Choose Your Curriculum

So, you've found your tribe, you've defined your structure, and now it's time to have some fun! It's time to choose your curriculum!

I know what you're thinking, curriculum? That sounds way too formal for me! But don't freak out -  it's really just deciding what you are going to teach. And in most cases, simple is better. You've got this momma, let's just take it one step at a time.

While I was getting my degree and teaching credential, one of the concepts that constantly resurfaced was the idea of backwards mapping. Basically, it's just thinking about what goals you'd like your kiddos to achieve by the end of the year, and planning backwards from there.

Now, depending on the ages of the kiddos in your group, the skills and concepts you may want them to learn will vary. For example, your goals for a group of 2 and half or 3 years olds, will probably be different that your goals for a group of 4 year olds - which is actually perfect if you're planning on continuing your co-op for more than one year.

So, this is where you get to chat and decide, what do I really want them to learn at this point? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:

Suggested Activities for 2 years old and older

• Learning the Letters of the Alphabet
• Counting 1-10
• Basic Shapes
• Colors
• Gross Motor Activities (exercise type activities are great for this)
• Animal Names and Sounds
• Bible Stories and Activities
• Memorization Skills/Bible verses
• Read Alouds

Suggested Activities for 3 years old and older

• Recognizing the letters of the alphabet
• Capital and lowercase letters
• Beginning to learn letter sounds
• Counting 1-20
• Number cardinality (basically being able to count a group of objects accurately, naming the first object as 1, the second as 2, and so on) 
• Shapes
• Colors
• Pre-Writing Skills
• Tracing Letters
• Simple patterns
• Sorting objects into categories
• Simple cutting and gluing
• Gross Motor Skills
• Simple Science Activities
• Bible Stories and Activities
• Memorization Skills/Bible Verses
• Read Alouds

Suggested Activities for 4 year old and older

• Recognize capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet
• Associate letters with their sounds
• Identify beginning and ending sounds in words
• Possibly starting to read CVC words
• Basic sight words
• Counting numbers 1-30
• Number cardinality
• Comparing Numbers
• Review shapes and colors
• Tracing letters and words
• Beginning to write letters independently
• Cutting and Gluing
• Patterns - various types of patterns
• Comparing and contrasting
• Sorting objecting into categories
• Gross Motor Skills
• Simple Science Activities
• Bible Stories and Activities
• Memorization Skills/Bible Verses
• Read Alouds

Remember, these are only suggestions! Don't worry if you're starting this with a 4 year old  - you are not behind. Just start with what they know, and move on from there.  You need to do what it appropriate for your child, but this is to give you an idea of what you could cover. As a side note, if you're struggling with exactly where to start, don't hesitate to send me an email. I'd love to help you out.

Now, don't be overwhelmed with this list. You DO NOT need to do it all - and you definitely don't need to do it all every week. In fact, that would be quite impossible! Just think about what you want them to learn and we'll get into the nitty gritty stuff when we make the schedule (which is coming in Lesson 5).

But to give you an idea of how this might look, I'll share what we have done in the past. For simplicity sake, we started with the alphabet.

Each week was assigned a different letter as our focus. The teacher could be as creative as she wanted with teaching the letter, but the letter was assigned.

Then, each week we assigned two additional skills - science, numbers, sorting, cutting and gluing, etc. The teacher could do activities that tied in the with letter or just a great activity to teach the skills. Again - total creative license,

Each month we practiced and memorized a Bible verse, and at the end of the month, the kids would each get up and say the verse - usually with some help - and always for a little treat!

That's it - a letter, two skills, practice the verse, and snack. See, I told you you've got this!

We actually repeated this cycle for two years - focusing just on letter recognition when they were little and moving on as they grew. Don't get me wrong, when they were little, we taught the letter Bb and that Bb says "buh," but our focus was on teaching them to recognize the various letters.Then, as they grew we worked more on connecting the letters with their sounds and even some beginning blending.

However, you could also go a totally different route and have a different theme every month - farm, ocean, construction, etc, and incorporate various activities related to the theme over the course of the month.

Again, this is where you get to decide. Choose what is going to work best for your kiddos - without causing you to want to rip your hair out! Remember, you want to enjoy this process too.

So, there you go! Get together with the other moms, and dig in. What do we want them to learn and how do we want to structure it? I guarantee, once you start jotting ideas down, it will be so much easier than it seems!

So, now it's your turn. Leave a comment below and tell me where you are in the process. Do you need help deciding exactly what to teach? Are you using an overarching letter theme, are you going to plan thematically, or do you have another idea? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And if this post or this series has been helpful for you, I'd love for you to share it with your friends - either via Facebook, email, or even word of mouth.

Be sure to check back next week for Lesson 4: Agreeing Upon Your Norms. See ya soon!

Find Your Tribe

So now that you've decided, "Yes, I really can start my own preschool co-op," it's time to get started with lesson 1: Find Your Tribe. 

If you're anything like me (major introvert), step one may just be the hardest part of getting your own preschool co-op up and running. Why? Because you really have to put yourself out there!

But, you can't really have a co-op without anyone to cooperate with, right? So, this step is crucial! And as hard as it may be - it is sooooo worth it! I have a little story I'll share with you at the end, but for now, let's stay focused.

