We're coming back!!

Not that you've necessarily noticed my 2 year absence, but I'm coming back!
I loved teaching my daughter and my first 2 classes, but it is also a lot of work and I felt good about taking a break to just be mom for a little while. In that time, I had another baby, and also did a year of joy school with my daughter and some neighbors. That is something I never thought I'd do, but it was great, and that's another post for another day. I did something else I thought I'd never do, since I teach school, but I also sent my daughter to preschool this year. I probably won't write much about that, but choosing a preschool was a stressful, and I admit, mostly a frustrating experience for me. I learned to let go a little of my expectations and learned to step back. I also learned that this city/county/state is in desperate need of play-based learning! It is so difficult to find.
On my 2 year break, I have brain stormed so many blog posts. I have them written in my head about how to choose a preschool, how to start one, my philosophy on sharing, and I could write novels on play-based teaching and learning. Ok, not novels, but I could preach some more on the subject. Instead, my goal is to add some more to this blog about each of our centers, why we have them, and what the children learn. I'd also love to share more about pre-reading, pre-writing, and other essential preschool skills. I've just heard one-too-many times lately that "my child learned nothing in preschool because they don't know their whole alphabet," or even better, "they're not reading yet." So, I'll save those in my head for another day. I'd also love to blog about our joy school experience, since it was a great one. For now, if you'd like an idea of skills children learn in a play-based preschool, click any of the labels to the right and you'll see activities we do that teach so many reading, math, and science skills. Not to mention all the social skills, music, art, and other fun stuff we learn. I can't wait to be back in the classroom next fall! My little class is already filled and my year is planned. It's going to be great!