Keila Tirado-Leist

This month has been a little crazy with B's schedule. He's in OB (put in his first epidural!), and has a 24-hour shift every 3 days. He works his regular days in between, but luckily has a day off every 6 days. Which gives us all a nice break to catch up, and spend time together. The days run into each other, and more often than not I have no idea what day it is, haha! We've been keeping busy as always, and have begun homeschooling. I use that term loosely, because we tend to embrace a more unschooling philosophy. I have lots to say about this topic, and you can read on if you'd like to learn more :)

I feel that there is an unspoken pressure to enroll kids into pre-school early on. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against pre-schools, and I think families should do what is best for them. But it can all be a bit much for me. Gabriel turned three in April, and that's when I felt like I totally missed the memo that he should already be enrolled in a program. Also, that we should already know what university he's headed to. Only kidding! But not really. Here's the dealeo. Sorry for just saying dealeo?!  Both B and I feel that G is still so little. Yes, some days it seems like he's a threenager, but he's got all of his life ahead to be in school. And if he ends up wanting to be a doctor like B, well then he'll be in school for all eternity. 

After asking my Snap Chat fam what their thoughts were of pre-school for a 3-year-old, I received the most snap backs ever. Like ever. I had a wide range of answers, but the majority told me to do what felt right for us. We decided shortly after that this next year he would stay home. We've worked really hard to provide opportunities for both boys to learn in different environments. If you've been reading my blog for a little while now, then you know that we love to experience all that Milwaukee has to offer for kids. There are so many great places here, and it's been so wonderful to watch them learn by first-hand experiences. As in the past, my goal is to continue to take them to the local museums, parks, play areas, stores and provide those real-world experiences that will hopefully continue to spark their curiosity for learning. Since they aren't at kindergarten age we don't have to register that we are homeschooling quite yet. If you're local and would like to know how homeschooling works with our state click here for more information. 

Although I love the idea of sticking to a routine, I also want the boys to learn at their own pace. To learn not only by me teaching them, but by engaging in what they would like to learn. Already Gabriel tells me when he'd like to read, and that's when I jump in. I'm testing out the, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons," recommended by my  momma blogger friend Lisa of Darling Nightingale. So far we do one-hour of "teaching' time. Anything more than that would be really tough for Gabriel to follow. We break up the day with a lot of at-home activities, art, cooking and PBS!

Some days I am in complete awe of the complex questions that he asks me, and scenarios that he tells me about! Just the other day he explained to me how the movement of the wheels on a car work. He expressed in words how the added pressure he places on one of his cars then pushes it across the floor. I was like, who is this kid?! And if you've followed me on Snap Chat then you've seen the 'pulley's' he's created haha! It's so neat to see what he enjoys learning about all on his own.

We're working on the alphabet and sometimes he makes it half way, and other times not so much. I'll be completely honest that sometimes I worry that he should be able to read more words, and then I have to remind myself that all children are different! Some days he gets the C right, and other days he doesn't. That doesn't mean that he's doomed to never read, or end up loathing reading. I have to remember not to project my worries onto him. 

When we first moved in I had no idea what to do with this little nook. It's the hallway right before we turn to their rooms. I initially had a bare bookshelf here, but once we decided we'd be homeschooling I immediately thought is would be the perfect spot for a school nook. I've had so much fun putting this space together for them, and so far they've done well with all of the supplies! 

I have to put the crayons up top, because Cristian isn't quite ready to have them at hands-reach, haha! Mr. Clean's magic eraser has become my BFF.

I hope you found this helpful! And as always please feel free to ask me any questions you might have. Happy Weekend!

Sources:

white and gold globe: World Market

bright alphabet decals: Oh Joy 

white hanging shelves: Amazon 

bookshelf: IKEA

pencil holders: IKEA

Paper Organizer: IKEA

hanging pencil holders: Amazon

round chalk board: Nate Berkus