Poetry

Audrey and I are very different people - this is already very apparent. Audrey, like Ian, is a night owl - I am definitely more of a morning person. Audrey likes lots of noise, lots of movement. I tend to prefer activities that are quiet, peaceful and solitary.

Oh, and that reminds me - Audrey is incredibly social. There's nothing she loves more than seeing friends of all ages. And while I love having friends, I also value my alone time very highly.

I love our differences, but I'll admit that when I find something we have in common, it is very precious.

Lately, one of those things I've found is poetry. Most people who know me know I love poetry, if love is a big enough word for it, and up until recently Audrey has shown little interest in the nursery rhymes I've read to her. She will happily listen to stories/rhymes to some extent - every day we read at least a few books together - but still it has never been one of her favourite things.

That was fine with me. She enjoyed reading but it wasn't her number one go-to thing as it had been for me growing up. It's okay for her to like different things to me, and in any case she's only three. Things change, she might get more into it as she gets older and more able to read for herself.

But recently several friends have given us volumes of child-accessible poetry. Poetry that is beautiful and can be appreciated by all ages. A very thoughtful gift! Audrey and I have been reading them a lot, and she is loving them. She listens intently as I read them out loud, and asks for them more than any other book.

It's such treasure, to spend time with her like this doing something we both love. It's been a very bonding experience and a taste, I hope, of what the future might hold for us as mother and daughter.

Here comes the sun

Today was one of those days, one of those "Life - you are doing it right" days. We have quite enough of the other sorts of days, but occasionally one of these comes along and makes everything sweeter and more valuable.

Each week I organise (for a very loose definition of organise) an outing for the early years section of our home education network. I post a list of ten in advance, all things that Audrey and I will enjoy doing, and tell people they are welcome to come along or not as they like. It works well, and is low pressure and fun.

Today we went to the steam railway at Bo'ness with some of our home ed friends. It was a beautiful sunny day and we went there on the coach.

We played in the train museum, we played by the harbour, we played on big rocks and in the grass.

Then we went on the steam train.

You guys. We went on a steam train!

Oh my word. The kids loved it. They shrieked and squealed their happy, excited way along the track and back. It was the most joyous thing I've seen in a long time. It did me good.

I'm feeling so grateful for our friends lately. What a beautiful day.

Enjoying the Anticipation

We're coming up on Audrey's 3rd birthday, which is possibly the thing she talks most about lately (tied with the Octonauts). Her excitement is contagious - it's lovely.

Much thought has gone into which paper plates and cups and such we should choose for her party (insert rant about how there only seem to be blue footballers and pink princesses available for, just, EVERYTHING at this age) and what kind of cake she would like and all of those things that are super fun to plan. She painted little invitations (which I am a bad mother and have delayed sending out because we've been rather busy) - each one has a picture that Audrey has painted of a "beautiful sea polyp".

I keep thinking about how much of this she will remember, if anything. I have memories from around her age, although they are vague and hazy. I often wonder which memory will be her first. I wonder if, when she's all grown up, we will sit together and talk about this time and what she remembers of it. I feel the weight of the responsibility of that, but also the privilege of it.

I tell her often that I always wanted to be a mama, always wanted a little girl just like her. It's mostly to remind myself - I am actually doing it, I am getting to do what I have wanted to since I was a little girl myself who was obsessed with dolls and tiny buggies. It's a good reminder to enjoy it! For all the times I'm grumpy or just want some quiet, alone time, I think about that little girl - little me. I imagine her rolling her eyes at me. It's enough to give me some perspective.

So how is home ed going so far?

There's been a lot of Life going on over the last few months, which has meant that some of the education stuff we offer to Audrey has taken rather a back seat. When things are stressed and busy, I tend to prioritise playing games with her, getting out on an adventure, seeing friends. We're always trying to be aware of the opportunities for learning that the day-to-day life stuff offers, but I do wish I could be a little more intentional with it.

Our approach to home education right now is very laid back and very child-led. I make "learning" play available and let Audrey choose what to do and when, and for how long. Often I make suggestions ("I know, why don't we play this game!") but I happily accept her yes or no to that suggestion.

And let's be clear, at this age the learning stuff looks like games, like fun stuff with shapes and colours and letters and numbers, like sensory and fine/gross motor activities. It's not sitting down with work sheets - although she does those, too, from time to time, and seems to really enjoy them.

So where is Audrey in her journey when it comes to education? Well, right now she is starting to write/draw with a little more intention - trying to combine circles and lines to make letters, to draw people, imitating "grown up" writing.

The other day, out of the blue, she started identifying the starting phonic sounds of words ("Train. T is for train, mama.") and I was so pleased that it had filtered through. We talk about the phonic letter sounds a lot, and play with letter shapes and talk about rhyme, all to try to teach her letters in a way that has meaning rather than by rote. We have a letter wall where we put letters next to pictures that Audrey has made of things that start with that sound.

Right now Audrey likes to read books - both with an adult doing the reading and by herself, although she can't read the words yet. She can identify letters and, importantly, she can tell a story by looking at the pictures and anticipating what happens next.

Right now Audrey enjoys building things. She makes block towers and houses and villages and cities. She makes gardens, she builds train tracks. She likes cutting with scissors. Her fine motor control is improving all the time.

Right now Audrey can count almost up to 20 (in that, she gets it sometimes but sometimes misses out or jumbles up some of the teens). She knows that a 1 and a 0 together is the number 10. She can do the most basic sums (1 + 1 and 2 + 1). She can identify small groups at a glance without stopping to painstakingly count each one out (two blocks, three birds, four chair legs).

She knows her colours and 2D shapes well. She's still getting there with the 3D shapes, cones tend to be called triangles for instance.

Her vocabulary is excellent, and she can hold a conversation well. I love this. I can't even tell you how it feels to sit and talk with a little person that I grew inside me.

There's more, far too much more to put here, that would describe where I feel Audrey is right now with her learning. Really, everything is learning. This encompasses everything we are and do. But this covers basically where we are right now, and I want to keep a record of that.

Happy learning, everyone!