Bribery vs. Compensation

I grew up with full time cleaning help and never had to lift a finger in my house, so this whole 'delegating chores to your kids' thing really does not come naturally to me.

I read all these articles on how important it is for kids to have chores etc. and I agree with every detail in these articles. The only thing that is very hard for me is to nag or fight with my kids to do something. I honestly would rather just do it myself if I am going to have to give up a huge amount of emotional energy to get my kid to sweep the kitchen floor. Yes, I am sure in the long run it will be good for her blah blah blah, but this is me, and I just cant go the begging, fighting, threatening route.

BUT... Baruch Hashem, I have come up with a system that really really works for me.

Cleaning help is very unreliable and expensive where we live, so I have someone who comes in 1-2 times a week to CLEAN- not tidy. She scrubs the floors, bathrooms, under beds and couches, windows etc. So thats really good. But I need the man power for day to day activities to keep the house tidy: loading and unloading dishwasher, sweeping, laundry, bedroom and playroom maintenance, vacuuming, counter and table wipe down, even cooking.

So here is what I came up with and it has been working amazingly for over a month and apparently it takes 30 days to establish a new habit, so I can consider this a success!

Each child gets to pick something on Amazon for $20 and put it in the cart. They then get a chart with their name on it and 40 boxes to fill in. For every chore they do, they color in a box. When all the boxes are full, we buy the item they put aside.

I am not joking when I tell you that my 10 year old walks into the kitchen and unloads the dishwasher every morning, without me having to say a word. My 7 year old vacuums the living room, no questions asked. My 5 year old sets and clears the dinner table. I KNOW kids should do these things naturally without being rewarded, but the way I see it, they are learning that when they work hard, they will get nice things. I also believe the more they do it, the more naturally it will become, case in point, my 10 year old got his Lego after a month of doing chores, and continues to do things without me asking- not as vigilantly as before, but he's doing it until his next chart goes up.

The kids are so happy to help, to fold and put away laundry, sweep the kitchen etc. and there has been NO nagging, begging, fighting or pleading on my end which honestly was my main goal. And everything is getting done.

And now when I do need to ask one of the kids to do something in the house, it is not met with any excuses. It just gets done and they run and color in a square. Thats it.

I really don't consider this bribery. I consider it compensation for chipping in in keeping the house clean. The kids bedrooms are clean every day without me having to ask. The laundry is folded and put away daily. The dishes are washed and put away daily, and things are running smoothly. Kudos to the moms who have their kids doing this without a reward system- hats off to you. But for me this works wonders. Worth every penny.

Good Luck in your home management endeavors!

Always, 

Homeschooling the anxious child

 If you walked into my home on any given weekday morning, chances are you would find my younger kids playing in our playroom/classroom, and older on the computer in their Online Yeshiva classes. 

One of my kids though, do not fit into either of those groups.

She is 7, extremely bright and capable, but gets herself really worked up very easily.

It is often a struggle to get her to do her school work, but once she does it, she does a beautiful job. But there have been days when we will argue back and forth and make 25 different deals for 15 minutes when all she needed to do was write 2 sentences.

It got to a point where I started getting really frustrated and needed to figure out a different plan.

I sat down and wrote down the main subjects that we needed to accomplish each day.

I then assigned 5 minutes to each subject.

We sat down this morning and I went over it with her.

I showed her the 5 minute clock in the middle of each subject and told her that for each subject before she starts her work, we will put on a timer for 5 minutes.

She got really excited about this, as 5 minutes is really not a long time, right?

We got all her supplies ready and in front of her, and she got to pick which subjects she wanted to do first.

She chose math. We have 2 great math apps on the iPad as well as a workbook. We did one of the apps and as the buzzer went off, she was ready to pick the next subject.

I gave her stickers with different expressions on each face and she got to put a sticker next to each subject as she completed it showing how she felt doing it.

this really worked so well. It gave her some sort of control over her work which I realized alleviates a lot of her anxiety. 

She has everything she needs, and knows that each subject will only take 5 minutes- which was funny as for some things she asked for some more time to finish her work, to which I told her no problem.

She took a few breaks between subjects and the morning went really smoothly. 

If you have a little munchkin like mine, try out the 5 minute time frame. You don't realize how much can get done in these little pockets of time. And when she is enjoying something, we keep going, and when she is not, she knows 'its just 5 minutes!'

