Homeschooling the Lazy Way

If you take a tour of the homeschooling internet community, you can't fail to be impressed and inspired. In fact, a brief look at what others were achieving at home, was enough to confirm me in my decision to abandon our elaborately structured curriculum in favour of unschooling. Creativeness seems to be a by-word for homeschooling and unschooling, in particular. Science, art, craft, history, geography - all these subjects are being taught and learnt with imagination and flair.

Though inspired and encouraged by these beautiful blogs, I no longer have the time nor the inclination to devote my energy to such projects as these, which require a lot of adult supervision. With greater demands on my time, these days, I find that I am less involved in craft and science activities than I was when our older children were young. 

But, that's okay. I have also discovered that there are different benefits to be gained by stepping back and allowing the little ones to direct their own activities. My experience has taught me that great creativity, initiative and self-confidence is possible when allowing the children freedom to explore, uninhibited by adult expectations or interference. One reason for this is that adults create using adult skills and I have found that my children are prone to discouragement if their own creations are inferior to mine, or if they are prevented from exploring their own ideas.

Yesterday, I bought the girls a $2 paper flower-making kit from the discount store. Left to their own devices, they quickly discarded the templates and the instructions, prefering to create their designs from their own imaginations. The thinking skills to do this were, I think, superior to the skills required to follow my preconceived ideas of what was 'right' or to merely copy from a set of instructions. Although I can see the benefits of learning by imitation and, also, the benefits of learning to follow instructions, I believe there is an important place in homeschooling for 'masterly inactivity' (as Charlotte Mason would have put it).

Equally rewarding was our reading session, yesterday - a further example of 'lazy' homeschooling. Having just bought a new 'Creation' magazine, I wasn't really in the right mindset for a read-aloud session. So, we brought our own books to the table, at morning teatime, and we, once again, did our own thing. As it turned out, the articles on reversing the ageing process and evolution were so fascinating that we all ended up sharing my reading and an interesting learning experience ensued.

So, I guess what I'm reflecting on, at the moment, is that homeschooling doesn't need to be hard work. The 'lazy' method has its own benefits, which, though not immediately obvious, may actually contribute significantly to their education and their character formation.

Wet weather homeschooling

Yesterday, we experienced some 'extreme' weather conditions - torrential rain, hail and, most unusual, a mini tornado off the coast, just 20 minutes from here. We live in a flood-prone area so, when faced with these conditions, we tend to stock up on bread and milk, race home and stay home, in case our home gets cut off by flood waters. Four years ago, we experienced our worst flood, when our backyard creek burst its banks.

The picture above was the view from our back door and the view, at the front door, was not much different. From our lounge, we watched, helpless, as a car became submerged after mis-judging the depth of water over the road. Cut-off, as we were, all we could do was phone the emergency services and pray the Rosary - fortunately, the father and daughter occupants were saved from being swept out to sea, when their car crashed into a metal barrier. They sat on the roof of their car for half a hour, before being rescued by boat.

Although we weren't unschoolers, at that time, we did recognise the eductional value of such an experience. We learnt the dangers of flash flooding - how quickly flood waters rise and how rapid is the current when the waters suddenly break the banks. We also learnt how dramatically extreme weather can impact the environment. In the course of one afternoon, the creek was changed beyond recognition - the creek bed dropped by almost one metre, we lost our little sandy beach and, sadly, the erosion caused many beautiful trees to begin falling into the creek. Lessons in rejuvenation followed as nature renewed itself and we began our own restoration work, replanting to prevent further erosion and rebuilding the bridge which had subsided and was threatening to collapse where the bank had been washed away. I often use these dramatic changes to discuss with the children how secular theories of our earth gradually developing over millions of years are mere assumptions.

