And so it begins!

I am so excited to be writing this post! I didn't expect to be writing this so soon, but we have started homeschooling already!

I feel like I've been "homeschooling" Evy since she was born. We really try to do things with her that are educational, and I'm always singing with her about her letters, numbers, etc. However, we've never done anything formal up to this point. I didn't want to push anything too early, and I was waiting for her lead. The other day, I was at a store and spotted some vintage-inspired alphabet flashcards. They were just my style! I had a hunch Evy would like them, and I brought them home. She ADORES THESE CARDS.

We went through each card and I would say "A is for apple. A - A- A - Apple!" (Making the letter sound as I said each word.) She asked me to go through the cards three more times! Later in the day, she came up to me and said "Work on my letters, Mommy?" and she's asked me everyday since to work on her letters. I knew it was time to begin a few structured homeschooling lessons!




Evy is excited to be showing Daddy her flashcards, and is wearing Little Friend Ellie's headband.


I looked into several packaged curriculum options, but they were either too simple or too advanced for where she is. Then I remembered in all my past researching the site 1+1+1 = 1 and how there are free printables and a MULTITUDE of ideas. There's a special section for preschoolers called "Tot School," and I knew it would be perfect. Sure enough, it was exactly what we're needing!

After browsing the site, I knew it would be very beneficial to invest in a laminating machine. This is especially nice because if Evy uses dry erase markers on the sheets, I can wipe it off and it's resuable! I went to Staples and ended up getting the Staples brand Multiuse Laminator.

I compared a lot of things, and even though it's $100, the "curriculum" I'm using is free, so it evens out. Plus, the laminator will last many years and I'll use it for countless things. After trying it out when I got home, I love it! Did you know it's possible to get addicted to laminating? I want to laminate my cell phone. Seriously, it's amazing.

I decided to go the simple route and go through the alphabet, doing a few activities with each letter. I found several great letter Aa printables at Tot School, and started with those. We have a laser jet printer that doesn't print in color, so unfortunately I don't have super cute and bright activity sheets. We'll invest in one in the future, but for right now I dont think Evy cares too much that the apples aren't red! I also printed several Aa activities from Confessions of a Homeschooler. Since Evy is obsessed with American flags right now, I printed out a cute flag coloring sheet from this website.

This is Evy's very first "homeschooling" activity sheet. She colored and traced the letter Aa and we were able to reuse it thanks to laminating!

I also went to a teacher supply store to see what they had. Here's what I ended up getting:

Tomorrow I'm going to go to Hobby Lobby and get a few basic supplies so I can do some Tot Trays with Evy. In essence, it's the Montessori method of putting out activities to catch your child's interest. I'm personally not going the tray route right now. I'm going to just introduce activities to Evy and go through them a few at a time. I'm going to buy things like pom poms, beads, tongs for sorting things, and other things for motor skill activities. I'm also buying "dot paints" so she can do dots on the letter shapes as we learn them.

I'm so excited to start this journey! We're taking things slowly and we'll just go letter by letter for awhile. I'm so excited that Evy is asking to learn and work on her numbers and letters. It makes me so thankful that I won't miss any of these moments!