~1~
"What do you do all day?"
Luke and Nina crashed after a long, busy day. |
A little girl at a playground once asked my children this question when she learned that we don’t watch TV at our house. Adults often echo the same question to me when they hear that we are homeschoolers.
Today, as I was downloading some photos onto my computer and browsing through others, I recognized anew that the answer to that question is not, “Sleep,” – although, of course, we do that, too!
Jack and Daddy, so sweet in slumber together |
It is, “A lot!”
Not only do we attend to short, focused lessons, daily chores and our usual round of weekly appointments, but we also allow ensure the children get ample free time to direct their own creative pursuits, such as…
~2~
Pirate Ship Design
One day, the kids decided that the marbles in their Q-Ba-Maze look like cannon balls and before long, decided to design their own Q-BA-Maze and Legos pirate ship and dock with chutes that “shot” the cannon balls.
~3~
Pin Sammi on the Scene
While I was finishing up morning chores today, Luke and Nina began creating their own The Kidnapped King (A to Z Mysteries) scene and, then, turned it into a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey inspired game.
While I was finishing up morning chores today, Luke and Nina began creating their own The Kidnapped King (A to Z Mysteries) scene and, then, turned it into a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey inspired game.
(They recently played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey for the first time ever at their cousin’s birthday party, where Luke was thrilled to win!)
Turn. |
Pin. |
Jack humored me the other day by setting himself up to work in the kitchen. (Admittedly, it made me pause to think that perhaps I should do less working when he is awake.)
~5~
The kids have been on a bit of a Star Wars kick, even if their only exposure to the movies thus far has been watching some youtube clips with Daddy, reading some Star Wars easy readers from the library and talking about the show with kids at the playground. As part of that kick, Luke created himself this Luke Skywalker space suit, complete with bike helmet and Whisper Phone space helmet and air-and-communication piece.
~6~
Paper, scissor, tape and floss are what they are in my eyes. Not in Luke and Nina’s! With their imaginations, these things become a playground for figurines. Yes, one day they decided that they should not be the only ones in our house with an indoor swing and crated this playscape in the window between our kitchen and family room, where they still give the figurines rides at times.
~7~
One night after dinner, Luke randomly asked who would like to sit still so he could draw them. I volunteered and he set to work intently sketching me and Jack. Little detail man, he even decided to add my forehead wrinkles! Nice.
Nina quickly followed suit in sketching Mommy, but she had a kinder eye.
My kids just love to draw!
Mommy |
My kids just love to draw!
Amazing! I love their creativity. Possibilities are endless, especially with no t.v. time. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love the rosy cheeks on your children as the sleep so soundly! Your children have great creativity and imaginations as they interact together. Have a Blessed Lenten Season!
ReplyDeleteLove those portraits! Definitely shows that boredom is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteMy 5 year old is the resident "quick sketcher!" and is always ready with his 3 year old brother to build a den using cushions and blankets.
My 12 year old daughter spends divides her spare time between reading and building ever more complex origami sculptures that she's found online.
My 10 year old loves playing "Hanging with Friends" an app version of Hangman, with his Grandma who lives in another continent from us.