18 Mo. SEL

No better phrase fits the 2020-2021 school year than "different strokes for different folks"! Whether your family has chosen in-person, virtual or homeschool learning, we know that it wasn't an easy decision for your family. If you have chosen home-schooling for this year, this post may help provide some organization inspiration as your kitchen table becomes the classroom.

Whether you are new to homeschooling or are looking to up your organization skills, we've pulled together a few of our favorite tips that we hope will help you ease into this school year feeling prepared.

Find a consistent spot for homeschool.

Consistency is key! Studies show that having a place dedicated to working helps the brain focus its attention to the task at hand. While it may not be feasible to convert an entire room to homeschooling, creating a workstation at the kitchen or dining room table will help your child focus on schoolwork with limited distraction. The Create-a-Space Bundle is a great all--in-one way to easily store all of your homeschool supplies. The magnetic, sealable pouches can store manipulatives for counting or letter practice while the circular tray can house writing utensils, markers, glue sticks and any other items needed quickly and easily. The circular tray can also be picked up quickly at the end of your school day so your table can serve dinner. Pulling these items out at the beginning of each school day will create a routine and help your child's brain switch from kitchen table to desk.

Color code.

Easily track and locate different work by color coding. Not only will this help make your home school a bit more colorful and fun, it will help both you and your child to organize work by color. The Write & Wipe Pockets are great for being eco-friendly too! Reuse worksheets by sliding them into these dry-erase pockets and fit in with your color coordination. Color coding is also really helpful if you have more than one child learning at home. Having a distinction between work for different children, subjects or days can help you as an educator and parent locate work or items more easily.

Make sure everything has a place.

Just like socks and shoes have a designated spot in your home, so should school work. Rather than letting papers pile up and get lost, figure out a filing system that works for you that ensures everything school-related has a place. Repurposing plastic bins, bookshelves or magazine holders are a great way to get started with figuring out a system using items you already have in your home. Don't forget about items like  dry erase markers and your supplies! This Magnetic Whiteboard Storage Pocket is easy to stick on your dry erase board so that your items don't always end up in your child's supply bin.

Get creative with how you store items.

You don't have to dedicate an entire room in your house to homeschooling to make it work! Think of creative ways to store items that will not be used after your school day ends. Are there places you can hang items, rather than lay them down? What can be folded up and tucked away? Are there items in your house that can be repurposed for storing homeschool material? While it can be daunting to think about, we promise that homeschool materials do not have to take over your life! One recommendation is adding zip ties to the end of pointers, rulers or other items that have a hole to them. Hang these up using magnetic hooks to make them easy to locate while still being out of the way.

Similar to how we all faced quarantine, we're all in this new and likely challenging school year together, even if that looks different to everyone! What are your tips for home school organization?

You already love to play with your 3- to 5-year-olds. Now, turn those play times into rich learning experiences. It’s easier than you think and lots of fun. In fact, your child won’t even know how much they’re learning!

 1. COLORS

Learning colors helps children identify the world around them as well as develops their ability to categorize. 

• Throughout the day, ask your child “What color is this?” or “Can you find the red one?” with foods, toys, or things in nature.
• Celebrate one color each day. Each day focus on one color and see if you can find things of that color, a giant color scavenger hunt.
• Sort toys like the Farmers Market Color Sorting Set and Super Sorting Pie into color groups.
• Using washable paints, let your child experiment with mixing colors. What do red and blue make? How about yellow and red?
• Make colored ice cubes with water and food coloring. Use the colorful ice cubes to paint the sidewalk.
• Play “I Spy” with colors. Have your child point out things of different colors in the play he or she is doing.

 2. NUMBERS

Kids learn numbers by observing and talking about what they see. Numbers, counting, and making sense of numbers are all vital skills in developing a child’s mathematical ability. 

• Count everything you can. Count the steps you take, the bites of food you chew, the number of fingers on your hand, the numbers of rocks you collect, and so on.
• Make numbers with playdough, tape, paint, sand, sticks, or markers. Give your kids something to trace or copy first to show them each number’s shape.
• Practice matching the Number Pops numbers to the corresponding dots on each pop.
• Match numbers to your own groups of items. Start number jars from 1 - 9. Collect items and put the correct number in your number collection jar, one thing for 1, two things for 2, and so on. You can use anything for your collections. Things like pennies, buttons, marbles, toys, or blocks.
• Play hopscotch.
• Play dominos.
• Play “What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?”.
• Use your Dino-Sorters and count the number of dinosaurs in each color group.
• Pretend play store using your Cash Register.

 3. SHAPES

Learning to distinguish shapes helps children become discerning and observant, important thinking skills.  

• Create shapes using play dough, Wikki Stix, pipe cleaners, tape, or craft sticks.
• Search for shapes in your house or backyard. Look for one at a time. Find circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles. It’s helpful to show your child the shape in a picture or an object so he has something by which to compare and refer to. Let him hold that shape while you search.
• Ask “what shape is that” with everyday objects like a plate, a book, or a cell phone.
• Make 2-D shapes with craft sticks and play dough.
• Sort puzzle pieces, stickers, or cut-outs by shapes.
• Draw lots of shapes with crayons and markers.
• Do a shape art project like this house project.

 4. SCIENCE

Science helps kids wonder, observe, and problem solve. What’s more, science is all about the world in which we live. 

• Learn sandbox physics! Compare the dry sand in your sandbox to wet sand. How is it different when you add water and try to build something?
• Drop different items into a bucket of water to see what floats and what sinks. Try rocks, feathers, pom-poms, balls, fruit, and toys.
• Freeze food-colored water in balloons. When frozen, peel off the balloon’s skin and observe the melting process. Try one in the sun, one in hot water, and one in cold water. Observe and enjoy the process.
• Bury dinosaurs in the sandbox. Pretend to be a paleontologist and dig to find them.
• Put different materials in a cupcake tin to see what melts in the sun. Be sure to include a crayon. Make predictions and observe.
• Go to the zoo. Learn about the different animals.
• Try the engaging science activities in the Primary Science Lab Set.

 5. ENGINEERING

Kids naturally gravitate toward building things. Engineers build and problem solve so given the opportunity, you can develop both with a little playful fun.

• Use blocks to build a skyscraper. Experiment with the base to see if it makes a difference in height.
• Build a creative castle or rocking robot using a Gears! Gears! Gears! Kit.
• See if you can build a bridge that holds the weight of a favorite toy. What will you use to make it strong? Try bricks, books, and paper.
• Build a marble run using cardboard rolls and tape.
• Make houses for your stuffed animals using recycled materials.
• Make a fort out of cardboard boxes and furniture.
• Build the three little pig’s houses -- one of straw (grass works), one of sticks, and one of blocks.
• Build puzzles like the Puzzle Globe.

 As you can see, play is learning, particularly at the preschool ages. All the activities above playfully incorporate foundational skills that will become building blocks for future learning success.