Schooling Burkley

Homeschool.
Unschool.
Play.
Learning.
Creativity.


A few weeks ago a friend of mine, when observing how "smart" she thought Burkley seems to be, asked, "Do you have school time with him every day or something?" I was flattered by the question, and just laughed and said, "All day, every day!" I don't think he is necessarily any brighter or smarter than any other toddler I know, but I was intrigued by her question and certainly honored that she thought my son must certainly be being deliberately taught concepts each day.

Burkley and Daddy playing on the iPod

In reality, no, I do not do "school time" with Burkley, but man, am I excited to do so! We love to learn while playing and being creative and I often overhear my husband more intentionally, directly teaching Burkley than I ever think to do. They work on animals, colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. They work on body parts and names of clothing items, but I usually just sit and play with him, read to him, or let him play on his own.

I know that Burkley is learning all he needs to learn by playing and having the opportunity to get creative. I suppose you can say we are "unschooling" our toddler, but really, I think that's all everyone does with a toddler.

No, he did not write his name. ;) I did, and he then modeled it by scribbling. We love the bath crayons my best friend got him for this birthday!

Choosing a book, which he brought to me to read for him.

Exploring nooks and crannies is a daily occurrence.

When I set up my school room, I was so looking forward to the future days of teaching Burkley there. But, now that I've thought a bit more and observed other families a bit more, I realize that while we will eventually use that room at times for intentional learning, much of our learning will be done outside of those four walls. That's the beauty of homeschooling. I so look forward to that time in Burkley's life, but for now, I will enjoy each moment of his current learning exploration!