--Life Lessons Preschool--
Everything I want my children to know before they start school
Lesson 5
"Enjoy learning."
"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere."
- Chinese Proverb
I have always loved to learn, although I didn't always appreciate every teacher's method of teaching. Truth be told, usually after parent/teacher conferences, my mom often had to remind me, "You are only __ years old, you are not the teacher!" What can I say, I guess I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to bring to life--even as a kindergartener.
Anyway, perhaps that is why I am so drawn to self-directed learning activities for my children.
- Chinese Proverb
I have always loved to learn, although I didn't always appreciate every teacher's method of teaching. Truth be told, usually after parent/teacher conferences, my mom often had to remind me, "You are only __ years old, you are not the teacher!" What can I say, I guess I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to bring to life--even as a kindergartener.
(I wish, as a society, that we'd listen to our children more.
They have so many awesome ideas. But that is a topic for a different post.)
Anyway, perhaps that is why I am so drawn to self-directed learning activities for my children.
"Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves."
~Abbé Dimnet, Art of Thinking, 1928
Amen to that.
A reader named Lisa emailed me last night and accused me of being a closet Homeschooler! (What nerve!) :) I do all of these fun activities with my kids, but I mostly see them as fun games that my kids enjoy and even initiate. (You didn't think that I made all this stuff up myself did you?) I usually don't think of them as strictly educational.
I suppose that is when you know you are succeeding in your education, when it feels more like fun than like a chore.
~Abbé Dimnet, Art of Thinking, 1928
Amen to that.
A reader named Lisa emailed me last night and accused me of being a closet Homeschooler! (What nerve!) :) I do all of these fun activities with my kids, but I mostly see them as fun games that my kids enjoy and even initiate. (You didn't think that I made all this stuff up myself did you?) I usually don't think of them as strictly educational.
I suppose that is when you know you are succeeding in your education, when it feels more like fun than like a chore.
--Busy Work--
Fun, Cheap, and Slightly Messy Educational Activities to Do At Home
Boggle
Some time during the last winter, I gave my kids a Boggle game to play with that I had picked up at a garage sale or something.
They loved lining up the letters and asking me to tell them what word they made.
Sometimes they play quietly with our boggle sets.
And other times, they invent new ways to play with this game...like they did in this video taken this morning. I've decided that adults are totally ruining Boggle with their stuffy, sit-down, and spell-out words-style of play.
Again, life would be so much cooler, if we all took a page out of a kid's play book every now and again!
I really love this post! I agree that if we really paid attention to that kids play book, life would be so very cool. Your kids are blessed to have such a great mom!
ReplyDeleteAnd what did daddy think? LOL! probably glad he was off to work while you get to have all the noisy fun at home?
ReplyDeleteLin - I think Dad was thinking, "put that camera down and make me some lunch already!!" :)
ReplyDeleteI think the funny think was that Dad was just in the background making lunch un-fazed by it all LOL
ReplyDeleteLove Kids new ways to play with toys they always make it fun. yes we should absolutely listen to them.
OK...."You go the extra mile" 1.23 minutes of that educational noise? wow...."You're brave!" but the kids love it. I think I will have to wait for you to have a parent/teacher conference and receive the same sterling reports I did...and then let's hear what you tell your kids about teachers.
ReplyDeleteI do remember telling your one sister to be very careful what she said and did in school cuz I learned how the teacher trash students in their own lunch rooms. Used to make me CRAZY. Hence, I refused to when I was teaching...and thank goodness I didn't have to teach long!
Oh yeah, totally not blaming you! You were just protecting me from myself! My dangerously gregarious kindergarten self...
ReplyDeleteYou are so creative and wonderful in all you do.
ReplyDeleteThe noise is a wonderful memory to archive in your heart when you are older.
Love the word Dream. Love giving children the chance to learn on their own as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm crossing my fingers hoping you'll win my Second Star Adventure give-away. I think you'll like it.
Love all the videos your posting lately! Learning is definitely the best when you don't realize it's happening!
ReplyDelete