WEBVTT 00:00:00.050 --> 00:00:06.800 How do you plan rich learning experiences when you're overwhelmed by curriculum 00:00:06.800 --> 00:00:09.620 demands and you're strapped for time? 00:00:09.669 --> 00:00:14.979 Today I'm gonna share with you the way I plan and unbeknown to me until very 00:00:14.979 --> 00:00:20.889 recently, it's also the way a classical curriculum works and the way that 00:00:20.889 --> 00:00:22.959 Charlotte Mason structured her lessons. 00:00:23.360 --> 00:00:26.299 So if you wanna learn how I reduced overwhelm and spend 00:00:26.299 --> 00:00:29.299 less time planning lessons, 00:00:29.539 --> 00:00:32.164 . Then stay with me until the end when I'll give you a link to my 00:00:32.164 --> 00:00:36.874 brand new lesson plan that nurtures all those essential skills and 00:00:36.874 --> 00:00:39.089 saves you hours of planning time. 00:00:39.089 --> 00:00:44.189 What I found, whenever I became anxious about the planning, it's 00:00:44.189 --> 00:00:46.769 because my eyes were wandering. 00:00:47.339 --> 00:00:52.839 I was looking at what colleagues were doing, and that was causing me a 00:00:52.839 --> 00:00:56.139 huge amount of stress and overwhelm. 00:00:56.140 --> 00:01:00.760 Because I was looking at my colleagues and then second guessing myself, 00:01:01.150 --> 00:01:06.910 and then those feelings of not being good enough used to creep in, and 00:01:07.330 --> 00:01:09.220 that's when the overwhelm started. 00:01:09.220 --> 00:01:12.951 I think for me that comparison trap was something I had to 00:01:12.951 --> 00:01:14.841 learn to kick to the curb. 00:01:14.841 --> 00:01:19.551 So if you're starting to feel overwhelmed with everything you have to do. 00:01:19.551 --> 00:01:25.641 Or actually you think you have to do because quite honestly, I think we 00:01:25.761 --> 00:01:29.571 actually put way too much pressure on ourselves and we do and plan 00:01:29.571 --> 00:01:31.731 for more than we actually need to. 00:01:32.731 --> 00:01:37.816 I think we create a lot of unnecessary work, work that we don't need to create 00:01:37.816 --> 00:01:39.646 and it puts extra pressure on us. 00:01:39.646 --> 00:01:42.916 I'll tell you more about that in just a moment. 00:01:42.916 --> 00:01:47.296 The first step to getting rid of overwhelm is just to put blinkers 00:01:47.296 --> 00:01:52.606 on, just to focus on what you are doing in your four walls and forget 00:01:52.606 --> 00:01:54.856 about what everybody else is doing. 00:01:55.856 --> 00:02:00.836 Nothing causes more anxiety than the comparison trap when you're 00:02:00.836 --> 00:02:02.756 comparing yourself to others. 00:02:03.206 --> 00:02:07.976 So take a step back and start trusting yourself. 00:02:08.476 --> 00:02:12.316 And if you're new to this game, maybe you're a graduate or maybe you're just 00:02:12.316 --> 00:02:16.546 gonna start out homeschooling and you're starting to experience those feelings 00:02:16.546 --> 00:02:18.496 of overwhelm, start creeping in. 00:02:18.886 --> 00:02:23.926 Then I would say the next thing to do is to get yourself a mentor, someone you can 00:02:23.926 --> 00:02:26.986 piggyback on, someone that you vibe with. 00:02:27.386 --> 00:02:31.256 Sometimes it may be a colleague, sometimes it could be someone 00:02:31.256 --> 00:02:34.466 online like me, for example. 00:02:35.466 --> 00:02:38.811 But don't just follow this person mindlessly. 00:02:39.211 --> 00:02:41.131 They have to share your values. 00:02:41.431 --> 00:02:45.481 So for me, for example, I value growth mindset. 00:02:45.631 --> 00:02:47.281 I value curiosity. 00:02:47.281 --> 00:02:54.121 I value, um, problem solving skills and analytical skills and creativity. 00:02:55.121 --> 00:02:59.896 So make sure that whoever you choose values the same kinds 00:02:59.896 --> 00:03:01.216 of things that you value. 00:03:02.216 --> 00:03:05.636 And so, for example, you might value these things that I value, 00:03:05.636 --> 00:03:09.296 so if you are following me because we share the same values, thanks. 