I hope this was helpful to you,

Wishing you a fabulous week,

Always,

Spicing Things Up

We homeschool. No day is quite like the other, yet things can get pretty monotonous very quickly and easily.

The kids are home most of the day, and while they have the flexibility to move forward in a subject that is too easy or take their time on one thats a bit more challangeing, its always nice to add a bit of excitiement to the day.

I have found that this can be done by changing the smallest things, check them out:

1. Spice up the School Supplies
One of my kids is not a fan of writing, so every once in a while, I will give her a new cool pen or pencil to use to do her writing with. This makes it very exciting as she is so focused on her new apparatus, she forgets about the writing part. Same goes with a cool new pair of scissors, glitter glue, shiny ruler- below I have put together a few of my favorite things that are cheep yet will buy you much sanity. You are welcome.


2. Spice up the Homeschooling Room
If you can, spice up your homeschooling location, just a bit. Put up a new picture on the wall. Change the room around. Add a piece of furniture, or take something away. Add a new rug. Even if you do your work in the kitchen, get a cool new table cloth for the table.


3. Spice up your Location
If its nice outside, take a blanket and do your work outside on the grass. If you usually do work at a desk or table, get a mat and do your work on the floor. Change rooms for an activity. Sit on the couch for reading, back porch, even a siblings bedroom. Any change will be welcome.



Although these things may seem small, they really will make a world of difference in your little ones day. Try it, and let me know what happens :)

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Always,

Second Chances

Yesterday was Pesach Sheini. Pesach Sheini is not really a holiday as such. In a nutshell, it is the day in Jewish history when those who could not bring the Karban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice) on Pesach itself, and so they got a second chance to do it, on this 14th day in the month of Iyar. 

I absolutely LOVE the idea of Hashem giving us so many chances to improve ourselves and our lives.

From the day I was born until the day I got married, my mother always had full time cleaning help. This meant that I never made a bed, cleaned my bedroom, did a load of laundry or any other chores for that matter. I did help take care of my siblings, and cook for Shabbos. But I loved cooking and it wasnt a job. But in regard to housework, I never even thought about it.

My friends always told me how lucky I was that I didnt have to help around the house. I never really thought about it. Until I got married. And had kids. And had to run my own home.

It has always been a struggle for me. Sure, my house is clean and organized, but it has taken SO much work on my part- not just the physical act, but mentally figuring it all out (which I am still doing daily). I have cleaning help, my husband helps and I am constantly reading and taking advice from all these amazing organizing blogs out there. But it has really been a journey.

The one thing I realized, and this has only hit me lately, is that I cannot have my kids grow up with everything being done for them like I had. So we have started a system where every day after lunch and before quiet time the kids have 30 minutes of chores to do. Included in these chores are cleaning their bedrooms, tidying up after lunch, cleaning the playroom and any other chores that need to be done to keep the house tidy.

I'm not the type of mom to constantly be on top of the kids to clean up after themselves all day, so taking a half hour and dedicating it to cleaning has really worked.

I will not lie- the first day I implemented this, there were tears and lots of resistance! The second day there were less tears and less resistance. And by the third day I did not even have to tell them what to do. And now they actually take pride in their work. They will call me to the playroom to show me how clean it is and what a good job they did. And the nice thing is, because they are cleaning every day, its really not much to clean each day as it is constant.

I find that by setting up certain times to do certain things, it keeps you focused and really helps get so much done as you know that this specific time is for this specific task.

The reason I started this post off with Rabbi Nachmans' quote about starting over each day and many times each day is that the beauty of life is that Hashem is always giving us so many chances to change things and make things better. Things don't and wont have to stay a certain way. We really have the power to change things in our lives.

I have attached a few charts and things that I have made to make my life easier. I did not grow up with menu plans, daily schedules, chore charts or any of that stuff, but these are things that make my life so much easier.

This is just a cute printable, I laminated it and put it up on the wall in the kitchen. The kids take turns filling it in every day with a dry erase marker and it helps them with remembering what day it is, month etc. 

I made this and stuck it on my fridge. Its a constant reminder of what to have ready made in the fridge so no one has to complain that they are hungry and that theres nothing to eat.

This is my weekly menu plan. I excluded Friday and Shabbos as that is in its own category. I sat down with my kids and every one gave me their favorite things to eat for each meal and we came up with this. Honestly, my kids could eat pasta every day for lunch if they could, and I don't stick to it every day, but it keeps things simple for me.

