I'm a Liar

So I lied. Yes, I did. I said I wasn't going to do stations every day for quiet time. It would be too much work. Wrong! We are doing stations every single day that we are home. Monday, stations. Wednesday, stations. And yes, Sunday, stations.

We keep the same stations every day. I just change out the stuff that's in them. I have discovered that I can download audiobooks from the library onto the iPad. So at the book station I now have books they can listen to as well. Anna is not that interested. She listens for a minute or two. Once she gets more into it, I will probably get another iPad and they can bring them from sation to station if they want to. I also put out a puzzle or game at this station. If you don't know, kids have no problem playing a game alone. Maybe because they can't read "for two or more players".

We also always have an art center.

I have tried making a simple art project and leaving it in there for them to replicate, but they always prefer to make their own. They are usually way more creative than I am! Who else would come up with a mom cage?

Our third center is the box center. These are boxes of small toys. I change out two of these boxes every Sunday so every week there is something different in them.

The last center is usually larger toys that I bring up from the basement play area. Right now it's dolls and last week it was Mia's new doll house. I change it every Wednesday. Anna is really starting to use her imagination at all the centers and it is so fun to watch that area of her personality develop. She has also decided that she does not have to always be obedient. :(

As the girls get older I hope to have about six stations, and extend them to 30 minutes (right now we do 22 minutes at each station). This will take up most of our afternoons. But they will be educational and a natural part of our homeschool: silent reading station, music practice station, computer station, writing station, etc.

We love our stations!