Animal Fun

Noah's Ark Little People play set, flannel board "animals and their homes" and forest animal magnet boards . . . why, the boys don't even realize they're learning! They are, after all, only two years old; a time when 95% of their time should be spent hard at work playing.

They're thrilled when I pull out the very special sets to play with, all the while practicing the animal names out loud. They run to the cupboard and bang on the drawers and say "toy, toy, toy" so I will pull out what, in actuality, is a learning tool that I've been using with them.

I love scouring the 'net for new activities and am constantly emailing my friends for ideas they've tried with their own kids. My sister, Heather, is regularly emailing me links to blogs that get my creative juices flowing. It is so incredibly worth every effort and each moment of time it takes to plan something new. When I see their eyes light up when I pull out a new craft or even present something to them in a different way, it makes my heart smile.

It is a challenge not to get frustrated by the mess and to reign myself in when one of them runs off with one of the pieces to an activity set and tosses it down the floor vent, but I'm working on it. I keep telling myself that these are new skills they're learning - even just sitting still for any length of time - and breathe in and out a few times when my "orderly tendencies" are tested by the messiness of toddlerhood. I remind myself not to expect too much and to remember that it really is all just play.

Homeschool-ish Sort-of-Preschool

Circle Time, hands-on directed activity, songs, finger play, puzzles, painting, playdough . . . I have changed my parenting philosophy and am reaping the rewards already. My boys are calmer (more often), my home is quieter (sometimes) and I am a whole lot less frazzled (usually). I have my sisters to thank for this whole new attitude adjustment; my two homeschooling, innovative, creative sisters. They are inspiring.

I have watched and learned as they've homeschooled their-collective-eight children. I have watched my nieces and nephews blossom under the tutelage and direction of their very-present-mothers. I have seen the difference that hands-on teaching makes when a child is having difficulty in one area or another. I have been inspired by the earnestness in their voices about their homeschooling classes and groups that they are involved in. Beyond that, I have seen the life lessons being taught that are sometimes neglected in a traditional classroom.

My boys are only two, but I want them to have that same experience - as much as they can for their age. I want them to have the structure that comes from learning at home, instead of being plunked in front of the TV for all hours of the day. I want them to learn their colours, shapes, letters and words as soon as they're ready, instead of waiting for their first day of school to begin their learning journey. I want them to have fun doing things that other creative parents are showing me they could be doing by now. I want them to play with things that don't require batteries and don't have flashing lights and screaming sirens. I want them to learn to sit still and listen so they're prepared for Sunday School. I want them to remember they were loved enough to be given the gift of discipline. I want them to know I cared enough to spend time with them. I want them to remember the joy of being little boys.

Already I can see a difference between the days when they have one too many kids videos on and the days where I pull out the Circle Time mats and we sing our songs and do our playing exercises. I can see the light in their eyes when I pull their chairs up to the kitchen table and bring out a special craft or activity they've never tried before. I hear their new words and see the way they share so well with other kids in the nursery at church. I see them becoming more purposeful in their playtime as I become more purposeful in the one-on-one time I spend with them.

I love how it makes me feel as a mother when I become a part of their lives instead of just trying to get through the crazy days. And as much as I want them to remember the joy of being little boys, I want to remember the joy of being their mother.