For years I have enjoyed homeschooling my children the unschooling way. Child led learning is the best way for a child to learn. To testify to that, my boys have forgotten more about dinosaurs than I will ever know. The tools to learn about dinosaurs were theirs to use and they used them to the extreme.
One day I prayed and asked God that they would find another interest. He answered, "Sure...how about this..." They discovered Star Wars. Now, I am a HUGE Star Wars fan. In grade 5 I would come home from school and watch Star Wars: A New Hope (which was just called Star Wars back then when things made sense) EVERY DAY. That's right, every day. I could recite the whole movie, word for word. So I thought, "Great!! Star Wars! Yay! Thank goodness no more dinosaurs. After a week, I asked God to bring back the dinos.
The first few days of mock Lightsabor duels and X-Wing Fighter battle sounds was almost fun. The endless paper trails of Star Wars themed drawings...darling. After a week...not so much fun and not so darling. Day 10 I was going psycho. Just too much Star Wars for a grow-up female brain to take. I begged God to bring back the dinos.
My point being is that not always is a child's choice going to be the best one. (Not nessisarily one that I can live with.) Given the choice my boys would choose to taunt, tease and bug one another until they start to hit, call names and totally lose control, over, doing their math. I have learnt this first hand. I've also learnt that I have a tendency to loose it in these times, too, and that makes for a long long long day of accomplishing nothing.
So, being a woman who believes in child led learning, and who happens to have 6 children who all have their own demands for my time (as they should, God give me strength) I have come to an epiphany. I enjoy what sanity I have remaining and I will endeavour, with God's leading, to retain it.
Maybe child led learning is a worldly way of thinking of education. "What is best for the child" might be teaching them to be selfish. I must think about that a bit.
All of that being said I am spending a whole shwack of bucks on some fabulous curriculum I found (spent hours researching) at CHER in Calgary. I have yet to order because they take purchase order numbers but I need to get one from my "school." Also, I have a bad habit of impulse buying. I need to think about the different books for a few more days. Write it all out again and again. Figurin' and planning till I think I have it all planned out.
OH and I must pray about it. Silly me. Always puttin' the cart before the horse.
Found this beautiful blog. Loving it. She has created a fantastic chore chart that I will implement ASAP and has inspired me with her workbox system. She didn't come up with the idea but she has explained it in a wonderful way and has added pictures. For me, it is a visual break down of what needs to get done in a day. I can set it up, one for each child, and they won't need to ask me all the time what they need to do next. Most times I am just too busy to get the next thing out. This way it is all ready for them. I'm envisioning the teaching of any new material in the morning (while hubby is home and can love on the littles) then the boys can work on the boxes with minimal help from me. That sounds so bad but this "system" encourages independent learning and thinking. Really, shouldn't we all endevour to be more independent thinkers.
There should be much less nagging by me too. I can't stand the sound of my nagging voice. Can't imagine what it must sound like from the outside.
One day I prayed and asked God that they would find another interest. He answered, "Sure...how about this..." They discovered Star Wars. Now, I am a HUGE Star Wars fan. In grade 5 I would come home from school and watch Star Wars: A New Hope (which was just called Star Wars back then when things made sense) EVERY DAY. That's right, every day. I could recite the whole movie, word for word. So I thought, "Great!! Star Wars! Yay! Thank goodness no more dinosaurs. After a week, I asked God to bring back the dinos.
The first few days of mock Lightsabor duels and X-Wing Fighter battle sounds was almost fun. The endless paper trails of Star Wars themed drawings...darling. After a week...not so much fun and not so darling. Day 10 I was going psycho. Just too much Star Wars for a grow-up female brain to take. I begged God to bring back the dinos.
My point being is that not always is a child's choice going to be the best one. (Not nessisarily one that I can live with.) Given the choice my boys would choose to taunt, tease and bug one another until they start to hit, call names and totally lose control, over, doing their math. I have learnt this first hand. I've also learnt that I have a tendency to loose it in these times, too, and that makes for a long long long day of accomplishing nothing.
So, being a woman who believes in child led learning, and who happens to have 6 children who all have their own demands for my time (as they should, God give me strength) I have come to an epiphany. I enjoy what sanity I have remaining and I will endeavour, with God's leading, to retain it.
World English Dictionary
| epiphany | |
| 1. | the manifestation of a supernatural or divine reality |
| 2. | any moment of great or sudden revelation |
Maybe child led learning is a worldly way of thinking of education. "What is best for the child" might be teaching them to be selfish. I must think about that a bit.
All of that being said I am spending a whole shwack of bucks on some fabulous curriculum I found (spent hours researching) at CHER in Calgary. I have yet to order because they take purchase order numbers but I need to get one from my "school." Also, I have a bad habit of impulse buying. I need to think about the different books for a few more days. Write it all out again and again. Figurin' and planning till I think I have it all planned out.
OH and I must pray about it. Silly me. Always puttin' the cart before the horse.
Found this beautiful blog. Loving it. She has created a fantastic chore chart that I will implement ASAP and has inspired me with her workbox system. She didn't come up with the idea but she has explained it in a wonderful way and has added pictures. For me, it is a visual break down of what needs to get done in a day. I can set it up, one for each child, and they won't need to ask me all the time what they need to do next. Most times I am just too busy to get the next thing out. This way it is all ready for them. I'm envisioning the teaching of any new material in the morning (while hubby is home and can love on the littles) then the boys can work on the boxes with minimal help from me. That sounds so bad but this "system" encourages independent learning and thinking. Really, shouldn't we all endevour to be more independent thinkers.
There should be much less nagging by me too. I can't stand the sound of my nagging voice. Can't imagine what it must sound like from the outside.
I LOVE your thoughts...think on, my dear friend!! Your blog is so much fun!
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