Lesson Ten: Keepin' On Keepin' On

"I can not teach anybody anything. I can only make them think."

-Socrates

     With the holiday season about to trample upon us, I feel like our schooling days are about to become fewer for a month or so. But instead of stressing about this, I'm taking this time to re-vamp some of my lesson plans. It's been exciting to see how my sidekick learns and what he enjoys the most. I'm super excited to take this time and really tailor some projects just for him. Of course, it's all been for him but these first few months were, more or less, testing the waters.

     I am overjoyed with how he's taken to our "school". I love how he gets excited when I start setting out our tools for a project and how he's learning to focus on the project in front of him (instead of the TV {which we always turn off anyway}, or the dogs, or whatever else his little mind picks up on).

     We have both grown over these past few months. He's picked up on letter sounds, he recognizes his shapes and colors faster, he can count higher, he still loves to glue and paint. I've learned more patience (there's never enough!), I've learned, and still learning, the best ways to teach him, to look to him to lead the project, just to let him lead! He's an amazing little human and this experience has enhanced every part of our lives.

    Not that it has been all happy days! Some days I've struggled to get him to sit for an entire project. Sometimes, I still struggle letting him use copious amounts of glue just for the sake of letting him do it by himself. There have been days (sometimes a few in a row) where I don't even want to sit down and work with him. But, I always do and I'm always rewarded with his smile as we hang his project on the wall. That, in itself, is all this momma needs to continue.

    Just know this, you're doing great things. Whether you made it less than a month or less than a week! Whether, you've taken weeks off because you felt burned out from it all. You're doing great things. Keep it up! Their little minds are brand new and just waiting for all the fun things you have to show them. But the best thing you can show them is love. Corny, I know. It's true though! Show them you're proud of the things they do and the silly (to us) things they bring to show you. Play with your sidekick. We may not sit and do school but I can guarantee that we play every single day.

    Setting up lesson plans, and then actually doing them, has been hard work! Here are some of my favorite places to look for ideas...

My inspiration for this whole adventure:
 http://www.mudhutmama.com/preschool-homeschool-weekly-lesson-plans-age-3/

There are some great things here:
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/

There are some great sensory recipes here and tons of other good ideas:
http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/

And of course, there's always:
https://www.pinterest.com/

   Next week I will {hopefully} be able to tell you about my re-invented lesson plans! Wish me luck!