This is our daily schedule for now. Obviously it is always evolving, but having it up on the wall where the kids can see it is a tremendous source of sanity for all of us.  

Here's our little bedroom clean up chart. Its simple, not overwhelming and it works.

You dont need a million charts all over your house- but for someone like me, I need to get it out of my head and onto paper where I can see it.

So I encourage all of you to take a moment, look at your life and see where your challenges are. Then think of ways, which are sometimes so simple, to make things easier for yourself. 

Good luck and have a wonderful, restful Shabbos,

Always,

Something about Sundays

In Deepak Chopras book The Spiritual Laws of Success, he calls Sundays "The Law of Pure Potentiality". 

The Zohar says that each day has its particular function (Zohar, part III, 94b)

In Hebrew, Sunday is called Yom Rishon, "the first day". Each Sunday is literally a first day, the first of a new time cycle which repeats, from the beginning. {source}

We are moms. We have SO much on our plates. We need to make breakfast, lunch and dinner for our families. We need to keep track of family appointments. We need to prepare our childrens school work and teach them. We need to plan outings and run errands.

After reading Rivka Carolines book From Frazzeled to Focused (about 50 times by now) one of her many many brilliant points that she makes is that running a home is a lot like running a business. 

We are the CEO's of our homes and to ensure a home that runs smoothly we need to make the necessary plans. My very wise father in law always says, "Proper Planning Prevents Poor Perfomance."

So thats where Sundays come in. Sunday is the first day of the week. It is a day that gives us time to prepare for the week ahead.

To ensure a week that runs as smooth as possible, make Sundays your friend. Set aside an hour or as much time as you are able to and plan the following things:
-Make a menu plan for the week and a shopping list to go with it
-Make sure any appointments are up on the calendar for you to see and make any necessary babysitting arrangements
-Plan your kids activities for the week, both Homeschool activities as well as outings. 
Put all this information up on the wall for you to see. Try it once, it will give your week an entirely new meaning even if you don't religiously stick to the plans.

Here's an example of what my weekly plan looks like:

Weekly Menu Plan:

Weekly School Plan:

If my weekly plans are helpful to you I am happy to post them weekly. Just remember, life happens and things happen so if things don't go exactly according to plan, its okay!

So here's to good planning and great performance!

Have a great and successful week,

Always, 

Mini Jewish Homeschool Preschool Planner

It really helps to write things down and stick it up on the wall for you to see your own thoughts and whats going on in your life as well as whats going on in your mind.

This applies to how we run our homes and our Homeschool.

Here is a Mini Jewish Homeschool Preschool Planner- it will help give you an overview of your month, week and day. I have included a black and white copy. I hope it helps you organize your thoughts and helps in your Jewish homeschooling experience!

Mini Jewish Homeschool Preschool Planner {Click Here}

And if you haven't yet entered the Dot by Dot Giveaway, Click Here for a chance to win a copy of their fabulous Dot by Dot Hebrew Reading Book, Volume 2. Good Luck!

Have a wonderful week,

Always, 

No More Guilt!

As Jewish moms, it is in our DNA to feel guilty. There are always things we can find to feel guilty about. And as Homeschooling moms, I am sure we have a few things in common.

If we are not sitting down with our kids, workbooks open, pen in hand and smiles on everyones' faces, we feel guilty that they (in our opinion) didn't learn anything.

If we are not showing flashcards to our 2 year olds and trying to "teach" them, then we feel guilty that we are not educating them.

If we spend the morning blowing bubbles and picking flowers, we feel guilty that we "wasted" the morning.

I get so many email from moms, just like you, saying these very things. They play the guilt card on themselves because they don't feel that they are "teaching" their kids.

Well, guess what. Put the guilt card away because whether you like it or not, your kids are learning. Whether you sit there with Alef Beis flashcards, or whether you don't, they will ultimately learn to read Hebrew. 

When they are little, and I am talking ages 0-6, you really do not need to be shoving information down their throats. Their little brains are so curious and are dying to just figure out everything around them. Let them!

Let them color, paint, blow bubbles, use stamps, stickers, blocks, dolls, cook, clean (yes, clean!), sweep, jump, run, climb, giggle and just be a kid. They have their entire lives to be fed information.

So now that you know that its not your job to feed your 3 year old facts, you can offer them lots of fun activities to do which will keep them super busy and having fun. 

A while back I made these busy bags for my tykes. Below you can print out the labels and using shoe boxes, Ziplocs, trays, whatever works for you, set out a few activities for your little ones every day. They will be perfectly happy. 

