we still have a few spots open in our pandemic preschool 😉

if you’re not local, don’t worry! we are going to be sharing SO MUCH of our homeschool resources and curriculum with everyone here, as well as on our Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/houseoflf/

about our days:

Upon arrival and after temp checks and hand washing, we will start with yoga circle time and pre-reading/writing skills, while the big boys (my sons: Tavish age 12, and Pierson age 10) go to their independent learning stations in our study room. In the above day choreography (because lets be real, it’s all more of a dance than a schedule, am i right?) you can see that preschool has one schedule (on the left) the boys have their own schedule for independent learning (on the right), but we come together for some multi-age learning which is designated in italics in the middle. I love mixed-age learning environments, because it gives everyone a chance to be a mentor or a mentee, teaches patience and empathy, develops responsibility in the older groups, and gives the younger groups something to aspire to.

Pre-reading Pre-writing

our goal for this year is to get all preschoolers to recognize, write, and sound out letters, and develop reading skills. We are utilizing the entire set of BOB books for reading, and teaching writing skills through art and sensory play. Our books/play for preschool will be ‘themed’ based each week, some examples include: the universe, emotions/mental health, our community, countries around the world, women in history, etc. They will be inclusive, educational, thought-provoking, and tie into the ‘subjects’ (like math and pre-reading/writing skills) that we are learning through play.

Math

In our math time-block I will create different invitations to play at our table stations that elicit natural math concepts and discussion within it's play (think tannegrams for geometry, fractions with measuring cups, counting toys up to 50 or more, recognizing and naming 2-d and 3-d shapes/structures). There will likely be some traditional options (adding and subtracting in written format) but the overwhelming majority of our math will be multiple options for child-led, play-based learning, so each child can learn at their own speed, in their own preferred way. I want to keep math fun, exciting, and rewarding, and this section of our day will largely be child-led and inspired by their own curiosity and interest.

responsibility and stewardship through environment care

In our transition to outdoor play, we'll start by caring for our environment to help teach responsibility and stewardship in our community (sweeping the playhouse, gathering eggs and feeding the chickens, harvesting from the garden, feeding the fish). when children feel a sense of ownership in their spaces, they also feel a responsibility to care for it- fostering empathy. This empathy and responsibility can be carried over into their emotional and social lives.

outdoor child-led free play

but then it's time for child-led free-play in our backyard with multiple environments: a two story playhouse, water/painting station, sandbox (sanitary, covered, and well protected from neighborhood cats), swings, open lawn, etc. these environments have been designed with STEAM in mind, sensory exploration, and the ability to rock, spin, swing, and bounce - which stimulates the vestibular system in young children and is very important for brain development.

I will encourage each child to have rainboots and a Tuffo (or similar) full body rain suit so that they may play and get messy uninhibited, and can remain warm and dry when we come back inside. we will be playing outside rain or shine!

LUNCH, QUIETTIME: We'll come in for lunch all together, (packed by parents) and then we'll transition our big energy to quieter energy with story time and quiettime/meditation/naptime. each child will have their own space to lay down with a weighted blanket, an eye mask to cover eyes (if they choose), and a quiet meditation will play that is geared for young children. children may choose to fall asleep, or stay awake and have quiet introvert time to regroup after such hard play.

FRENCH IMMERSION: we'll get our brains working again with french immersion (through one-third stories and a short 15 minute french immersion muzzy program), and mentorship from the big kids who are both fluent in french.

SCIENCE: Then we get to see what the big kids have created with their biology/physics/chemistry science experiments! we have purchased NOEO science for our elementary and middle school boys, which include many real science experiments with actual equipment. This is a great opportunity for the big kids to help mentor little ones, and ‘teach back’ what they have learned about their experiment to the littles. Our preschoolers will learn about the scientific method and make their own hypothesis and conclusions.

DANCE/MUSIC: we'll get our bodies moving again with dance and music (ballet/tap/jazz for dance, and percussion/piano/singing for music). This is one of the things I am so passionate about, and so excited to share with our little ones! we are converting our living room into a movement space (photos to come!) complete with mirrors and barre for ballet.

