Learning Toys and Tools

This is just an overview of what we use indoors to learn for preschool/pre-k/kindergarten. We mainly do  Montessori and Reggio inspired learning, but I do throw in a few worksheets here and there because I am very new to homeschooling. The worksheets and workbooks are to make sure they aren't getting behind. Most of the laminated worksheets in the binders (below) are simply pre-writing practice lines, as well as tracing of shapes, letters, and numbers. This does not show every toy in the room, it also does not show all of the gross motor toys. I will do a more extensive room update in the future.

*Keep in mind these are their toys too, we choose fun but educational toys rather than the average toys you would find in Wal-Mart, Target,  or Toys R Us. So this is 5 years of Holiday and Birthday gifts x2.*.  The idea of this post is to give others ideas, not to suggest that everyone gets everything we have.  This is not just the homeschool room, it is their playroom and bedroom too!*

I decided to homeschool my twins due to the fact that they are my last children and I want to try schooling differently this time around. I am very unhappy with the Florida public school system and the stress it puts on both the parents and the children. I feel like public school tries to run your life with the endless homework, projects, and tests. Kids don't have time to play or be creative after school, on weekends, or during breaks. They always have tons of work to finish for school.  In Florida they even give out up to 30 homework sheets a week to children in many of the VPK programs. In kindergarten they receive homework daily. I feel it is ridiculous and I am sick of my kids being subjected to common core. I feel that the Florida public schools do not offer much of a fair chance to any child that has any sort of disability or learning disability. My 14 year old son has ASD, ADD, and SLD. It has been really hard with him in public school. It has not gone very well for him at all. They have to go by too many strict common core guidelines to really help a child to learn in a way that makes sense to them. I just can't bare to put more children through public school. It has caused a world of stress on myself, my children, the whole family.

Luckily my older kids are all teens now and soon will be out of public school. It has not been a fun ride. I plan to work my hardest to make sure my twins receive a great education. If I had known what kind of really awful rollercoaster ride I was in for by sending my older kids to public school, I'd have looked into homeschooling many years ago.

If anyone wants to know what anything is or where to get it, just reply to this post and ask!!
You can get 90% of it HERE!

from Lakeshore Learning

the green basket with the bag is full of about 40 bags of learning games
most are similar to like a file folder game, some are flash cards with manipulatives added, like paper clips.

coloring books, crayons, cameras, playdough, playdough mats and tools,
push pin  boards, push pins, and push pin board "worksheet" papers

writing/drawing.craft supplies

craft supplies, magnetic dress up, sorting bears and cups, story cubes, binoculars

under the bottom shelf are lacing beads and shapes, spelling boards, and dominoes

paper/writing center

manipulatives/light panel and marble run

educational toys/blocks/manipulatives for learning and light table learning

educational toys/blocks/manipulatives for learning and light table learning

educational toys/blocks/manipulatives for learning and light table learning

side of paper/writing center with trays, sorting trays, scissors, and imaginets

light table area (Graham working on stuff there now)

the mirror table

waldorf playstand

book/magnet area

magnet part of the book/magnet area

games

overhead projector (sorry top part cut off in pic)

puzzles inside the doors of the paper/writing center (under are squishy bags and squishy marble bags)

kitchen loaded with real spice jars(empty) and lots of toy food, pots/pans/silverware

block area view 1

block area view 2

block area view 3

block area view 4

450+ laminated print outs for tracing of letters, numbers, shapes, prewriting lines, etc.
Plus a few back up work books if I think they need extra help.