Life-size Me

Today was a big day for parents, teachers, and students across the country as many schools celebrated their first day of school. Even though schools around here actually started up a few weeks ago, Baby Bear and I started our first day of school today as well. No, he didn't go to preschool, though that was a tough decision. As smart, curious, social, and structure-needing as my son is, I decided that he's not quite ready for a Mother's Day Out/preschool program yet. No, today we started home preschool! Papa Bear and I turned the guest room into a playroom, and Baby Bear's old playroom into a classroom.

Part of our first day went well, and part of it didn't. Baby Bear loves his "school," and he really got into the art project we did, but anything that required him sitting still for a few minutes or following directions was met with rebellion. That is exactly why we are doing this, though. He's so smart, but he could definitely benefit from some added structure and routine. Anyway, the art project we did went over really well! Over the next few weeks we will be conducting a unit called All About Me in which we learn about the exterior parts of the body. So, for today's art time, we created a life-size Baby Bear!

I began by laying out a large piece of paper cut from a roll. Then, Baby Bear laid on the paper and I traced around him. He was a little squirmy, but it turned out OK. After that, Baby Bear helped me trace a glue stick over the top of the head so we could add some yellow feathers for hair. We also added some sticky-back foam pieces to make the face. Next, we colored the clothing with crayons. I was surprised at how much Baby Bear wanted to work on this himself because he usually doesn't want to do any sort of project without me working alongside him. He let me help color the pants, but the rest was all his! Once our guy was hung on the wall, Baby Bear helped point out where the parts of the body were so I could label them. We labeled all the ones we will be talking about during this unit. He was so proud of the life-size boy we made (he refused to say it was him, just a boy), and he was quick to show Papa Bear when he got home, which was a great review!

It will take some time to adjust, but I am excited to begin my homeschool adventures with my Baby Bear!

This is a small sample of my lesson plans. It's short, simple, and flexible, yet consistent... exactly what we need!