ART: after all that fun, we will enjoy a snack and learn real art technique (with inclusive art history sprinkled in, focusing on artists outside the traditional dead white guys we all know about ). While crafting and free art expression are always available to the kids at any moment of the day, this is an actual age-appropriate art class that teaches children how to see and express their world in visual form. we will learn about the elements of art (line, shape, pattern, texture, color, form) and how to use these elements and techniques to express their innate desire to communicate visually.

We will end our day with free-play at our reggio-inspired play stations, while parents pick up.

Philosophies:

We love mixing reggio, montessori, and traditional styles of learning for young children. Our days will have a strong emphasis on art (dance, music, art) but will always be flexible and largely child-led. I love ‘the whole brain child’ method of empathy, respect, and autonomy for dealing with emotional challenges in preschoolers. Our education is secular, but respects other belief systems, inclusive, and we believe black lives matter, science is real, love is love, and all the rest.

My background:

I have a degree in Fine Art from the University of Wisconsin, and am a working artist and photographer (@lexiafrankphoto ) I was also a member of the Madison Ballet, as well as the University of Wisconsin Dance Team, and a current member of @freshvibe dance crew , (although not rehearsing during the pandemic). I have over a decade of experience as a dance educator for all ages, 3-adult, and miss teaching my students very much! I am thrilled to do it in our home, and really excited to provide dance and art education for these kiddos. (really… i am SO EXCITED for dance class in my living room, and art messes in the playroom!)

I have a clear background check, and just genuinely love my kids and their friends like they are my own children.

Times/days:

Ideally we would do tues/wed/thurs 8:30-5:30, but am open to part time needs, or monday-friday schedules for working parents.

Covid risk:

my husband and myself are both at home full time. Rarely, he may be required to travel for his job, but he is always careful and does so with caution (he has had to travel outside the home 2x in the last 7 months), but he will be in our upstairs working while school is happening on the main floor. our children each have a friend they play with- outside only or inside with masks- on our street.

we have the top-of-the-line air purifier running inside, that traps and kills viruses like Covid-19. research has also shown that higher humidity levels can reduce transmission of the disease, so we have a humidifier running on each level of our home. our home is cleaned professionally, and sanitized with Force of Nature- a safe and extremely powerful disinfectant that is not available in stores. we will create fresh air opportunities whenever possible, and have multiple hand-washing and environment sanitizing times scheduled throughout the day. We ask that any preschool family follows the state guidelines, (ie: wears masks in public places, does not attend large gatherings, etc) and essentially just tries their best to prevent the spread and contraction of covid-19. Our daughter is in a higher-risk category for developing complications to covid 19 (respiratory condition), so we are hoping this preschool will be a lower-risk activity for her (rather than attending a large preschool) while also supplying quality education and socialization opportunities for her and her preschool friends! That said… we want to create a sense of normalcy for these young children, one without fear, and the ability to be mask free in this ‘safe zone’ of our house bubble. While we will be practicing good hygiene, i will not ask them to wear masks, and instead ask students to stay home if they have a cough or runny nose. If your child is experiencing a fever, I will ask they stay home until a negative covid test, following state guidelines. We will do fever checks and hand washing at the start of each day before coming inside to start school.

How did we decide to do this?

During the pandemic i’ve watched my gregarious, extroverted, preschool daughter suffer without friends and social support that she used to receive at her gymnastics preschool. As she is higher-risk, I was unwilling to re-enroll her at a traditional preschool that has multiple children. By keeping her at home with max 3 other children, I hope to keep our bubble small and safe, while still providing quality education and social opportunities for all involved.

We are asking a small tuition, to help provide wonderful opportunities for the kids enrolled, as well as offset the loss of my income as a destination wedding photographer. I am looking at this year as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the mom i’ve always wanted to be (but was too busy working), a chance to share my unique skills in art, dance, and early childhood education with others, and to slow down the rat race and enjoy childhood wonder.

How to contact me for info on tuition and availability:

shoot me an email at lexia@lexiafrank.com and tell me a little about yourself and your child(ren)!

More photos:

follow along on our personal instagram for more on our space and to get a sense of who we are!