Truthfully, we aren't doing any "formal schooling" at this time. I haven't even begun to consider what curriculum to use in the future and I am not in a rush to introduce textbooks since the kids are still so young.
I feel like the kids are already learning plenty through playing and general life experiences.
Adeline learns the names of ingredients when she helps in the kitchen and she enjoys dumping things together to be mixed up. I teach her the names of plants when we're watering outside and she has helped plant many different vegetables and flowers this year.
Board games are a new favorite activity for Adeline. They teach her how to take turns, follow directions, count, and reinforce the names of colors. She also loves music and singing, having us read books to her, playing dress up, and running around outside. I am impressed by the vocabulary she has at only three years old. She has always been a chatterbox and seems to pick up new words every day.
From early on we have been teaching her table manners and how to be polite. She helps set the table and clear dishes after meals. She also helps put away clean dishes from the dishwasher and will help with general tidying up around the house when asked. When we are working outside, whether it be pruning branches or harvesting from the garden, Adeline eagerly helps load up the wheelbarrow and always wants to try the newest picked vegetables.
Oliver is definitely more of a mover than a talker. He is a busy, mischievous little man, always trying to climb on EVERYTHING. His vocabulary consists of a few words and gestures, including the sign language for "more" when he would like to have more food during meals. He manages to communicate pretty well even though he isn't terribly verbal yet, and I continue trying to teach him simple words. I know it will "click" for him someday. His little brain is just busy growing in other areas right now.
He is very intent and focused at times, meticulously stacking blocks, "reading" books, or dumping toys from one container into another over and over again. He loves to snuggle, mimic his older sister, give hugs and kisses, and be sociable. He also likes to help set the table for meals and clean up toys.
Providing our children with a firm foundation of faith is also part of their education. Let's be honest, taking young children to church can be tough. They're wiggly, tired, and would rather be running around than holding still. Oliver was an especially big handful this past Sunday and I had to take him out of the sanctuary a few times because he was being too loud. But it does get better. At three years old, Adeline pays much better attention during church than she did even one year ago. She also somehow memorized The Lord's Prayer all on her own and one day started reciting it out of the blue without any prompting. She also prays with us before meals and will repeat phrases she hears in church. One day during dinner she held up her piece of cornbread above her head and said, "Depart in peace!", repeating the communion liturgy she hears every Sunday in church. Children are little sponges, my friends. With all of the whining and struggles, it might feel like hauling them to church is a fruitless endeavor, but keep pressing on. They actually are listening and learning from everything that is going on around them.
And that's about it. I probably won't introduce any kind of structured schooling until Adeline is about five years old, and even now I don't know what kind of schooling that will be. I'll wait and see what her basic knowledge is at that point and what she is interested in. Just a few days ago she started catching on to reciting the alphabet and trying to write letters, which right now just look like scribbles, but it is a new skill for her to show interest in, and I'm curious to see if she will keep pursuing it or lose interest and come back to it again later.
I am planning to revisit this subject a year from now with an update on our homeschooling. It will likely be much the same, since Adeline will be only four years old and Oliver only two years old, but I am looking forward to seeing how their individual interests and personalities will growing and change over the coming year.
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