More Preschool Homeschool Ideas

Yesterday my toddlers and I spent the day in the car and at the river. It was very hot. sticky day and I figured I could just write off trying to "work on" any homeschooling. However, one of the best things about homeschooling is that it is a lifestyle of learning, not something to "do" for a few hours a day, especially with toddlers. The car ride provided ample opportunities for identifying colors and cars and trucks. Of course I made sure the boys had some new books for the ride to keep the screaming down. They asked all kinds of questions about the pictures in the books and my three-year-old was constantly pointing to the sentences and asking "mommy, what do the words say?" They were able to make up their own story to the pictures since I had never read it to them which gave them a lot of room to be creative. One of my toddlers is very particular that a story be told the right way. He will correct you if you vary from a previous version. Allowing him to make up his own story for the pictures before hearing the "right" version gave him a chance to break out of his mold.
The river was an even richer source of information gathering. There were bugs, birds, leaves feathers and rocks to talk about. We organized rocks by colors, and size and spent a lot of time throwing different rocks into the river. The boys quickly picked up on the fact that the big rocks were harder to throw. This was a great lesson in comparison, opposites and weight. It amazes me how much their young minds have all ready figured out with no, direct teaching.
It was an exhausting day but happily full of learning opportunities, just as every day should be.