We are the Rangers!

Welcome to Side By Side Learning. I am Lindsey. I am a Mom to four with my wonderful husband, Jason. I am a crafting novice, planner addict, procrastinator and lover of naps!

My education background is in recreation therapy specializing in gerontology (study of aging). One of the reasons I chose recreation therapy was because I knew that there were many similarities between seniors and toddlers. I always wanted to be a stay at home Mum, at least while the kids were young, so I choose something that would be useful in our home but also if I needed to go back to work. Little did I know that recreation therapy would teach me some of the many skills that I use on a daily basis.

After we had our first child, Bee, I quickly learned that I needed a plan for the day. We needed a plan or nothing, I repeat nothing would get done. We started with some simple activities and lots of reading. Those simple choices spring boarded our love of learning and play. Though the years I have become more organized and creative with the methods and resources that we utilize in our home. We are always learning something, generally through play, our personal favorite way to learn.

Neither my husband nor I ever planned on educating our kids at home. Well surprise, surprise. That is exactly where we have been led. We are just at the beginning of our educational journey but I am so excited for what the future holds for us. I am so glad that we made this decision while our kids are little. It has allowed me plenty of time to research and try many different methods before crunch time. I am a planner, almost to a fault. I really feel that my Heavenly Father has opened my mind and heart early to allow me time to be prepared and confident to teach our babes.

Our Fam Jam

Our oldest, Bee, is 5 years old and currently using a variety of materials and resources with his learning. We have not been following a curriculum but are using many resources geared toward Prek and Kindergarten. Bee loves dinosaurs, paw patrol, reading and puzzles.

Next comes Sweets, she is almost 4 years old and mostly loves everything that her brother does. Sweet’s learning experiences are mostly through directed play, Tot School, but she can also follow along with some PreK activities. Sweets is our princess. She loves getting her nails done, dancing, singing, bugs and playing with dolls. She is also our wild one which makes for an exciting combination.

Number 3, Tiger. Where do I begin? Tiger is almost 2 loves trucks and dinosaurs. Currently he is our mini football player. He is constantly running and frequently runs right into things. He is a loveable tank.

Roo is our youngest. She is just new to the world. Our focus is on naps and eating with lots of hugs and kisses in between. The older two love reading stories and sharing their toys. That’s enough for now but soon I will introduce some small activities.

Stay tuned for our many adventures as we all learn together.