Get out of the way

 

 This week I have tried to stop pushing and just get out of their way.  You might think my kids took the opportunity to just laze around the house, would you be surprised if I told you they did more "school" then ever?  Glen found a term in his book that he didn't know, sonic boom, and asked about it.  That sparked his curiosity and he started researching cars breaking the sound barrier, jets breaking the sound barrier, what causes a sonic boom, the effects of a sonic boom, and he started thinking about way to mitigate it.  Now he wants to do his science experiment on how sound travels.  He also read a book with a Comodo Dragon in it and wanted to know the effects of Comodo poison so he set out to do more reasearch.  He learned that the Comodo Dragon doesn't have the muscles to squeeze out the poison so he clamps his jaw so tightly that the poison is squeezed out and he also learned that the poison stops blood from clotting.  That got him thinking about how it could be used in medicine.
     Benjamin, my boy who says he hates to read, has spent days reading books about animals, bees, Thomas Jefferson, and bridges, and learning about his current passion, Nikola Tesla. He now has two biographies about Nikola Tesla that he is going to read. He learned that Homeschooling is illegal in many countries and that got him thinking about the freedoms we have here in America.  He is learning about WW II and budgeting because he got some new games he is excited to play.
     Both boys went to a concert with me and learned about Rogers and Hamerstien through music and narration.  While at this concert we stopped at the Salt Lake Temple North Visitors center and when they showed interest I asked if they would like to plan a feild trip to tour Temple Square.  Usually when I say the words "Field Trip" I am met with groans and moans, but this time it was  their idea because they are interested.  They are both working on writing stories and drawing.  I am also working along with them on my own art skills and drawing.  Glen gave me a really excellent suggestion that took my log from looking not quite right to looking like a real log.
     Elizabeth is excited to learn about Bees, math, reading, fire trucks, singing and dancing.  She asks me to read books about bees, tell her about firetrucks and she wants to dance and sing all the time.  Yesterday we watched a little clip with a swarm of bees moving into a new hive and then we made honey candy.  Then we talked a little chemistry and she learned how candy gets hard because sugar does that as it heats up. She also wanted to know about cat colors and we researched and found out taht orange and black coloring is connected to the X chromosome and that's why most calicoes are female and most solid colored cats are male. Of course that led to a discussion about genes and chromosomes on her 5 year old level. Abigail is spending hours drawing and coloring, she loves art.  She wants to learn ballet and sing songs.  She loves to learn about other artists and we read Pocketfull of Colors and The Noisy Paintbox again and again.
     They want to know what kind of flowers daddy bought me.  They built a boat out of cardboard to see if it would float.  They are conquering fears, gaining confidence and learning about things I never would have thought to introduce to them.  They also take opportunities that I scatter along their path.
     I see now that when I stay out of their way and watch from the background they learn so much!  I don't take over, because that spoils it for them.  They want to learn, they want to grow.  My job is to sit back and let it happen, be there to help when they ask, and provide environments and opportunities for them to learn what they want.