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Week 1

Introducing Mozart
Decide when you will do composer study during your week.
A Walk for the Five Senses Tell your child you will be listening to music written by a man
named Mozart for a few weeks. Use YouTube, iTunes, or a cd to
play Mozart pieces. During composer study, simply play
Take a walk together near where you live. musical selections by the listed composer. Some people do this
During the walk, talk to your child about during free play, morning circle time, or during rest time.
things you are noticing using your five Decide what will work best for you and your family, and listen
for at least ten minutes, at least twice a week.
senses, and ask them questions about
what they are noticing with theirs. Use
seasonal words to punctuate your
observations. (Example: I feel a cool
autumn breeze on my skin! I hear the
birds singing summer songs with my
ears. What do you see in the winter sky?)
When you return home, ask your
child if they would like to make a picture Play “Feed The Monster”
of anything they saw on their walk. Let Draw a silly monster face on a stiff piece of card stock and cut
out an opening for the mouth. Place this on top of a bowl.
them color whatever they would like. If Give your child a bowl with cheerios, beans, or another small
they want to share with you what they item and tell them it’s time to feed the monster. Ask them to
drew, you can dictate their words for place the items one-by-one into the monster’s mouth. You
them on the front or back of the picture. can count the items together as your child drops them in.
You may wish to save all of your child’s
nature notes in a folder.
Get Into the Habit of Wondering Out Loud
For this first year, the scientific emphasis will be on
observation and curiosity during your day together. Nature
walks, kitchen classroom, open play, and outings all provide
rich opportunities to observe, wonder, and ask.
Get into the habit of wondering out loud from time to
time. “I wonder where that bird is going?” “I wonder which
pine cone is bigger?” Also pick up on your child’s cues. For
example, they may hear something while you are on a walk
and pause. You could say “Did you hear that bird singing?” Or
during block play, if they are stacking blocks into a tower, you
could simply comment on the tallness of the tower they are
building.
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Visual Arts: Free Painting with Yellows

Introducing Van Gogh and Blues
& Study of The Yellow House Provide your child with paper, brush, etc. and
yellow and blue paint. No prompts or
* When doing picture study, don’t give away the
name of the painting at first. parameters, just let them paint. If the weather
is nice, painting outside is highly
* Tell your child that you are going to share a
painting with them every week. For the next recommended! Let them paint as long or as
several weeks, they will all be paintings by a short as they would like. If they would like to
man named Van Gogh. tell you about their art, dictate their words for
them on the front or the back of the piece.
* Show the child the painting often during the
week. You can even display a print of it if you
like. Remind them who painted it. Dramatic Play: Set Up the Dramatic Play
Area
* Ask your child what colors they notice in this
painting. Set up a small dramatic play corner / box /
area in your main “school” zone that will be
* Ask your child what they think the people are
doing. accessible at most times. Provide scarves,
hats, dress up clothes, glasses with lenses
removed, etc. Start by simply providing dress
up items for now. It will grow over time.

Celebrate the beginning of the homeschool

year with this finger play:

This is our home, so stable and stout Choose a recipe or cooking project to complete
make a “roof ” with your hands over your head together. Allow your child to do
We fill it with love, both inside and out developmentally-appropriate tasks to help:
Fold hands into your heart, then “pour” them outward stirring, measuring, pouring, cutting soft items
My home is my school and will help me to learn
with a child-safe knife, helping with set-up and
Tilt head and point to it as if thinking
To take care of our world when it is my turn. clean-up, helping to “read” the recipes, etc. See
Open arms outward, then hug them into yourself. the guide on Kitchen Classroom for more
information.
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Little Blue Truck

Written by Alice Schertle
Little Blue Truck Sensory Tub
Illustrated by Jill McElmurry Fill a large plastic storage tub with about 1” of
sand or dirt. Pour a little water in one spot to
This delightful book was always a favorite of my make a “muddy puddle” somewhere in the tub.
children. With engaging rhythm and rhyme, Provide toy cars / trucks, animal toys, etc. if your
memorable characters, and just enough conflict, child has them.
your child is sure to love it too! Even if you’ve Place the tub somewhere where you don’t
already read it before, spend some time this week mind a mess - outside or on top of a tarp in the
kitchen. Let the child explore the opportunity to
snuggling together over this first selection.
play in sand / dirt and water and see how they
interact. You can even provide a little pitcher of
water for them to pour in as they like. It’s
important to remember that you are simply
providing an environment / experience for them
to approach as they wish. There is no agenda, no
determined length of required engagement, and
As you read the book throughout the week, here no need for you to direct their play.
are some questions you could ask your child:

