In our small, close-knit community, pre-kindergarten slots filled up faster than we ever anticipated, leaving several children, including our 4-year-old son, without access to the program. Faced with this challenge, we decided to take our son’s education into our own hands. What began as a necessity quickly turned into the most enlightening and wonderful time for our family, as we learned together and discovered what worked best for us. With the help of some wonderful friends, we transformed a space into a classroom and began our daily "school" routine. We’ve embraced a beautiful curriculum, but what has truly enriched our lessons has been the supplemental content we’ve found through WCTE, our local PBS station.
Each morning, we dive into a carefully crafted lesson plan, often enhanced with crafts and activities pulled from the wealth of free resources available through PBS. From educational videos to printable activities, PBS has been an invaluable tool in our homeschooling journey. Recently, I had the honor of joining Avery Hutchins from WCTE on air to discuss how our local PBS station has impacted our family. I loved sharing how thankful we are for the resources PBS provides, which have allowed us to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment at home.
Our journey didn’t stop at just our family. We connected with another family in our community whose son also didn’t get into the pre-k program, and we’ve started a weekly co-op. Together, we’ve explored a variety of fun and educational topics, from ladybugs to earthworms, using crafts and lessons from PBS as our guide. For example, we recently made a paper ladybug craft and built a worm habitat, all while watching episodes of our favorite show, Wild Kratts. These experiences have been incredibly rewarding, not only for the kids but for us as parents, as we witness their excitement and growth. I hope you’ll find these lessons as fun and engaging as we have, and if you’re ever inspired to give back, consider supporting WCTE’s educational endowment fund—they truly make a difference in our community.
For more fun crafts and educational ideas, you can check out the resources we used:
And if you’d like to support WCTE’s efforts in providing these valuable resources, consider contributing to their Educational Endowment Fund.
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