The Kid Can READ!

It turns out that D has been teaching himself to read. On Sunday he read aloud a page from one of his favorite Star Wars books all by himself  for the very first time with lots of encouragement from his dad.

I cannot take credit for this development. D has been teaching himself. I'm firmly in the camp of "no academics until age 6." I have always loved reading to my kids. However, in my opinion, if they want to read on their own, it is up to them to lead the way. One of his favorite electronic games is a "phonics and spelling" game I was given for free at a yard sale. (Above, you can see a photo of him showing M how to use it.)He also loves www.Starfall.com . The last few months he had been keenly interested in spelling and he began writing words to describe his illustrations a few weeks ago.(I also have not "taught" him to write. D has been begging me to show him how to write letters for at least a year now and he had taught himself to write the alphabet and to write words. I only suggested that he arrange them in a left-to-right configuration, which he happily has done. I now routinely get pictures with "I LOVE U J BY D" written on them.)

Reaching back to my childhood, I do not recall being taught to read. I do remember being 3 or 4 and sitting at my little table in my room reading a book about a michevious mouse named Pippa. I cannot recall the name of the book, only the feeling of pride that I could read it by myself. I know this is how D is feeling with his most recent accomplishment. He's always loved having materials read aloud to him; picture books, chapter books, newspaper articles. If it doesn't have pictures, he closes his eyes and engages his imagination, asking lots of clarifying questions to enrich his experience; asking about the definitions of words and how to spell them. It's as if he's sitting up a bit taller today when we read together, an active participant in the reading.

And so it is. D, has taught himself how to spell and read at age 4. As a mother, who has been by his side almost continuously since birth, I am in awe and honored to be a witness.

A Morning at the Opera

This morning we had the good fortunate to attend a preview of the opera "Hansel and Gretel." This program was organized by another local  homeschooling mom. The Boston Lyric Opera provided a delightful program with one of the cast members and a pianist to introduce the kids to vocal performance and opera. Given we all live outside Boston, they sent the program to us!  We met at a local church with wonderful acoustics. They performed excerpts from the full length opera,"Hansel and Gretel" by Engelbert Humperdinck, taking them through the storyline and demonstrating how the music is used to heighten the emotions of the scenes. D was captivated once the singing started. The BLO provided us with a CD of excerpts of the opera which D insisted we listen to the entire way home. Inspiration ignited, we'll delve into a unit study in preparation for the full-length performance we will attend in March in Boston. The opera is in English, which provides an excellent opportunity for engagement of children in this expressive art form. And dare I say, adults?

Link to performance information and on-line learning materials.

There Is No Air In Space

D is continually engaged, creatively integrating his imagination with observation. His keen awareness operates on many levels simultaneously, poised to observe the ant making its way across the floor while he perceives a slight shift in you breathing and asks you why you are upset. I doubt his intellectual mind ever rests. I often feel like I can't keep up with his probing inquisitions and ravenous appetite for learning. It is as if his mind is set to "Yes!" and "More!"; relentlessly wondering and seeking connection.

We were reading a story about Buzz Lightyear preparing for space flight. The story talked about how he was standing in front of the air conditioner because he knew how cold the air would be in space. D was playing around with his Buzz Light year doll. I was wondering if he was actually paying attention to the story I was reading. My doubt was promptly put to rest.

D, without even glancing up from his play, said, "There is no air in space. "
I stopped reading, looked up at him and smiled. "You are absolutely right, there is no air in space."
D added, "How can it be cold if there is no air?" Good question!
"We will have to look that one up." I replied.

The question had never occurred to me.

The theme of the last two days has been science. Yesterday we went to the "Budding Scientist" program at the EcoTarium and stayed for a planetarium show, "The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket." Then today we spent the afternoon setting up D's Toy Story 3 bedtent, reading some Toy Story books, and then thanks to Netflix Wii streaming, watched 2 episodes of The Universe, per D's request. We watched Season 1, episodes 1 and 2  - the Sun and Mars. He sat attentive for nearly two hours, asking some really great questions and we spent time discussing solar flares, robotics, and why Mars lacks an atmosphere but Earth has one. (Hint: It has something to do with planetary magnetic fields.)

