A planning post- Henry and Tess

Our new school year is starting in a few weeks, and I've got my planning on.

I thought I'd write a few posts about our upcoming year, starting with the littlest students. Yes, I make actual plans for everyone, even the baby...not in a weird "create a baby genius" kind of way.....

Just notes of activities to try, read-alouds to do, rhymes to learn...

It might seem like a silly thing to plan. But trust me, it's easy to lose sight of what you want to do with the littlest people. You spend your days wrapped up in grammar and Shakespeare and long division and next thing you know you look up and the year is over and you spent precious little time making play dough food and marching with homemade maracas.

(These are not homemade maracas.)
A little planning reminds me which books I wanted, and which of those books need to be checked out from which library, that I need to have foil pie tins and dried beans on hand, that kind of thing.

Planning also helps with the timing of seasonal crafts. I'm not likely to remember the St. Patrick's Day craft I wanted to do when March rolls around unless I write it down. The easier I can make the activities to do once our school year is underway, the more likely they are to actually get done.

Most of my ideas for my little bees come from the "A Year of Fun" series and "Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready". Tess is also starting to use some Montessori ideas that I've mostly gotten from this book.

Last year was a survival year. I found out in mid-August that I was expecting Henry. It was a year of morning sickness and midwife visits. This year I want to have a full, fun year.

I plan to spend about an hour first thing in the morning playing with my littlest guys while the older three do their workboxes.

Stay tuned...the big kids are next!