Disclaimer: I received a copy of this product for free through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations.
This last year has been our first honest-to-goodness year of homeschool. We’ve actually done something every month, even if it wasn’t how I ideally wanted it to look. Even given that success, we still didn’t get to several things I wanted to do & I could not figure out how to make them happen.
Then I bought one of those ebook bundles & got a copy of Circle Time from Preschoolers & Peace. I wasn’t unfamiliar with the idea of circle time but I had always poo-poohed it. After determining my daughters learning style, we decided to mix things up & circle time was one of the things I tried. When I got the request to review circle time, I requested it since I’ve been meaning to share about how it worked for us.
Circle Time
Circle Time is a short but sweet ebook (33 pgs) detailing how you can make circle time work for your family no matter what the ages are…even up to teens! She gives ideas for subjects that work well as part of circle time, time to engage littles without boring them and Q & A and tips from other moms. There are even printable pages that will help you plan how this part works. Circle Time retails for $4.99.
Likes & Dislikes
Since I was schooling from the recliner during late pregnancy anyway, circle time in our house was born. It worked wonderfully for us! My girls are 5 & 2 and we started out with all the reading & activities I’ve always WANTED to do, but didn’t seem to fit anywhere else.
It’s been the perfect time to read the bible, say our morning prayers, do the pledge of allegiance, talk about character, and work on memorization of scripture & hymns. We also read poetry, discuss grammar, and do Phys Ed. After that, everyone has done the basics & get the wiggles out before “school” starts. It’s been a great way to start the day (or regroup) and gives everyone a little focused attention.
Summary
Overall, I really liked this book & have high hopes for expanding our use of it in the fall as we adjust to baby and revamp our schedule. I have some new materials for both that I hope to use during circle time during the morning nap window. It really solved a problem in getting to certain materials as well as involving even the littles as we begin our school day. I’m really glad to have been able to share this resource with you–especially since we were actually using it for months prior to the review period–it adds a lot to the useful of the review.
[…] would be great during a meal when the family is together. Because we homeschool, we use it during circle time. Bedtime would be another great time and the coloring sheets would be a nice quiet activity during […]
[…] – Sit down to nurse while the girls play. We start with Circle Time – currently consisting of our morning devotion & morning prayer, as well as a story or […]