Re-Learning

We're all learning

I love it when I get to learn something too. The kids were doing some homework for a Chemistry class they're taking. I helped the younger one with a few of the calculations. In doing so, I realized, I LOVED what they were doing. I vaguely remember doing it, myself, way back in time. But I didn't remember these calculations having the specific name, stoichiometry. It's all about balancing. I'm really good at it... when it's on paper... between molecules. I just wish life balancing was as easy.

(written July 31, 2015)

Be Careful What You Research

It May or May Not Pay Off

As part of our yearly activities, I have had the kids do a project on an animal of their choice. The first year, the kids made dioramas to incorporate what they learned. The second year, one of the kids wrote a comic strip full of facts they had learned. This year, the younger one filled in a traditional report (habitat, diet, etc.), while the older one made a presentation on all that she researched about hedgehogs. We had discussed the possibility of allowing her to get her own hedgehog, but that we needed more information. She researched everything from how to purchase one, how to feed one, to how much it might cost per month to care for one. What a great way to end this assignment with the purchase (she used her own money) of Blizzard, the newest family member.

This process definitely proved the correlation between interest and motivation and how we all learn.


(written March 20, 2015)

Smash, Don't Trash

It's Still Good! In our attempts to slow down life through homeschooling, we have continued to see changes in our behaviors. Instead of throwing out an old, broken CD drive, we think, "Let's let the kids smash it with a hammer!" And then we find out, together, that a hammer isn't strong enough, we need pliers, a crow bar, and some patience. We get to see the motherboard, transistors, and the super shiny "thingy that spins".

Me Too

I'm Learning to Love Learning

One of the main goals I have in homeschooling my children is to teach them to love learning. What I'm finding, is that as I guide my children along this path, I am re-learning to love learning.

I went through a traditional schooling experience. I survived it. I succeeded at it. I came out ok. However, many of my "successes" are really just my success at coping with certain restraints or figuring out how to "work the system". I want my children's experiences to be more than just coping.

As I homeschool my kids, I find that I'm excited to learn too. I am still not interested in learning history, it's never been my favorite subject. But I am fascinated, that when I read about historical events, knowing there is no test later, I find that the information is much more interesting to me. I may forget the facts tomorrow, but the general feelings of events stay with me. I love putting different historical pieces together and seeing a larger picture. A new energy is emerging from me as I read about our world's history.

Perhaps one could argue my interest is peaking because I'm older now and history is more interesting to me at this age than when I was a teenager. But I think I'm having more fun because there's no test to measure how much information I'm retaining. No one is asking me if I can site 3 examples as to why my point of view is correct. I'm free to read in any order I want. I get to share my thoughts and interpretations with others without a grade attached to it.

I am also allowed to learn about things that interest me, like the photography business I have with my father. There is always something to learn in photography that will make my work better. I hope my children see that, while I may be scared sometimes (like shooting my first wedding event), I am attacking the learning curve around my passion. That I, willingly, spend the time to be sure I'm ready for a shoot. That "getting ready" can look like practice, information gathering, reading, and more. I hope they see how proud I am of myself after successfully completing a shoot I worked really hard one (not just on the day, but the days and weeks leading up to the event).

Motivation Works

 How A Motivated Kid Succeeds

I keep wondering how my kids can learn under the unschooling method. I want them to follow their passions. But at their ages (8 and 11), they seem to be passionate about YouTube and Minecraft. Yes, they have other interests. Yes, it is my job as the parent to facilitate learning for those other interests. But I keep reading about successful kids and how they followed their interests on their own. Because they were interested in the subject, they learned faster, deeper and without much direction from an adult. I just don't see that kind of behavior with my kids yet. They are young, and perhaps that is why. Or perhaps I'm too lazy and too hands off? Whatever the reason, this lack of motivation that fuels my desire to hold onto certain school paradigms I desperately want to let go.

This summer, my daughter participated in a day camp based on the theme of the Percy Jackson  novels. One of her tasks was to sharpen 10 sticks with a knife, unaided, so she could use them with a homemade bow. I was impressed with her dedication to the project. She stayed up late into the night, working in the dark, to get her 10 sticks completed.

I admit, I offered to help around 10pm. She refused my help, wanting to do it herself. I promised I wouldn't tell. I promised they couldn't figure it out. But she refused.

