How Do I Teach After School: What to Teach

Welcome to Day One of “How Do I Teach After School” this is part of the How Do I Teach series.

Something to keep in mind is that I do have a preschooler and Kindergarten that I do schooling with during the day that may or may not be included in the after school session. How do you know what to teach? Well most times I don’t. I have to look at find out what they need to know. I hope to cover some of the ways I find my information on what to teach the girls. I also spend time researching subjects.

First Ask Their Teachers

I ask their teachers what they are going to be learning. Most times they are nice enough to provide something for you. I try and get a monthly emails from the teachers if I can about what they are learning. I pick over the new letters that come home for all information. I make notes in my planner as they come in to make changes as they might be needed. Some times I just go with what I have planned and change very little or just add something extra to make sure it is covered.

Second Look Into Books

I love having hands on information. A new book for me this year will be The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition). I have got it from the library a few times and wrote down lots of notes. But I will be buying this book before the school starts so I can have the reference on hand when I want it. Yes I do look at these books a lot.

For the past 6 years I have used these books as great guides for me: What Your Preschooler Needs to Know: Get Ready for Kindergarten (Core Knowledge Series), What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know (Revised and updated): Preparing Your Child for a Lifetime of Learning (Core Knowledge Series), What Your First Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series), and What Your Second Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Second Grade Education (Core Knowledge Series)

What you are going to find inside is a variety of things based on age. I have love these books. They give me something to work and build off. History, songs, reading writing, science and so much more. It gives me ideas to do with my girls and see what happens. When the girls wanted to learn about History and I read through the sections and picked out some that would work for all three and some for just the older grades.

In those books was where I read about BOB Books for the first time. They also gave me ideas for some of my first packs that I wanted to have to go with our studies.

Another book I’ll be looking at this year for my preschool is Ready for Kindergarten!: From Recognizing Colors to Making Friends, Your Essential Guide to Kindergarten Prep. This is by Deborah J. Stewart. She blogs at Teach Preschool. It covers a lot of what you need to get to kindergarten and covers all the important skills. I’ll be using ideas from here for the preschool after school activities.

Third Look at Homeschool Curriculum Choices

I look at homeschool curriculum choices and reviews. Many homeschoolers will give you good reviews of various products that are available and what age level they are for. They will often post or have information about free products as well. After people start posting what they are going to see look around and see what you can find. Some will post free stuff as well as stuff they have bought.

Fourth Follow Teachers on Pinterest

Teachers are great to follow on Pinterest. I will follow a of them and homeschoolers. I can find ideas of various types and sort them by categories on my pinterest boards. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about what is available. Searching by subject or theme is a great way to find some new ideas.

I hope you enjoyed day one of How Do I Teach After School!

Day 2: School Set Up
Day 3: Finding Materials
Day 4: Setting a Routine
Day 5: Scheduling the Year

Please keep in mind this post is my personal experience and might not work for your family. Keep in mind that you do what works best for you.

Cassie – 3Dinosaurs.com