* Which truck do you think has good manners - the

little blue truck or the dump truck?
* What happens to the dump truck when it’s rushing
too fast?
* What does the little blue truck do when the dump
gets stuck?
* Which animal in the book is your favorite one?
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Monday Thursday
- Introduce composer study (Beethoven) during
breakfast time. - Read The Tale of Peter Rabbit again at breakfast.
- Also, at breakfast, show child Renoir’s The Swing. - Choose an activity to do for The Tale of Peter Rabbit
(picture study session 1) from the guide in the back.
- Complete Reading / Writing Readiness Lesson 1 for - Complete Reading / Writing Readiness Lesson 4.
letter A. - Work on Interest-Based Investigations.
- Complete Exploring Artistic Expression: Cotton Swab
“Dab” Painting and Mixing Primary Colors.
- Complete math lesson 1.

Friday
Tuesday
- Play Beethoven again during breakfast time.
- Play Beethoven again during breakfast time.
(composer study)
(composer study) - At breakfast, do session 3 activity (discussion) of
- At breakfast, do session 2 (gentle narration) activity of Renoir’s The Swing. (picture study)
Renoir’s The Swing. (picture study) - Complete Reading / Writing Readiness Lesson 5 AND
- Complete Reading / Writing Readiness Lesson 2 for Kitchen Classroom.
letter A. - Read the two Mother Goose rhymes during morning
- Complete Nature Study & Notebook: explore our yard snack.
and make a map of the area around our home. - Work on Interest-Based Investigations.
- Complete math lesson 2.

Wednesday Total Time Spent on Lessons:

Monday: About an hour
- Read The Tale of Peter Rabbit at breakfast time. Tuesday: About an hour
- Complete Reading / Writing Readiness Lesson 3 for Wednesday: About fifty minutes
letter A. Thursday: Forty minutes on lessons, an hour at the
- Complete S.T.E.M. Activity: Sink or Float. Also library
complete the “How Tall Am I?” activity. Friday: About an hour
- Complete math lesson 3.
* The rest of the week will be spent on free play, outside
play, looking at books, going to play-group or
extracurricular activities, and helping run errands.
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Introducing Beethoven Cotton Swab “Dab” Painting and Mixing Primary

We kick off our first composer study of the year with Colors
Beethoven. Decide on a time during your week to
dedicate to composer study, and play selections from that Materials:
term’s composer during it (using YouTube, a cd, etc). - 6 cotton swabs / Q-tips
Some people like to do this during art or free play, but - Paint - red, blue, yellow
anytime will work. Remind your child of the name of the
- large art paper
composer each time you begin, then simply listen
together as you work and play. - scrap paper

Prep the Scene:

Put a squirt of each of the colors onto a plate / lid /
etc. and provide 2 cotton swabs for each color. Lay
out the paper / tape down if you would like.
Renoir - Study of The Swing * remember to protect surfaces with a tarp, plastic
tablecloth, etc.
* We begin our first picture study unit with Pierre Auguste
Renoir. If possible, read Renoir and the Boy with the
Long Hair by Wendy Wax and illustrated by Nancy Inspire, then Step Back:
Lane. Then begin the first study. Look up close at this week’s picture study. Point out
* Session 1 - Remind the child of the artist’s name, but to your child that the picture isn’t made up of lines at
don’t tell them the title of the piece yet. Show them the all, but smears of paint. On a scrap piece of paper,
painting and let them look at it for as long as they like. show them how you can create a simple image (like
* Session 2 - Let your child look at the painting again. a flower, for example) by dabbing paint onto the
When they are done, turn the painting over and ask paper with the cotton swabs (rather than drawing
them to tell you everything they can remember about it. lines with them.)
What colors / shapes were there? What was happening Take a quick moment to talk about the colors
in the picture? Were there people? Animals? etc. your child will be using today. Red, yellow, and blue
* Session 3 - Now you can tell your child the title. Talk
are PRIMARY colors, used to create all the other
about the painting a little. Do they like it? Does it
remind them of books they've read or places they've colors we know. On the scrap paper, show your
been? What feelings do they have looking at it? child how dabbing blue paint into yellow paint
creates green paint. Dabbing red into yellow makes
orange. And dabbing blue into red makes purple.
Tell your child they can make whatever they
Choose a recipe or cooking project to complete want today and turn some music on for them to
together. Allow your child to do developmentally-appropriate listen to as they work. Don’t worry if they quickly
tasks to help: stirring, measuring, pouring, cutting soft items abandon the “dab” technique for the more-familiar
with a child-safe knife, helping with set-up and clean-up, helping
line-making. Your job during any “Exploring Artistic
to “read” the recipes, etc. See the guide on Kitchen Classroom
for more information. Expression” lesson this year is simply to provide
You may choose to combine Kitchen Classroom with inspiration, then to step aside and let your child do
“letter-sounds” lessons from Reading / Writing Readiness, with it what they wish.
Read-Together Time activities, or even Early Math Foundations
activities.
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This Week: Letter Aa