Sure, if they have the patience to sit through the story of the Parshah and do an art project, go for it! But don't feel bad that you missed out a week or two. They WILL ultimately learn about the Holidays and the Parshah as they get older!

So breathe in and out and realize that right now, its their job to play and explore and discover, and the less you help them, the better.

Here are a few great activities I highly recommend for the little ones:

We all like routine and so do the little ones. Below I have included a new Daily Routine printout that has been helping me tremebdously. It really helps me utilize each section of my day so I know I am not doing something (a load of laundry) when I shouldnt be (kids class time) and keeps the day flowing.

The nice thing is at the end of the day I can look back and see what I got done and what needs to get done the next day.

I fill it out the night before or first thing in the morning.

Here is an idea of my day:

     And here is a blank one for you to customize for your own use:

 

I am not an organized person by nature which is why I am constantly looking for ways to get more organized!

So no more guilt, much more play:)

Have a great week and if you haven't entered the Giveaway to Morah Supplies yet, you have until Monday to do so! (Click Here to Enter)

Good Luck and have a great week,

Always, 

The Beauty of Boundaries

So many people ask me how I 'do it all'. Homeschool my kids, run a home, run Jewish programs, make time for myself, time for my husband and still manage to manage.

I will tell you a little secret that has worked wonders for me. Aside for my house help which I would not be able to live without and in my opinion is essential, I have one word: Boundaries. I have set up very clear boundaries in my life.

From 8am-12pm its school time. My friends and family know not to call me and if they do, they get the machine. This time is dedicated 100% to my kids.

From 1pm-3pm its mom time. Some of my kids nap, the older ones figure out what to do to keep busy. They are allowed to watch a video, play on the computer, anything as long as its inside where I can see them. My kids know this is mom time. Don't bother me unless its really important. And these 2 hours I use to make dinner, chat on the phone, do things around the house (organize a closet, go through the kids stuff etc.) and plan things for the kids for school. If I have any programs coming up, I use this time to plan them. But its mom time to do things that mom needs to do.

The rest of the day I am on again, there for my kiddos, to go out, play, bath, eat dinner, bed time.

Being that my kids are still young, bedtime is at 6:30pm. Once they are all in bed, I tidy the kitchen and by 7pm I clock out. From 7pm until I go to sleep, its time for me and time for my hubby. That's when I'll go online and check email, Facebook, surf the web, blog, and just relax. We'll have a cup of tea, catch up on the day, and just hang out. We try go out once a week which is really nice and once in a while I'll go out with a friend in the evenings. But it is just SO important to have time to yourself. The housework will never end. There will always be laundry to fold, dishes to wash. But you can only stretch yourself so thin.

Our families need us, and if we take care of ourselves we will  really be able to take care of everyone else around us. But if we keep pushing ourselves to keep doing more and burning ourselves out, then no one wins.

Obviously there are times of the year where we need to work harder, stay up later and have a lot less time for ourselves (I am referring to the Jewish Holidays and special events) and that's okay because it is only a few times a year.

But like I said, what has worked for me is setting up clear boundaries in my life. This works for me and it works for everyone else around me. It keeps me sane, and happy, because I know that whatever stage of the day I am in, I can give it 100% and not think of everything else I could be doing at that time.

Try to take a look at your own life and see where you can put up some healthy boundaries. 

Have a wonderful week,

Always,

A Peek at our Week

Here's a cute chart we made to highlight the fun trips/activities we will do for the upcoming week. The kids actually love it, because not only do they know what is up ahead, but they have something to look forward to every day.

Here's how I made it: just take a cookie sheet, glue on 6 baby wipe lids for the names of each week and decorate how you wish. 

On Sunday we all sit down and discuss the fun stuff we want to do that week (out of the house) and stick them in each box. The cookie sheet is magnetic and we have some ready made cute activity magnets as well as made some of our own. The trips range from our favorite parks, to bike riding, the beach, really nothing too fancy, but its fun to plan and fun to do, even if the trip is 5 minutes away. 

Enjoy and hope you are enjoying your summer!

We MADE it!!!

After WEEKS (or for some of us, MONTHS!) of cleaning, organizing, shopping, planning, cooking, baking, and endless preparations--- we did it. We all made it through another Pesach.

I often smile to myself when I think of how happy us Jewish ladies make our creator during this hectic time. I mean, ALL of this work for just 8 days of the year. It's pretty amazing. WE are pretty amazing.