Today's Project - Digital Images of Artwork

Mountains of crafts, drawings, paintings, and love notes. Today I will begin to create digital images of each new masterpiece. This way, we can "keep" the images forever but I will no longer feel compelled to hold on to each piece in growing mountainous piles, created by my prolific artist-in-residence. How do you manage your childrens prized artwork projects?

Weekly reflection on Charlotte Mason Vol 1 Home Education, pages 21 - 37

It is easy, as a homeschooling parent, to go right to making decisions and plans regarding the curriculum you'll be using to teach your child academic subjects. Here, however, Miss Mason, starts us with what matter most – taking care of the health of the child. The curriculum will not matter if your child's health doesn't support learning. The most critical factor is your child's environment, and most in that is fresh air.

“The children walk every day; they are never out less than an hour when the weather is suitable.” That is better than nothing. p. 29

I have been beginning each “homeschool-preschool” session with a brisk 30 to 40 minute walk around the neighborhood, weather permitting. This is wonderful for many reasons. We have become more intimate with the changing weather; discussing the weather at hand and what about it is pleasing to the senses. It allows us to put any stresses of the morning behind us for the day, a way of “changing channels” in preparation for the next phase of the day. We feel more connected to the routines and the people of our immediate community as we tend to see the same people doing the same things every day. This is no easy accomplishment in today's age. The obvious benefit is exercise. Usually our baby falls asleep in the stroller as well, almost ensuring she'll be in a good mood and cooperative when we return home. Once we arrive back at home, we have a snack, discuss the day ahead – review the calendar visually and verbally – and go up to the playroom/learning room for about an hour of reading and activities. This walk is in addition to whatever outdoor play we have scheduled for later in the day. Tried out on a whim, the daily walk has proved a mainstay of our homeschooling mornings.

One quote that stood out to me was a comment on the issue of “lessons.”

'Oh, she has her lessons regularly every day.' Probably: but lessons which deal with words, only the signs of things, are not what the child wants. There is no knowledge so appropriate to the early years of a child as that of the name and look and behaviour in situ of every natural object he can get at. p. 32

My husband made the insightful comment a few weeks ago that our son's impressive vocabulary outstrips his logic. It is easy to assume that since he is so articulate that his reasoning powers would be highly developed as well. This is not the case. He is right on track with those, being 4 years old. His leaps of reasoning are often rather amusing.

It occurred to me that lessons that are solely language-based presume not only a certain level of vocabulary, but also and most importantly, context, which my 4-year old simply doesn't have yet. While I do present verbal lessons to help him develop the important connections between vocabulary, natural law, and reason, I have observed the lessons he gains the most from are hands-on. His favorite ones are “animal encounters” at our local natural history museum, conservation lands, and wildlife sanctuaries held for preschoolers where they get to see and touch animals as they learn about their habitats on nature walks. Experience supersedes any “gaps” of understanding complex natural systems and reinforce relevant vocabulary. Plus they are way more fun with the other kids than sitting in a room with his mom.

Your thoughts? Join the conversation and study group at http://www.amblesideonline.org/

A Rainy Monday Morning with the Buddha

Upon D's request, this morning our preschool "lesson" is the Buddha. My husband recorded the award-winning PBS documentary, "The Buddha" a few months back. On Saturday night we began t watch it, but D fell asleep after 27 minutes. This morning, raw and rainy, I suggested that we stay inside and snuggle up on the couch. He asked if we could watch "The Buddha."

He has watched the anecdote of the Buddha having compassion for the ants of the farmers field at a farming festival. It is his "favorite part". He listened intently for the past hour, asking many questions and prompting me to read to him the subtitles as they arose on the screen. Suddenly he piped up, "Mom, The Buddha is a child of God!"

