Getting Ready for School!

We are doing Little Hands to Heaven with Wiggles this year.  I consider this year his k-3 year.  We have tried LHTH a few times and stall out each time.  This year is going to be different.

Why is it going to be different?  To put it simply, me.  I am going to be organized and I am going to be prepared.  Wiggles will school before the biggers and then he can do Montessori activities that I will have on trays set up for him. 

The biggers will also rotate time spent helping with Wiggles during school.  I am going to use Managers of their Homes and create a MOTH schedule.

I am also using something called the File Crate System.  I have butchered my book and spiral bound it to be able to copy like a crazy person.  Plus, I have put together a weekly supply list needed for LHTH. 

Now for some pictures to back up my bold claim that this year will indeed be different.

 

My super organized bookcase.

This is the beginning of my file crate system.  I have the hanging folders labeled at this point.  Ultimately, I made 3 crates (Language Arts, Math, and Unit Studies/History/Science).  Note-these are not the large size crates.  These are the locker crates Walmart had been selling with 2 mini baskets inside them.  I am teaching 4 kids this year.

This is my crate for Unit Studies, History, and Science.  I have added my manila folders labeled by Unit for HOD. 

My guide with the spine cut off and spiral bound.  This is the best thing I could have ever done.  I made my copies all in one sitting and it was super simple.

 

Here is my supply list for LHTH for Unit 2.  I have stapled it to the top left of the inside of my manila folder.

Here it is with my copies inside as well as a ziploc bag filled with some of the necessary supplies for that week.

The ziploc bag is stapled to the bottom left hand corner of the manila folder.

We start tomorrow.  Wish us luck!

Wiggle Worm's stuff and area

I thought that I would show everyone what we use and where we store it. We are a works in progress tot school. I haven't quite gotten it all figured out how to keep stuff separate from our toys and keep his little hands from getting into some of it.

This is a simple less than $20 bookshelf I bought at Family Dollar (no tools required). The top shelf holds my teacher's manual for LHTH as well as the books that I don't want his little fingers into.

This is a little $1 metal basket I got in Target's $1 section as well as about 8 Sesame Street books on colors, letters, shapes, night time, bath time, numbers, body parts...(also from the $1 section in Target). If you have a Target or a Super Target, check out the $1 section it is a gold mine of resources.

I absolutely love this metal CD bin that I got at Target (not in the $1 section but less than $6). I use it to hold my flashcards. As you can see before Wiggle Worm had gotten into them and tore the boxes. This is a great way for me to have all my cards in one place and organized.

I am going to shamelessly plug another site now. These are my sandpaper letters (wonderfully made) by Polliwog Learning. And held in yet another of my $1 baskets. The numbers didn't fit so I will have to get a bigger basket.

They have more than just the sandpaper letters and numbers. Their site will do them more justice than my raving about them endlessly.
So, check it out...
http://www.polliwoglearningproducts.com/index.htm


Yet again, I will give Target free advertising...This is my puzzle keeper thing...and yes, I am sure there is a real name for the thing...I just don't remember what it said on the package, lol. This is just $20 and comes with 6 puzzles. It is a super buy for any toddler and helps to keep the puzzles neat and without missing pieces. It did take about 1 1/2 weeks for my little one to start putting it away properly, but now we are golden.

This is a picture that shows how I keep some of my stuff out of little hands. The sandpaper letters and his box of colors, markers, paints, glue, scissors...go on the mantel. I learned this lesson the hard way. I may post pics of my mural in the hallway that Wiggle Worm so graciously presented me.