During the course of the year, we will be working on
Lessons should only last 10 to 15 minutes on most days. Lessons 1
and 2 can be doubled up one day to accommodate a 4-day a week developing the habits that will lead to successful
schedule. *IMPORTANT: Read the guide before beginning!* narration later on. However, the main goal of Read-
Together Time is to enjoy quality literature together.
Lesson 1: Introduce Capital A Lesson 3 (poetry) can be combined with a weekly
- Sing the alphabet song together, pointing to each letter on your “poetry teatime,” if this is something your family
letter chart as you sing. enjoys. (*We highly recommend it!*) Simply include
- Tell your child you are learning about the letter A this week. Let the provided selection with the other poetry you read
your child find capital letter A on the chart, with your help if needed. and explore during your teatime. Before beginning,
- Spread out uppercase letter magnets on the fridge / manipulatives be sure to read the notes on Read-Together Time
on the floor and ask your child to find the capital A. in the guide.
- Do a FORMING activity for capital A (see Reading / Writing
Readiness Guide for list of activities)
Lesson 1: Read Together
Lesson 2: Finding and Tracing Capital A
- Read the letter A page(s) in your copy of Dr. Seuss's ABC out loud
to your child.
- Read The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix
- Ask your child to find the capital letter A on the alphabet chart Potter out loud to your child.
again. - Take a few minutes to talk about the story
- Do a FINDING activity for capital A (see guide) AND / OR a after you have read. (see guide for
TRACING activity for capital A (see guide) discussion tips)

Lesson 3: Introducing lowercase a (a) Lesson 2: Read Together & Activity

- Introduce lowercase a to your child. Find it on your alphabet chart
together. Tell them that sometimes, we see it written like: a, usually - Reread The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix
in print, and sometimes we see it written a, usually when we write
it by hand.
Potter out loud to your child.
- Spread out lowercase letter magnets on fridge / manipulatives on - Complete one of the activities suggested in
the floor and ask your child to find the lowercase a. the guide, in the section on Read-Together
- Do a MATCH-UP activity (see guide) Time.
- Do a FORMING activity for lowercase a (see guide)
Lesson 3: Poetry
Lesson 4: Finding and Tracing lowercase a (a) - Read “Little Bo Peep” and “Little Boy Blue”
- Ask your child to find the lowercase letter a on the alphabet chart from your Mother Goose book.
again.
- Do a FINDING activity for lowercase a (see guide) AND / OR a
TRACING activity for lowercase a (see guide)

Lesson 5: Letter Aa Sound

- Reread the Aa page(s) from Dr. Seuss’s ABC
- Do a LETTER SOUNDS activity (see guide) - teach only the short-
vowel sound (as in apple) for now.
- Option to practice printing capital and lowercase Aa on
whiteboard / chalkboard THEN practice writing on paper. (see
guide for suggestions regarding letter printing in early years.)
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Week 1

Daily Outside Free Play and…

Lessons should only last 10 to 15 minutes on most days.
*IMPORTANT: Read the guide before beginning!*
Lesson 1 (Nature Study): Where I Live
This week, take time to walk carefully around the area outside of
Lesson 1: Counting Out Quantities to Given your house (your yard, farm, apartment complex, city street,
Numerals etc.) Notice, together, all of the important perimeters, borders,
Choose any of the activities from List 1 in the Early features, landmarks, bodies of water, trees, signs, fences,
Math Foundations Guide. Select numerals / quantities outbuildings, etc. Are there grass, flowers, vegetables, fruit trees
appropriate to the level of your child’s comprehension or vines, stones or rocks, pathways? Make a list of things you
(example: 1 - 5, 1 - 10, 1 - 15, 1 - 20, etc.) notice as you walk together (you write as your child dictates
what they see.) Look at your house from different points in the
outside area around it. Notice how it looks different from each
Lesson 2: Assigning Numerals to Quantities
perspective.
Choose any of the activities from List 2 in the Early
Math Foundations Guide. Select numerals / quantities Lesson 2 (Nature Notebook): Map of Where I Live
Choose a notebook that is to become your child’s nature
appropriate to the level of your child’s comprehension notebook for the year. It can be any notebook, but blank pages
(example: 1 - 5, 1 - 10, 1 - 15, 1 - 20, etc.) (as opposed to lined ones) would be optimal. Better still, paper
designed to be used for sketching AND water media (a little
Lesson 3: Sing a Counting Song thicker than drawing paper) would be ideal. You can find
Choose any song from List 3 in the Early Math something like this at an art or craft store. Tell your child that this
Foundations Guide to sing together for today’s lesson. will be their special nature notebook, to be used all year long to
keep track of all your discoveries together. Let them decorate
the front if they like. Now it’s time to break it in!
Together, make a map of the area around your house
that you observed during your walk in lesson 1. It doesn’t need
to be to scale, or very artistic at all - only a way to record all of
the things you noticed and wrote down. With your child’s
dictation, work together to create the map. You can do the lion’s
share of the drawing, if needed. Let them color it if they like.
“Sink or Float” With Household Items Explain that a map is a drawing of a place from above, the way a
Gather up several household items together - blocks, coins, bird would see it as they flew overhead.
toys, etc. Fill a large basin (or the tub) with water and line up Note: Lessons 1 and 2 can be done back-to-back on the
the items outside of it. Ask your child what they predict will same day or split up into two different lessons.
happen with each item. (For example: “Do you think the coin
will sink or float?”) Drop the item in to see if their predictions
were correct. Let the child drop each item in after they make
their predictions.
** Take it one step further by making a chart. Draw two
columns and write “SINK” above one and “FLOAT” above the
other. As each item is tested, add it to the correct column.

