Sponges

I've often heard that children are sponges. We had a poem on a plaque posted in our house when we were children called "Children Learn what they Live"

Children Learn What They Live (1959)

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn . . .
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight . . .
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive . . .
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself . . .
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy . . .
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt . . .

BUT

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient . . .
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident . . .
If a child lives with , he learns to be appreciative . . .
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love . . .
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is . . .
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice . . .
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him . . .
If a child lives with friendlienss(sic), he learns the world is a nice place in which to live . . .

~Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

These things are all true!

Beyond this, though, I'm learning that though we try to shove education in them at all times, if given the chance they will learn many things without our constant intervention.

Dani is learning to recognize her alphabet. She can spell her name and can write some letters of the alphabet, but I've never sat down with her and formally taught her to recognize the letters as I did with Maisie. It's also the next child syndrome--they see their siblings learning and want to jump in right along! I can see why larger families generally don't have a harder time than any other homeschooling family because the education of the older child spills down to the younger child.

It's amazing how much children learn!