  urlLink Mothering Magazine -- No Time for Teaching: Spontaneous Learning at Home : "...There are only so many hours in a day and only a precious few years to be a child. In these days and years, children need time to play, time to leisurely observe and daydream, and time to choose what they want to do.
The teacher in me might see such activities as unproductive, but they are very important in the development of a happy, healthy person. My short-lived curriculum was pushed aside in favor of more spontaneous interaction like talking to and having fun with my kids. I realized that my success as a mother was more dependent on the number of smiles and hugs I gave than on the amount of information I dispensed. Besides, the most teachable moments can't be planned for or regimented. They arise when my children spot a rainbow, ask where butterflies come from, or want to write a note to Grandma.
It is in these moments that they are the most inquisitive and receptive to the knowledge I want to give them. Maternal guidance is a powerful teaching tool. Sometimes it's as purposeful as reading a book or counting crackers with my child. But most of the time it's incidental, as when we talk about the weather, the animals we see, and the color of our clothes..." 
