I try to be as present as possible with my children and observe good opportunities to discuss what they are discovering.

We get out and go for a walk in the neighborhood and talk about what we might find along the way.

We take advantage of the sunny days and go to a park or for a hike and wonder about how something got there on the ground or floating in the creek. Or why the green tree we used for shade in the summer is now yellow and losing all its leaves. (Living in northwest Indiana near the Dunes is a gorgeous and perfect teachable-moment type of place to live this time of year!)

If we're stuck inside, we bake and watch small balls of dough turn into big cookies. We build LOTS and LOTS of Legos. I let them create as much as possible with no limitations. Makes a lot of mess, but also a lot of memories.

Steph Link TextAdventures In Babywearing

We use shapes and colors to teach our children about the world around us as we enourage them to write in their journals.  Each weekend we have journal writing time.  Our kids (four, ranging in ages between 9 and 1) each grab their journal and get to work. 

There are no rules except that they need to put something on the page.  This can be a drawing, list, private thought, etc.  We encourage them to write/draw as much as they want.  If they say, "I can't think of anything," we ask them what they did that week that was special/challenging/uplifting.  They write about their favorite toys, new friends at school, church activities, neighborhood get togethers, achievements in sports/activities, etc.

Since our younger children cannot write yet my husband and I write while they dictate.  They then get the chance to draw a picture.

We found that during the week the kids would be doing something and say, "hey, we can put this in our journal!" 

Often they'll ask us to take a picture so they can paste it into their journal as well.

I believe that keeping a journal helps them to realize their blessings as well.  Our house is a little less than 900 square feet and we're a bit tight on space.  When we had our fourth child my husband and I decided we had to go through the toys and donate some to goodwill so we'd have room for the crib.  We now have only 5 sets of toys in our house: cars, trains, barbies, dolls, and Duplos, and the latter is used to play with all of the former.  We love the creativity that Duplos offers.  Each time they pull out those colorful blocks they create something entirely new.  Even our 1 1/2 year old can snap pieces together. 

If a child receives a toy for his/her birthday that doesn't fit into one of these 5 sets that toy is donated to goodwill.  Our kids enjoy sharing with those less fortunate and often want to do more than we can afford.  They see their blessings more abundantly because they keep a weekly journal of the fun/exciting/challenging things happening in their lives. 

I think your idea about keeping a journal IS a good idea, and saying goodbye to some toys is ANOTHER good idea! 

When my big kids were little, we lived in a lot of tiny little townhouses and duplexes (military family) but in every single one of them I found a big closet and turned it into their art supply closet. (Once I even used the very large walk-in kitchen pantry!)

They were encouraged to use anything (and everything) in the closet any time they liked - in any way they liked. There were not rules that said what beads or pipe cleaners or clay or glitter had to be used for (or where it could be used or when it could be used.)

The house was always covered in art. It was a mess but it was a good kind of mess.

~Denise BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings

When my kids were super little and were learning their shapes and colors, we'd designate a day to all things that shape or color. We'd eat appropriately colored food, cut food in the designated shape, etc. The kids had a lot of fun with it, and it helped me embrace my creative side.

xoxo steph

totallytogetherjournal.com and crockpot365.blogspot.com

This is an interesting question for our family. I have five children on the Austism Spectrum, and my son, we know, thinks in 3-D pictures. Shapes and colors are a reference for everything. They are safe, secure, and anything he does not understand can fit into a shape with color, then he is able to let it become calming rather than agitating.

Every Monday night, we gather as a family for Family Home Evening. Part of that time together is talking about things that happened during the week. Instead of saying "how did that feel?" we say, "did that have a shape?" then we learn things like, anger is pokey, happiness is round, and love is shaped like a hand.

I dont think I help them understand the world around them, they help me.

shantelgardnerfamily.blogspot.com

When my daughter was little we would take her on hikes (still do) but to make sure she was engaged and having fun, we would challenge her to find something on the hike in every color of the rainbow. It was actually really fun for all of us and really got us all looking at the details in nature and not just the obvious things around us..