On a more personal level, we learnt about our own tendencies towards materialism. Being without power for 2 or 3 days gave us the opportunity to examine our dependence upon modern conveniences and comforts which we take for granted. We had to buy ice to keep the milk cold and the washing grew into worrying mounds, in the laundry. For the first time, I yearned for a mangle and a cow! And, I got an insight into how liberating the state of self-sufficiency might be. The children may not have followed my way of thinking, however, judging by the whoops of delight when the power was eventually restored and the mass rush on every available electrical appliance. Now, they had discovered how insecure was the source of their electrical comfort, they seemed to develop  a panic buying mentality!

This morning's weather is more of the same. The garden is out of bounds and the roads around here are gradually becoming impassable, but we don't expect a repeat of four years ago. A lot of clearing work has been done to the creek, since then, to allow the water to flow out to sea more easily. We'll dash out to take the older girls to the train station, soon, and, then, we'll cosy up with books, craft and some yummy morning tea. It  should be a good day for learning.

This is the week that was

At the end of each week, I have planned to do a weekly wrap-up. This is despite the fact that I have supposedly given up on planning since I started unschooling:D Anyway, we'll see whether it proves fruitful or not.

Before I begin, I warn anyone who reads this that it won't be an entertaining blog post;). I could try to make it entertaining but a) it's the end of the week, b) it's the end of the day at the end of the week and c) who am I trying to impress anyway? This is unschooling - ie. it's for the kids' benefit, not for the sake of looking good for others.So, here it is in plain, old, unadorned, boring English-

Cameron - Year 11
Cameron organised himself to do maths, Latin, reading and writing, all week. He's not too fussed about unschooling - he's too used to structure - so he's really carrying on as before, but without a formal plan to follow.

This week, he got 100% in an online maths assignment and he's been reading a lot, including The Old Curiosity Shop (Charles Dickens) and non-fiction books on various subjects. He's done writing assignments of his own choosing, researched his interests on the computer and has continued reading from the old readers that we have. We've also talked a lot about current affairs and he's been very active in the garden. His soccer team played two games, on the weekend - they lost one and drew the other, which is a bit disappointing for him given their great winning streak, at the start of the season.

Adam - Year 8
Adam is a natural unschooler. He hates being organised and dislikes formal work, although he finds the work pretty easy. Apparently, he did some maths, some reading, watched some documentaries and 'can't remember what else he did.' After I've wrung the information out of him, I'll add it to our list (sigh). I feel I ought to know what he did because he's been at my elbow, talking ten to the dozen, for practically the whole week:P

Bethany - Year 5
Bethany has been writing her blog posts, which is improving her spelling and grammer, and also giving her a social interest. She has spent much of the week doing sewing and crafts. She learnt how to use the sewing machine on her own and made two cushions. She, also, made playdough, did some baking and is sewing a rag doll. Both Bethany and Melanie played Boggle, which is a word game that is helping their spelling. For maths and grammer, Bethany used an online program called Studyladder.

Today, we were visited by our homeschooling friends who showed us how to make an animated movie on the computer. Bethany and Gemma made a movie called 'A Toucan's Wedding.' They used dolls to take photos which were moved slightly with every shot to make a movie. They, then, dubbed their voices over the action. It was quite entertaining and they obviously had a lot of fun making it.

Melanie - Year 2
Melanie did much the same as Bethany, except for the sewing. Instead, she drew a lot of life drawings and played with her dolls. She is using the same online programs as Bethany.

Oh, I almost forgot about the time we spent outside, exploring, feeding the animals, getting exercise and, generally, enjoying the sunny, autumn days. We, also, had a library visit which resulted in lots of good reading for us all.

So, there it is. There's probably much more to record in the discussions we've had, the documentaries we've watched and the educational play but, as I'm new to this unschooling way of teaching, I'm still learning to see the value in all that we do.

Next week, we'll be more organised (now, why do I get the feeling that that's going to be the way I finish all my weekly wrap-ups?)

Who's Teaching Who?

