Wonders of any moment

One thing, among many, that I am loving about homeschooling is having the flexibility to explore something as much as needed.  There have been a few days where we've only worked on 1 or 2 things, or none at all, yet it all seems to even out in the long run.  We are still getting everything done even if we are a few days ahead or behind what our 'schedule' says.  For example, in science we are currently learning about the human body.  Madeline has been very interested in this and we've spent more time on it than originally planned.  She has constructed a large skeleton and glued all of the bones where they ought to go.  I made the skull and rib cage with lift up flaps so we can add in pictures of the brain and lungs when we learn more about that.  Some of the printables were not in reverse, so the hands and feet are all rightys.  Both kids have been having fun coloring the skeleton.  Maddie even surprised me by coloring in the brain, heart, and lungs under the flaps all on her own, and said it was so I don't have to print anything out for later.  I love being able to cater to what she wants to learn instead of saying, "Well, we've covered what we should today, so let's learn more about that next week."  By then, although she may very well still be as enthusiastic, that moment of curiosity might be lost.

The other day Madeline and I had a wonderful moment during 'school'.  We were reviewing some of the phonogram cards in spelling that have more than 1 sound.  She got frustrated and started to cry because she couldn't remember one of the sounds.  I made her look at my face and told her that she is not expected to learn it all the very first time, or even the 20th time.... she will learn it when she's ready, and we are just practicing until then.  It's wonderful to reassure her when she needs it and further build her confidence in not only herself, but in learning in general.  When she understood that it's okay to not know and felt reassured, she went on and kicked those phonogram cards butts!  The school work we are doing does not feel much like work at all.

Another thing we've been enjoying is the beautiful weather.  It's great to be able to get some things done in the morning and be out the door by 10am to play.  I'm pretty sure we will be schooling year round, just doing a lighter load in the summer.  We'll probably do a break after every 6-8 weeks, but I suppose that will be figured out as we go along.

A friend recently lent me the book Montessori Madness, by Trevor Eissler, and I am so happy to have read it.  I really want to learn more about the Montessori methods and hope to utilize some of the skills at home.  I'm sure I'll post more on that subject.  In the meantime, I'm going to scour craigslist for a slim kitchen cart to be used as the kids' place.