What real learning looks like

I've been doing some thinking (never a good thing for me to attempt). Since recieving a digital camera and starting this blog I have learned a lot of new things. I still have much to learn. I am motivated by my own interest. Nobody is telling me I have to learn this. Nobody is grading me (although you may have your opinions) and nobody is testing me. I probably could have taken a course at the college on how to work my camera, but it would still be my choice and I don't think I would have felt quite the same feeling of accomplishment if someone had shown me how to post pictures as I felt when I finally figured it out on my own. In my opinion, this is what "real" learning looks like. This is part of why I wanted to homeschool my children.
Today, we finally recieved the flashmaster I had ordered for Jamie for Christmas. Over the course of the day he must have spent at least one hour playing on it. He even sat down with his base ten blocks and worked out some of the 12 times tables. All the while he kept commenting on how much he liked this present and thanking me for getting it for him. Nobody told him he had to use it. Nobody hovered over his shoulder and praised him for getting the right answer or corrected him if he got the wrong answer. Nobody was going to be testing him. He just did it because he is interested and because of the sense of accomplishment he felt in being able to figure it out for himself in his own way. That's "real" learning!