how do you know they are learning?

i just realized that i have almost completely forgotten my need to prove that my kids are learning. now it seems so silly to even consider them not learning. i can't stop them! it does still amaze me to think about all that they do in a day. i love watching them freely choose activities and watching their flow.

for the past week patrick has been doing a puzzle of the united states that his grandparents sent. he does it while he waits for me to get ready for an outing, while i make breakfast, or at any other transition period during the day. during these times, he will also stand at our map of the united states and call out, "give me a state!" when i can't see what state he points to as his answer, he spells it for me. he came up with this game on his own.

i never really had any major fears about my kids learning what they "need" to learn because there is no school subject they do need to learn. it's pretty simple. i get a tad bit angry when i think about all of the useless information i crammed into my brain. what a waste. why not use that brain power for something you are passionate about learning?