Learning things
Both kids are at a really good age right now. They want to just suck up as much knowledge as they can get. It's been awesome for me, coordinating learning experiences and even teaching some sessions at home. We are busy helping Gabriel learn how to read and write. I just added French to the mix and we do a lot of science experiments, too.
The dining room has turned into a makeshift classroom to accommodate all of our activities. It's kind of fun to have a space dedicated to just learning stuff. I've always been a student at heart and I get excited about most science things and French things, so sharing that with Alice and Gabriel is like second nature. Everything we cover is in the context of play, so it's not like we are formally trying to school them or have them do actual work. It's amazing how much they learn when they are allowed to navigate for themselves with support from us.
Last night, I covered 3/4 of one of the walls in felt and cut out felt bones to make a skeleton. Tonight, I think it might be fun to rearrange them and see if the kids can figure out how to put it back together. Gabe was already trying to do this before I left for work this morning. After we learn about bones, I'll create some felt organs and we can arrange major body systems. The "Design Wall" will also be awesome for counting, learning about the solar system and even story telling. Just create whatever shapes in felt and stick them up. Yes, this is what we do for fun!
This focus on biology comes from a recent trip to the Carnegie Science Center. We are fortunate to live so close to so many art and science museums here. Alice has been gravitating to medical things and really wants a human anatomy set. Being only 3, it's so neat seeing how advanced some of her interests are. Sure, she still loves ponies and princesses, but she's a total badass when it comes to science. I'm a proud mama.
We got both of then a preschool science set and microscope for Christmas, which I highly recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Primary-Science-Lab/dp/B00LD6UI9I
https://www.amazon.com/Educational-Insights-GeoSafari-First-Microscope/dp/B00I0D3RE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1484673665&sr=1-1&keywords=preschool+microscope
Gabe has been creating a lot of his own experiments with the set. I'll ask him what his hypothesis is and how he's going to test it and then he just goes to town. He is determined to figure out how to make candy out of every day objects. As long as he isn't trying to eat stuff besides actual food, I'm good with it.
The dining room has turned into a makeshift classroom to accommodate all of our activities. It's kind of fun to have a space dedicated to just learning stuff. I've always been a student at heart and I get excited about most science things and French things, so sharing that with Alice and Gabriel is like second nature. Everything we cover is in the context of play, so it's not like we are formally trying to school them or have them do actual work. It's amazing how much they learn when they are allowed to navigate for themselves with support from us.
Last night, I covered 3/4 of one of the walls in felt and cut out felt bones to make a skeleton. Tonight, I think it might be fun to rearrange them and see if the kids can figure out how to put it back together. Gabe was already trying to do this before I left for work this morning. After we learn about bones, I'll create some felt organs and we can arrange major body systems. The "Design Wall" will also be awesome for counting, learning about the solar system and even story telling. Just create whatever shapes in felt and stick them up. Yes, this is what we do for fun!
This focus on biology comes from a recent trip to the Carnegie Science Center. We are fortunate to live so close to so many art and science museums here. Alice has been gravitating to medical things and really wants a human anatomy set. Being only 3, it's so neat seeing how advanced some of her interests are. Sure, she still loves ponies and princesses, but she's a total badass when it comes to science. I'm a proud mama.
We got both of then a preschool science set and microscope for Christmas, which I highly recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Primary-Science-Lab/dp/B00LD6UI9I
https://www.amazon.com/Educational-Insights-GeoSafari-First-Microscope/dp/B00I0D3RE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1484673665&sr=1-1&keywords=preschool+microscope
Gabe has been creating a lot of his own experiments with the set. I'll ask him what his hypothesis is and how he's going to test it and then he just goes to town. He is determined to figure out how to make candy out of every day objects. As long as he isn't trying to eat stuff besides actual food, I'm good with it.