00:03:09.746 --> 00:03:13.196 And also don't forget to hit that subscribe button or the follow button 00:03:13.496 --> 00:03:18.386 wherever you are watching or listening, either on YouTube or on a podcast. 00:03:18.806 --> 00:03:20.906 Thanks for being here and being with me. 00:03:21.746 --> 00:03:25.556 Now you have to make sure that whoever you decide that you are going 00:03:25.556 --> 00:03:29.786 to follow or that you are going to see as a mentor, that they actually 00:03:29.786 --> 00:03:34.711 share your values because otherwise you are going to end up miserable. 00:03:35.711 --> 00:03:40.241 Now since we do share the same values, I think you'll want to hear about the 00:03:40.301 --> 00:03:42.341 lesson plan that I've got for you. 00:03:42.341 --> 00:03:46.481 So hang on, stay with me because I'll be sharing that with you 00:03:46.691 --> 00:03:48.401 towards the end of the show. 00:03:49.101 --> 00:03:54.051 Now the next way that I found to deal with overwhelm, so that planning didn't 00:03:54.051 --> 00:04:00.081 suck the complete joy out of everything I did, was to integrate lessons, in other 00:04:00.081 --> 00:04:04.701 words, to plan lessons that meet multiple outcomes from different subject areas. 00:04:05.701 --> 00:04:09.301 And for me personally, I found that the best way to do this 00:04:09.331 --> 00:04:10.526 was through picture books. 00:04:11.526 --> 00:04:14.651 And by the way, that's another thing that I've been noticing lately in 00:04:14.651 --> 00:04:20.081 mainstream learning, and that is this tendency that a lot of educators 00:04:20.081 --> 00:04:24.101 have stopped reading to children in classrooms, and now they're showing the 00:04:24.131 --> 00:04:27.311 cartoon or the book on a YouTube video. 00:04:28.311 --> 00:04:32.761 I wrote a blog post about this where I shared the research done by the 00:04:32.761 --> 00:04:38.631 Reading and literacy Discovery Center of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, which 00:04:38.631 --> 00:04:43.096 proved the benefits of reading books to children on their cognitive development. 00:04:43.346 --> 00:04:47.036 Another study done by the same hospital explored different formats 00:04:47.036 --> 00:04:49.526 of stories on children's brains. 00:04:50.426 --> 00:04:51.956 They looked at audio only. 00:04:52.346 --> 00:04:58.596 They looked at picture books being read to children and the cartoons 00:04:58.596 --> 00:05:00.426 of picture books on a video. 00:05:01.126 --> 00:05:04.816 What they found was that when picture books were read to children, 00:05:05.686 --> 00:05:11.846 it showed very well developed visual and language networks in 00:05:11.906 --> 00:05:13.556 children's developing brains. 00:05:14.256 --> 00:05:18.396 The Picture book, gave children a starting point to bring the 00:05:18.396 --> 00:05:21.216 words and imagination to life. 00:05:21.466 --> 00:05:25.266 The audio version, required their brains to work a little bit harder. 00:05:26.266 --> 00:05:30.196 Because they had to figure out what was happening in the story. 00:05:30.896 --> 00:05:35.006 But when it came to watching the cartoon version, the researchers found that 00:05:35.006 --> 00:05:39.876 things started coming apart because basically there was too much information 00:05:39.876 --> 00:05:41.796 for the children's brains to handle, 00:05:42.496 --> 00:05:48.046 because brain networks develop gradually and children need multiple exposures 00:05:48.046 --> 00:05:54.656 and lots of practice to keep building those networks, and make connections as 00:05:54.656 --> 00:05:56.756 children become better readers over time, 00:05:56.756 --> 00:06:01.226 they're better able to use those connections to see the pictures in 00:06:01.226 --> 00:06:05.456 their mind and use their imagination to make sense of the story. 