Hm, never thought about it like that. Well learning scales was actually really easy. She taught it by explaining the half step/whole step patterns for major and minor scales based on a keyboard (we learned all the Major stuff first). Then once we started seeing that scales introduced things like sharps and flats, we got into key signatures and memorized all that (circle of fifths too). It all seemed to flow pretty well. I guess the IDEA of intervals was already implied with the idea that fact that there is distance between pitches, but actually NAMING them is where I'm struggling now.

I don't see how I could have learned it the opposite way, with intervals before scales and all that, since you have to know what key signatures are and what scales are in order to name intervals don't you? After all, you are naming them based on them being Major intervals, minor intervals, and so on.