Spending time outside with children is not only beneficial for their development but can also be a fun and bonding experience for the whole family. Here are some tips to help you spend more time outdoors with children: Create the Intention First, you must set the intention. Set a goal, and decided when you will…
Why teach children through nature? Nature is essential to the child’s development physically, mentally and spiritually. “We have forgotten that children are designed by nature to learn through self-directed play and exploration, and so, more and more, we deprive them of freedom to learn.” Peter O. Gray Gross Motor Development Climbing, swinging, hiking, walking, running,…
Taking the leap into homeschooling can be intimidating. You might think, where do I even start? Every homeschool family’s journey is different, there is no right or wrong answer of how to homeschool. Step OneDefine your intention. Answer the question; Why? What are you homeschooling? What kind of education do you want to provide for…
Acorn to Oak Acorn to Oak is a nature based, Waldorf-inspired curriculum. Acorn to Oak offers nature studies and homeschool resources designed to be taught to sibling groups of varying ages. Alphabet Forest Alphabet Forest is Acorn to Oak’s Early Years Curriculum. This curriculum can be used from the early years of toddlerhood into first…
If you are homeschooling your preschooler or kindergarten, you might be wondering how to teach handwriting. This can be intimidating, especially if you are new to homeschool. Let’s break the process down into 7 easy steps! Step 1Strengthen the Hand Muscles Before ever touching a pencil, your child will need to have developed enough hand…
This simple nature craft has gotten hours of use in our home. This is a great way to teach letter sounds and CVC words. We try to make all of our own learning manipulatives. Pictured here are our beeswax letters. A tutorial can be found here. What is a CVC word? A “CVC” is a…
Have you ever tried to set up a calm down corner in your home? Our calm down corner is utilized daily by my twin toddlers. My boys are just now learning emotional awareness and regulation. Our calm down corner provides them the space they need to quiet their mind and their body, and have some…
This pinecone craft is always a favorite in my forest school class! I always pair this nature craft with the classic book Owl Babies. This snowy pinecone owl is perfect for any winter nature table. We also used our pinecone owl in this sensory play set up. Cotton is a texture that some people love,…
How does Kindergarten in the United States today differ from the 1970s? What were the standard then as compared to now? How has our perspective on early childhood education changed in the past 40 years? In the 1970s, kindergarten took place for half of the day. Now, kindergarten is typically 7 hours per day. According…
What is VPK? VPK Stands for The Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Preschool is not free in every state, though many have state funded programs. Is VPK required? Preschool is not mandatory in the United States of America. Children are not mandated to attend school until they are 5-8 years old, depending on the state. Does…
Did you know that February is national bird feeding month? We are doing a bird unit study to celebrate. This is our collection of books about birds. While you’re at it, check out our books about eggs and books about bird nests. The Little Book of Backyard Bird Songs Owl Moon Make Way for Ducklings…
This easter season, we will be incorporating eggs into our nature study! This is our collections of books about eggs. An Egg Is Quiet The Egg The Odd Egg Who Is in the Egg? First the Egg Chicken’s Aren’t the Only Ones An Extraordinary Egg The Egg Book: See How Baby Animals Hatch, Step By…