And as nice as it would be to be able to take a little breather (aka- vacation) to recover from all the hard work, life must go on. Which means more lists, more planning, more organizing, to keep our precious families running as smooth as possible.

It was nice to take a break from life's routine over Chol Hamoed and take the kids out on a few 'special' trips. My crew are still young, so bumper boating was about as exciting as it got, but the kiddo's had a ball and that's all that counts, right?

But in the back of my mind, I knew that once Pesach was over, life will go on as usual and so I made these Workplan Templates to try out for the remainder of the school year.

It is actually very simple: One is an overview of the month. You write down any holidays and special dates happening that month. You can then fill in different activities in the different subjects provided giving you an idea of what you can cover over the next month. The second one is the same thing but with Parshah. You just plug in the Parshah name and any activities to do for that Parshah. The nice thing is, you don't need to write in every single box, and it will give you a good idea of the areas you are covering more then others.

I have already filled out our plans for the upcoming Hebrew month of Iyar. Click here to check it out.

Click HERE to download the clear Template and print it for yourself. You can laminate them and use them each month, or print and fill it in each month to have for your records. We're just trying it out. If it works, we will use them for next year.

That's a big thing about Homeschooling (at least in the early years). You are CONSTANTLY trying to figure out what works and change the things that DON'T work.

Here are a few things I've been pinning on Pinterest for Lag B'Omer and Shavuot. Some things are mine from this blog, some are from others. I'm a very visual person, so seeing all the different crafts and activities we have done over the years on one screen is really helpful!

I would love to hear some of your good ideas for Sefirat Ha-omer charts, Pesach Sheini activites, Lag B'omer projects and of course, Shavuot~ got a good (and EASY) cheesecake recipe? Send it to me- I'll post it.

Wishing you all a great week, and an easy transition back to the daily grind...

Always,

Our Curriculum and Daily/Weekly Routine

I get ALOT of emails asking me what Curriculum we use- both Jewish and secular. I also get many questions about our daily/weekly routine. So here it is, in a nutshell- hope its helpful!

Like I said in this post, having a bunch of little kids at home, you need to know that things will NOT always go according to plan and as much as you have your schedule and routine, know that it is a LOOSE routine and be prepared to work around it.

Using a dry erase board, I made a "tentative" schedule and put it up on the wall in the kitchen, just so the kids have an idea of what to expect throughout the day. It goes something like this:

6:30-7:30 Get dressed, brush teeth, breakfast

7:30-9:30 Older kids online class, younger kids play

9:30-10:00 Snack, play

10:00-12:00 School time, younger kids nap time

12:00-12:30 Lunch for everyone

12:30-2:30 Toddler nap time, quiet time for older kids (play, watch a video, go on www.Brainpop.com)

2:30-4:00 Snack, Trip (park, aquarium, playground) or outside play

4:00-4:30 play, tidy playroom

4:30-5:00 Dinner

5:00-5:30 Bath time and P.J.s

5:30-6:15 Reading time

6:15-6:30 Get ready for bed

6:30 BEDTIME!!!!

We keep this schedule Monday-Thursday. Friday, they go out with Daddy for the morning while mommy cooks for Shabbos, Shabbos is Shabbos and Sunday mornings we have Hebrew School with other kids and we usually go out as a family in the afternoon.

Now, I must tell you that I am a FIRM believer that little kids should be encouraged to PLAY PLAY PLAY and not get used to being entertained by an adult. Yes, I play with my kids, but only during "school time". I also read to them for a nice chunk of time at the end of every day. Other then that, they read and play by themselves.

I also must add that if the kids are playing and busy, I NEVER interrupt them, even if it goes into "School time". Unless it is something very important, if they are in "the zone" and are playing nicely together and very involved in whatever game they are playing, I let them be until they are done. I feel this shows them a certain respect for what they are doing which encourages them to keep doing it.

Our School time is done using the Montessori approach. We converted our garage into a classroom and have it set up Montessori style. I have many activities set up and prepared so during school time, the kids can pick what they want to do. As you can see in this blog, I plan many activities around the weekly Parshah/Jewish Holiday.

It is important to realize that each child is unique and has their own learning style- and to cater to it and embrace it.

The older 2 have the Jewish online class in the morning where they cover Davening, Hebrew reading and writing, parshah and holidays, and so our School time is a time to learn about anything they want to learn about.