00:06:05.856 --> 00:06:11.676 Which then helps them to progress to pictureless or chapter books later on. 00:06:12.676 --> 00:06:16.876 I leave a link for you in the show notes or the description of the 00:06:16.876 --> 00:06:20.266 blog post with the research so that you can go and read it there. 00:06:20.966 --> 00:06:24.386 So now we know that using Picture books is a great starting point 00:06:24.386 --> 00:06:27.951 for any lesson because of the cognitive value for children. 00:06:28.951 --> 00:06:31.231 But don't just grab any picture book of the shelf. 00:06:31.501 --> 00:06:33.271 You need to be strategic. 00:06:33.451 --> 00:06:39.426 You need to choose a book that's going to help you meet multiple lesson outcomes. 00:06:39.696 --> 00:06:44.016 That will cover multiple subject areas because that's how you 00:06:44.016 --> 00:06:45.336 reduce your planning time. 00:06:45.886 --> 00:06:48.586 The first thing I do when I choose a picture book is I choose 00:06:48.586 --> 00:06:50.656 one that has rich language. 00:06:51.056 --> 00:06:52.826 Does it have descriptive language? 00:06:53.186 --> 00:06:54.986 Does it use direct speech? 00:06:54.986 --> 00:06:57.386 Does it have an element of inference 00:06:57.386 --> 00:07:02.166 so the children can use the text and the pictures to make meaning, does 00:07:02.166 --> 00:07:06.126 it in fact have great illustrations to fill in those comprehension 00:07:06.126 --> 00:07:07.776 gaps the children might have? 00:07:08.476 --> 00:07:13.756 I also look for a book that has a story mountain that has a beginning, 00:07:13.906 --> 00:07:17.926 a middle, and a end, so that you can teach children the structure of 00:07:17.926 --> 00:07:21.916 stories because they eventually will be writing those stories for themselves. 00:07:22.916 --> 00:07:27.506 And of course the story, as I said before, must link to other subject areas. 00:07:27.746 --> 00:07:31.776 So whatever you wanna teach, either in science or geography or history, make 00:07:31.776 --> 00:07:36.096 sure that that picture book covers that topic that you wanna teach. 00:07:36.596 --> 00:07:41.186 Now, once I've chosen the book, I'm gonna read the story to the children to kick 00:07:41.186 --> 00:07:46.541 off the lesson or the unit or the topic, and I'm going to read it every single day. 00:07:47.541 --> 00:07:51.711 And each day I'm gonna focus on a different aspect of the story. 00:07:52.711 --> 00:07:55.891 Perhaps in one day it'll be, they've got to draw and write 00:07:55.891 --> 00:07:57.421 their favorite part of the story. 00:07:57.721 --> 00:08:01.441 Perhaps another day it'll be something to do with inference about the character. 00:08:01.771 --> 00:08:05.821 Perhaps another day I'm gonna ask them to recount the beginning, the 00:08:05.821 --> 00:08:07.381 middle, and the end of the story. 00:08:07.681 --> 00:08:09.751 Perhaps on another day, I'm gonna focus 00:08:09.916 --> 00:08:13.936 on the problem of the story and perhaps another day on 00:08:13.936 --> 00:08:15.586 the resolution of the story. 00:08:15.986 --> 00:08:17.516 I'm sure you get the idea. 00:08:18.516 --> 00:08:21.256 And so now here's another thing that I actually discovered 00:08:21.256 --> 00:08:22.486 quite late in the game. 00:08:23.176 --> 00:08:24.136 We've all done it. 00:08:24.166 --> 00:08:29.806 I did it, is that we planned lessons around a book, but then we 00:08:29.806 --> 00:08:32.296 planned a new book for every week. 00:08:32.986 --> 00:08:36.206 So it's absolutely understandable that we're all burnt out. 00:08:36.746 --> 00:08:41.066 And nowhere does it say that we all have to do one book a week with 00:08:41.066 --> 00:08:43.256 lessons and ideas that go with that. 00:08:43.916 --> 00:08:45.806 So why would we do that to ourselves? 00:08:46.806 --> 00:08:50.466 And that's coming back to that point I made earlier is why do we 00:08:50.466 --> 00:08:53.116 put so much pressure on ourselves. 