laugh as they're playing.  They truly have fun and enjoy the activities. That makes for happy kids and a happy momma.

Now, you think they'll let me exercise on my own???

The Active Play! book costs $39 and includes a dvd that features some of the activities. There is also a section that list activities for infants 6-15 months and a section for school-aged children. You can download sample pages on their site.

If you'd like to learn more, you can read more reviews of Dr. Craft's Active Play book from the Schoolhouse Review Crew.