Cowboy S, at six years of age, is captivated by everything around him, it seems.
Birds, rabbits, our chickens and ducks, insects, rabbits....anything that moves is of utter fascination to him. Oh, and frogs and toads. Goodness, he would never let me forget about them.
He asks so many questions in a day about the way things work, and how they're made, that it can make my head spin. I don't know how a battery is made, and I'm not sure how many precious metals there are, though I could name a few. And, is the copper the penny is made out of really worth one cent? That's just a few of the questions I had yesterday morning.
I want to foster his love of learning and encourage him to find out about things. But, how does a busy mama do that when she doesn't have the information in her head? Well, we have started recording his questions onto a tape. Then, when mama or daddy have some time, we listen to a question and try to find out more about it with him.
It may be through the picture dictionary, a book on animals we have on hand, or maybe through the internet. The new way things work book is a must for any home with boys (or girls), and really helps answer some of those tough questions. (It is tempting to find everything on the internet, but we would like our children to appreciate and be able to look up information in books, too!)
I purchased a new journal with acid free paper for him, and along with our prismacolor pencils---(okay, crayons on this day as big sis had the pencils on a trip with her), we have the makings of a bird journal.
Each time we see a new type of bird, he opens up his bird books and looks them up. I look it over with him, and point out things of interest to him. He's learned how to use the index, the table of contents, and what alphabetical order is. Also, he's learning higher numbers by finding the pages his bird is on. He draws the bird in pencil first, looking at the picture for help. Then, we write where we saw the bird, such as our yard, the beach, on a trip, etc.
I write down one thing for him on the page we think is cool about that bird. For instance, when he drew the Killdeer, we thought it was cool how they pretend to have a broken wing to lure people and predators away from the nest.
We have had wonderful times at our kitchen table, drawing and learning together. With five kids, it can be a struggle to find time with each child alone. That's what makes these time more special. We usually do this in the afternoon, when the littlest ones are napping, and the older girls are busy with other projects.
We also started the Laura Ingalls Wilder series this past week, which he is just at the right age to begin. He absolutely loves it, and of course has taken to dressing like pa this week. Coonskin cap, muzzleloader, powder horn and all.
Blessings on your week,
~Joy~
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