Learning Space

Many of you have emailed me and asked me more about homeschooling and I have been so honored to answer your questions. One of the questions that many of you have wondered about is "Do you have a special place in your home where you do school?" The answer is easy, "yes" and "no".  Yes, I have finally found the perfect use for our small and awkward loft, which has been a thorn in my side since we purchased this house. It's been Ole's office (that was a disaster) my studio (too small) a playroom for the kids (too loud) and now finally a place to house all of our school supplies and also do work if we choose. No, because we "do school" all over the place. Snuggled up in the family room reading stories, in the kitchen for the messy projects, and outside for nature studies, field trips and really messy projects.  The kids also each have desks and computers in each of their rooms for independent and quiet work, although, that usually doesn't last too long as they all much prefer to be a part of the action. However, this space is working out perfectly now. I have everything organized from curriculum, to art supplies, music & videos, to games and puzzles and of course our collection of books. The biggest problem with this space is I have no wall space to hang up any artwork or maps. So, I have to be creative and come up with other solutions. One of the big drawbacks of a loft space is lack of walls. The kids and I love spending time in our cozy little loft and I am amazed how much stuff we have managed to get into this small space. Thanks for stopping by and visiting.

Dawn

The Kaleidograph

The other morning while my older kids with busy with various projects, Henry and I sat down together to have some special time together. I brought out a new surprise that I had received from my friend Scott over at Red Hen Toys had sent to us to try out. The kaleidograph is such an ingenious and clever toy, yet so simple. But isn't that how it always works??? In many cases simple is always the best. This set of cards have various shapes cut out of them and when you layer them on top of one another you can create really beautiful designs. Here is a bit more info about the Kaliedograph from the Red Hen Toys website. Henry and I had so much fun experimenting with this truly unique toy and he has already asked me several times to play with it again. 

Crystalline geometries in brilliant color ... the 9 die-cut cards (and 3 solid backers) of the Kaleidograph™ can be arranged in over 350 million designs. Based upon geometry in nature, the Kaleidograph upholds the tradition of the original creative design toys of the Froebel Kindergarten system that are known to have influenced Albert Einstein, Frank Lloyd Wright, Buckminster Fuller, Piet Mondrian, and design education at the Bauhaus. Like the floral forms found in nature, the Kaleidograph Flora is based on interconnected circular radial forms which can be assembled and overlaid into hundreds of millions of possible patterns. Richly personal and environmentally friendly, the Kaleidograph Flora is a toy for all ages. It fosters creativity, rewards with surprise, and brings out the designer in everyone.

The Gifts

Today I brought out an extra special surprise for Abby and Henry to play with. Our dear friend Tiffeni let us borrow gifts 3, 4, 5, 5B, and 6 and asked that I let the kids explore the gifts on their own and only observe.  Tiffeni will be speaking at the 2012 Froebel USA Conference in California in a few weeks and asked if I could photograph the kids for her presentation. I have to say they were completely engaged and excited about each and every one. We started with gift 3 and I let them open the box and find the perfect little treasures hidden within the beautiful boxes. Then onto each other gift one at a time and I just sat back and took in all their play and took lots of photos. They made everything from simple animal shapes to elaborate snowflakes to a "domino" type game and then they each built a fortress and acted out their version a "Yorktown" battle cannons and all! Amazing!! I guess living in such a historic area and visiting local attractions was bound to turn up in their play at some point. They played and played and I finally had to ask them to stop when it was time to start preparing dinner. But they both asked afterwards if they could play with the gifts again tomorrow and if this time they could mix them all up and use them all together. If we manage to get them all put back into the correct boxes it will be a miracle. So thank you Tiffeni for letting us borrow these amazing treasures and Thank you Mr. Froebel for your beautiful gifts! 

I cannot tell you how thrilled we are that we have chosen this style of education for our children. A perfect blend of philosophies from our favorite educators. If only more people knew about Froebel and Steiner. If so, then perhaps, our world would be a very different place and a much happier and well balanced one at that.

To find out more about the Froebel gifts click here!

Oh, and watch the video it's really very interesting!!!

Dawn