Learning Cube.

Becoming a mom, is all about learning! One of the big lessons that I've been learning (by trying to read, etc.) is on teaching kids. Yes, I know, my little boy isn't even a year yet, but this is one of the most intense learning periods in his little life. Twelve months ago, he knew nothing but warmth, darkness, and the voices of mommy and daddy. Suddenly, everything is new to him. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

So, since he has an innate need for learning, I am learning too. Learning how to teach. I find that I need some sort of structure to keep me on track. I have no desire to push my little guy beyond what he is capable, but at the same time, I want to provide plenty of challenges and opportunities.

Here are the 6 sides of our "Learning Cube." 1. God 2. Literature (Poems and books) 3. Music 4. Play (Exercise and activity) 5. Sign Language 6. Words (which right now includes Number's, colors, etc.)

Many of my ideas come from blogs, websites, books, or the advice of friends and relatives.

I'm sure most of these thoughts are ideas that most of you mom's retrieved from your own brains, but mine is not always that creative. ...feel free to share your ideas in the comments.

#1. God is the most important being that I can ever teach my children about! Teaching about God can be a bit intimidating, but here is what we are doing.

During my own personal devotions, I will read small selections aloud, so that my little boy can hear them. Throughout the day Daddy and I take opportunities to tell him about God. I frequently remind him that Daddy and I love him, and that Jesus loves him even more. Before all meals we pray. Especially at lunch time, I try to fit in a little "prayer lesson." Which, basically, is just a short prayer thanking God for the food, but also taking time to be grateful for the little things that we tend to forget - crisp air blowing through open windows, birds singing, and such. In the evening, we have family devotions, with Daddy reading out of a Bible story book. When he goes to bed, we pray that he will serve Jesus, every day of his life, and that God will start to plant that desire even now.

2. Literature is so powerful. The website Brightly Beaming Resources has been a great help to me in the literature department. She gives lots of ideas for good kid's books. This week we are reading the following books: You are Special, by Max Lucado, (So far, all the Max Lucado children's books that I can remember reading have been excellent!) Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney. Piggies, by Don Wood. The Little House, by Virginia Lee Burton. A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Most of these books I am planning to read from every other day throughout the next week. But You Are Special is such a great little book, that I am reading it daily. I am also trying to read a poem from A Child's Garden of Verses every day, as well.

The library is a great place to find these books and pretty much any of the books from the list provided at Brightly Beaming Resources. If you have a small library like we do, you may have to use Interlibrary loan. For us it is free, which makes it such a great resource.

3. Music. Wow, I don't do so good here. We have Lullaby CD's in English and Spanish. We also listen to some Gaither music as well some Josh Groban and other similar style music.

4. Play. My baby plays at things like climbing up his high chair, swinging from the table edge, and climbing into the bath-tub and more normal/safe things like 'brrrr brrrm-ing' his cars around, and 'reading' or tearing books. But we try some more learning based play too, while mommy is cooking in the kitchen, when he get's to 'help' stir and such.

Other times we go to the park. This week, hopefully, we will be taking a "nature walk." Mostly learning about (i.e. playing with and chewing on) sticks and stones. :)

5. Sign language. Basically, it helps baby be able to express wants and needs that otherwise they couldn't. This week we are working on Yellow, because that's the color we are going to be talking about for the next while. We are also working on Daddy and Mommy. These are just things that I sign while saying them. If he learns them, great, if he doesn't, no big deal.

6. Language. Right now we are just working on numbers by saying 1-2-3 before we change clothes, take an un-wanted bite of peas, or something.

Yellow is the color we are working on, because he seems to favor that over other colors. Basically, I have a little bucket of yellow toys for him to play with, and I show him the different ones and tell him that it is, "yellow." Throughout the day, if we run across something yellow, I'll reinforce it then too. We also work on the names of toys, (like duck, train, etc.) and body parts(we are currently working on nose).

It might seem like I'm pushing learning on him too much, but basically, I'm doing the same subtle teaching that all mom's do. It's not a strict structure at all. We just learn as the opportunity presents itself. The 'structure' is basically for a mommy who needs some sort of outline.