When I first began to homeschool, I had a rather inflated opinion of my own importance as my children's teacher. The belief that their academic, spiritual and mental future rested solely on my teaching abilities meant that the weight of responsibility, at times, seemed quite burdensome. Fortunately, I began to see that other influences, besides mine, had their own significant impact on my children's formation, and the children themselves were far more effective at teaching themselves than I had ever been. Eventually, this led me towards unschooling.

The path towards this method of child-centred learning was full of discoveries, not least the revelation that, as teacher, I was often also the student. On an academic level, I began to learn Latin for the first time, alongside my children. I improved my grammer, French and Spanish. I refreshed my memory of maths and geography, and I explored history more extensively and intensively than I had ever been able to do at school. My understanding of the world and the purpose of  our lives began to deepen, as the different pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fell into place with our holistic style of learning.

Like the children, I enjoyed the fun stuff most. I felt a huge satisfaction from the domestic crafts which we learnt together. Often, I would take the learning to a level beyond their capabilities, but that was okay. They were never expected to sew, knit or draw to standards expected of an adult. They learnt at their pace and were satisfied by the fact that my new skills usually resulted in a new smocked dress or knitted jumper for them!

But, if it was a surprise to find myself as fellow student alongside my children, it was even more of a revelation to find myself student to their teaching! When I sent my eldest daughter, Megan, to piano lessons, she was fulfilling a dream which I had secretly harboured since childhood. As she progressed with her teacher, we upgraded the piano, bought countless books on technique and theory, and I began to research into self-instruction for myself. Megan, with her superior skills, became my teacher and I enjoyed being the student as I finally began to indulge my own love of music.

Even more dear to my heart is our experience of learning to swim. As a child, I had developed a chronic fear of water. The merest whiff of chlorine would make me feel sick to the stomach - which is a rather sad (and unusual) state of being when surrounded by the glorious Australian weather and golden beaches! It wasn't until I observed my children overcoming their own fears at swimming lessons that I realised that my fears were not only normal but conquerable. And, that is how, once again, Megan became my teacher. She repeatedly threw diving toys to the bottom of the pool, explained to me how to breathe correctly and encouraged me to rise above my phobia. It was the most exciting achievement to doggie paddle across the length of the pool in my very first lesson! And, the novelty has still not worn off, eight years later. These days, I love to swim 50 laps of our own backyard pool as my daily summer exercise.

So, I guess you could say we have all learnt in abundance during our years of homeschooling, me as much, and sometimes more, than my children. And, the most important lesson? Probably, that we are all teachers and we are all students, at different times and in different ways. 

Unschooling Discoveries and Rogue Cockatoos!

One of the biggest benefits of starting to unschool has been the time it has given us to enjoy new discoveries and explorations.  Our old system used to keep us tied to the house, for most of the day, more often than not trying to catch up on our failing schedules. So, this afternoon, having the luxury of free time, I decided to take Sue's advice from her post on Looking and Seeing. I simply took the children out to the backyard to really look and see what we've been taking for granted. And I wasn't disappointed - not in the many delights our yard had to offer nor in the effectiveness of this unschooling way of learning.

 In the space of half an hour, we fed a horse, searched for broken tiles among some fill in an old swamp, fed the chickens, examined a one hundred-year-old plough, played ball, slid down the slippery dip (well, the kids did, not me!:D), balanced along an unfinished log bridge, discovered new buds (already!), studied a weir, looked for ripening fruit and chatted while we strolled around the billabongs. We are blessed with a lovely yard and, yet, we've spent far too much time indoors. Our new unschool lifestyle is going to remedy that.

 And, the experience wasn't finished when we finally did venture back inside. True to our new unschooling principles, we kept discussing and pondering our experience, with further research on the computer. And the big question for Google? Why are cockatoos so destructive? Our little walk had revealed to us the sad sight of our winter citrus fruit, torn apart and utterly destroyed, scattered around our growing orchard. This is only the third season since their planting, so we were excited by the thought of a small, but tasty harvest. So, what was the reason for this seemingly mindless destruction?

