Teaching everyday

Now that I am officially a homeschooler I've realized something very important.  Just about everything done in a day can be an opportunity for instruction.  I guess I knew it before, but it's been made more obvious to me in the last couple of weeks.  For example, we've gone to various zoos over the summer and even though I tried to use each trip as a learning opportunity for my kids, the last trip we took I was even more focused on the learning aspect and less on the viewing and photography of all the animals. 

The other day the kids and I had a picnic in the yard.  I ended up lying out on the picnic blanket and looked up at the tree I was under and saw it a a teaching opportunity.  I ended up giving my kids an impromptu lesson on wind, pollination, and why leaves fall off trees (we had a few land on us while lying there).

Yesterday, I took the kids to the Cincinnati Museum Center.  It has a Natural Science and History Museum, a History Museum, and a Children's Museum all in the same complex.  I decided to see them in that order so we could get in the education part of the day first and then I could let them "play" in the Children's Museum.  Guess what?   Even in the Children's Museum we learned about different things.  We learned how to make our own kite (we are waiting for wind to test it out), we learned about water pressure, and we learned about pulleys.

My 6 year old has in no uncertain terms told me that just sitting down at the table and doing worksheets is not enjoyable, so I'm adapting.  I guarantee you this... he would not have learned about how the heart operates if we had learned it from a book but to see it in a hands-on way he has retained the information. 

I'm learning that while opportunities for teaching our children are all around us, it only works if we get on their level and teach them in a way they understand and enjoy or else it will be totally lost on them.  I guess more field trips are in my future and to be honest that's fine with me.  We learn and get to have fun all at the same time.  What more could I ask for?