The beauty of a flexible homeschool schedule is that we can take breaks from planned lessons to follow Ds interests and inquiries. Quite frankly, every day I become more aware of how prejudiced my own ideas are regarding what a 4-year old can do, what one will be interested in and what one won't. D patiently and lovingly shows me how limited and limiting my beliefs are and I let him lead me into his beautiful unfolding. Many days I'm not sure who learned more and am thankful for the gift of grace.

The New Homeschool Year Is HERE!

Alas, summer is concluding and the fall is rolling in. Despite record-high heat this week there is no denying that the days are in deed getting shorter when I rise in the dark for my 5:30am runs and the air is bordering on crisp.

After taking the summer off to "do baby" full time and enjoy the heat at the lake as much as possible with both kids, I was admittedly more than a bit depressed for a few days last week upon returning from our end-of-the-summer vacation. The vacation I'd been looking forward to all summer had come to an end. I could feel the weight of responsibility looming and slowing descending, pressing the air out of the room. Adding to all the normal responsibilities of juggling life with an infant and a 4-year-old I now was to add homeschooling. "What had I been thinking?" i wondered as I viewed all the back-to-school photos of my friend's children on Facebook. I then read a wonderful article in Homeschool Enrichment Magazine that reconnected me to why our family has chosen to homeschool. We chose this path because of the rich family relationships we are building and the life we are creating for ourselves based on our values and along our own timetable. It was just the encouragement I needed.  I rallied and have gotten back on track planning for homeschooling this fall.

I'm continuing to read and research Charlotte Mason Homeschooling. In keeping with her theory on learning, I'm steering clear of academics in favor of creating a learning environment at home and focusing on character development, creative play, and the arts. The line-up for the fall looks like this. 

• Suzuki Violin Class - weekly class / daily practice
• Homeschool Co-op  - weekly
• Swim Lessons - weekly
• Kids Open Gym (indoor soccer, pilo polo, kickball) - 3x week
• Music Together Class - weekly
• Five In A Row Curriculum - Daily
• Religious Education - Spirit Play - weekly
• Nature Journaling - weekly  - Referencing Anna Botsford Comstock's Hanbook of Nature Study and Claire WAlker Leslie's Keeping A Nature Journal
• Outdoor Play / Walks - 2 to 3 hours daily
• Field Trips - Children's Museum, EcoTarium, Aquarium, etc... - monthly

Learning from my Preschooler

What a difference a year makes! This time last year, my son had about 8 words in his vocabulary. He was still wearing diapers. Now he talks non-stop, creating elaborate stories about castles, knights, and superheros. He hasn’t worn diapers, not even to bed, in six months. He is a voracious learning being and many days I’m struggling to catch up!

Now that the holidays are over I’m looking ahead at how we’ll be spending the next few months of our homeschooling journey. New to homeschooling and 3-year-olds, I have been a little overwhelmed. I’ve based my choices on the following considerations; flexibility, creative play, reading and language, arts and crafts, natural routines of a home, and time with other children.

To read entire article, go to Heart of the Matter Online!

Pre-Thanksgiving Gratitude

We started the day off with a trip to the EcoTarium. As expected, being the day before Thanksgiving there were not a lot of families there for the preschool story hour. The topic was, appropriately, turkeys! D loved the stories and got to hold some turkey feathers. We also got ot visit with the resident screech owl. We couldn't stay long today, but D enjoyed the air tunnel. This was a fan placed at the base of a vertical plexiglass column. The column was about 6 feet tall set about 2.5 feet off the floor. There were a variety of items to choose from to send flying up through the wind; feathers, ribbon, paper, styrofoam, and paper cups. Some flew up and out of the column while others didn't make it more than 2 or 3 feet up in the column. D was fascinated by this and we spent about a half an hour with the exhibit. He was jumping up and down with excitement, laughing and sreaming with delight. He worked up quite a sweat! On the way home we had a fairly involved conversation wondering why some of the items flew higher and took longer to come back down to the ground.