Hi Nie! I love your entry here....! In my book What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read With Your Child and All the Best Times to Read Them I describe the power of the read aloud to enhance and support all the life learning experiences we share with our children. The same is true for concepts such as colors and shapes; our children are seeing the world in all kinds of deep and delightful ways: through their own unique perspectives. After a long day's walk in the beautiful world, what better than to gather our children together on the couch, or to have one child snuggle beside us and read books that also relate to those same themes they saw in the natural world! Tana Hoban is one author who has written/illustrated books that revel in shape and color and even shades of black and white. She is such a great mentor for how to pay attention to EVERYTHING. Another great author is Lois Ehlert whose collage creates a lively accompaniment to her natural explorations. I hope the exploration of concepts will include both the indoor/outdoor explorations: explorations of mind and imagination that match and sometimes transcend what we find in nature. Would love to hear from you all about other titles and authors you like that deepen and nurture our children's exploration of concepts. Visit me at whattoreadwhen.com..... Pam Allyn

As a family we loved to take long walks, and hike.  By hike, I mean we loved backpacking high above the tree line.  We would point out shapes of all sorts and sizes, watching the way the tree limbs were growing, and the way the bushes were spreading, and the leaves were falling and the interesting shapes they would form. 

When we would come home we would sit with a giant piece of newspaper print spread out on the table and draw our next backyard project, that was somehow related to something we had seen on our trip.  Then the building would begin.

In our backyard we had a fort, a pirate ship, a castle, a swimming pool with a waterfall, playhouse, a tree house, and an outdoor kitchen (yes, even mom got got to put in a thought or two as to what we saw on the trip.)  It is all to be treasured.

The children learned so much about seeing, imagining, drawing, imagining, building, imagining.  Imagine.

Blessings, Mari

This question is an interesting one for me because my oldest has a good number of speech and social delays. He also has a lot of sensory issues that make it hard for him to focus and hold discussions (even in his limited capacity). Shapes and colors are an easy reference point for us because their simplicity. Everything has a shape and color and for a child with limited communication skills, it's much easier to have a conversation about the colors we see and the shapes that we find in the world.

I often feel a bit lost as to how to help him learn (thank goodness for special pre-school!) so the ideas that I've read above are incredibly helpful (especially from Shantel since my son - Oliver - has so many autism spectrum traits, even if he's only been given the vaguest of classifications).

I'll have to come back to see what other comments you get.

By the way - I'm loving your posts on Nie Nie Dialogues. When I first found you last summer, I enjoyed your writing and photography, and got a lot of inspiration for truly appreciating my family and making the most of my time with them. So I'm glad you're back and giving me those daily reminders that life is a gift - something that is easy to forget when you're wrapped up in the worry surrounding life with a special needs child. Hope that doesn't sound sappy - I can get very "I love you man!" late at night when I should be turning off the computer and getting into bed...

-Kate, thebigpieceofcake.com

Stephanie,

Just wanted to say how much we all look up to you and admire who you are. You are a fabulous Mom! I just talk to our little guy and tell him everything I am doing and the name of things I am using. I watched my SIL raise my niece, and others and see ways that really work in a child's development. My hubby even does the same, and we love to take our little guy outdoors and let him see the colors and here the sounds. Keep on posting. I LOVE to read you blog and here you wonderful Mommy advice!

Emily G.~littleforeverfamily.blogspot.com

I have loved reading all of the different ideas here. 

One thing we do is have a Nature Table.  This is a space that we decorate for the season with items from outside.  We go hiking in the mountains by our house, for walks around the neighborhood and play in the leaves in our back yard. 

I try to provide as many art opportunities as possible.  We have an art wall in our basement, two walls where our children can draw, color, paint, whatever they want to do there.  They have their art space where I can find them on cold and rainy days.

I think providing space for creativity, talking about the world around us, and taking every opportunity for teaching is the best way for our children to learn about the world around thme.

Kim, Mama to 4 sweet monkeys, one in heaven, 3 on earth!

Thanks guys-well said!!

Mrs. N,

Your lesson is so parallel to our hobby of 'letter hunting'. We use shapes found in our environment that create 'letters' - this is a tool we use to make learning the alphabet such fun for our 3 daughters!! Another unintended joy we received from our family hobby was the new passion we all found for our surroundings. Suddenly, a rusty old fence around the local park wasn't just a rusty old fence....it took on a whole new life! I know exactly what you're speaking of. It's such a blessing.

Keep healing, my friend. God's love to you and your family, from ours.

Mrs. D

Stephanie,

If you haven't already visited this blog, take a look! It seems up your alley! Cheers and many continued good wishes for you and your family. Warmly,

Jenna Holm

Here's the blog...

http://pamily.blogspot.com/

We sometimes play a variation of "I Spy" when we're running errands in the car.   I'll say, "Can you spy something orange?" (Or round, or lumpy, or soft, or whatever... ) And the hunt is on. My little girls love it when they're first to spot the item.  It's a great way to work on colors and shapes, and also a great way to pass the time in the car!

Mary, mom to 10