Everyday Lessons

Yesterday Maggie made an invention. She ran yarn from the door at the top of the stairs, down to the basement and around the corner. She then tied a stick on the end and found that if she pulled the yarn, the door upstairs would close. When I discovered this, I asked her what it was. I fully expected some magical name, but she simply responded with "It's a pulley, mom".

Like, duh.

Of course I should fully expect my 6 year old to know what a pulley is, and how to make one. Simply though, this little contraption filled me with hope that I can do this homeschool thing. I really can!

Yesterday we also went kayaking. While making lunch, I asked the kids to do some simple math problems. I used my favorite family as an example. I had them figure out that if we had 18 kids like the Duggars, and each kid ate half a sandwich, how many would we have to make? It only took my nephew Gabe about 30 seconds to figure it out. We then expounded on that problem by adding in people, making bigger sandwiches, and accounting for parents eating more than one.

I don't think the kids even realized they were learning! It was magical! I told them afterward that they couldn't go home without having learned something that day! It's these everyday lessons that I need to be more aware of as I follow this path.

I know we're doing the right thing. I also know it won't always be this simple or exciting. But it's what I need right now at the beginning.