Make plans. After that, just go with it!

It started with Norah asking how to make a "G" the other day. This turned into an impromptu handwriting lesson on her white board. After I reviewed how to form that "G" she asked for to begin with, she said, "Let's do all the letters!" So, I printed the letters in no official order, capital and lower case, and she used a different color marker to practice writing them below mine. She got handwriting practice I hadn't even planned, all the while, thinking she was just playing a game with Mommy.

I don't think this kind of student-lead learning can take place without parents providing some fuel for it in the first place. Right now, I am providing Norah with an age appropriate, non-mastery K4 curriculum. It covers basic skills like how to form the letters, how to hold a pencil, etc. but it doesn't expect perfection from little hands that can't give it and doesn't even provide a single sheet of lined paper for drill at this point.

These simple lessons have served to peek Norah's curiosity and fuel her interest in handwriting. Without the lessons, she may not have asked how to make a "G" or even had the confidence to give it a try at this time in her life when it becoming pretty reasonable for her to do so.

So, I say, "Make your plans" and make sure they are reasonable, considering the age and skill level of your child. But, after you've done that, feel free to "Just go with it" and let your kids follow the interests that information is bound to spark within them.

Use beads to practice patterns.

This one should have been more obvious to me, but it wasn't until Norah pointed to one of the patterns her bead kit provided and said, "I want to do this one!" that I realized we could use her beads to practice making patterns, counting, etc.

She loves to play with these, but she always seems to bring them out at the wrong times. I am not sure what these little things are called or where we got them, exactly, but they are available in craft sections and stores everywhere, so I am sure most moms have seen them.

You put the little plastic pieces on the tray in whatever design you choose, cover them with wax paper and melt them with a hot iron. I've hated these for a while now and I've regretted the purchase, because the little pieces tend of fall off very easily and go all over the place and it is tedious to have to pull the iron and ironing board out and heat it up to finish the projects for Norah. But, I have a new-found love for these beads.

Norah wants to try to copy even more of the patterns and since they are teaching her to count, repeat patterns and concentrate, they're growing on me.

Use real life.

Several days ago, Grandmom Evans sent Norah a Valentine's card with five one-dollar bills inside. We happened to be going to the grocery store a few minutes after we opened it, so I let Norah take one of her own dollars to buy some candy. She picked out a box that was "Nine... Five... 95, Mom!" I asked her if 95 was "less than 100 "and she agreed that she had enough money to get it.

She ate plenty of the candy from the time we left the parking lot until we got back to the house, so I made her stop eating it for that day and transfer the left over pieces from the open box to a Ziplock. But, as she did this, I suggested she make piles of ten on the table, to see how many pieces she had left. Turns out, she had exactly 100 pieces left, ten piles of ten. I couldn't have planned it better if I'd counted them out myself. She's learning to count by ones and tens to one hundred right now anyway.

Then, she proceeded to read the candy box. She's trying to read everything lately. This morning, it was my bottle of lotion "Sweet Pea" from Bath and Body Works. The candy box couldn't have been more fitting, either. "Mike" and "Ike" were both great words to review the phonics rule she's learning: When a word has two vowels, the first one says it's long sound... And, "and" is even a sight word she's putting to memory right now!

So, from now on, when more experienced home school moms claim to use "real life" situations to teach their children, I won't scoff at them so hard. Confession: I used to think that "real life" was just their excuse for not planning a more formal lesson for the day. Gasp! But, I'll admit it now. With experiences like the one I just shared under my belt, I am beginning to see that real life can be an effective teacher. It really can do as much, or more, to reinforce the things homeschooling moms are trying to get across. And a mom need not plan quite as much formal work, since real life offers so many hands-on, meaningful learning experiences.

It's almost as if worksheets and the like were created out of necessity for students who were put in an environment where it isn't practical to learn these same skills using real objects and events... And so, is it possible that home schoolers don't have to do things exactly the same way kids in school have to do them in order to learn?! I'm winking.

I guess I'm starting to get it.

"Mom! Look! It's a big letter Q!"

I walked by the girls' bedrooms yesterday. Dwayne was putting the last coat of pink on Norah's walls and whistling to the song that happened to be on the radio: Tattoo by Jordan Sparks. This scene was extremely funny to me, but also very endearing. Pink paint on his work pants today, Jordan Sparks melodies tomorrow... I pray he will always be real and relevant like this to his little women.

Make some binoculars.

The birds are coming back to the trees behind our house, singing every morning. We've been pulling up the shades to see what we can see. These homemade binoculars worked like a charm on Norah for about a year, from age 3 1/2 to 4 1/2. She even took them to Cabella's a few times to look at all their exhibits of stuffed animals in their natural habitats.

But, now Norah wants to have a "not pretend" set and I have to share mine much more than I want to. But, she'll have to wait and I will have to share at least a little longer before she gets a set of her own. If you have a little one, who is little enough, he or she may like to have a set of binoculars to use on nature walks this spring.

To make these binoculars, take two toilet paper rolls, glue them together and fasten them with clothes pins until they dry together securely. Punch holes in them and tie a long piece of yarn on, so little ones can wear them draped around their necks. Let them decorate their binoculars as they choose. Norah used crayons and put little circle stickers on hers. "These are the buttons," she says and presses the stickers to make the binoculars "focus."

I found this survey on another mom's blog.

She asked her son a bunch of questions and he gave some pretty funny answers.

I was curious to see what Norah's answers would be.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Go to sleep!"

2. What makes mom happy?
"Hugging."

I think about this...
I do light up when she yells, "Mommy!" and runs at me full speed and tries to knock me off balance.

3. What makes mom sad?
"When I disobey."

4. How do you make your mom laugh?
"When I be silly."

This isn't the original question, but I read it wrong, so I changed it.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
"Well, you liked toys..."

6. How old is your mom?
"28."

I'm 29. But, I had to double check with Dwayne to be sure. I started loosing track a few years ago. No kidding.

7. How tall is your mom?
"I don't know."

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"This one I know. Snuggling."

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"Work."

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"I don't know."

11. What is your mom really good at?
"Sleeping."

This made me very defensive. So, after insisting on more answers, Norah said,

"Well, you're good at reading... and baking!"

12. What is your mom not very good at?
“Jumping.” She starts to giggle... “Cause you're pregnant.”

This perks me up. I guess I was pretty good at jumping before I got pregnant. Cool!

13. What does your mom do for a job?
"Workout and swim."

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
"Chili and mashed potatoes."

This is totally untrue. But, Oh well!

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
"That you want to snuggle with me all the time."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"You would never be pretend. If you were pretend, you would just be yourself."

I think this is my favorite answer.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
"Well, we play games sometimes."

18. How are you and your mom the same?
"We are both girls and we have long hair."

19. How are you and your mom different?
"You're big and I'm small."

20.How do you know your mom loves you?
"You give me kisses and hugs."

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
"Puff!" She laughs like she's scoffing, then she answers without hesitation,
"He makes money."

I'm speechless.

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"The gym."

Again, this is so not true. I usually only go there because I have to for work. But, at least I project a positive attitude. If she had actually gotten this one right and said, "Wendys." I probably would have cried.