Spiraling into Learning



Do you see the jack-o-lantern?  The witch?
The zombie?  The red gremlin?



When I slow down, I see more and differently.

How about you?





When I slow down, when my to-do list is shorter, I have time to see so much more deeply. With my boys, that often means seeing learning where I used to only see goofing off or relaxing.

This past weekend, Denver and I began playing with wooden tiles, and he/we created a Halloween picture. The next day, after watching him wear pants on his head and pretend to be an Egyptian pharoah, I offered to read a story to him about two children who discover they have inherited magical powers from ancient Egyptian gods. Denver loves it. Now he wants me to keep reading Rick Riordan's Red Pyramid. As I read to him, we discuss ancient mythology, word meanings, history, and lots of other fun stuff. We don't have to call it school or English or History. It's just a cuddly way to spend a morning.

The truth is my boys are curious, wonderful, and intelligent. They don't need to be motivated to learn. They are ready to follow their curiosity around the corner, out the door, and around the world. When I slow down, I can see their minds churning and thoughts developing. It doesn't look like school. It's better.



Spencer plays his Roman strategy game
while wearing his Roman helmet.

Denver's new airplane soars through
the sky.