00:08:53.326 --> 00:08:56.176 There's really no reason to do that. 00:08:56.876 --> 00:09:02.336 We are making teaching young children more complicated than it needs to be. 00:09:03.336 --> 00:09:06.816 And we all know the children are not gonna remember a thing when 00:09:06.816 --> 00:09:09.216 we just keep piling things on. 00:09:09.616 --> 00:09:12.586 That's shallow teaching and shallow learning. 00:09:13.586 --> 00:09:19.436 As educators, if we really want learning to be deeper, then we need to slow down. 00:09:19.436 --> 00:09:21.596 We need to make everything slower. 00:09:22.596 --> 00:09:26.036 And when we slow down, children are actually going to remember 00:09:26.036 --> 00:09:28.046 more of what they're being taught. 00:09:29.046 --> 00:09:31.446 And remember when I said in the beginning about that study? 00:09:31.946 --> 00:09:36.136 That children's brain networks develop gradually and that they need 00:09:36.136 --> 00:09:38.266 lots of practice and repetition. 00:09:38.666 --> 00:09:43.286 Well, if we keep giving them a new book every week, how's that going to happen? 00:09:43.796 --> 00:09:48.656 So stick to just one good book with those activities. 00:09:48.746 --> 00:09:53.996 Read it repeatedly every single day with a new activity or different activity. 00:09:54.396 --> 00:09:57.936 So the children can get a much deeper understanding so that they 00:09:57.936 --> 00:10:00.636 can really have good comprehension. 00:10:01.186 --> 00:10:04.976 Now, of course, you're not just gonna read this one book, this one that's 00:10:05.006 --> 00:10:07.076 the catalyst for all your learning. 00:10:07.466 --> 00:10:09.596 You're going to be reading other books too. 00:10:09.626 --> 00:10:11.126 You're gonna read other picture books. 00:10:11.126 --> 00:10:14.966 You're gonna read other books on the same or similar topic that you're doing 00:10:15.536 --> 00:10:17.336 or other picture books just for fun. 00:10:18.336 --> 00:10:23.436 But you won't be doing all the activities associated with those other books. 00:10:23.706 --> 00:10:28.416 You're going to just be focusing all your activities on the one picture book that 00:10:28.416 --> 00:10:32.046 you chose that's going to be doing the heavy lifting, but you're still going 00:10:32.046 --> 00:10:34.836 to be reading other stories as well. 00:10:35.836 --> 00:10:39.736 And of course you're going to ask questions you might be asking, so 00:10:39.736 --> 00:10:42.886 what's similar about this book that we are reading to our other story 00:10:42.886 --> 00:10:44.416 that we're doing our activities on? 00:10:45.416 --> 00:10:48.236 Or what's the difference between the two stories that we are reading? 00:10:48.736 --> 00:10:53.056 And each time that you're reading a new book and a new story and asking them 00:10:53.146 --> 00:10:58.476 questions related to the book that you've chosen, , the one that's a catalyst 00:10:58.686 --> 00:11:00.816 for your learning for this topic. 00:11:01.206 --> 00:11:03.426 They are going to be making more brain connections. 00:11:03.426 --> 00:11:04.566 They're going to be learning more. 00:11:04.616 --> 00:11:07.226 They're gonna start making connections between stories, 00:11:07.226 --> 00:11:09.026 between books, between the topic. 00:11:10.026 --> 00:11:12.636 Their brain networks are going to get stronger and they're gonna 00:11:12.636 --> 00:11:14.796 start building their schema. 00:11:14.796 --> 00:11:18.276 Now the next thing that's important for me is that this picture books that 00:11:18.276 --> 00:11:23.376 I've chosen has to link, as I mentioned before, to the subject that I'm teaching. 00:11:23.736 --> 00:11:27.666 So it has to link, although I'm teaching English from it, I'm also going to teach 00:11:27.666 --> 00:11:32.796 another subject, be that science or geography or history or anything else. 00:11:33.196 --> 00:11:35.026 And if you've chosen a really good book. 00:11:35.401 --> 00:11:37.231 This book has to do the heavy lifting 00:11:37.231 --> 00:11:40.441 because you don't wanna have to rack your brain every single week 00:11:40.861 --> 00:11:42.721 to find new activities to do. 00:11:43.121 --> 00:11:48.041 So the way I go about it is I look at this book and I start brainstorming as 00:11:48.041 --> 00:11:49.811 I read through the picture book myself. 