Organizing Mother Goose Time

It has taken me a couple of boxes to figure out the best way to sort my self out for a new month and theme of Mother Goose Time. I think I finally figured out the best way!

When you first receive your shipment and open the box it can be a bit overwhelming because there is just SO MUCH in there and it's all packaged in little bags. The bags are extremely helpful because they come labeled with the date of the month you will be using it and all the materials you need for that day.

                       
                                     

For the first couple of months of Mother Goose time - I didn't bother looking at what was inside those bags until we were setting up for the days lesson- Sometimes I didn't get enough time to fully familiarize myself with the activities of the day and it would slow us down for sure. Now with a couple of months under my belt, I have certainly learned that planning ahead if vital to staying on track and to have smoother days.

When the box first arrives, I open it and take a quick peek but set it aside. Usually the box comes in mid month and we are still working on that months theme so I put the box to the side and continue focusing on the theme at hand. I designate a night, usually the Thursday or Friday before I am supposed to start a new theme and go through the box.

The first thing i reach for is the Teacher Tool Bag - Which includes a book filled with day by day lessons and breakdown of activities and subjects, A Planning book with a calendar set up that allows me to plan for the month and also take notes of the day of anything I want to remember, Also includes the Words, Color, Shape, flag, Numbers and Letters we will be focusing on that month, and if that wasn't enough there is a very hand "Gathering list" which tells me supplies that isn't included in the kit that I will need for the month. To make it even easier it is also broken down by day.

I pull this gathering list and check off any supplies that I already have. After I figured out which supplies I have at hand - anything remaining goes on my shopping list for that weekend (reason why I choose to do this process BEFORE the weekend)

Now comes the time to get my self familiarized with the theme and lessons. I go through every day of lessons in that teacher guide and open the bag for each day and make notes on the calendar of any highlights, anything I will need, etc. I also take that time to introduce myself to the story and day by day schedule for our "Experiencing God" Add-on. 

(Diet coke not required but extremely helpful)

Although I do read the lessons for each day, I will also read them again the weekend I teach it. Going through all the bags not only helps me know that is in that box but also it helps me prep. Mother Goose Time sometimes includes games and activities that require some prep such as cutting or laminating, before because I would open the bag 5 minutes before "class" I would be cutting out game pieces during lesson!! Now I go through each day and prep it so that when I grab that bag on the day of lesson it is set and ready to go!

By the end of my prep, I am confident in knowing what lies ahead for that month and helps me mentally prepare for certain lessons. 

As a working mom time is mighty important between homeschooling, cleaning, cooking, devotionals etc..I didn't think that "prep" time was possible but it has actually been such a blessing! Organization is so important and in the main scheme of things it saves me SOO much time! So if you are trying out Mother Goose Time and you don't know where to start just remember to take your time and find what works best for you. They do 98% of the work for you!!