Hi friends <3
A little bit of a homeschool update for you today. But wow, we have just been really enjoying the freedom and slowness of our days. A lot of our days are the same as we’ve always been doing (lots of outside time and play) but the gentle language arts, handwriting, monthly themes, and math have all seamlessly fit into our weeks. It all feels very natural because I am letting her eagerness lead. And to be honest, I think it feels natural because so much of the early years is learning through play, experiments, crafts, games, etc. It’s all exposure at this point and we dive in deeper if that’s where the day leads.
It is really important to me that we do not overstuff in the early years for the sake of getting in worksheets and drills. The beauty of homeschooling is allowing a more laid-back approach become the norm. Because learning is happening every day in small pockets and minor moments. There is a lesson in to be found in almost everything we do. And one of the biggest things I am focusing on is fun in homeschool because when learning is fun, things stick. When learning is fun, we raise life-long learners.
So today, I wanted to share all the fun things we have incorporated in our days. You may find that you do a whole lot of this in your own home without even realizing it. Homeschooling = life and Life = homeschooling.
We go to the zoo… a lot. A zoo trip might seem simple but there is something new to learn whenever we go. A zoo visit packs a punch of life/animal science, from discussion on habitats to geography to diets to life cycles.
We talk about geography/community in the car while running errands. Willow has recently been interested in knowing what city/town we are in. She asks often and we will discuss how far something is from our home, whether it is in our neighborhood or if we are in a city/rural area… We talk about our home state often, too. Every time we get in the car, there is a quick history/geography lesson to be had.
We play outside a lot. Another given, but being outside for at least 2-4 hours a day is something we prioritize. My kids get lost in digging for worms, making mud pies, exploring the “forest” (aka the space behind a row of evergreens), etc. They can make a game out of anything. They collect things. They play with bugs. They bird watch. They admire the sunset every night. We talk about the sky and space and cloud formations. Science is literally in our backyard. And there are many times when Willow will ask a “how” or “why” or “what” question and we will later on look it up together for answers.
We sing memory songs for just about everything. Kids love to sing songs and this is one of the best ways to work on memorization. We have memorized the days of the week, months of the year, vowels, phone numbers, addresses… you name it, we sing about it. We are currently working on planets and skip counting this way, too.
We watch documentaries. We all love a good nature documentary, especially the National Geographic ones on Disney+. There is no shortage! On rainy days, we cozy up or put on as background noise.
We play board games. Oh yeah, a whole lot of board games and card games. Because games are fun! And engaging! And educational! With the right games, you can reinforce spelling, math, logic, strategy, memory… never mind cooperation and how to be a good sport. I’ll share our favorite games soon.
We get messy. I am the type of person who doesn’t mind watching their kids make a mess. It makes me happy. It makes them happy. It lets them explore and be creative. Anything goes in this house. Paints, play doh, kinetic sand, shaving cream, oil pastels, watercolor, scissors, glue, sequins, glitter… whatever. We craft nearly everyday. If we are outside and they are muddy, so be it. Play in the puddles and mud, kid. It’s good for ya.
We cook and bake together. There’s a lot of cooking/baking happening every day in our house so I include my kids in it often, if they ask. Baking and cooking are a science and a great math lesson when we measure things out. Plus the most obvious… LIFE SKILL.
We read non-fiction as much as fiction. Fiction is my jam because kids books are the best of the best, but non-fiction is also high up on our list. Our library is full of books that feature historical figures, life sciences, earth sciences, geography, even math. We have atlases, nat geo spines, dinosaurs… the topics are endless. One of Willow’s favorites is a kid’s geology book from Nat Geo (affiliate). She basically learned everyone’s birthstones in that book. She also loves this book about eggs (affiliate) and will browse it nearly everyday and talk about lifecycles.
We listen to audiobooks in the car. Audiobooks are great in the car to switch things up from music. They are entertaining and are a great way to build your child’s vocabulary. We love listening to Frog and Toad, Winnie the Pooh, and The Magic School Bus. We take new ones out from the library.
We make up stories at bedtime. This is something W loves in particular because she enjoys making up her own stories now. She used to always ask me to make them up but she jumps right in now and add details as I tell it. It’s really special and also is great to encourage storytelling/language arts/creativity. The next step will be to write them down.