Once home, we were soon joined by D's dad and started Thanksgiving meal prep for dinner tomorrow. Pumpkin and apple pies, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It was fun to have D's dad home early! Usually he gets home late, we have dinner and he puts D to bed. A few days a week I teach yoga so I'm not home for dinner. Then he gets on-line for his masters degree program until 2 or 3am. With the exception of Sundays, we don't usually have much free time together as a family. While the pies where in the oven I picked up pizza at a local place for dinner. Thanks goodness for the new gluten free menu newly offered by our local house of pizza! About a year ago we began to say "thank yous" before each meal we eat together. Tonight D had us go through several rounds of thank yous. The last one was particularly noteworthy. "I am thankful for the mushrooms on daddy's pizza even though I don't like them." While cute, it was rather profound. how often are we grateful for things we don't like because they make someone else happy?

Tomorrow we'll have a wonderful meal with friends and will enjoy making a Thanksgiving Tree . I love the idea I got in my Clickschooling newsletter this morning.

Turkey Hats and Thanksgiving

Yesterday was our bi-weekly family learning co-op. Unfortunately two families were coping with illness, including the family who was set to host and co-lead with me. So at the last minute I was hosting and leading solo! After spending the morning out at an appointment, I rushed to pick up Daniel from the sitter and arrived home to evaluate the situation. Luckily, my husband was working from home and I recruited him to help me for a half hour. We moved into our home when my son was 1 1/2, so while the house is generally kid friendly it is not babyproof. We did a quick pick up of the obviously offending and tempting items - pets water bowls, art supplies - and did a quick sweep of the floors and got the dishes done.

For our fun craft, we constructed Turkey Hats. In advance of the kids arriving I made patterns for each piece and prepped supplies. This worked out well. If I were to do this again with this age group (3 year olds) I would actually cut out the pieces and creat "craft bags" for each child with the pieces ready to assemble. They were not engaged with tracing the patterns and weren't skilled enough with scissors to do the cutting on their own. They were generally antsy and looking forward to the pasting and assembling part. The glitter glue was a big hit, however I would wait next time until we were ready to used it rather than putting it on the table with the general supplies at the beginning. The kids were all anxious to use it through the time we were cutting out the pieces, resulting in some mild discontent and impatience. I substituted googly eyes for the pom poms. The hats were a big hit. The kids loved the assembly part and looked so cute wearing them!

Once the hats were done, taking about 1 hour to complete, we had brownies and apple juice and read three stories on the theme of Thanksgiving and feasts. Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp and illustrated by Erwin Printup, Jr was wonderful. "To be a human being is an honor, and we offer thanksgiving for all the gifts of life." The illustrations, vivid landscapes, fueled imagination and wonder. It is a beautiful expression of gratitude and celebration of beauty and the environment. I highly recommend it. We got it from our local library.

Two hours flew by and 4pm came. Time for everyone to head home. Daniel was sad to see them go. This marked one of the first times he'd had friends over to visit. We usually go to visit others as we have a small common space - only 400 ft2 for a kitchen and living room! Also, our friends all have more than one child, so it is usually easier if we go to visit them. I was very proud with how well he was sharing his toys with the others and how he was eagerly introducing them to some of his favorites. His genune desire to share was very touching. He asked me to invite them back really soon.

A Little Patch of Wild

Today Daniel and I went on a wonderul walk. The drama of autumn has subsided. The trees are bare. Outdoors didn't look very inviting from the window, despite the thermometer reading. Outside we went nonetheless. First for a walk up to the dead end of our street. In our neighborhood it's not a cul de sac. It is a good old fashioned New England dead end. Daniel practiced pedaling his big wheel. He still has not mastered keeping both feet on the pedals, which resulted in a lengthy stop-and-start tour for the 400 ft and back from our front door. Undaunted, however, he remained in good spirits.

