We just finished up our unit called "All About Me". We learned about our five senses, our body parts, how to use our body, and all about God's design for us. She now can partly do the motions to "head, shoulders, knees, and toes", can identify the sense she's using, can point out all her body parts, and so much more.
I often get questions about the pictures I post. Why do I do units? How do I know what I'm doing? Is this necessary? etc. The reason I do units is twofold.
1.) It's the teacher in me. I like the organization and direction for our day. I like being able to have something that structures us so I don't spend my day chasing a toddler or feeling like our life is chaotic. Being a stay-at-home-mom can feel like endless chores, a whining toddler, and that life is so mundane. Giving our day something with structure is so helpful!
2.) It gives richness and learning to her little life that she might not have otherwise. We love the idea of centering our family on constant learning. We are 90% sure we are homeschooling. The main reason for this is because life-long and day-in, day-out learning is so much more achievable when you homeschool. I love the idea of exposing Isla to subjects and concepts that she might not learn about in her every day life. In a usual day, I don't often talk about the sense of hearing. But with a unit like this, I bring attention to a new concept that she gets to discover. And now she points to her ear every time she hears something fun or new.
That being said, I 100% believe the most important gift of childhood is play. It should be the majority of our day for a long, long time. Play teaches things that I can't teach her. The experiences and concepts that come with play are too valuable to ignore. I often see friends of mine pushing preschool or learning concepts way too early. A 3 year old will learn much more about the world through play (directed, free, or otherwise), than they will from sitting at a table and working on a worksheet (don't get me started on how developmentally inappropriate that is anyway). So while I think play should rule the day, the units are used as a guide.
How do I use units?
- I set up an "invitation to play" that is open ended and free from expectations or rules. This is a setting of objects that are based on our theme, but she can do whatever she'd like with them.
- We have activities surrounding our unit that I use when Isla is bored, needs redirection, or needs a break. We usually have one short activity a day that is on theme. This is where she learns the most about the new concept.
- She has a basket of books in her room and play space that are on theme. Anytime we read, she is exposed to the concepts of the unit.
- We sing songs or use hand plays that follow the theme. She loves music and this is a great way to learn too.
- Sometimes I incorporate other things like a field trip, craft, or experience that follows our theme. Not every time though. And it's definitely no pressure or guilt on me if it doesn't happen for every unit.
How will I use units in the future?
Isla is 17 months right now. The idea of a theme might be extreme for some. As she grows, though, I think it will become a bigger part of our day. When (and if) we homeschool (most likely we will), I will have a montessori/theme based approached. There are tons of methods for homeschooling out there. Montessori is a type of schooling that allows for hands-on learning, learning through the environment, heavy focus on nature and life skills, open ended activities and toys, and student-led learning. Theme based learning is essentially what I'm already doing, but it incorporates all the subjects into the theme. Our methods will have to change as she gets older, but for early education and early elementary, this is the approach I feel is the very best type of learning for growing brains. So with each year she grows, the themes will become a bigger part of our day (again, not replacing play until preschool years... and even then). I can't wait!
Our latest unit was "all about me". In her invitation to play she had some different people manipulatives to play with and a box of clothes and accessories to practice trying on. Our invitation to play is a set up that follows our theme, but there is no direction for it. This just means she is welcome to do what she wants with it, no pressure, no expectations. Sometimes she ignores it and sometimes it's all she plays with! In this unit, she ignored the people and loved the clothes. One day, we spent time sorting the people and talking about the colors. She enjoyed that activity, but as soon as she lost interest we were done.
Her favorite sensory bin to date is definitely the split peas. I don't know why, but she just loves this one! She's very good about keeping it in the bin and will even pick up little pieces that fall. Sometimes impulse gets the best of her and we have a spill. Sensory bins are a great way to use all the senses (taste can be dependent on the bin). When she is grumpy, pulling out a sensory bin is the easiest way to get happy again!
Practicing getting dressed with her box of clothes and accessories!
As part of our "all about me" unit, we learned about the 5 senses. Here she is learning about smell. We used our noses to smell different types of oils (rosemary, basil, lemon, lavender, pine, etc.) She had a lot of fun. Now she even will point to her ears, eyes, or nose when she's trying to tell us about something she smells, sees, or hears.
When we talked about the sense of hearing, we played around with some instruments. The girl loves her music. She even can stay on beat most times.
For sight we did a fun science experiment (credit BusyToddler on instagram). She used the peri bottle (hahaha if you know what that is) filled with vinegar to squirt on the baking soda that had hidden food color underneath. It created a fun eruption of color. She really enjoyed making this happen.
Most days she uses a sensory bin, but I thought for the sense of touch we would try a new bin. I colored some rice to make spring colored rice. It's really easy to do and it will last us years. She had a ton of fun! Aussie wanted to eat some though, so we have to do this in a separate space next time.
At first she was very hesitant, but once she started mixing the colors with the funnels, she started having a blast.
This was a review of sight and touch. She used the eyeballs in the playdough to make funny faces.
This was my attempt at making art a little more fun. She does not like paint or artsy activities. We're still working on it. Arts and crafts are another great way to use most senses.
For the taste activity, we tried four different food types: sweet (strawberry and banana), sour (lime), salty (chips), and bitter (olives). She liked all of them!
Our next unit is transportation (ironic since we are currently quarantined and not using any transportation anytime soon). Stay tuned for quarantine updates. I hope everyone is staying safe and doing well.
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