So, first step, keep your eyes open for people that just may be prime candidates for your group. The neighbor that has a toddler running around yard. The mom you see at church with a baby in one arm, and using the other arm to corral her other kids to their classes. The family that you always seem to run into at the park. Look around - you might just be pleasantly surprised by how many other moms are craving the connection that a preschool co-op would provide.

If you're already doing an activity with similarly aged kids - dance classes, sports teams, Sunday school classes - this is your "jackpot zone!" Then, all you have to do is ask.

Easier said than done, right?

Don't worry - you don't have to have it all together (I certainly didn't) - but just be honest. You can say something like, "Hey, I'd really like (insert your kiddo's name here) to have some more structured social time - and I just need to get out of the house every once in a while - so I was thinking of putting together a little preschool co-op. Nothing super formal, but I was wondering if you'd be interested. It seems like (insert your kiddo's name) already really enjoys playing with (insert their kiddo's name)."

There - done. And really, what's the worst that could happen? She says she's not interested. Oh well. But if you think about the best that could happen from those few sentences - ah, the possibilities are endless!

So, start asking, but my one caution is this - be mindful of just how large your group is getting. Remember, most likely, you will be hosting this in a home or other single-room location - so bigger isn't always better. 

We have found that a group of about 8 students (not including parents or siblings) is ideal. If you have less than 4, the kiddos don't seem to take the "preschool" aspect of it as seriously. If you get much bigger than 9, well, let's just say things can get a little crazy. 

So, now it's your turn. Think of 2 or 3 other moms that you'd love to have as a part of your co-op. Don't worry about starting small, because they may have 2 or 3 other moms in mind as well. Then, to borrow Nike's famous slogan, "Just Do It!" Meet them at the park, give them a call, you can even share this blog post and say, "Hey, I'm interested in doing this - you in?"

So, go for it ladies, Find Your Tribe! I know it will be so worth it! Then, check back next Friday, July 1st, for Lesson 2: Define Your Structure.

So..... I did promise you a story.

Almost exactly 4 years ago I went to a park playdate with a mom that I kinda knew from church. We had a few mutual friends, but had never really hung out. To be honest, I was a little intimidated by her - she seemed to have it all together. But we both had boys that were the exactly the same age and were both pregnant with our second boy. So, I sent what felt like a super random text, and we set up a playdate at the park.

The boys loved playing together and she and I pieced together a conversation, mostly revolving around our boys. Was it a perfect playdate? No. But she was really sweet, and I wanted to get to know her more. We got together a couple more times, Then, I invited her to the preschool co-op that was getting started. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to today. My boys are absolutely best friends with hers. They adore playing together and treat each other more like brothers than friends. She is truly one of my best friends, and now we get up early one day a week to run together. So we can just have time to chat, without the constant interruption of kiddos. Honestly, she has blessed my life tremendously, and looking back, I am so thankful for that initially awkward park date. It has blossomed into a "better than I could ever ask" for friendship.   

That's a little bit of my story. What will yours be? So, go for it! You never know what friendships may grow from a simple question. 

See you next week!

Starting Your Own Preschool Co-Op

You might be thinking: Can I really start my own preschool co-op? Or, my little one is only 2 (or 3 or 4 or 5), do he really need this? Or, I can barely make it out of my house as it is, do I really have the time and energy to coordinate a preschool? The answer to all of these questions is YES, YES, and YES!

After teaching for 8 years, I transitioned to being a stay at home mommy. I was incredibly thankful to be home with my little ones - a newborn and almost 2 - but I was completely overwhelmed. To be honest, I just survived for about a year. While I loved being home to pour into these little lives, I was exhausted. I knew something needed to change. I knew I wanted to start incorporating some "instruction" into our day, especially for my then almost 3 year old. I knew we needed more structure. And I definitely knew we all needed to get out and connect with other families more regularly. How that was going to happen, I didn't know, but I started to ask.

The more moms I talked to, the more I found that so many moms were in the same boat. Being a stay at home mommy is HARD. Even when you have a wonderfully supportive hubby (like I have been blessed with), I truly believe it is one of the hardest but most important jobs in the world! So, we started talking...and meeting....and meeting at parks to talk some more. Slowly but surely our preschool co-op was born, and I could not be more thankful for this amazing opportunity.

Now, 3 years later, we are a part of two preschool co-ops, one for each of my boys, and the friendships that have grown out of these weekly meetings are some of our most treasured - for the kiddos and myself. They have both learned so much - not only academically, but socially, spiritually, and yes even physically. They've learned about listening to authorities (other than mom and dad). They've learned about conflict resolution - when that one special toys just seems to bring out the worst in them. We have all learned so much! 

It has truly been a blessing for our family, and I would love to pass it on to you! So, for the next six weeks, I am going to walk you through the steps we went through to get it all up and running. Don't worry, we will only take it one step at a time, so you have plenty of time to process and prepare. And hopefully, by the time fall hits, you will be ready to kick off your own preschool year! I am so excited for you to start this journey! Don't hesitate to ask questions- I am more than happy to help!

Ready to get started? Then, head to Lesson 1:Find Your Tribe HERE. 

Leave a comment below to ask your burning questions about starting your own preschool co-op. I'd love to answer them and would be thrilled to tailor this series specifically for you if you tell me what you really want to know.

Looking forward to seeing you next week!