Our family loves using Mother Goose Time to teach our toddler/preschoolers. With play based learning activities, games, and process driven crafts, the curriculum provides exposure to basic reading, math, science, fine arts, and life skills in a thematic and fun format. Each month a distinctly marked Mother Goose Time box arrives and is greeted by our kids with enthusiasm and excitement. Visitors, friends, and family that see the kids getting so animated about the arrival of the box almost always comment and wonder aloud what is in the box. Most expect me to say it’s from a toy company and the manipulatives included in the box do often become favorite toys, but there is also a wealth of educational planning materials and an entire month worth of learning fun! This post is a quick peek at the materials that arrive inside the Mother Goose Time box each month.
The monthly Mother Goose Time box always arrives with the signature yellow bus image. Inside there are individually packaged materials including:
- the teacher tool bag,
- circle time materials,
- any holiday specific celebration packages, and
- individually packaged daily materials used in the curriculum’s activities and crafts (20 days total).
The image below is an example of the open box from November 2015.
The Teacher Tool Bag includes:
- A Teacher Guide with daily instructions and explanations for each day’s suggested activities. The Teacher Guide also suggests options for appropriate thematic investigation stations, journal prompts, assessment and reflection, and weekly skill and content learning objectives.
- The Planning Journal provides a calendar overview with all activities listed and coded by skill. There is a picture based overview of the daily child projects for the entire month. For each week, one page lists an outline of the day’s suggested activities including circle time, introduction and inquiry time, basic concepts, fingerplay/song, investigation stations, activity options (4 are provided), outdoor play/free play, journal practice (typically suggested for twice a week), clean up time, story, music/movement, and a closing reflection. Investigation stations are set up to encourage individual play and exploration and include suggested materials and activities in the following areas: dramatic play, outdoors, technology, writing, library, manipulative, sensory, math, block area, and art. Weekly and daily planning space is also provided. There is also space to record children’s skills development. Suggestions are provided for books that fit the monthly theme, most of which we have been able to acquire from the library. Several of these suggested books have become family favorites.
- A Gathering List provides a quick overview of all the materials needed for the month that aren’t included such as paint or perishable food items.
- Manipulatives used in daily activities and
- a thematic CD with fun circle time songs are also provided.
The Circle Time package includes several components that are updated with each box including a shape, a color, letters, numbers, and a virtue/character trait of the month. For example, the November 2015 Circle Time package included the following: shape – triangle, letters – C, T, W, numbers – 5 and 6, and the virtue of thankful. A monthly themed poster used in the first week of activities provides illustration for concepts consistent with the theme. There is also a printed handheld copy of the words for the Circle Time Songs provided on the CD. The calendar is a fabulous way to teach the kids about months, weeks, days, and numbers. The calendar comes with perforated cards that can be punched out for each day. The cards can then be glued, taped, or otherwise attached to the appropriate day. The day cards also have a thematic images on them and help with pattern recognition. Global friends arrive each month, each featuring a different country and giving the kids a chance to learn geography and culture.
A basic road map poster is provided each month offering a schematic of the overall theme, weekly theme, and daily themes. For example, the monthly theme for November 2015 was “On the Go” and was all about transportation. The weekly themes included down the road, on land, public transportation, and transportation in the air and water. The daily topics (20 in total) are clearly shown on the image below.
Each day, the Teacher Guide begins with a suggested greeting song, followed by a chance to update the calendar and review the weather. A discussion question about the topic of the day is then posed. This is followed by a chance to introduce the concepts for the day and an opening song. Each opening song is a thematically worded song set to a popular children’s song such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Four activities are then provided. Each one lists the skills covered and supplies required. The supplies are coded as to whether they are included with the Mother Goose Time materials or if they have to come from your own supplies. A discussion question, exploration guide, and play suggestions are given for each activity. Several of the activities have “Simplify” or “Challenge” options to help customize the project for individual children at different skill levels. An assessment question is also provided to help determine the child’s mastery of the task. Possible investigation stations appropriate for the day’s theme are listed, followed by a closing reflection that asks children about their experience and opinion and a chance to celebrate the completion of the day with music and movement. 
Online member resources are also available and can be accessed using a code included on the front page of the Lesson Plan Book. These can include coloring pages, additional story pieces, games, activities, or holiday-based play. Please note that this post describes the basic components included in the Mother Goose Time monthly curriculum and does not include available add-ons such as the toddler supplement, dance and fitness program, Christian program, etc.
Are you home schooling a preschooler?
I’m looking to connect with other parents who are homeschooling preschool and I’d love to hear from you!
As a blog ambassador for Mother Goose Time, I am happy to share preschool curriculum ideas, activities, and crafts with my readers. Mother Goose Time provides our family the opportunity to use their curriculum free of charge in exchange for honest and authentic stories based on our personal experience. 
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