We have officially started our home learning back up. Isla has been asking (begging) me to learn how to read. She is developmentally not ready, but it doesn't mean we can't take baby steps. So we started a unit on robins and springtime. Mixed in, we have been learning letter sounds, rhyming skills, and phonemic awareness in hopes of getting to that goal to read. I love her little brain and hunger to learn. What I also love is that I don't have to coerce her into any type of structured learning. She genuinely desires it. The more I read and the more I experience natural learning, the more I'm convinced of the unschooling lifestyle. It's a form of homeschooling that follows the direction and lead of the child and their natural ability to learn what is important and beneficial for their life. I could go on and on, so I'll stop myself. But man, if watching her isn't proof enough of the natural learner inside all of us, then I don't know what is.
Can you see a backwards "MAMA"? Most kiddos start their writing journey with forming backwards and sometimes upside down letters. The most amazing thing is, I never told her to write this or even how to form these letters. She learned herself and did it herself.
Ewan likes to join us when we sit down to do art or music. Otherwise, he spends this time vrooming cars around the house :)
I know we are new to homeschooling, but we have visions and values already that we believe will shape our learning journey. One of the values in our learning is that all of life is education. Learning doesn't happen in a lesson, grade level, day, or test. It is the way we shape our lives. We don't sit down for a "moment to learn", we learn as we live. It's definitely a mind-shift from what Michael and I grew up with or what the education system tells us. With that, though, we are able to count all the experiences in our life as "school" (if you will). That means when the kids spend time with friends and grandparents it's learning; when they go to music class it's learning; when they play outside it's learning (and probably the most valuable learning of all). When we see it through that lens, a whole new world opens up to us. I can see Isla learning to navigate social etiquette as she plays with friends. I can see Ewan learning cause and effect when he plays at the museum. I can see Isla learning measurements and weight when we bake. I can see Ewan learning about gravity when he jumps off the swingset at the park. All of life becomes our classroom and it's SO FUN!
Here is all our recent learning:
Some other exciting things that have happened this month:
Isla had a date with Daddy. Every couple weeks, Mommy and Daddy get to have a date night and almost every time Isla asks when she will get to go on a date with Daddy. So it finally happened! He took her rock climbing and then to pizza. She told him they would probably need to get icecream too and he thought that was a good idea. I think they had a great time!
The other big thing that happened was Ewan got his first haircut by Daddy. When a mom at the park complimented Ewan's mullet, I knew it was time to cut it! He looks like such a big boy now!
The kids had a dentist appointment this month too. Isla did so well. After a little coaxing, Ewan also had a checkup. The kids were entered into a drawing at the office for having no cavities and surprisingly, Isla won! We won a year membership to our local children's museum. What a gift! We've already spent time there and can't wait to go back :)
After our appointment, the kids experienced their very first fast food meal. We had Chick-fila because we were running late and needed lunch. They ate the fruit and the Chick-fila sauce. So, I'm not sure if that counts haha
Other than that, we are anxiously awaiting the warmer weather! It's been a good March :)
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