Priced at $4.99, this little gem packs quite a punch. Don't let the name "Preschoolers and Peace" fool you. Since my youngest is now in 2nd grade, I'm well out of the preschooler phase. Despite that, I still found a lot of helpful information packed into the 33 pages of this book.
So, what is Circle Time? It's basically a time when you gather all your children together and work on learning the same things. It can include anything you might want to teach: Bible, prayer, memory work, etc. It's a great way to teach your youngest students to sit still and engage. Circle Time can be as long or as short as you and your children need it to be. Obviously, a preschooler won't have the same attention span as your elementary or junior high or high school student. Since your high school student will have more school work than your preschooler, you can do a bit with your older students present, and then dismiss them to go work on something else while you continue Circle Time with your younger students.
The author, Kendra Fletcher, uses this little book to help you to create a Circle Time for your family. She has several suggestions for activities, and there are printables included in the PDF download to help you organize and think through what you want your Circle Time to look like.
As I read Circle Time, I was reminded the years we did Sonlight G & H. During those years, I spent a lot of time reading out loud. We would gather in the living room to start our days and I would read all of the Sonlight reading to the boys. The boys declared it the best history ever, and I think it was in part due to the fact we were learning together. This past year we didn't have that and I really missed it. Circle Time has inspired me to reinstate a shared learning time with all the boys.
Our Circle Time plans include:
- a read-aloud
- a poetry selection
- poetry memorization
- American artist selection
- listening to music selections
- learning the States & Capitals
- learning the Presidents
Most of our plans (minus the poetry memorization) are centered around our American History studies this year. That's the beauty of Circle Time--you can personalize it and study what you'd like to study. The memories you can create by taking the time to share learning like this are wonderful--Circle Time isn't something that you'll regret spending time on.
As you plan for this coming year, I'd highly recommend that you get a copy of Circle Time and add a group learning time to your day!
For more reviews of Circle Time , visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew.
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