KinderSprout Academy

I’ve been reading through some really great books lately (and when I say lately, I mean over the past year—because who has time to read?). I wanted to share 2 for the kids and 2 for the adults. Feel free to comment with your great reads! 😀

-Overcrowding
-Diverse student needs without enough support
-Underfunding
-Increasing reports of violence and aggression

Of course a crisis point has been reached! Teachers are on the brink of burnout, many of them having dreamed of becoming teachers since early on. Perhaps microschools can help. Let’s bring it back to the needs of the student and not the needs of the system.

Super excited to begin the microschool journey! 😀

Why I Left Homeschooling

Big changes! KSA is currently enrolling and if you're interested, I'd love to chat!
www.ksamicroschool.ca

How am I preparing for my son's first week at KinderSprout Academy?

1) I'm enjoying some delicious soup!
2) I'm only looking one week at a time - how many days will my son be attending in the week to come?
3) My curriculum is digital, so I'm printing one lesson per day in attendance - both for math and ELA, and putting them in separate binders.
4) I'm drawing stars on the pages that I plan to complete with him before he arrives. These would be the parent-led pages. This learning may happen the morning or evening before.
5) I'm highlighting the pages that I know he can do independently.
6) I'm showing him the binders and explaining the expectations - 1 highlighted lesson per day should be completed.

These steps will vary - since everyone's curriculum will look different. The most important step is #6. Sit down with your child and explain your expectations for each work block. Also, explain what to do if he/she finishes early. We have books to explore, but your child may want to bring a favourite from home. :-)

Reason #100 Why I’m Choosing to Homeschool:

Beginning this upcoming school year, new mandatory tests will be in place for grades K-3. These tests will be required to help identify “potential student learning issues and needs”, and “ensures that students requiring additional supports receive the help they need early in their education” (Education Minister’s email to board chairs regarding increased provincial testing).

While I have many positive things to say about our Education Minister, I am in shock over these new screenings. There already isn’t enough time to administer the tests and screenings that need to take place for each child in the public school, and now even more is being thrown into the laps of our overworked, stressed, and burdened teachers. When I taught in the public school system, I felt like my time was constantly being divided between having to test children and teach children. I was overwhelmed. And when did I have time to do anything about the information I gathered from the tests? I didn’t! I would have needed at least 2 extra sets of hands to help!

Here’s my biggest concern: the public school system currently does not have enough supports in place for children with “learning issues and needs”. How is taking more time away from the classroom, and taking more money away from what could have been money for extra supports, going to help? Where is the extra money going to come from after we’ve identified these needs?

Also, as a teacher, I do not need to administer a test to know which students have extra learning needs. All I have to do is spend time with my students. These tests are absolutely unnecessary. How much more needs to be added to our teachers’ plates before we’ve driven them all out of the industry? Where does it stop?

This is taking a step backward, not forward.

P.S. I am not against public school. I am for parent choice, and I am for teachers.

I am super excited that the pod-kids get to dig into these fantastic devotionals! I had the privilege of getting to see Louie Giglio live in Nashville and hear him preach his famous "Indescribable" sermon. I will NEVER forget his words. "How do you know God is indescribable? Well all you have to do is walk outside on a dark night and look up into the sky, and you will know when you look up, that this God we're worshipping is beyond our wildest dreams" (Louie Giglio). And isn't that the truth?!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1)

If you're interested in hearing the sermon, you can find it here: https://louiegiglio.com/message/indescribable/

Critical thinking! It's been a buzz term for awhile now and for good reason! Having critical thinking skills creates independent, curious, and resilient learners. It also gives us the ability to think about our thinking, helping us to continually make connections between what we've previously learned and any new information that finds a place in our brain.

At KinderSprout Academy, developing critical thinking is key! As a parent, I want my children to be able to look critically at a piece of information, to think creativity about a problem, and to ponder deeply about a topic.

The tricky part is how do we teach these skills, especially at a young age? I'm sharing a couple links that give some great ideas, but one of the easiest ways to build these skills is to give our children the space to think. If my son asks, "Why is grass green?", my job is to first ask him, "Why do you think grass is green?". After his brain has done some thinking, then it's time to research together - inevitably creating life-long learners.

https://kidskonnect.com/articles/critical-thinking-for-kids/

https://kidskonnect.com/articles/11-ways-to-help-your-child-develop-critical-thinking-skills/

Research, research, research! I feel like that's all I've been doing lately! 😅 Once I think I've found a curriculum I like, I find another, and then another, and then another! While diving into all this research, I found a particularly helpful YouTube channel. If you've found something helpful, feel free to leave it in the comments! Let's learn from each other! 😊

Living With Eve Living With Eve offers guidance, resources, and support so that parents can be empowered to meet their exceptional child's educational and developmental needs. Leilani is a former classroom teacher (over 10 years) and is now a Homeschool Evaluator for Florida and homeschool Mom of 4 kids. The younge...

My name is Susie and this is my family!

I own KinderSprout Playschool, and now KinderSprout Academy! I started this new venture for many reasons:
1. To offer a program for homeschooling families with working/busy parents
2. To give my kids (and all future KinderSprouters) the freedom to learn beyond the curriculum and go at their own pace
3. To offer a small-group learning atmosphere, where play and outdoor time is prioritized
4. To offer a program where Biblical truth and values are incorporated into all aspects of our day

If you are new to homeschooling (like myself), I want to welcome you to this strange new world. :-) A world filled with creativity, freedom, and so much joy! 😄