My oldest is 6 and he LOVES anything Science. And so, we have a section of the classroom with all things Science: books, puzzles, models, activities. He can sit there for 2 hours straight working on different things, and sometimes he does.

My 4 year old loves coloring and Playdo. She has her little section with markers, crayons, papers, coloring books, stickers, Playdo, cookie cutters and all things fun like that. She keeps herself very busy there too. Sometimes they ask for help, sometimes they don't. That's what I love about the Montessori method. The kids are encouraged to work by themselves, without the help of the teacher.

My 3 year old is new to the classroom and is enjoying all the new "toys" that he discovers on a daily basis. He mostly sticks to the practical life and sensory materials (puzzles, building blocks, sand table, classic preschool stuff).

We have a rule that we can only be in our classroom during School time. This keeps things exciting for them, as they know that this is the only time they can play/work here.

For us (my husband and I) it is important that our kids learn what they are interested in. We introduce them to lots of things and the things they like, we encourage.

In regard to Jewish subjects, we have TONS of Jewish children's books in our library and live an Ultra-orthodox Chassidic way of life, which is an education all of itself. We also have the online school, so that is their "Jewish" curriculum.

In regard to Secular studies, I wish I could list off to you the specific books we use, teachers manuals and all- but the official curriculum's just don't work for us.

We use all types of books, from Dr. Seuss's Learning Library to National Geographic magazines. We use lots of different workbooks, LOTS of library books and books from Amazon as well as this fabulous site www.Brainpop.com. We make learning an all day affair in our lives, try make every opportunity a learning opportunity so the kids really develop a love for learning.

I don't ever make them do something they do not want to do. Some would agree with this, some would not. But it works for us.

Although I did not post any actual resources in detail, I have posted MANY throughout this blog, so just go to the search button in the side bar and search for whatever you might be interested in.

I hope this was helpful~

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Our "Curriculum" Part 2

The Torah says to "teach a child according to his ways" and so I have 2 munchkins who have 2 very different styles of learning. My little guy (5) is extremely academic. He can read books for hours on end and loves worksheets, workbooks, math and anything Science. My munchkin (3) is text book Montessori- she loves fine sensory activities, sorting, cutting, sticking, beading, anything like that.

And so I made her a little station with workboxes that she can do by herself. Each drawer is numbered and she does them in the order of the number. As she has finished each activity, she puts it back in the drawer and sticks a "check" on it, notifying me that she is "done" and then moves on to the next drawer. I have 6 drawers in total and she loves loves finding what surprises mommy has put in there every day.

Now my little guy, he has folders with different "assignments" in each one. Some are worksheets, some are little reading books, some are hands on activities (which I put on the trays) and he picks and chooses which activities and assignments to do. There is no quota for how many things he has to do a day and so he can spend as much time as he needs on each thing. He loves the independence of picking and choosing what to do. Some days he does all of them, some days he does just a few, depending on his mood as well as the activity.

He is enrolled in an online Yeshiva and so he does his Judaic studies in the morning for an hour and a half with the rest of his class. Its pretty awesome as he has kids in his class from all around the world who are all little Yeshiva boys and girls just like him living in the middle of nowhere! We have a big world map on the wall and he has pinned all the different countries/cities of his classmates (Cancun, Mexico, Guatemala, France, England, St. Thomas VI, and around the continental US), he really loves it and it covers so much- his Hebrew reading, writing, prayers, holidays, customs etc.

Here is his system which works really well for him. He also has little "I'm all done!" cards to let me know which activities he has completed so I can "refill" it for the next day:

Sometimes my munchkin wants to be like her big bro and so I give her Alef Bet work sheets from this book:

They are fabulous for beginners in letter recognition, and she feels like a big girl doing her worksheets. I have a little folder that she keeps them in and feels really proud of herself:)

So thats what works for us so far-

Hope you find what works for you!

Thanks for stopping by,

Here is our Jewish Studies Weekly Routine

I did this for myself, to get a little clarity on what I need to do with the Little Tykes over the next few weeks.

This is just for Tishrei and not exactly a calendar, more of a schedule to follow. Note how there are no specific time slots- we kind of do things when the moments seem right (early in the morning, later afternoon)

Here it is:

and here is the PDF version

And these are some of the books, CD's and DVD's that we use in each subject that I highly recommend since my kids love love love them!

Alef Bet:

Parshah:

Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah:

As we do each activity or project I will post more details about each one.

Hope its helpful or inspiring! More details to follow~