Now that D is just weeks away from his second birthday, I’m beginning to feel the pressure of being prepared for homeschooling during his preschool years.  While it still seems amazing to me that preschool has become nearly mandatory in today’s world, I can truly see D’s potential as he learns so much every day on his own.  So I’ve been doing a lot of research on homeschooling methods for preschoolers and the early months of this blog will mostly be used to organize my thoughts, plans and supplies.

A few weeks ago, I fell in love with the Montessori method of teaching children.  Of course I had heard of Montessori before, I have driven past numerous “Montessori”-named preschools in the past, and I’d read a variety of paragraph length descriptions of the philosophy amongst all the other “methods” out there today.  But it wasn’t until I discovered blogs of other moms homeschooling with the Montessori method that I really came to appreciate the genius of it.  So… I’m nearly certain at this early stage I will be following Montessori almost exclusively, albeit adjusted as necessary to a home environment.

So, here is a quick outline of where I am today in my planning process:

1. I’m reading as many of the preschool blogs on the sidebar at What Did We Do All Day.  And by that I mean, finding their first post and reading them in sequence all the way to the end.  There is a wealth of information there!
2. I’m acquiring as many books as I can on the subject, to name a few:
   1. Basic Montessori:  Learning Activities for Under Fives (David Gettman)
   2. Montessori Read & Write: A Parents’ Guide to Literacy for Children (Lynne Lawrence)
   3. Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years (Elizabeth G Hainstock)
   4. Young at Art:  Teaching Toddlers Self-Expression, Problem-Solving Skills, and an Appreciation for Art (Susan Striker)
3. I’m planning to take Karen Tyler’s Online Montessori training course in 2014.
4. I’m beginning to gather objects for the various Sound Games which I will post about separately at a later date.
5. I’m starting to present some of the early Practical Life and Sensorial activities that are appropriate for toddlers, which I’ll also post about separately.

Now, while my excitement runs high at the moment, I do have some very valid concerns.  These include:

1. The cost of Montessori materials which can get rather pricey unless you are able and willing to make much of it yourself.  Since I am not crafty or artsy, I doubt that will be an option for me.
2. The space required for all of those Montessori materials.  We have a fairly small 3 bedroom home with no spare room to make a “school room”.  The extra bedroom could be used as storage but that means the classroom will be our small living room…  which is where we live.
3. The time required for being a homeschool teacher.  Although I’ve planned to homeschool since long before I was ever pregnant, the reality is that I’m also a work-at-home mom.  So unless our finances change drastically in the next couple of years, I’ll need to find enough hours in the day to work, plan, prepare materials, teach and sleep and breath.  Whew.