Worlds of Learning Preschool

2017 Update: By request, I have added a separate document if you want to print just the poems by themselves. I also encourage you to use the hashtag #worldsoflearning if you want to connect with other uses on instagram. I wasn't on instagram back when I went thought this the first time but if we do it again, I'd love to see what other ideas you all came up with!

I’m writing this program to use in the 2013-2014 school year with my 3-year-old. I wasn't happy with any other program I was finding for her age but wanted a plan to help guide our fun learning times together. My educational philosophy is highly influenced by Charlotte Mason with some Montessori and Waldorf thrown in for good measure so I didn't want something academic. My main goal for this year is exposure to ideas, nature, and art.

What you won’t find in this program:

·         Letter of the Week 

·         Structured Math 

·         Deep Unit Studies

 What you will find:

·         Living Books: I love quality children’s literature and have tried to select picture books that I want to own in my library (actually, many of these were included because I needed an excuse to buy them instead of checking them out from our library over and over again!) I have read most of these books but the few I haven’t have been recommended by multiple sources whose opinions I trust. Most are classics but some are more current. Keep in mind that opinions vary; a book that is perfect for my child and family might not work as well for yours. Many of these should be found at your local library or try inter-library loan, Paperback Swap, or buying used copies from Amazon. Books don’t need to be expensive. I will be posting a linkable list of books on my blog in addition to the printable list included here.

·         Loose Themes:  Each month has an overall theme, often based on the seasons or nature.  And within the month I have tried to include a book for the categories God’s World (nature), Around the World (countries and culture), and A Beautiful World (art and music). There are also several free reads and not every book in a month will fit the theme. I would rather choose quality books than try to fit every book into a theme.

·         A Liberal Education. The “A Beautiful World” category often corresponds with the musician and artist selected for each semester. Each month also has a poem and hymns. The poems aren’t meant to be memorized, although small children often have a knack for memory and that might happen, but the goal is just fun and familiarity.

·         Lots of Breathing Room. You will see in the monthly overview charts that there are 4 categories of activities - baking, art, activity, and adventures - but each book will only have 2 or maybe 3 categories planned. I have included sheets with general ideas for other activities and space for you to add your own for weeks when you have more free time. Each semester is 12 weeks’ worth. I have left gaps in December for Christmas and April for Easter since I play more religious activities then. I have also combined June and July to leave more time since we are normally busy traveling and playing outside. The themes are seasonally-based but loose enough that it will be fairly easy to adjust the schedule to your needs. And within the month, the order of books is also flexible which may come in handy if you are waiting on a library book to be available.

Interested?

Update - Thanks to Craig's help I was able to set my Scribd account to opt out of their subscription services which means you should be able to download it for free. You'll need to sign up for a (free) account but you won't need to buy a subscription. If that ever changes and they try to charge you, please let me know and I'll find a different upload site. Thanks!

Here are the parts you'll want to download:

• World of Learning Teacher Manual - Teacher's manual might be a stretch but this document has descriptions of the general layout and how I am planning on using the curriculum. This will not change between semesters. 
• Art Prints - The year's worth of art prints. I kept these separate so it would be easier to send them to a printer if desired.
• Fall - The Fall semester's book lists, activities and printables.
• Winter - Winter semester's book list, activities and printables.
• Christmas Table Time Printables
• New - Summer semester's book list, activities and printables.
• New - Poem only printable. Contains all three seasons worth of  poem sheets for easy printing. 

My oldest and I did this plan in the 2013-14 year and I hope to do it again with my youngest in another year or two. We'd love it if you'd join us, even if you plan to adapt it a bit - especially if you plan on adapting it. I'd love to get more ideas so if you are, please leave a comment! (And editing is not my strong suit so if you find any errors or typos, please tell me so I can fix them!)

• September Summary Post
• October Summary Post
• November Summary Post
• January Summary Post
• February Summary Post
• March/April Summary Post
• May Summary Post
• End of Year Review Post

Shopping Help:

The plan for World's of Learning is free but of course, you'll need the books and supplies. I recommend using your local library for at least some of these but if you do end up purchasing books (and you probably will, these are great books!), feel free to use the links below. The books are amazon affiliate links Amazon dropped our state from the program so these are all just regular ol' links to make things easier for you.

Discount School Supply - A great place to stock up on tempera paints, bulk construction paper, glue and all your other preschool "school" needs. The prices don't always beat your local Target/Wal-mart prices but many times they do, especially if you wait until you have a list and get free shipping. And I think the quality of their brand, colorations, is quite good.