Hello world!

Are you stay-at-home parent with preschoolers who are eager to learn, but you’re struggling to find a system that works? Do you work with young kids and are interested in a thematic approach to teaching? Have you ever thought about providing organized, creative and fun learning to your kids during the summer months, right out of your home? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I encourage you to check out my blog!

I am a teacher with a background in art education and three young children of my own. About a year ago, my oldest son (then four) gave me a list of ideas and topics that he was most interested in learning about. Some examples were “the ocean,” “bugs,” “fire,” “machines,” and “plastic!” (the last one turned into “Conservation Week,” which involved upcycled sculptures and a trip to our local recycling center and was super interesting for me, too.

From this moment, a new, kid-centric approach to “DIY summer camp” was born! And it’s not just for summertime, although that’s how it has worked out in my family due to my teaching schedule. This program, or very limited application of any or all of the ideas from this blog, can be incorporated any season of the year, on weekends, vacations, or as a part of a thematic home-school program for youngsters. The plans provided are open-ended, easy to modify and implement, and encourage and teach caregivers to create their own “weekly themes!”

Interested in learning more, or even giving it a try? Pick a theme and read on. In each post, you’ll find activities centered around the topic, ranging from sensory, movement, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), reading, cooking, field trips, ART (my favorite), and other real-life connections. Many of the activities are linked to Pinterest posts, published by other innovative parents and educators, and provide step-by-step directions. I’ve worked with (and birthed some) children from age 0 to 14 and hope to offer modifications of activities that suit many age levels. The main idea is to teach to your kids’ interests and questions about the world, and offer them meaningful experiences and connections to deepen their learning.

Remember, I know how hard it is to juggle a child (or children), household duties and chores, work, marriage, social life…you get my drift. Really, I get how hard it is to wrap your head around yet another to-do list item. And your child(ren)’s educational needs is no small item. I’ve got you covered. Another attribute of this program is that it is designed to fit in your day. It’s not even pre-designed…YOU can pick and choose what works for you and implement it at any point in the day- while the baby naps, reading stories at bedtime, when you’re preparing snacks, or when you need to get out of the house. I like to challenge myself to find as many natural connections throughout the week that I can, so I keep the theme in the front of my mind and try and come up with creative and easy ways to incorporate it into my child’s day. For example, during Machine Week last summer, on an already-planned boat trip on the lake, I asked my husband to open up the hood and describe the how the engine works to my four-year-old. Easy-peasy, and I was off duty for a few minutes.

So, if you’d like to step up your parenting/teaching/nannying/camp-counselor-ing game, check out the resources in my blog, and get your DIY creative home educating on!