We decided to go on foot around our neighborhood, the air too pleasant to retreat back into the house. We walked a few blocks to a pond where a swan family lives and were happy to see the family had a group of geese visiting. When we returned to the house. Again we were both resistant to going inside. The slightly chilly air felt good on our checks. The perfect blend of chilly air and warm sun was invigorating. We walked around the back of our building and down the hill to the "big" pond and Daniel calls it. Following the short trail to the water, we came up with stories to explain the placement of several large boulders at the bottom of the hill and picked up treasures for the seasonal nature boxes we are making.

At the shore of the pond, we set about finding rocks to throw in. Soon Daniel made a sport of trying to make the biggest ripples and went searching for bigger and bigger rocks. This went on for about an hour, mostly in complete silence and Daniel intent on his work. Every now and then he would implore me to help him find more rocks and I would direct him to a new area to excavate. With the sun getting low in the sky, I looked at my watch to see it was 3:30pm. With the sunset over the pond to happen at about 4:15pm, I suggested we get back up to the house to get some hot cocoa and position ourselves at the kitchen table to watch tonight's colorful display.

I read a great blog the other day, Thoreau's "Tonic of Wildness". Our adventure today made me reflect on a quote of Thoreau, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation... concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind... There is no play in them." As a culture we "play hard" and will spend great sums of money for amusement to distract ourselves from the "quite desperation" that lurks. I felt it today while at the lake. Feeling a sort of residual sadness creep in, no basis in the present whatsoever. An echo of difficult times, of perhaps adolescent loneliness or the isolation I lived with in my 20's. In the amusements we spend our lives pursuing, there is indeed little if no play. How wonderful to partake in the spontaneous play with Daniel. To be in the presence of his spirit and the healing tonic of the wild. It doesn't take a lot of wild to bring you back to your senses. I think it is so key for kids as well. I recall growing up and roaming the neighborhood, waking farmers fallow fields or into the woods for hours at a time independently and having wonderful adventures. I returned home renewed in spirit and with a little more wisdom, confidence, and maturity. I certainly wouldn't send my son out into the woods on his own at this age, but taking trips together and hanging back to let him create his own context and set the rules of engagement is good for both of us. While I may have romantic notions of getting away form it all and moving to the backwoods somewhere, a nice small patch of wild in back of our house worked fine for us today.

A Whale of a Good Time at the EcoTarium

This morning we made our bimonthly visit to the EcoTarium for preschool story time. It is one of Daniel's favorite things to do. We forgot that it was Veterans Day until we got there and saw the throngs of people. Luckily we were able to get a ticket! (It is free, but you have to get a ticket as they limit the number of families that can participate.)

The topic of the story time was "Whales". Miss Kathy read a story about saving the whales and then we took a little field trip out to one of the main exhibit rooms where they had set up a 40 or 50 foot "whale" - a plastic whale inflated with a large fan that the kids were invited to go into and pretend what it would be like to be inside a whale! While Daniel was a little dissappointed that there wasn't a real whale, he loved getting inside and playing pretend. We then did a craft and made a necklace in the shape of a whale tale.

Afterward we poked around some of the exhibits - the outer space exhibits are always a hit. Daniel loves visiting the air table. (See the picture) His favorite thing to do is to get the small plastic ball to hang in air. He delights in adjusting the air to watch the ball rise and fall!

After playing outside on the payground for a while and revising the air table on the way out, we purchased a book in the gift show and returned home. We read the book, "On Earth" by G. Brian Karas when we got home and both loved it! Great book introducing the concepts of the revolution of the earth, the earth's axis and equator, and the journey of the earth around the sun resulting in seasons. We were then inspired to begin work on a craft project - constructing a model solar system. We talked about the relative sizes of the planets and that the sun is not a planet, but rather a star. It was lively conversation and I was impressed on Daniel's grasp of the concepts as the result of his nightly conversations with his dad at bedtime. They have been putting up glow-in-the-dark stars and constellations in his room and talking about them for the past few months. Yet again, I'm inspired by my son's love of learning and for rolling abstract ideas around in his head!

