Leaf Unit – My Father’s World Kindergarten

We’ve wrapped up our leaf unit with My Father’s World Kindergarten. I think we’re getting more into a groove, and I’m learning what every homeschool mom has to learn eventually – that just because it’s in the curriculum, it doesn’t mean you have to do it.

I’m learning to cut back and take on only the projects and activities that are right for us. It’s definitely a balance, and I’m grateful that kindergarten is a fairly low-stakes time to be figuring this out.

What Went Well

In the spirit of leaf week, we spent a little more time outside this week, and it was great! Getting outside doesn’t come naturally to me, but I always enjoy when we take the time for get out.

I’m also proud of myself for letting go a little of trying to do alll the things. This week was also leading up to Easter, so I took some time to do Easter activities with the kids, and did a little less of the MFW curriculum activities.

What We Disliked or Skipped

One thing I started to notice this week is that more books isn’t necessarily better. I think my kids felt a little overwhelmed by the number of tree books we picked up from the library this week. There were some really great suggestions, and I’m not sure how I would’ve decided on which ones to read without checking them out and looking through them, but I think I might look through them and only offer a handful to my kids each week moving forward.

Our Favorite Leaf Books

There were several hits in the book recommendations for this week. Here are a few of our favorites:

“Tree” by Britta Teckentrup – This book’s cut-outs and structure are so unique and fun. The words and story aren’t all that special, but my son and I were both fascinated by the way the cut-outs evolved throughout the book.

“As an Oak Tree Grows” by Brian Karas – My kids were simultaneously so confused and so fascinated. The concept of decades and the way things change as time goes on totally went over their heads, but I think this book was a lovely introduction to those ideas.

“Tell Me, Tree” by Gail Gibbons – My son absolutely loved this book. I think the way it introduced various types of trees and parts of trees just made a lot of sense to him and opened his eyes to the types of trees we have in our neighborhood. After reading it, he began looking more closely at the leaves and bark of the trees we came across.

One Last Note

There wasn’t much to share about this week, because we took things pretty light this week. But I enjoyed the opportunity leaf week gave us to get outside and pay attention to nature a little more.

A few key takeaways from this week – it’s okay to not do everything listed on the curriculum and getting outside is always a good idea. Are you doing My Father’s World Kindergarten? Come on over and say hi on IG and let me know your favorite part of the leaf unit!