00:11:50.051 --> 00:11:54.191 I start brainstorming what kind of activities can I create with this book? 00:11:55.191 --> 00:11:58.401 I always think back and I remember planning with a colleague in this way 00:11:58.401 --> 00:12:02.871 and it was the best way to plan, and it seriously, it actually made planning 00:12:03.681 --> 00:12:08.061 joyful because you're brainstorming and coming up with all these fabulous 00:12:08.061 --> 00:12:10.341 ideas of what this book can do. 00:12:10.641 --> 00:12:15.021 How you can integrate art, how you can integrate sculpture, how you can 00:12:15.021 --> 00:12:19.071 integrate technology, how you can integrate design, and anything else. 00:12:19.461 --> 00:12:24.481 'cause you want the book to meet multiple curriculum outcomes 00:12:24.691 --> 00:12:26.461 across multiple subjects. 00:12:27.461 --> 00:12:30.551 And when you choose this book that covers these multiple 00:12:30.551 --> 00:12:32.951 areas, you can go really deep. 00:12:33.371 --> 00:12:39.521 You can slow everything down, and you can really get into the nuts and bolts 00:12:39.521 --> 00:12:41.471 of the book without having to rush. 00:12:41.951 --> 00:12:44.381 This is what makes learning joyful. 00:12:44.711 --> 00:12:48.911 It's that whole rushing thing where we feel that we need to, you know, 00:12:48.911 --> 00:12:50.561 meet all these curriculum outcomes. 00:12:50.861 --> 00:12:56.621 But if you choose a really good book, you can meet all the curriculum outcomes, but 00:12:56.621 --> 00:13:03.531 you just have to go slower and deeper so the children actually remember and learn. 00:13:03.621 --> 00:13:06.441 'cause isn't that what we're actually doing in the first place? 00:13:07.441 --> 00:13:07.531 And. 00:13:07.931 --> 00:13:12.671 If this book is really doing a good job, you should be able to get five 00:13:12.671 --> 00:13:19.001 weeks, six weeks, a term of activities to do just with one picture book. 00:13:19.401 --> 00:13:23.601 And of course, in early childhood, those activities should be hands-on 00:13:23.991 --> 00:13:26.666 because children learn through doing. 00:13:27.666 --> 00:13:32.736 We want children's brains to get working, so we want them to use their 00:13:32.736 --> 00:13:37.896 hands as well, because if you're just going to give them worksheets, then 00:13:37.896 --> 00:13:42.386 you've gotta mark those worksheets as well, adding to your workload. 00:13:43.386 --> 00:13:47.886 So don't you think there could be a better way of assessing children's understanding 00:13:47.886 --> 00:13:50.256 and their knowledge than just a worksheet? 00:13:50.656 --> 00:13:53.326 A way that can save you time. 00:13:53.726 --> 00:13:58.826 And again, this is something I learned quite late in my teaching journey. 00:13:59.376 --> 00:14:04.206 Like most teachers, I was under the impression that everything 00:14:04.206 --> 00:14:08.406 had to be on paper, that children needed to write everything down. 00:14:09.021 --> 00:14:13.036 So that I then could prove that I had done the teaching and they 00:14:13.041 --> 00:14:16.701 had done the learning and I had co covered the curriculum areas. 00:14:17.101 --> 00:14:19.901 I. And so I think that's the other pressure that we feel. 00:14:19.931 --> 00:14:22.751 'cause we feel that they, we need to do our job and someone's 00:14:22.751 --> 00:14:24.191 going to come and check up on us. 00:14:24.491 --> 00:14:28.301 So we have all this work that we get children to do on worksheets and in 00:14:28.301 --> 00:14:32.741 their books so that we can actually show how very busy and productive we've 00:14:32.741 --> 00:14:34.451 been and we've done all this stuff. 00:14:35.411 --> 00:14:40.631 But then a few weeks later, you ask children a question and they can't 00:14:40.631 --> 00:14:42.791 even remember what the topic was about. 00:14:42.791 --> 00:14:44.531 They can't even remember what they learned. 