Family Learning Co-op - Harvest and the Cycle of Life

When we decided to homeschool Daniel for preschool I knew that I wanted him to have a recurring group of children with whom to have fun learning adventures and camaraderie. I put out a request on Facebook to my friends to see if anyone else was interested in setting up a homeschool co-op or knew of anyone who did with kids ages 2 to 6. One friend replied in the affirmative and she knew someone interested, who knew someone else who might be interested...and on until we had 5 families on board.

The last co-op meeting we had the theme of Halloween and met at one of the families homes. The highlight for Daniel was painting gourds. He distinctly did not like pulling the guts out of the pumpkin – too messy!

Today we had our third meeting. Another mother and I were in charge of the activity for the day. We met at my church and set the theme as “harvest and the cycle of life”. We first prepped apples one of the families had recently gleaned from a local orchard for homemade applesauce and talked about picking fruit and how at this time of the year that is "harvesting" food, relating that to upcoming Thanksgiving. We talked a bit about the ingredients of applesauce as well and added them to the bowl with the sliced apples. We then took the peels and cores and talked about how we could compost them to make good food for the plants in the spring, along with leaves and grass clippings.

Once the apples were on the stove cooking, we went outdoors to look at our church's large compost pile. We were able to see the stratification of the pile; the leaves on top and at the rich soil bottom of the pile. One of the children added our apple peels and cores to the compost pile. Then we put down a large vinyl table cloth and had the kids pile leaves on it for transport to the compost bin – not without a significant amount of jumping in the pile first however!

After the compost pile field trip, we went into the church courtyard and let the kids burn off energy for about a half hour. They enjoyed running around and throwing leaves at one another and playing tag. At one point two of the girls started to run back and forth across the courtyard holding hands. Before long others joined in, forming a long chain. Then it developed into “Ring Around the Rosey”. What was so touching was how they took care of one another. They made sure that they waited for one another if a younger child was a little slower to move around the circle. They also made sure to stop and let a child join in and would then start the song over. The nurturing among the group was touching when taking into consideration they've only been together as a group three times!

Once outdoor play was over, we went back inside and worked on some coloring and craft sheets that were put together (utilizing free resources on the internet) in keeping with the theme and prepped the apple sauce. Part of the serving of the snack included having the children take on jobs of putting the craft supplies away and passing out napkins, spoons, and water. Each child was given a small serving of the applesauce and assured that if they finished, they could have more. While the snack was enjoyed, two stories were read which kept the kids, for the most part, engaged until the end. The kids demolished the applesauce with great relish! We then took care to clean the room before we departed.

All in all, a successful day and the kids and parents, for the most part, had a great time. (Except M, who was very tired when he arrived, poor little guy!)

It is so great working with the other mothers to provide these fun experiences. I had a blast serving the families in this way. It was enriching to get to know the other children and to observe my son developing relationships and learning from them. He had never done “Ring Around the Rosey” before today and loved it! It is also a relief to be able to arrive somewhere with your child and enjoy a fun and educational afternoon when it is not your turn to provide the experience! I am so blessed to be working with such caring and committed mothers!

Applesauce recipe
8 apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Bring to boil and reduce to medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes.
Use potato masher to mash to desired texture.
Allow to cool.
Enjoy!

Resources for Worksheets:
www.familyfun.com
www.first-school.ws

The Pumpkin Cycle

With harvest season upon us, I've taken to creating activities for Daniel and I to enjoy that demonstrate the cycle of life as well as the connection between plants, their fruit, and how we prepare the fruit at home as food. We went apple picking two times. The first time we used most of the apples to make applesauce,which he loved. We also ate some of the apples sliced with sunflower seed butter. This was the first time he could be convinced to eat a sliced apple, in no small part to his pride in having picked the apples himself. When we finished the batch of applesause he asked if we could go pick more apples. It was definitely more costly to pick the apples ourselves, but I thought it worth it. The newest batch is destined to be apple crisp and apple pie, which he wants to help me make as well. He delighted in searching the apple trees in the orchard for the “perfect” apples. He was quite discerning and sad to when we reached our picking limit.

