Guess what I’ve been doing!

For the last few months? Getting certified/licensed to teach preschool in my home.

For the last week? Teaching 2 little girls. Very exciting!

A long time ago, I was researching ways I could keep teaching (without dealing with state certifications every time we move) while my husband is in the Navy, and Navy Child Development Homes came up. Basically, you go through the Navy’s training process (and ongoing training each month) and you can have daycare/preschool/before and after school care/whatever in your home.

Most people who do it are mothers who want to stay at home with their kids, but for me, it seemed like an awesome way to teach… flexible and I get to totally make my own program (which is going to be a mix of “creative curriculum” and montessori, I think). I get to make my own schedule (I based it off of the school district’s) and hours (8-12) and everything. And as I gather resources/lessons/etc I can take them with me wherever I go.

For now, I’m borrowing some things from the base’s lending library (the little red chairs, blue couch/chair/ottoman, some of the toys and puzzles…). A lot of the things are mine though. I bought the cubby shelves and the easel at Big Lots on sale, and the kid table is our old dining room table with the legs cut off.

Want a little tour?

This is near the front door. Manipulatives/construction/puzzles. The bulletin board has things I’m required to post… fire escape plan, fire drill log, first aid/cpr cards, daily schedule, snack menu, weekly lesson plans, etc. On top of the cubby is the sign in sheet for parents, a sign in sheet for guests, and my refrigerator temperature log. The bag hanging on the left side is my “outside/emergency bag” with my flashlight and first aid kit. I also need to add copies of the kids’ registration cards in case of emergency, and a couple books. I take this bag when we go to the playground and if there were a fire (or a drill) I would take it with me then too.The box on the floor has the kids’ records in it.

This is in the dining room area. I’ve changed around the things on the shelves a little since taking this photo, but it’s mostly art supplies and snack dishes. The kids set the table themselves, and when they’re finished with snack they put their dishes in the white dishpan on the bottom shelf. The thing on the left is a mirror (facing the “dramatic play” area). My husband is gonna try to saw off part of it so that it will be the same height as the cubbies, and it can be vertical.

On top of the cubby is a set of paintings I’m working on for our dining room. Just sketches now.

This is the “Dramatic play” area. The box has dress up clothes and a little broom/dustpan. The kids love the baby and the fact that it’s big and heavy like a real baby. They like to rock him and remind each other to support his head. Very sweet.

These are my yoga cards, which I made using Meg’s yoga photos.

Our outside classroom area is the car port, so we can play out there even if it is raining or if it’s extremely hot because it’s covered/shaded. These are the sand and water tables (borrowed from the base lending library). They were a little short for 4 year olds, so I put them on bed risers. The box in the middle has tools for using in the sand and water.

I hot-glued clothespins to the easel so the kids can clip up their papers to color/paint on.

This table will be the science/observation table. When we plant things, they’ll be here, and I plan to get some magnifying bug jars and such.

Outdoor learning area overview…

These shelves are in a different room… my library of trade books and professional resources. I pull out books each week to use with the kids.

There are very few resources on the internet for people who are Child Development Home Providers (and the few non-Navy ones I’ve found seem like crazy advertisements for “everything you need to start your own daycare business” on a CD rom you can buy) so I’ve been thinking about starting my own website for CDH info for parents, providers, and prospective providers. There would be a forum, real lesson ideas (not print-outs and pre-cuts. ew) and all sorts of other good stuff.

Though maybe that’s because I’m crazy and like having 1000 things going on at once. Hmm…