She first says the sound each letter makes as she lays the cards on the table in a row. Next, she sorts the cards by their initial sound. So far we have learned m, a, s, long e, and t. 
After coloring the noodles, I laid them out on paper towels to dry.
The girls were very excited to string their noodle necklaces. They wore them proudly all day. It was a very simple rainy day project and we already had everything we needed for it!
Mada was concentrating very hard as she strung her noodles onto the ribbon. She is VERY good at coordinating her small muscles. I think her writing "marks" are well above a 2 year olds' random scribbles. She holds writing pencils/crayons correctly and makes definitive marks and designs that in my opinion are more in line with what a young 4 year old would write/draw. I am excited to see where this strength leads in years to come.
Amelia's handwriting curriculum is awesome...even better than I expected. She loves building her letters (this week were L, F, E) with the wood pieces, forming big and little lines with playdough and magnets...and the list goes on. It could be tedious for children who are older... but for 3-4 year olds it provides really good fine motor practice. I can see Amelia's brain working and she is very proud of her work each day.
Amelia wrote this E
For reading, we have been using a book called Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We finished the first five lessons this week. So far Amelia is doing well with it and most of the activities seem pretty easy for her. I am impressed with the way blending sounds is introduced and practiced so naturally. She already read her first word...am. 
To reinforce the sounds we are learning, we use our sound tubs. Amelia sorts the objects into the correct tub by the initial sound. These are really fun. It brings the book work to life through a hands-on activity.
Handwriting Without Tears is a multi-sensory handwriting curriculum that is widely used throughout the country and has won many awards. I will be using it in conjunction with our phonics lessons. Some of the materials include a magnetic Stamp 'n' See Screen, a slate chalkboard, wooden pieces (big line, little line, big curve, little curve) to build letters, Roll-a-Dough set to make letters with playdough, and a really neat workbook designed to be used with a crayon. She will begin with a pencil in Kindergarten for the next level. If you are interested look it up online for better pictures of the materials http://www.hwtears.com/.
For letter sounds/phonics I will be following the Montessori approach introducing letter sounds through the use of sandpaper letters, beginning sound tubs(below), initial consonant picture cards. As she learns the letter sounds we will begin learning how to sound out CVC words (Consonant-vowel-Consonant) such as cat, pig, hat etc...sight words, blends and digraphs will come next. Of course, this will not all be during her Pre-K year. But that is the neat thing about homeschooling. There is no pressure to go at a certain pace. We can go as fast or slow as she needs providing the right amount of challenge.
I also wanted to do a Bible curriculum with the kids. I know what I am going to use for the elementary years. However, I think this one is perfect for preschool. It has a CD with great songs, puppets (not shown below), activity sheets for Amelia, verses to memorize, flannel board stories etc...
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT YEAR HOMESCHOOLING!!! 
The girls had a lot of fun exploring their pretend money on one of our recent rainy days. They stacked the coins and bills, put it in their purses, and made trips to the grocery store (pantry) to buy food. They are already forming early concepts about how money is exchanged for goods and services. As they get older, Stan and I plan to teach them about spending wisely, giving generously and saving for the future. There are some really great resources out there. 
Today we got some of our homeschool materials in the mail! In the fall we will begin Pre-K for Amelia. These are the Geography books we will be using this year. As we get more of our books and supplies over the next few months I will post them as well. The girls were so excited, and Amelia is asking more and more about her homeschool. 
Today is Earth day and we have been working on some art to go along with the books we have been reading. We painted paper plates in blue, green, and white to represent the water, land, and air. We also made contact paper globes using torn paper( blue, green, brown, newspaper). The book you see on the left called "The Tree in the Ancient Forest" was purchased long before we had the girls on a trip to Yosemite National Forest. On Earth Day, instead of thinking along the lines of global warming and other things "Al Gore", we focus on appreciating and caring for the beautiful earth God created. It is far more important for children to connect with nature in their everyday lives than to teach them about how to save it. On this Earth Day take time to listen to the birds chirp, watch how the wind moves, and be thankful for the rhythm of the seasons.
This is one of my favorite books for spring/summer. We read this book together and painted sunflowers with real seeds in the middle. The girls really enjoyed it.
Today we did a rainbow art project for St. Patrick's Day. We put gold glitter in the pot of gold and glued cotton balls on the cloud. Amelia worked really hard coloring each row neatly and stayed in the lines.
