D is for Duck and E is for Egg!

At the start of August, I began doing some preschool homeschooling activities with Liam.  I found this lovely preschool curriculum by The Peaceful Preschool  and a few other families decided that they wanted to start their boys on the curriculum as well - so voila, a homeschool group! 

It is an amazing curriculum that is literature based and notes of Montessori and Charlotte Mason philosophy can be seen throughout the activities listed. Liam and I have been having so much fun working through the lessons.  It is amazing to watch his learning unfold.  To listen to the things that touch his heart.  To amaze at the details that he picks up on that I normally wouldn't have highlighted.

It has been such a delight to begin this homeschooling journey with him.  To begin to establish rhythms of learning and playing and tending.  Since returning from Oahu, we are still looking for the patterns within our days - to try identify the rhythms that emerge.  To make room for things that matter and to say no to things that don't.

For the most part, Fridays have been set aside as field trip days for our homeschool group. This week we found ourselves at Morning Glory Farm , our friend and pastor's farm.  What an amazing blessing to see the animals from our books come to life! Our friend set aside large cuts of watermelon to feed the pigs and then gave kids handfuls of feed for the ducks.  When one is in an environment like that, it appears that questions will come naturally.  One of the kids noted that there were holes in the ground, so they played mystery.  There is a hole in the ground - it is a mystery. From that play, we learned that ducks actually dig with their beaks - aerating the ground.  I had never known that! Or when one of the kids noticed that there was a bag in the chicken coop, we learned that the chickens are given oyster shells for calcium in order to strengthen the shells on their eggs.  So much learning from questioning - from being in a natural environment.  Sandwiched in all of these learning opportunities was play! The kids found large branches that became swords that hunted monsters found in the large grass.  The boys ran and laughed and hunted for giants.  And the moms got to sit and share and munch on cookies all while watching the kids laugh and run and discovery.

The weather was cool for our lessons and hot for our play.  The fog rolling in was a blessed relief from the sun and then the rains came, chasing us to our cars to go home and tell stories to our loved ones who didn't get to share in our experience.

It was such a magical day - a magical day indeed.