The Wonder of Learning

Science is not a world I like to dwell in much. I prefer to live in the land of literature and words and art. I love to listen to beautiful music, be in awe at a master's use of color, or be moved by a well-told story that moves me to see life with a new (or renewed) perspective.

This week we studied rocks and minerals, which, before I began, sounded a lot like studying the history of dirt. No thank you. I'll leave the business of dirt to the Scientists while I go about my business of Fleischman or Pollock. But study rocks we did and learn to wonder did I as well.

It was four year old Levi and a trip to the play ground that really sank the lesson in deep. I had volunteered to spend time with Levi and his little sister so their mommy could rest, and I decided to bring a stack of library books and our rock sample just in case they were interested in learning with us thereby allowing me to check Science off the homeschool chart.

Levi was indeed very interested in learning, but he wasn't too interested in what made rocks igneous or what characterizes a mineral. All he wanted to do was wonder at the colors and the shapes and getting his hands dirty with a new perspective on the world around him.

We walked to nearby playground, but I still had Science to check off the list. so I attempted made every attempt to teach and remind. I brought forth every mini-Science lesson I could think of, even at one point correctly identified a quartz in a neighbor's front yard! I was so impressed with myself! But the children kept walking. It was as if they were more interested in exploration more than intellectualism.

And it was a beautiful thing I experienced that morning - the pure joy of the world around us. I finally shut my mouth about different seed pods and how rocks were made and how rocks were different than minerals and allowed them to carry me into wonder at the color and story and Creator.

I checked Science off the list for us that day.

This week we had the lovely Kelli come to the house to do haircuts.

Kaeley attended a Group Kick class with me and we sent a sad picture to a friend we're trying to pressure into joining us. The woman doesn't give in to peer pressure, which makes her a good friend. :)

My heart leaped to find this new picture book on homeschooling at the library! Check it out if you're a home educator. It is so worth it!

We also laughed at this book. Very funny.

Simon made a three-eyed person out of glue and googly-eyes.

Simon "helped" me shop by pushing his basket around the skinny aisles of Trader Joe's.

He picked out flowers for his beloved Grandma.

Kaeley has become quite cuddly, which helps soften the blow to the occasional eye roll and that look that screams, "Oh brother, mom, what do you know" look.

I added some picture books to our Math book collection. I laughed out loud at play on words like Sir Kell teaching about circumference and Sir Lionel Segment teaching about skip counting. Much of the humor was lost on the kids, but at least the concepts were introduced. 

My dad and a bunch of young kids taught me about electricity.

And the lettering continued.