Showing posts with label Unschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unschooling. Show all posts

Friday, October 3, 2008

Unschooling?

After reading the comments from my last post, I am not sure what we have been doing can really be considered "unshooling". But since it lacks texts, seat work and an overall plan envisioned by me it resembles what I conceive "unschooling" to be. Summer Fae, I guess, stated it best as "relaxed schooling". What ever the word, that's what we are continuing to do, at least until next week.

I know I don't have the "trust" (isn't that terrible?) to let the picklets take their education into their own hands. I really hate to admit that, it breaks my heart. The days would be filled with Pokemon, Yughio, casting spells, jumping on the trampoline and rough housing. Nothing, that I perceive as learning, would get done. Granted I do believe that there is logic and math in the Pokemon and Yughio games. Looking up spells on the computer, copying and pasting would be considered computer skills. Jumping on the trampoline is practicing gymnastics and rough housing could be considered PE. But, I fear my kids just won't learn the basics (math and spelling). They lack focus. Might be the way they are built, our parenting technique or sheer laziness. However it came about, they lack focus.

That being said, here is what we did on our "relaxed/eclectic/unschooling" day yesterday:
  • We went on a nature walk: found a bird skull and downy feather

  • the picklets looked at the "natural wonders" they found under the microscope: this is what a redish yellow leaf looks like under the scope
  • Chip worked on the map he is making of our town
  • Dill continued reading Harry Potter
  • Chip started reading Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp
  • Sweet checked her email and wrote in her blog
  • practiced piano
  • Dill and Sweet practiced the recorder
  • went to the library, got books, played on computer (Neopets)
  • jumped on the trampoline
  • Dill and Chip practiced casting spells and looked for new wands that "called" to them
  • daily chores
  • worked on the Think! project
  • Dill sketched an apple
  • watched Vice Presidential debate
  • Dill make campaign posters for his candidate
  • talked about our lack of focus, behavior, attitude and steps to changing the parts that need to be changed

Sweet snapped this picture of corn roots

While walking through the park Gracie found a squirrel


© 2008 Wicked Pickles-Homefront Lines

Thursday, October 2, 2008

An Unschooling Day

I really, really like the idea of unschooling. My fear though is that the picklets will not get the education they will need to survive when their homeschooling years are over. Now, we are hoping that won't be until after high school but that is only four short years away for Chip.

Yesterday we unschooled, mostly because I had chores to get done, but partly for the freedom. I found myself asking, "Do I need to find something productive for you to do?" It seemed that every time I left the room it opened the door to rough housing, loud noises and rowdiness that is not cool, especially around my buffet with our WWII china in it.

Our unschooling accomplishments for 10-1-08:
  • All made plum crisp using fresh Iowa plums
  • Dill continued reading Harry Potter
  • Chip continued reading Animorphs
  • Dill and Sweet drew and colored apples
  • All worked on daily Sudoku puzzle
  • All started their own cookbooks by writing down the recipe for applesauce
  • Sweet was looking at the ads and figured out how much 4/$5 and 3/$5 is per piece
  • All practiced piano
  • All had piano lesson
  • Dill and Sweet practiced recorder
  • Chip practiced bass
  • Sweet practiced "fancy" writing from the example in the Felicity Cooking Studio
  • Sweet and I went through the Felicity Cooking Studio and picked out a couple of recipes to make this weekend
  • Chip and Dill whittled new wands to use for casting spells
  • Visited Grandma for a bit
  • Dill downloaded and printed a ton of spells to practice with (37 pages)
  • All had gymnastics practice
  • Dill and Sweet visited an AWANAS after gymnastics for a friends "bring your friend to AWANAS week"
  • Had a family supper since Cool was home: pizza soup, crusty garlic bread, plum crisp, milk
My question for all of you: Is that enough? What can I do to encourage learning on their own? What fun things can we do to incorporate the "basics" in without sitting down to the books? I really want to continue the unschooling without the fear of failure. HELP!