This past Sunday we went to a local farm for a wagon ride out to their pumpkin patch to pick our own pumpkins. It was a warm fall afternoon, the foliage in full golden hue. When we got to the patch we found three fairly round, good-sized pumpkins in good condition rather quickly and I stayed with them while Daniel insisted they keep looking for more. They ambled about the sizable patch for a while, eventually coming back, having decided that we indeed had the three best. We boarded the tractor-drawn wagon for a ride back to the farm stand. There we also got some butternut quash and some milk for dinner.

Today Daniel was excited, waiting all day for dad to arrive home so we could “scarf” the pumpkins together. We read the book, “The Pink Pumpkin” that we'd gotten at a different local farm, while anticipating the evening ahead. Daniel had such a good time! We opened the pumpkins and pulled out the seeds, which were saved and we later baked. (We did this at our homeschool co-op last week, so Daniel was familiar with this and explained to David what we were doing.) We then selected our pumpkin saws and our patterns and went to work. Daniel merrily chatted away throughout, delighted to have an active role in the carving process, albeit carefully supervised. When we were done I took some pictures. He was very proud of the work and asked if he could take some pictures too. First I gave him my camera, then found his camera and he delighted in taking pictures of his handiwork, as well as our dog, David, and I for the next half hour or so. A late night for Daniel, but a fun evening the family will remember.

Homeschooling for an Extraordinary Family – Part I

How quickly things can change.

This spring I was working 60 to 70 hours a week in a job as a financial advisor. I was striving to grow my business practice. Two or three days a week, I would leave the house before my 3-year-old son woke and arrived home after he was in bed. My marriage was strained. My husband was also working full time, as well as pursuing a masters degree program on nights and weekends. My son was developing disruptive behavioral patterns that one could easily attribute to being a toddler – tantrums, anger, and hitting. However, he also started throwing up daily when dropped off at daycare. Absent any medical reason, it was troubling. The house was a perpetual disaster. On the weekends I was exhausted. I was usually working and had little energy for taking care of myself or engaging with my family.

Read the rest at Heart of the Matter Online...

Outdoor Wonder and Freedom

I'm present to how important being outdoors is for Daniel. I make is a priority to be outside for at least 2 hours a day with him when the weather cooperates. While he likes to go to the park and play on the swings and slides, he really enjoys walks in the woods near our home. He delights in pretending to chop down trees, listening to the birds and insects, spying critters, and making up elaborate scenarios involving superheros and witches to share with me. He truly experiences himself in the physical and I witness a new level of confidence emerge as expressed in his stride and posture. With the constraints of being indoors lifted, he expands in spirit, his curiosity unfolds, and our enjoyment of life and each other comes to the center of our experience. There is such a soothing freedom for him in being outdoors in nature. Unlimited potential for inspiration and wondering about the great mystery of life feeds him for hours after we return home.

God Made Coloring Books

About a week ago while I was getting lunch ready, Daniel hopped up in his chair at the kitchen table.

"Mom, God made coloring books," he confidently declared.

I was taken aback as the comment had come seemingly out of nowhere.

"What had you say that?" I asked, quite curious about the origins of this observation.

"Because God made everything," he stated. "Can I have a granola bar?"

Steam Makes Water

At lunch today, Daniel announced that he wanted to try the soup. I was encouraged as he is usually resistant to trying new foods, which he calls “different”. I think the fact that his grandma, his gumby, and his mom were all enjoying it convinced him to open his options up a bit. My mom placed a bowl down on the table and cautioned him that is was hot and that we needed to allow it to cool down before he could try it. He was a little impatient so I offered to blow off a spoonful so he could give it a try.

“Mom, be careful of the steam. It is hot!” he cautioned. “It will go up and make water!” He exclaimed, raising his hands up to indicate the direction the steam was rising.

“Yes, as the steam cools, it becomes water. That is right!” I smiled proudly.