Cockatoos are known for their frenzied attacks on trees, foliage and, even, houses! They form flocks of up to a hundred birds and, often, attack the same tree or property repeatedly. During our research, we came across a family whose house was the object of frequent, savage attacks by these intelligent birds. It was only after covering the entire house with white netting that the birds finally departed (apparently, cockies don't like the colour white) - but, they left only to attack the neighbouring properties, instead! Our own property has seen the same trees stripped bare year after year by, presumably, the same rogue bunch of pests.

Several theories were proposed to explain the purpose of these destructive episodes. Boredom, teeth sharpening, hunting for grubs, nest protection and juvenile behaviour were all suggested as possible reasons for the otherwise inexplicable behaviour. Most attacks occur, during the nesting season, in early spring, or when the young birds leave the nest, in late summer. Our attack occurred in late autumn, so our only conclusion is that the juvenile delinquents have become habitual, repeat offenders!

Further interesting facts were that cockatoos were rare, in Sydney and along the coast, until about 50 years ago, and, despite their current burgeoning numbers, they are still a protected species. Several theories were presented for their sudden boom in popularity, the most probable being that drought conditions in the west and the hospitable presence of humans had initiated their migration. 

We finished our 'lesson' with a look at a youtube video about a flock of cockies attacking a poor, defenceless possum. This actually linked up with an experience we had on Saturday, when we tried to save a sick possum which, sadly, died in our arms:-(

This was only a small part of our day. The other hours of the day were equally full of rich experience - Mass, a library visit, online maths, writing (the kids' blogs), spelling (with the Boggle game and a dictionary), geography reading, other reading, cupcakes baking and, probably, more that I didn't notice were how the kids chose to spend their day. 

 A satisfying day of unschooling! (Who needs a classroom to do school?!;-) 

Ideas for Blogging and Record-keeping

Our old lesson plans

I really love making lists and planning. That's why I used to enjoy researching and writing up schedules for each of our children's schoolwork. Each term, I would present them with a colourful booklet of lesson plans which they would all anticipate with enthusiasm. However, that enthusiasm would inevitably wane as the weeks  progressed and, when I found that the lesson plans were abandoned after just one week of term, I finally had to admit that I was wasting my time.

After a good deal of pondering, I realised that the best aspects of our old methods could be incorporated into unschooling. Instead of creating lesson plans before the start of term, I could now create a journal of our learning as we experience it. The computer really opens up the creative possibilities in a way that even a beautifully bound notebook and a lovely ink pen couldn't. With good ideas and a bit of effort, I think it is possible to create a lasting keepsake that, at some stage, can be printed and bound into a family album.

With this in mind, I came up with the following ideas (remembering that this is a list of what we might try and ideas for strewing, rather than a schedule of what we will do - I think we would have to give up sleeping to achieve everything on this list!).

Religion: a section for prayers, saints' biographies, Mass readings, church news, intercessions, links, etc
Art & craft: photos and posts showing kids' projects, links to videos & other useful sites
Nature study: facts we discover, photos, drawings
Excursions: photos, journal write-ups, planning information
Reading: mini reviews, insights, discussions, list of books read
Learning to read: new words, record activities, video reading aloud, note books read
Handwriting: scans, photos of handwriting skills
Recipes: menu planning, photos of favourite recipes, etc
Exercise, nutrition & fitness: fitness journal, photos, general information learnt
Hobbies: showcase projects, instructions for creating projects, links, sharing of ideas
Shakespeare, Dickens, other classics: record thoughts & discussions, share ideas & insights through posts and comments
Books & movies: section for list of favourites
Family magazine: maybe, once a week, children post an article which can be printed in a once-a-term magazine
Languages: written contributions in a foreign language, foreign language songs & poems with translations, links to useful sites
Latin: links to Cambridge Latin site, research into history, etc
Poetry: record of favourites & classics, post children's own poetry
Geography: links to good sites, facts discovered, record of DVDs watched
Science: record of experiments, new facts & discoveries, photos of activities, links
History: history paper dolls, facts, creative writing, include videos of role enactments & plays
Music: record of progress, photos of latest sheet music and playing, videos of instrument playing, links to youtube videos, etc
Digital learning: include children's own photography & videos, record of computer work with possible examples, links to children's blogs
Games, plays, creative writing: record fun stuff with write-ups, videos & photos
Resource list: section for list of resources & links, etc
Children's own articles: on anything they choose - maybe, news articles, money-making ideas, hobbies, etc

