Exprience Based Learning

Welcome, to our little school house... Okay, it's just our house but it is where my children learn. The truth is every parent lives in a schoolhouse. Learning at home is just natural, all children do it. As babies they learn how to talk, walk and "SOCIALIZE" (that's right I threw out that big "S" word- known far and wide to all homeschoolers) by just socializing with siblings, parents and daily interactions with others. Nothing changes when you want them to start learning their ABC's and 123's. The same way you cheer on and coach your little one, gently hold their hands and guide them as they take their first steps, the same holds true for learning how to identify letters, numbers, colors and shapes.
Slowly, as their interest grows you, you grow with them. They'll request "just one more book", at bedtime... and that is how the love of reading and knowlege of the printed word begins. Children learn first through exprience and then through repetion. They grasp knowledge through the course of daily life. Every parent has exprienced that moment when they say "WOW, when did they learn that?" Probably long before the parent even thought they should be "learning" said action.

So with this I will embark on archiving my toddler's homeschooling adventure and later to follow my infant's. (My oldest will once again be homeschooled next year- so I will begin chronicalling his journey come summer/ fall.)

I hope to fill these pages with our days' events. And I will out of respect for my "hands on", "exprience based" teaching methodology and philosophies, post as many pictures as possible (being a visual learner myself.) But be forewarned that our days are not filled with "one planned activity after another", I intentionally limit them to one per day (when attitudes and interests permit.) I believe in "free play", allowing for creativity and natural learning to take place. Young children have many years of formalized learning ahead, why push them? Learning at this age should be fun and self guided, self correctable, all while building a positive self esteem and a "can do" attitude. It's all about the process, not the product.

Come along for the exprience and I hope we'll all learn something together.