My parents were both duly impressed. Thanks EcoTarium for your weather exhibit last month! What an impression the cloud demonstration had made! We watched the steam rise from the water being heated by hot plates and Daniel had run his hands through the cool steam vortexes spiraling upward, marveling at how it left his hands wet. We'd spend at least 30 minutes on one occasion playing with the steam. After that, we hadn't mentioned it at all. His memory of this really impressed upon me the mindfulness that must be employed with small children. We often don't give them enough credit in terms of their ability to remember things and to construct complex intellectual concepts and relationships at a young age.

He only tried one bite of the soup, which he labeled “different” and asked to be excused from the table. I guess you can't win them all!

Gearing up for the "Learning Year"

Where does the summer go? Committed to fun and adventure, every day has been fresh and full of exploration. Outings to the beach to provide ample opportunity to develop confidence in the water and to the park to provide for vigorous movement. Playdates at storytime and visits to Southwicks Zoo, the EcoTarium, Sweet William Farm, Purgatory Chasm, music festivals, Horeseneck Beach, and much more. Careful not to be too busy, we've also spent quality time in our pyjamas until late in the day while hanging out at home and reading books, learning how to make bread, taking care of our pets, and going deep into our imaginations to be startled at where the time had gone. What a blessing!

Now in North Carolina visiting my parents, Daniel is enjoying multi-generational activities and the complete attention of his grandparents. There are perks to being the only grandchild!

I'm taking this time to rest and renew before taking on the role of preschool home educator officially in September. It is exhilarating and intimidating, but I won't be alone. I'm looking forward to organizing a “family education coop” with some other local parents who have young children. Hopes do run high for me as I anticipate our first meeting in a little over a week. Daniel is enrolled in Music Together classes and youth soccer as well. I have also asked the director of religious education at my local church for recommendations for introducing spiritual concepts to Daniel in a healthy way and she has provided an abundance of resources for me to review. One of the many reasons I love being part of the Unitarian Universalist church is their approach to giving children maximum room to create their own understanding of spirit and the mystery. I look forward to taking 2 weeks upon returning home to develop our eclectic curriculum from the abundant materials that have been recommended to me . I hope that will take us through our first few months of this family learning adventure!

God is Everywhere!

Today was the first of many theological conversations I'm sure I will have with my son. I recently received “My First Study Bible”. It is quite a lovely book. Large font. Colorful illustrations. Fairly ecumenical in approach. A good fit for a family based in Unitarianism with influences from yoga and Buddhism.

As we were reading books this morning on the couch, I pulled it over and read the first chapter, “God Gave Us a Beautiful Home” loosely summarizing Genesis 1, 2, and 3; creation through the fall of Adam and Eve. Daniel was quite interested, asking questions and pointing out details of the illustrations. Given there were no trucks or swords, I was surprised at his interest level.

Once we had come to the end of the chapter and Eve and Adam had been evicted from the garden, I thought we were done.

Daniel asked, "Who is God?"

"God, is the creator of everything, " I replied.

“Where is God?” he asked. I realized he was looking at the illustrations. He wasn't asking something high level. He wanted to know, materially, where was God in the picture.

“Is this God?” he asked as he pointed to Adam. Indeed there was no visual representation of God. No old man with a white beard. No pillar of cloud or flame.

“No, that is Adam,” I replied.

He then pointed once to Eve and then again to the Serphent, representing Satan, asking the question again and again, trying to make sense of this.

“God is everywhere,” I replied.

"Where is God?" he asked again.

We went through the round of pointing at the various depicted characters several more times, each time my answer being, “No, that is Adam/Eve/the snake. God is everywhere.”

Finally, he started asking, “Is God in the sky?” to which my response was “Yes.”

“Is he in the birds?”

“Yes. He is in everything. He is everywhere.”

Daniel still seemed to be a bit confused, but his questioning slowed. Finally, after a long pause, he looked up at me. “Mom, can we do something fun now?”

We moved on with our day. At dinner that evening, I was telling David of our theological conversation.

“Daniel, what did you learn about God.” I prompted.

“Dad, God is everywhere!” he said with a hint of awe as his eyes widened.