The Peaceful Press has been on my radar for quite a while now and we have finally used one of their units! We are planning on using The Peaceful Preschool for Sarah’s curriculum this year {WE ARE SO EXCITED!} and this was a great way to try things out!
In addition to The Peaceful Preschool, there are several additional units that you can do. These smaller units are perfect for light, summer studies. It was truly just what I was looking for this summer and I am excited to do other units in the future.
What ages does this work for?
When you purchase the guide, you will receive a PDF of the unit. This unit it designed for ages 3 -5. Jacob did this unit with us though and it was fun for all of us – so I DO think it can be used by older kiddos as well.
What can I expect from the guide?
The guide comes with four weeks full of activities to learn more about TREES! It comes with several printables which are a fun addition to the unit {there are letter and number printables as well as tree and apple printables}.
Another thing I really loved about this unit was the book list. There were 18 books on the book list! I felt like it was a really good mix of having some more informational type books combined with fictional picture books. There was also some beautiful poetry and recipes to go with your lessons.
Each week had a different “theme” to learn about trees:
- A Tree Begins
- About A Tree
- A Tree Is a Home
- A Tree Gives
I felt like the guide came with A LOT of activities that you could do. Which I think is great – although I don’t think I would ever use them all – but it is nice to have options and then pick and choose what you want to do! That is just one of the beauties of homeschooling.
How WE use it
Before I started the unit, I went through the weekly grid of activities and mapped out what I wanted us to do realistically. Especially, since we were using this as a fun summer school option {and we have a newborn!}, I didn’t want to feel guilt about not doing everything.
I chose to mostly stick with the read alouds, art skills, and practical life skills portions of the lessons. This worked out perfect for us!
It was great to snuggle and read some books together and then do some art projects to enhance what we read, and THEN find some ways to apply it to our life. PERFECTION!
Favorite Activities
We sadly didn’t get to all of the things I had hoped to but the things we did were so great. The kiddos really enjoyed learning about acorns and how a tree begins. This was by far the part we spent the most on.
Making a tree from salt dough was another win – I think I got “fun Mom” points for that one – WIN!
Have I mentioned how much I loved the book selections for this unit? The kiddos and I have gotten used to doing a lot of learning through reading and this was awesome for us. I really loved the books and loved finding the kiddos reading and looking at them in their spare time.
One book that Sarah kept going back to was Seeds and Trees by Brandon Walden. I was kind of surprised because this book is a little deep but has such a powerful lesson. I loved that it compared the things that we say to good seeds and bad seeds and how it can effect us when left to grow. It is a beautiful book and I would highly recommend it.
We also found this AMAZING new park! It’s actually an island – how cool is that?! Who knew we had islands in Wyoming?! We had so much fun exploring and climbing the trees. Jacob wanted us to cut down a tree so that we could examine the rings inside but we eventually decided it was best to let them keep growing 😉
Jacob and Sarah both love to color and come up with projects. One day we were reading The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-Ups by Gina Ingoglia which has TONS of information and beautiful illustrations. Jacob and Sarah decided to duplicate the pages describing some of their favorite trees. So fun.
Wrap Up
This was our first experience with The Peaceful Press and I genuinely loved it. I loved that it came FULL of activities and yet I felt total freedom to do what worked for our family. My kids ended up learning more about trees and how they grow and what they provide to our world AND had fun! WIN!
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
Joyce Kilmer