The cynical part of me thought this was only to avoid getting caught. Or to avoid being embarrassment in front of co-campers who she feared would finish without her. Or to avoid humiliation if she wasn't allowed to participate in the next day's events because she didn't finish. But, the optimistic part of me is proud of her. She was determination to do her own work, no matter how long it took. She made each stick "perfect". She kept her integrity about her and did all the work herself.

In the end, of course, the counselors realized the task was too long for one night and gave the kids another day to complete the assignment. My daughter, having finished the night before, enjoyed a night off, feeling proud of her accomplishment.

My Mistake

Lead by Mistake

I think it's fun that my kids get to learn from my mistakes, not just their own. Being home with me, most of the time, they are able to see a lot more of my mistakes as I make them.

Today, I left the room while boiling eggs. I completely forgot I was cooking until I heard a loud banging noise. I thought the kids were hitting the wall with a stool or book or... I really couldn't imagine why they were making such a racket. When they yelled through the house that they weren't doing anything, I came to investigate and found my eggs like this. The banging noise I heard? Eggs exploding and popping all over the kitchen.

I am also reminded that even though we all learn through our experiences, we can forget and may need to re-learn some lessons. Things I re-learned today and hope my kids learned too:
1) Always set a timer when working in the kitchen
2) Exploding eggs are very loud and go very far (I was still finding bits and pieces hours later)
3) Forgive yourself for making a mistake you know you should have been able to avoid
4) No one's hurt? Then laugh!

Doing It Myself

I am trying something new this year, doing it with my kids. That may sound funny, because, of course I'm homeschooling with my kids. What I mean is, really doing the assignments with the kids.

For example, instead of asking them to write for 5 minutes while I go check my emails, I am writing for 5 minutes with them, with pencil and paper. I am finding that the kids are more receptive (duh) when I'm working along side them and actively participating. Instead of asking them to read a book, I read it out loud. My son (7) is a reluctant reader. He can read very well, but he's not interested in sitting still to read a novel. But if the whole family sits together to read a book out loud, he's willing to snuggle under a blanket and listen for a long time.

This year, I've also begun reading poetry to the kids. We have started with Shel Silverstein. The greatest thing has happened. While I read, the kids are jumping in to read the poems too. They take turns with me, reading different poems throughout the book. My son's body squirms with delight as he reads a poem out loud. My daughter (10), who can read a novel or two a day, is forced to slow down while she reads out loud. I've read that reading out loud can help a fast reader slow down and absorb more of the grammar and spelling (of course, this may not help as we're reading poems that defy grammar and traditional spellings!) I'm still excited, as the two of them look forward to reading time now that it is often a group effort.

Somewhere else I am trying to actively participate is when we do anything artsy. I often have a specific idea in my head that I want the kids to create.  Just as often, they have their own artistic voice they want to explore. When my idea doesn't match their idea, I go nuts. I am the mom who says, "but wouldn't it be better if the sky were blue?" or, "what if you tried coloring inside the lines next time?" I hate it as I do it, but I can't sem to stop myself.

The solution has been so simple, I'm bummed I didn't make the realization sooner. Now, when I have an idea, I complete that idea alongside my kids, while they do their own thing. This way, I get to see my idea through to fruition and my kids are allowed to do whatever their creative minds want to do without my nagging voice. I do hope that I never give the message that my art is "better" or "right" but that it's just another interpretation of the task at hand.

My daughter's representation of how many connections neurons can make:

And my son's representation. He is definitely the generation of initialisms and emoticons LOL :)

Sharing Knowledge

Another thing I am loving about homeschooling, is the fact that peers are not necessarily learning the same things at the same time. Each family is making their own decision on what to learn and when. So, when peers get together, they are able to share their knowledge with each other. Each peer brings something new to the relationship enabling each to take turns being a teacher or a student.

One morning, while we were playing at a nearby park with friends, the daughter of the other family spotted owl pellets. We had seen them before on a tour, but never really touched them, opened one or anything more than just see them. To be honest, it looked like a dust ball or small tumble weed, but our friend knew instantly what they were.

The kids immediately found sticks to pry the pellets open and find what was inside. The two oldest kids were able to identify the different bones inside and got a good idea of the size of the animal the owl had eaten.

Just a few days before, we had seen actual teeth of a beaver, where parts were ivory and parts were orange. This helped us to identify the teeth of the animal found in one of the pellets. I love how each field trip seems to link to something else we do. It makes it "real" for the kids and they are able to connect to what they are learning.