How Tall Am I? (Part One)

Have your child stand up straight against a wall or door in
your house. Place a ruler or another thin, stiff item on top of
their head and mark on the door or wall how tall they are.
Write the child’s initials and date.
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A Beautiful Beginning slowly lost their excitement for learning as they went off
to public school. Children who had once loved school,
and had been excited and curious, now came to me in
Welcome to Blossom and Root Early Years Volume 1
the afternoon exhausted, uninspired, and loaded down
& 2! My name is Kristina and I created Blossom &
with hours and hours of busywork to complete. It broke
Root Early Years out of a passion for early childhood
my heart.
education and for helping parents (like me) provide
Becoming a mother was the best thing that ever
a strong, well-rounded, and rich educational
happened to me. But I knew, from the first day, that I
experience for their child at home.
wanted to homeschool them. I wanted to give them an
My very first job was working in an early
education full of nature study, arts and culture, fine
childhood center as an assistant while I was still in
literature (instead of the tedious readers my elementary
high school. I continued working at the same center
students stumbled over every afternoon), interest-led
while I pursued my bachelor’s degree in theatre. I
explorations, outside free play, field trips, adventure, and
began bringing my work in the arts into my work in
solid academic foundations that were built at their pace,
the classroom and saw how much it improved the
with a hands-on and play-based approach. I couldn’t
school experience for my students. Seeing the
stand the thought of them in public school.
dramatic results inspired me to volunteer for several
In 2015, my husband and I moved to Maui - a
at-risk, urban youth outreach programs, as well as
dream we had been pursuing for seven years. I started a
rural youth summer arts programs during my years
garden company and was able to work my hours around
in school. I couldn’t believe the difference that
his, giving me the opportunity to be home with my
exposure to the arts made in the lives of the
daughters at least four days a week. I began to develop
children in those programs.
Blossom & Root Early Years, knowing that I wanted to
When I finished school, I kept working at
launch into preschool for my youngest, and
the early childhood center during the day while I
prekindergarten for my oldest, when the fall of 2016
rehearsed shows at night. I loved teaching so much
came around.
that I went back to school and received my ECE
While I acclimated to the world of
teacher qualification, and later my ECE director
homeschooling, I began to notice that there were not
qualification. In addition to the arts, I filled my
very many secular curriculum options available to
classrooms with lots of nature study, reading
homeschooling parents. The ones I could find were, for
beautiful books together, and interest-led learning. I
the most part, worksheet-based or required a good
was inspired by Charlotte Mason and pieces of the
amount of screen time. Knowing how effective hands-on
Waldorf philosophy on education. I wanted my
learning had been for my students, I wanted to create a
students to have a beautiful beginning, focused on
curriculum that would provide the same experience for
nurturing the whole child at a pace that reflected an
homeschooling parents as well. I made the decision to
understanding of developmentally appropriate
change my perspective and create a curriculum for any
practices, and not the “one-size-fits-all” standards
parent who was looking for an early learning experience
system that was beginning to take over the early
that was hands-on, rich in arts and literature, nature-
childhood mindset.
based, and dedicated to gently building a solid academic
In addition to working with prekindergarten
foundation at their child’s unique pace. Blossom & Root
and kindergarten students, I also tutored
Early Years was created to provide just that. Here’s to a
elementary students in the afternoon. These
beautiful beginning for your child, and a lifelong love of
children had, for the most part, all started at our
learning!
center when they were little. I had watched them
~ Kristina Garner
grow and learn. I also watched as most of them
www.blossomandroot.com