00:14:45.251 --> 00:14:46.691 So what was the point really? 00:14:46.781 --> 00:14:49.841 Except put ourselves under more pressure and stress. 00:14:50.841 --> 00:14:54.081 And I was doing all this stuff and putting extra pressure on myself just 00:14:54.081 --> 00:14:59.021 like we all do until the lights came on and I realized that I could actually 00:14:59.021 --> 00:15:05.336 assess children's understanding in other ways just by observation and 00:15:05.336 --> 00:15:10.286 listening and asking them questions, and I could then record them and then 00:15:10.286 --> 00:15:12.236 look at that recording on the same day. 00:15:12.656 --> 00:15:18.156 And input my observations in my record keeping sheets, which by 00:15:18.156 --> 00:15:21.636 the way, those are the exact same record keeping sheets that are on the 00:15:21.636 --> 00:15:24.186 website that I use in my classroom. 00:15:24.606 --> 00:15:28.896 And they would be so valuable when it came to reporting or when it came to talking to 00:15:28.896 --> 00:15:34.356 parents because I then already had those observations written down ready to go. 00:15:34.626 --> 00:15:37.986 I leave a link to my record keeping sheets in the show notes and in 00:15:37.986 --> 00:15:39.486 the description for you as well. 00:15:40.186 --> 00:15:44.626 To recap before I tell you what I have for you, the first step to reducing 00:15:44.626 --> 00:15:51.136 overwhelm is to stop comparing yourself to others and to start trusting yourself. 00:15:52.136 --> 00:15:52.916 The second. 00:15:53.336 --> 00:16:00.236 Step is to follow a like-minded mentor, someone who shares your values. 00:16:01.236 --> 00:16:04.736 The third step is to choose a picture book that does the heavy lifting for you. 00:16:05.736 --> 00:16:10.146 And to stop making your life more difficult and more overwhelming by 00:16:10.146 --> 00:16:12.876 choosing a new book every single week. 00:16:13.276 --> 00:16:17.266 And then the next step is to wring out as many activities as you possibly 00:16:17.266 --> 00:16:19.996 can with this one picture book. 00:16:20.996 --> 00:16:22.346 And here's the cherry on the top. 00:16:23.216 --> 00:16:26.526 In the beginning I said to you that you'd probably follow 00:16:26.526 --> 00:16:28.416 someone who shares your values. 00:16:29.196 --> 00:16:34.296 Now, by this time, you hopefully know me and you know , my values are inquiry. 00:16:34.506 --> 00:16:37.956 My values are critical thinking, analytical thinking, being, 00:16:37.956 --> 00:16:39.876 getting kids to be creative, right? 00:16:40.446 --> 00:16:45.306 So my lesson plans that I create, not just for the children that I teach, but for you 00:16:45.306 --> 00:16:50.386 too, on my website, the same lesson plans that I use, they tick off those boxes. 00:16:50.786 --> 00:16:54.266 They are for deeper, slower learning 00:16:55.266 --> 00:16:59.196 because these lesson plans are also hands-on. 00:16:59.256 --> 00:17:02.406 They get the children to do the work, not you. 00:17:03.036 --> 00:17:07.561 The children must do the work we are just guides and facilitators, 00:17:07.771 --> 00:17:09.091 but they have to do the work. 00:17:09.121 --> 00:17:10.291 They have to do the learning. 00:17:10.291 --> 00:17:13.231 Their brains are the ones that have to learn and make connections. 00:17:14.231 --> 00:17:18.431 And in the lesson plan that I create, I give you the questions that you 00:17:18.431 --> 00:17:20.021 need to ask for the lesson plan. 00:17:20.051 --> 00:17:23.831 I give you the metacognition prompts for children to start thinking 00:17:23.831 --> 00:17:26.021 about the best way that they learn. 00:17:26.021 --> 00:17:30.401 I give you the ideas and strategies on how to use the lesson plan. 00:17:30.401 --> 00:17:33.401 I give you a student workbook if that's something that you want. 00:17:33.401 --> 00:17:37.031 And of course, the lesson plans are all differentiated because every 00:17:37.031 --> 00:17:41.141 teacher and all the students and your cohorts will be different, so you can 00:17:41.141 --> 00:17:45.431 use it and tweak it to suit you and to suit the students that you teach. 