When I was growing up I remember learning about historical figures at school. Florence Nightingale, Alexander Bell and Louis Pasteur to name a few. I realised it is important for me to teach my children about people who have achieved great things in their lifetime, as a way to inspire and motivate them as well as increase their knowledge of the world. Not only is it fascinating to learn how these people learnt and developed their passions and talents, it is also a great way to start learning about different topics such as art, fashion and science.
I decided to start with learning about Beatrix Potter as all three of my older children love or have loved the books she wrote and I was interested in exploring the topics of creative writing and painting with my them.
Literacy skills are crucial for all aspects of life. Reading is important not only for enjoyment but also for learning and functioning in society. The path towards literacy begins the day a baby is born. It is never too young to begin reading to your baby and the foundations laid in the first few years of life will set them up for success later on.
I am so excited to tell you about a brand new, self-paced online course called Teaching Kids to Read Ages 0-5. Beginning on March 23rd, this course is designed to help you raise confident and successful readers from birth.
Raising children is the most challenging and rewarding thing you can do. I am raising four children and I have read my fair share of parenting books. In fact, I am a bit of a parenting book addict; always on the look out for the newest guide with the latest tips and advice. Like all parents, I want to do my best to bring up happy and successful children. I just want to do it right.
If you have read about our homeschool curriculum or follow my instagram account, you will know we are following a nature curriculum this year called 'Exploring Nature With Children'. It is a wonderful curriculum that covers different topics each week of the year. For each week, there are activities to do, recommended reading, poetry and a piece of art to study. The curriculum incorporates science, English, art and nature studies so it is really varied. You can check out the curriculum here.
When I was young, there was nothing I loved more than reading a good book. I remember waking up in the morning and reaching for a book before breakfast. I would also be reading last thing at night. I loved it. But as I grew older I started to read less and less.
I think one of the problems was my studies. I spent more time reading non-fiction, degree-related, academic writing and I stopped reading novels. Then, when I became a mother, I was so busy looking after the children and keeping house, I no longer had much time to read at all! However, I miss those days when I often had my nose stuck in a good book. I miss those imaginary scenes in my head and those places a good book can take you to. Also, I have piles and piles of books because, although I am not reading much, I have not stopped buying. You see, I just love books! I love to read and I love to learn.
