CM, Preschoolers, and Toddlers

The Google search engine has spoken.

My blog gets hits everyday for searches related to "Charlotte Mason preschool" and "Charlotte Mason toddler". As I browse through my past posts and look at the promise of "CM for children 6 and younger" in my header, though, I feel a little sheepish for how little I've actually posted about what to do with the youngest guys.

Punkin just turned four this past October. Literally everday she asks me when she's going to learn how to read. With two older sisters doing lessons, she also frequently asks me to "do preschool" with her. I've tried to bide my time, pointing out when real life could technically count as preschool. She made biscuits with me last night, for instance, and as we counted out the cups of flour and teaspoons of baking powder, I smiled a wide smile and encouraged her with, "See? We're counting! This is preschool, honey!"

She looked at me as if to say, "Yeah, right, Mom. Nice try."

If I were really going 100% whole hog CM with Punkin, we wouldn't plan anything out for her to learn before age 6. She would still be learning, mind you, but it wouldn't be planned out or scheduled at all. That's my first choice. But, everyday... "Mama, when will I start learning how to read?" and "Mama, can I write my letters on the dry erase board?". I know, every mother should have such horrible problems, right? ;) I mean, gracious! How dare she actually ask to read and write! :)

And then there's Little Man. He'll be 2 years old in the middle of February and he's great fun. Just from reading a few books a day he's beginning to pick up on colors and his vocabulary is sky rocketing. His main curriculum right now, though, is in the school of Obey Mama. Habits, habits, habits. With this recent move, he's been getting away with a whole lot. It's been Baby Boot Camp for him all week.

These are things I could definitely blog more about. Little Man learning obedience and colors, Punkin learning to read (maybe), books we're enjoying with both of them. In short, what we do with our littlest children when we're not outside. So, hopefully, you can look for more of that sort of thing around here. And the Google searchers will all be happier, too :)