My boys have talked about building a treehouse for years. My older son, in particular, has been captivated by the idea of building his own outdoor living space. And after much planning [mostly on the part of my husband], it finally happened over Memorial Day weekend. There is now a beautiful treehouse deck in our yard.
My husband designed the base and railings, making sure that everything met his strict standards for safety. … Continue reading
I love watching and listening to my boys engage in imaginative play. And when they are imagining worlds together with their friends, it gets even better.
I firmly believe that play is the work of childhood, and that imaginative play is one of the fundamental reasons why play is so important. Kids can learn so much through engaging their imaginations. … Continue reading
My boys are huge fans of tree climbing, and I am a big proponent of letting them climb. Over the years they both grown in their proficiency and daring as climbers. While I often find need to remind myself not to let my own worries – unless there’s a genuine safety issue, of course – get in the way of their learning, I remain a big advocate of letting them climb.… Continue reading
Last week my 4-year-old discovered he could put together puzzles. Not the wooden puzzles we had around while he was a toddler, but more complex puzzles aimed at older kids.
His growth and development have made many big leaps recently, but this is one that he’s latched onto himself as being proud of. (His better sleeping skills are the one my sweetie and I are most delighted with.) … Continue reading
Two weeks ago I decided to learn to play the didgeridoo. It’s totally different from anything I’ve ever done before, and it’s challenging to learn. But I’m having fun, and really enjoying it. The deep resonance of the sound is soothing. And the complete concentration it requires forces me to focus on only the one thing before me, making it a wonderfully meditative act.… Continue reading
My 4-year-old has recently become very interested in necklaces. He’s always had a bit of interest in my necklaces, but it never really stuck. Then his big brother bought him a cat necklace at the Artisan Fair where his big brother had a booth (see HERE), which immediately turned my 4-year-old into an every day necklace wearer.
Following the introduction of the cat necklace, we took a family trip to Michigan, where – in addition to lots of family gathering and fun – we cleared out my [deceased] mother-in-law’s (see HERE) belongings in order to donate them to a local women’s shelter.… Continue reading
After they find out that we homeschool, people often ask me how I know my kids are learning. After all, while kids in schools (and even some homeschoolers) take tests, I don’t test my children. And the answer is, in a myriad of ways.
Sometimes I know they’re learning because they demonstrate a skill. For example, my 8-year-old can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and work basic fractions. … Continue reading
Last year, my elder son made a family friend a series of four bead ornaments depicting the life-cycle of a caterpillar (an egg, a caterpillar, a chrysalis, and a butterfly). She loved them, and suggested that he start a business selling them. My then 7-year-old leaped on this idea and began to make ornaments to sell.
The problem arose when we couldn’t find a venue through which he could sell them. … Continue reading
Last week my 3-year-old walked up and handed me his little car, “I’m ready to give this to Ari,” he declared. (Ari is the grandson of our next-door neighbor. When my 3-year-old outgrows his clothes or toys, we pass them along to Ari.)
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yes. I don’t like it any more. I shouldn’t have bought it. … Continue reading
Whenever the topic of potty training comes up (and it does when you hang out with other parents of young children), I joke that our dog toilet-trained my oldest son. And I say it only half in jest. One night when I was cooking dinner, my son – at age 2.5 – came in and announced, “I peed outside, just like Mazel[-dog].” … Continue reading