Experiences over sit down learning

One of my biggest reasons for Home Educating my boys was the desire for the freedom to be able to get them out and experience the world. While they're still little, Bear having only just turned 5 and The Cub being 2, I will absolutely always put experiences above formal sit-down learning.

For example, recently, we hadn't done any formal sit-down learning in days as we hadn't been in the house long enough. 

On the Thursday, we headed out with other home ed friends to Rufford Abbey to have a go at their Fairy Trail, which was brilliant... The kids all got a trail sheet and we had to follow a map to find the fairies. There were letters to find and unscramble which Bear identified and wrote on his sheet, butterflies to find and match to the set on their sheet which Bear could do and The Cub enjoyed ticking all the boxes. Plus each of the fairies had names, which were a bit hard for Bear to read yet, so I filled those parts in.

There were little scenes at every fairy stop which the kids loved exploring, and lots of nature to look at in between!

Friday, we headed to Eureka! for their Home Education Day and learned all sorts of interesting things about lots of different things. We had access to the museum as well as a short Light and Sound display where the boys listened to a talk with some amazing visuals that we are going to try and replicate at home some time. 

We went with friends again and had the best day exploring and checking out the different sections.

Because the museum is so far away, The Cub napped for an hour on the way home, just before tea time, so we also stayed up late for a family movie night with Daddy!

Over the weekend I had to work Saturday so the boys got a one-on-one day with Daddy where they enjoyed several hours out in the garden in the spring sunshine... then Sunday we headed out to Norfolk Heritage Park with friends for a picnic, a play in their playground and a walk around the park looking for big sticks! We're definitely making the most of the sunshine. 

A trip to the pub for tea Sunday evening and to listen to Daddy sing and play his guitar finished off a good weekend. The boys love the pub, have a great relationship with the staff and other regular customers and even help to set up the equipment for the jam night. They also test the mics by singing nursery rhymes, which they get a round of applause for from the audience.

Monday, we had to do some food shopping first thing, and then we went to check out our local swimming pool after lunch with Aunty in tow. The boys love swimming, but we don't get often enough and it has been the better part of six months since they were in the water. Both boys were fantastic and had a ball in the pool, practicing their swimming and playing around.

Then afterwards we went back to Aunty's house for snacks and to see Nannie too.

By the time we got home, unpacked and, tidied up it was almost tea time and far too late to be doing sit-down learning, so that would wait for the morning after.

They didn't learn nothing in those few days, and they had had some amazing experiences, and interacted with lots of different people of different ages. We have had moments of obvious learning where there has been an opportunity to practice numbers or phonics for example, and there have been so many small moments of unintentional learning that I couldn't keep count. Proving that they don't need to be sat at a table to learn.

I love seeing them discover the world around them and will continue to prioritise time for that for as long as I can. Play matters. Time to explore matters. I will protect their childhood for as long as I can, and I won't apologise for it.

How do you organise your days? Do you have a set time for sit-down learning or do you get out of the house as often as possible?

Mama Bear x