Growing a Garden with little gardeners. Embracing the Reggio Emilia Approach to learning by engaging our children's interests - dirt! Check out how we grew these gorgeous plants for our kitchen garden.

Growing a Garden with Little Gardeners

  Our children love dirt.   Honestly, they REALLY love dirt!   They love to sit in it, feel it, dig for worms in it, dump it, and shovel it.   On our less-than-an-acre plot of land, our children are farmers and they are proud of it.   So as I journey deeper into homeschooling our little ones, and explore with a Reggio Emilia approach to learning, I am discovering how to cater to their interests. And in this case, they are interested in dirt.   Related: Reggio Emilia, Child-Led Learning, and Unschooling   Growing a Vegetable Garden!   This year we added five more raised beds to our front yard garden. We now have eight...

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The Delight of My Heart

Over the past year, my husband and I have grown in our relationship in ways that can only come with sincere awareness and dedication. From the very beginning of our relationship we have known that the Lord has called us to be husband and wife and to journey this life together. Various trials throughout our marriage have solidified our calling to work together for the Kingdom of God, and we have learned much in terms of loving and serving one another as Christ has called us to, as well as embracing what it means to sacrifice our own selfish desires...

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Kindergarten 'Un-Curriculum' - Learning to follow the interests of our children to help them grow in their learning naturally and organically.

Kindergarten ‘Un-Curriculum’ (and what we are doing instead)

  Our children, aged five, three, and one, spend the majority of their days in self-directed play. Often I play together with them, attempting to engage in what their imaginations are creating before me. Other times I work in the next room, listening to their inspired stories, monitoring arguments, and mostly delighting in their amazing ability to create entire worlds and “movies” out of cars, blocks, animals, and loose parts.     At the start of our homeschooling journey I spent countless hours pouring over curriculum options and considering what might be the “best choice” for our Kindergarten journey.   Kindergarten.   I pondered that word over and...

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Decide to be PRESENT in Parenting to experience more of those beautiful "I love you Mommy" moments!

Suddenly “Mommy, I Love You” Means So Much More

  I remember an intentional mindset shift in my parenting several months ago. For so long I had been caught in a trap of doing and getting done. This influenced greatly my attitude toward our children and the attention I gave them.   Looking back, I recognize that I seldom read with them. I seldom played alongside them. I seldom looked intently into their eyes as they spoke to me. I seemed to ignore so many of those moments where my babies reached out to me for love. I unintentionally withheld the love that they so greatly craved – quality time. I of course had things...

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