Today I’m just going to get into projects that have to do with physical attributes.
Tomorrow I will get into the feelings and senses attributes.

But, the concept of "everyone is different" can
be hard to teach to a child without some hands-on projects. So, without further
ado…..

"All About Me" Preschool Activities

Me Puppets

In this project you will be assisting the children in Making "Me Puppets".
Me puppets will help you reinforce to the children that everyone is different
in the physical sense. You will need 6 inch paper plates to use as faces, popsicle
sticks or tongue depressors as the holders. Also, get out some yarn, markers,
crayons, child safety scissors and glue to finish off the "Me Puppet".
Let them put on a puppet show.

Self-Portraits

Give the kid some art supplies and let them draw pictures of themselves. Give
them a list of easy descriptive words and let them chose the words that most
describe themselves. You can even have pictures next to the descriptive words
to help them chose the words that best describe them. For example, for the word
“funny” you can have a person laughing so that they know that word is "funny".
And, for the word “smart” you can have a picture of a person with a light bulb
above their head. Those are just examples, but you get the idea. You want to
help your child pick descriptive words describing themselves.

Eye Color Graph

Make a color graph to show the different colors of eyes such as…. blue, green,
brown and hazel eyes. Let the children look in the mirror and decide what eye
color they have on their own. Did they chose the right color. Talk about that with them.

Thumbprints

This is a really cool project… a little messy, but cool. Bring out an ink
pad and let the kids place their thumb on the ink pad and then onto their own
pieces of blank paper. Give each of the children a magnifying glass and let
them determine what makes each thumbprint different. Do they notice the differences?
Explain to the children that no two fingerprints are alike…. pretty amazing,
huh?!

Body Tracing

Me Stories

Let the children create short stories about themselves. They can draw pictures
and make it a picture book or you can help them write a story using word and with the pictures
as well.

Felt Faces

Cover a coffee can with felt. Also, cut out different sizes and shapes of
felt cutouts. Tell the kids to make their faces using the different shaped felt
and the coffee can. Felt sticks onto felt pretty easily, so no other supplies
such as glue or tape is needed.

Growth Charts

Provide a measurement chart and scales for the children to measure their height
and weight. Explain to the children what these numbers mean.

In Conclusion

These projects should help you teach your children all about them in
the physical sense. Tomorrow we will continue the "About
Me" topic, but go into projects that help you teach them about
themselves using their feelings and their senses.

Top image by squacco

Here are some things
that you might want to look for when seeking out preschool printable
worksheets that will be good for your child:

• Keep
  an eye out for color! Sure, it costs a little bit more money to print
  out color worksheets but your preschooler will be more drawn to these. You
  can mix them in with black-and-white printable worksheets to save on cost.
  When your preschooler is working on the black-and-white ones, encourage the
  use of colored pencils and crayons to liven up the page and keep her interested
  in the work.
• Find
  worksheets that have easy-to-understand directions. As your preschooler
  gets older, you’ll want to encourage her to read some of the directions
  for herself so find worksheets that are designed with this goal in mind. Often,
  these include pictures with the directions to make it easier for your child
  to identify what she’s supposed to be doing.
• Use themed
  worksheets around different holidays and events.
  You can find preschool printable worksheets for various holidays as well as
  for general seasons (like summer). These help to inspire your child to integrate
  learning and the rest of life.
• Consider
  creating your own printable worksheets.
  You can modify existing printable worksheets on your computer to make them
  more interesting for your child. For example, change the names in stories
  to your child’s name on reading worksheets. These little changes can
  really personalize her preschool education and make it more relevant to her.

Of course, preschool
printable worksheets aren’t the only thing you’ll want your child
to work off of when doing learning at home. If you can find a Preschool
Program that incorporates worksheet use into a bigger curriculum
that has related projects and other activities, you’ll really complete
your child’s preschool learning. But you should definitely make use of
the printable worksheets that are out there to help your child learn new concepts
and practice various skills.

Technorati Tags:preschool, worksheets, education, homeschooling, kids, children, activities

But where
do you start with using the Internet to teach your preschooler? After
all, there is such a vast amount of information on the Internet and it often
has conflicting information and confusing approaches to preschool education.
You’re sure that some of it’s great and you’re equally sure
that some of it is probably not good for your preschooler at all. So if you
aren’t knowledgeable about preschool online, where do you begin?

Here are some tips
for using the Internet to teach your child:

• Find
  programs that make use of a number of different learning styles.
  Some children are naturally good listeners whereas others needs hands-on interaction
  to really understand the lessons they’re supposed to be learning. Find
  preschool Internet options that use all different types of learning methods
  to better enhance your child’s online education.
• Take
  a class yourself.
  If you aren’t proficient with the Internet yet, it’s about time
  that you got started. After all, in a few years, you’re going to have
  to concern yourself with issues about your child’s safety online and
  you want to know what you need to know about using the Internet. So get yourself
  up to date and keep yourself abreast of new information.
• Review
  all sites and software alone before using it to teach your child.
  Sure, this takes some added work. But there are unsafe sites on the Internet
  that aren’t going to help your child’s education. Find the ones
  that work best for you and share only those with your preschool, monitoring
  all computer activity while it occurs.
• Use the
  Internet as just one part of an overall program. You should be engaged
  in interaction with your child that includes all kinds of different things.
  Preschoolers need to play with blocks and other tactile things as much as
  they need to learn online. And they need to be out in the sunshine getting
  some physical education as much as they need to have their downtime. Using
  the Internet to teach your child is important but it’s only one of the
  many education tools that you have at your disposal.
• Make
  use of the resources available to parents online. Most good online
  preschool programs provide some additional information and website links for
  parents to assist them in using the site. Make use of these tools so that
  you can do your best to educate your child on the Internet.

