Preschool

Homeschooling was always part of my plan for Athena & Dimitri.  By the ages of (almost) 2 and (barely) 3 they were voraciously eating up any information that I fed them so Preschool sounded like a great way to continue their education even though it was a bit "early" for it.  After I started I realized that my kids actually behave better when they have structured learning time during the day!  They have this intense curiosity about the world and Preschool served as a means of directing that curiosity so they didn't feel the need to empty out my cupboards or find out what happens when you drop a vase etc.  They didn't really have time for it either.  We'd fill up the morning with 2 or 3 hours of Preschool (that included a 1/2 hour snack time) followed by some outside play time, lunch, and quiet time.

Preschool was always fun.  If one of my kids wasn't having fun we'd switch activities.  We rarely did any activity for more than 10 or 15 minutes.  They loved it!  I found short YouTube videos on letters, numbers, colors, and such and we'd watch one or two each day. In addition to that I had a character trait of the week.  We focused on honesty, integrity, perseverance, kindness, etc.  We'd talk about one for a week and then move on to the next one.  Some of the preschool activities centered around these virtues.  We'd go to the library once a week to get new books and Leapfrog or Signing Time videos. I babysat a little girl a few days a week and she'd join in on the fun.  She really enjoyed our little preschool as well.

I think one of the most important things about doing preschool with my kids was the focused attention they got from me.  It was mommy and kids time and they loved it!  And it gave me a good reason to step away from chores and other household duties and just focus on getting to know my kids, finding out what they loved and then creating games, activities and projects around their interests.