How to set up your home for learning?

1.What materials do you need?

For older children you can ask them, what do they use in their classroom for math and language? Start with the basics and add...

Outdoor area if you have the space or just need to get out..

2. Organizing learning materials and areas and creating a cleaning routine

3. How to create a routine or flow of the day?

Use what you have: start by adding one component or new learning activity every few days so it doesn't overwhelm everyone in the family and if you have multiple children try and do a more focused activity with just one child at a time. Try and read and write each day but think what are they into and how can you make that a question...and a concept. Do they like building....could you create a series..what happens in a city..create a city with blocks, car mat, make your own playmat with cardboard...go outside if you can and dig around and explore!

4. What is a manipulative: it is a learning tool to help explore big ideas using concrete objects.

A learning helps a child become successful by knowing whats expected of them and having the right resources to look a when they are not sure, learning or building their skill set. Examples are: success criteria or checklist, the alphabet, number line, 100 chart.

Manipulatives: are learning tools that help visualize and play around with letters to help figure how words work for reading and spelling or understanding numbers by playing with them and discovering their value in order to be able to visualize problem solving and operations.

Ex. Letters on rocks, magnetic letters, letter stickers, lids/beans with letters on them, pieces of paper, to help sound out words, play around with language patterns like hat..h..a...t...now change it to say..cat..just need to change the one letter...etc.

Math: numbers put them in order...

5. How to make your home a reading home?

Add books everywhere...in their play, and on display, in their room, and in a bin, or in the van or when you Facetime uncle Dan..I feel like Dr.Seuss..but its true.."the more you read the more things you know the more you learn the more places you will go!"

6. How to make play learning and learning last?

Keep adding new materials, use BOOKS, ask questions, create learning tools, and add in what they need to know...are they working on letter sounds, sounding out words, creating sentences, adding details, writing paragraphs...where are they and start there:)

7. How to make everyone happy?

Think about a bigger concept..what do they like...being outside...animals...put out a few different books at the different levels, put out some different materials (writing tools, maniplatives, toys, art supplies and see what they do...if they are having trouble set up a mini example or read a book and have them all tell you something about the book using paint, playdoh, writing, acting, singing whatever they desire:)!

8. If your organizing, cooking, cleaning and doing household items..why not make it count?

Purging:

Organize toys, clothing you name it...figure out the groups, how your going to sort..etc

My son and I sorted LEGO we had to determine how...what counted as big, would they all fit, and where it would go..skills involved..measurement for size, capacity for bins, organization and problem solving!

Cooking:

Write out the ingredient, write each one and do, read, write them out and leave out missing letters, combination of letters for spelling or full words. Teach them safety rules and basic routines in the kitchen cutting, washing etc.

Cleaning:

Self care, proper hand washing, wiping down surfaces, sweeping up, mopping you name it..

Household repairs:

From yard work to fix it projects..the life's lessons from lefty lousy to righty tighty these are life skills too!