00:17:46.431 --> 00:17:50.421 Now a favorite picture book that you'll see all over Pinterest and all over 00:17:50.421 --> 00:17:55.911 TPT and probably that every early childhood teacher reads is Me on the Map. 00:17:56.911 --> 00:18:01.021 Now, my lesson plan for Me on the Map is not one of those generic ones. 00:18:02.021 --> 00:18:09.251 My lesson plan is chock-full of hands-on activities that really give children 00:18:09.251 --> 00:18:11.386 a sense of their place in the world. 00:18:11.936 --> 00:18:14.756 It's not one of those show lesson activities where you read the book 00:18:14.756 --> 00:18:17.816 and then you do that activity with the little circles that you cut out. 00:18:17.816 --> 00:18:18.956 I'm sure you've seen it. 00:18:19.226 --> 00:18:24.626 I think that even I did those lesson plans many years ago until I started to realize 00:18:24.626 --> 00:18:29.396 that I was bored out of my mind and if I was bored, surely the children were too. 00:18:29.516 --> 00:18:34.691 And that's when I started thinking about lessons that can go deeper, 00:18:35.111 --> 00:18:39.901 lessons that teach kids skills, not just we read the book and then we color 00:18:39.901 --> 00:18:43.501 in something, and then you ask them in three weeks time about what their 00:18:43.501 --> 00:18:46.531 town is, the name of their town or their suburb, and they don't even know. 00:18:46.921 --> 00:18:52.411 So it's deeper learning, it's slower learning, it's helping children discover 00:18:52.411 --> 00:18:54.776 exactly where they are in the world. 00:18:55.776 --> 00:19:00.336 So as you start planning for the new term, the new semester, the new week 00:19:00.336 --> 00:19:05.706 ahead, why not dip your toe in and try and start with a picture book 00:19:06.006 --> 00:19:09.156 that you can go really deep with. 00:19:10.156 --> 00:19:15.046 Not just read and then do a coloring in lesson or a worksheet, 00:19:16.046 --> 00:19:20.456 not just tick off the English box and then do a craft that you can hang up 00:19:20.456 --> 00:19:24.146 on your wall to show that you know, now you've done it and the kids were busy, 00:19:25.146 --> 00:19:29.991 but something a little slower, a little deeper, a little bit 00:19:29.991 --> 00:19:34.581 more enjoyable for you as well as for the children that you teach. 00:19:35.581 --> 00:19:39.331 If this is something that really resonates with you, I'd love you to 00:19:39.331 --> 00:19:42.876 try my lesson plan for Me on the Map. 00:19:43.426 --> 00:19:48.526 This lesson plan will take the pressure off you, and quite honestly, 00:19:48.526 --> 00:19:50.506 you cannot put a price on that. 00:19:51.056 --> 00:19:55.406 So I'll leave a link to Me on the Map lesson plan for you in the show 00:19:55.406 --> 00:19:59.106 notes or in the description if you're watching this on YouTube, I think 00:19:59.106 --> 00:20:00.696 you'll be pleasantly surprised. 00:20:01.396 --> 00:20:02.956 So go be blooming curious. 00:20:03.706 --> 00:20:05.356 Get that lesson plan. 00:20:05.956 --> 00:20:07.306 See how it goes. 00:20:07.636 --> 00:20:12.076 If you resonate with my values, then that lesson plan will resonate with you. 00:20:13.076 --> 00:20:17.441 So, by the way, I'll start my new job this week I will be in my room setting up 00:20:17.441 --> 00:20:22.811 cleaning, scrubbing, getting things ready for my kindy homeschool group next week. 00:20:22.961 --> 00:20:27.401 So I'll be in the thick of it, just like you and I will share that with 00:20:27.401 --> 00:20:29.741 you as we go through it together. 00:20:30.491 --> 00:20:35.021 So make sure that you subscribe here on YouTube and that you follow on the 00:20:35.021 --> 00:20:38.451 podcast and, and we'll see how that goes. 00:20:39.291 --> 00:20:42.741 So until next week, stay blooming, curious, and take care of yourself.