Mia's Monday

It's been a busy morning. After a busy weekend. It's always busy!

Spending more time at home is making me more aware of how the children choose to spend their time, watching how they learn, thinking about how best to facilitate their needs.

Mia is now 7. She has spent two terms at school in reception and has been home educated ever since. If I was to measure progress at all I guess she is the ideal candidate. She had not learnt to read, "do" maths etc etc. We choose not to impose any form of specific learning upon any of the children and I guess for want of a better label Mia is the shining example of natural learning. Picking  and choosing how and when she learns something. With us tagging along, occasionally throwing stuff her way when she shows and interest.  

As an idea this is what she has been up to this morning............

Art and breakfast. She loves using chalks and this is a desert island and sunset.

She was looking a empty plastic bottles and decided to make a raincatcher . She marked cm increments and then thought she'd like to make a chart about the weather.

Inspired by her art group sessions Mia has spent a lot of the weekend looking up James Rizzi and showing everyone the pictures she loves and how to draw in his style.

With my and her siblings suggestions on how to make a good chart and what should be included, this is how she thought it should be done! Temperature, weather symbols, time and rain amounts will be recorded.

more empty bottle inspiration. A rocket!

Her template of the moon. It was also used for the sun and earth so we talked about the actual sizes!

Her moon, with added chalk texture.

Creating her space scene

Being put on her bedroom wall. She is suspending the rocket from her upper bunk so that is will hang and sway in front of her scene.  We have talked about the moon, sun and earth and how we view them in the sky. and so ......

We are going to share this book to help us find out more.

This is just one morning of four children, choosing how and what they would like to learn. It is always changing, as are they, and we are always open to that. It is always slightly crazy. Sometimes it doesn't work, sometimes it does. Sometimes they work together. But it is always slightly brilliant!!