Learning, Learning, Learning, Always Learning

I have learned more the last 8 years teaching my kids than I ever could have imagined.  Of course I have brushed up on my world history, learning about events and people that I didn't even know existed before teaching my first grader "The Story of The World".  And I've learned new techniques for everything under the sun.  I know more phonics rules than I knew before but I've also learned some things about my children and about myself.  Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to share some of the things I've learned as a home educating mom.

The first thing I have learned is....

My kids need a space to be inspired.
I don't know if this happens in your house, but every time I clean up a space, I find my kids there, reading, coloring, building, listening to music, dressing up, you name it but they have just moved into my clean space.  I found this incredibly annoying for years.  It never failed, as soon as I got a room clean and organized, it was uncleaned by three charming little people.  They are now three charming big people, but this principle still stands true.  But I had a realization... they need a space to be inspired in.  Over the last couple of weeks we have re-arranged the boys room and the outdoor furniture.  One of the things that has happened is I find them reading more, because its a fun reading space.  They like the new chairs and the hammock, for now.  I find them building more because its an inspiring space.  There is more art to cover my walls and more discussions to be had, all because they had a space to be inspired in.  It can be work for me, but it is so worth it to see them inspired.