Technorati Tags:preschool, online, internet, online education, kids, children, homeschooling

Here are
some tips on what to look for in preschool curriculum kits to make
sure all of your child’s educational needs are being met:

• Look
  for kits that have workbooks, tear-out sheets and supplemental projects.
  You want to be able to stimulate your child’s learning in a range of
  different ways. After all, she’s going to be bored if she’s just
  working out of a workbook every day. Good preschool curriculum kits will have
  project ideas. Some even have computer software to enhance your child’s
  learning options.
• See if
  you can find a curriculum kit that has some re-useable materials.
  Some preschool curriculum kits come with workbooks that use wipe-off
  markers to allow your child to re-use the pages. This is terrific
  because it lets children practice the things that are difficult for them in
  order to master them.
• Seek
  out multi-subject preschool curriculum kits. You want your child
  to have a well-rounded education so be sure to find kits that include a number
  of different basic educational subjects. For example, a kit that has reading
  / writing materials, science and social studies education and some supplementary
  subjects will provide your preschooler with the right tools to do well in
  her upcoming educational years.
• Use preschool
  curriculum kits that work for you. You don’t want the hottest
  new thing on the market if it’s not going to work with the style you
  prefer for teaching your child. A kit that you are naturally inclined towards
  is the best way to go. Also, one which has additional resources for parents
  is always helpful.

The fact of the matter is
that you’re probably going to make some mistakes as you educate your preschooler.
That’s part of the learning process for both of you! But you don’t
want to make the mistake of choosing the wrong preschool curriculum kit because
that’s the foundation of those learning years. So, rely on some basic
tips, go with your gut and don’t be afraid to choose a new program if
the one you’re trying doesn’t work for you.

Technorati Tags:preschool, education, learning, children, kids, pre-kindergarten, pre-k, homeschool

Here is
what you should know about classical homeschooling:

• There
  are three basic areas of education, which make up the trivium stage of Classical
  Homeschooling.
  The first is grammar, which is made up of learning basic facts in all areas
  of education. The second is dialectic which is the teaching of logic and reasoning.
  And the third is rhetoric, which applies the basic facts and reasoning skills
  of the other two stages to communication and expression.
• Things that your
  child might study using a classical homeschooling education include classic
  works of literature (such as Shakespeare, poetry and classic fiction),
  languages (Latin, English and possibly a third classic language), history
  and philosophy, classic art and music (including Renaissance art history and
  composers such as Beethoven) and basic math and science.
• Classical
  homeschooling is considered one of the most difficult kinds of homeschooling
  in terms of the material that children learn and the strictness with which
  they study. Children that are likely to enter a competitive school in the
  future often benefit from the classical homeschooling style.
• In general,
  classical homeschooling comes from a foundation in Christian thinking
  and education.

In summary, classically homeschooling
clearly relies on a well-rounded exploration of the major topics ultimately
covered in public schools and universities across the nation. It tends to address
these topics more thoroughly than many public schools do today and is often
considered difficult as far as homeschooling curriculums go. Parents who are
interested in educating their children in the classics and who are comfortable
providing a homeschool setting, which is more structured than loose, will probably
find that this is an appealing method of approaching homeschooling.

If classical homeschooling
interests you, you can learn more about it by checking out some of the popular
resources about it on the web today. One of these is The Classical
Christian Homeschooling Site, which provides you with some great basic information
about this style of education for the K-12 level. Another is Classical
Home-Schooling Consultants, which should answer some of your questions about
curriculum design. And finally, check out the Classical Christian Education’s
Links for Homeschoolers.

Technorati Tags:homeschooling, preschool, parenting, kids, children, christian

The best thing to keep in
mind is that letters are located all around you in the world so you have ample
opportunity every day to use what’s around you to incorporate letter recognition
learning into your child’s life. As you read books with your youngster,
engage in games throughout the day and even take care of regular chores, you
can point out the different letters that are around you, say their name and
specify what sound they make. Your child will pick up on this quickly as you
go along.

In terms of more focused
learning of the letters, you should start with the basics. There’s a reason
that everyone still learns the ABC song as a child and that’s because
it works. The song gets ingrained into the minds of the child and can then be
used in conjunction with letter toys (refrigerator magnets, foam blocks, stencils
on a child’s wall) to reinforce what each letter looks and sounds like.

Play lots of different letter
recognition games with your child to reinforce the learning from all different
directions. Some children will learn better visually and so games which involve
finding and matching letters on a page will be best for them. Other children
learn best by hands-on activity and so the letter recognition games that involve
tracing letters or handling letter-shaped blocks and toys will help those kids
to learn their alphabet more quickly. Children learn in many different ways
and giving them the chance to develop their different learning skills while
learning their letters will make learning to read that much easier.

As your child begins to get
a grasp on his letters and starts to associate them with the sounds that they
each make, you can move on to helping him identify the different items in a
room or on a picture which start with those sounds. This will once again reinforce
the letter recognition skills of the child while simultaneously setting the
stage for beginning to read and spell.