sensory overload

J and his very cool siblings were homeschooled by their very smart mom who was supported by their very helpful dad. Homeschooling is something i contemplate from time to time to do for our cuties, too. We'll see--prayer and wisdom appreciated in that regard.

Anyway.

There are many many hundreds of blogs* about how to incorporate the theories behind education movements such as montessori, reggio, waldorf etc. in the home. As a left-brainer, imaginative play does not come easily to me. In fact, before I ever had kids, I was deathly afraid of what I'd do with my own babies as they grew into children who wanted to play make-believe. I just didn't do that well.

The preschool that Cutie Face attends is very learn-through-play centric. Which is great for her since she would have my left-brained antics to deal with at home 24/7 were she not in school. The more I read about exploring and playing (especially in the baby-preschool years) the more I agree with it. I mean, really, Cutie Face doesn't need to be in "school" yet anyway, so why push the craziness and pressures that comes with school any earlier? 

At home I am starting to try new learning opportunities with both girls, especially the 'Cakes since she isn't in playschool yet. One of the big ideas is sensory experiences--learning through all five senses. Take a sandbox, for example--how does sand pour through my fingers? does it taste gritty? what does it smell like? etc. 

We are really blessed that we have two "sensory areas" 

in our own backyard--the water table (thank you blog review!) 

and the sandbox (thank you Mimi &Poppy!)

The days that i actually remember we have such a space

are days that we all have fun seeing how things

pour through holes, run through water wheels, etc.

I'd been waiting for this to happen for some time now,

but the latest sensory experiment that Cutie Face finally initiated

was to mix the sand with the water

(here she is in transport mode)

it shook my control-freak nature to the core

due to the slightly incredibly mess that i knew would ensue

but i gritted my teeth and resolved that it really would be okay

to get a little dirty. 

Besides, it appealed to my scientific side--

I could watch her figure out states of matter and physical properties!

*one such blog is Play at Home Mom

and in a new topic completely, totally unsensory related--what does it mean when you have to place your baby in a jogging stroller in your own house just to soothe her while you cook? 

at least we have one good trick!