willcropeariams preschool

Last year I decided that Aimee would not be going to pre-school again this year.  This is my last year with her before she starts Kindergarten, and I was feeling selfish.  Well, that sort of changed.  One day when I was at play group with my ward, a few of my friends were talking about a home preschool they were organizing for their kiddos.  They asked if I wanted in, and I said yes.  It is however a little diffrent than one might think.  There are four moms with a combined total of nine kids participating.  The plan was to have a group of 2 year olds (Pratt slipped into this group), 3 year olds, and 4 year olds.  Each mom would take a turn teaching each group with one "floater mom."  We set up a rotation schedule for which house it will be at each quarter, and which mom will teach with class.  This is not a drop-your-kid-off-and-go kind of a thing.  All four moms are busy everyday doing something.  We got together and planned monthly themes, schedules and curriculum.  The kiddos were so excited to start preschool, especially knowing that it would be with friends.  And I was happy that I wouldn't be missing out on my babies since I would always be there as well.

 

Aimee holding her 1st day of preschool picture from last year.  Her class is the biggest with four kids.  One thing that has been a little tricky is that these kids are all at different levels.  Aimee can read (yes she finally finished her Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons book, and it definitely worked), but is still learning to sound words out to write and handwriting.  Her friend Norah can sound things out and write, but is still working on reading.  The other boy and girl mostly know letters and sounds.  I like that this will give Aimee a chance to do a lot of reviewing and hone some new skills while helping her peers where she is already strong.

 

 

Porter insisted that Eeyor was in the picture with him.  His class is just two boys.  They are both smart and at about the same level, but have very different personalities.  I am teaching them this quarter, and have leaned that I have a lot of learning to do at being a teacher!

Pratt-man, as always, is just happy to be included in the excitement of it all.  His class of three is mostly nursery style.  They play for most of it with a very short lesson and/or story mixed in.

This endeavor has proved to be a lot of work, but I think it is worth while.