I'm hopeful that this type of recording will avoid the need to present piles of bookwork to the school board at registration time - the type of school work which we would do only for the sake of impressing others.

I also think there are some things we could do with other homeschoolers - a book club, for example, where families, who want to read the same book or Shakespeare play, could post and comment on thoughts and insights to share ideas.

No doubt we will find some things don't work and we will have new ideas, perhaps picking up on the ideas of other people and benefitting from their experience. But, this is a start and, if enthusiasm is any indicator, it should be a good term!

Beginning Blogging

Our family had been homeschooling for 15 years when the idea of blogging a journal of our family life was presented to me by my sister, Sue, who is also a Catholic homeschooling blogger. At first, I pondered her suggestion and reflected on the purpose of blogging, in general. The more I thought, the more obvious were  the creative possibilities and practical benefits of such an undertaking.

I am hoping this homeschooling blog will grow into a family keepsake of our children's growing years and, also, provide us with a full and creative means of recording our progress for our documentation requirements. I'm expecting, too, that it will help me to develop new ideas and find direction as we learn more and adapt to each new stage.

Over the years, we have read about and tried almost every homeschooling method available. Each was useful, at the time, and added to our experience, but we are now on our most settled and rewarding path, yet. Wisdom came in observing the progress of our two university-aged daughters and analysing the elements of our homeschooling curriculum which had served them best. Ironically, it wasn't my carefully prepared  lesson plans or any sophisticated teaching methods which had best provided for their eduational needs. Instead, it was the periods of inactivity, when we were suffering from burnout, and their own self-initiated reading, etc, which had given them their best learning.

So, now we unschool. That is, we follow the interests of our children, without imposing upon them the type of structured learning which looks good for the records, but benefits them little or not at all. It is still early days though, as I say, we have had periods of this type of learning before and our more structured times have taught us valuable lessons which are helping us on this journey.

This blog will take over the record-keeping aspects of our lesson plans and help us to stay on track with our progress and development. I hope it will also provide an album of memories for us, a way of staying in touch with our family and a means of, maybe, making new friends who may relate in some way to what they read here in our posts. Of course, our daily lives and all we achieve in them are grounded in our Catholic faith and it is my hope that this blog will help us to focus on that faith and to follow more perfectly God's will for us in our everyday lives.

(For more of our creativity, please visit my art blog or my art website)

Portrait of Joel Day 11 - Depicting Personality

 

Sloooooooow progress! But, that's okay - no deadline for this project. Except that I'm itching to do some illustrating after this. I usually try to be quite disciplined about finishing one project before starting another as I like to have finished pictures to show for all the hard work, so, while I have plenty of ideas swimming around for the next project, I am still intent on plodding along with this one.

I love little details, like this juice carton, which will create a bit of interest and 'wow factor' if rendered realistically. At the moment, it looks a little artificial but, once it is anchored to its background, it will look a lot more realistic.

 

Now, for the personal appraisal - Joel was a bit worried, in this photo. He knew he was supposed to be posing and he was trying to take it all very seriously. But, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted some magpies swooping down on our picnic (horrible birds - they can be quite frightening). Meanwhile, I was shooting away with the camera and trying to allay his fears. Does his face show his apprehension as well as his sense of duty? I hope so. As far as the rest of his personality goes - his cheekiness, his energy and his affectionate nature - I think they have all been suppressed by his increasing uneasiness with his surroundings!