So the past few days I have really focused on "sneaky learning". I have even "tricked" Rylee into doing multi step math! ("Mom, what is 4 days less than 2 weeks?" "Well, how many days are in 2 weeks?" "I don't know" "How many are in a week?" "7" What is 7 doubled? Or 7 times 2? Or 7 plus 7?" "14" Ok, now what is 4 less than 14?" "I don't know, I asked you." "I think you've got this... write it down if you need to." and I walked away, by the way I just realized she is trying to figure out how many days till Girl Scouts starts back up!). I have enjoyed it a lot... but it also feels like lots of work and most of the time I don't feel that smart, and worry that I couldn't keep this going very long or keep them somehow expanding their minds. Today this lead me to looking on the mothering.com messageboard for unschooling and the topic of Project-Based Homeschooling was brought up. I really like the idea of this and think my kids might too. This week (and for the next 2 weeks) I can not afford to buy the book, and really I'm not sure I need or want to... I'm pretty good at figuring out things on my own. Anyway, I'm just curious if anyone here does PBH and how it's working for them. I'm also curious if anyone here is actively unschooling their kids (esp grades above 1st) and if this is something that can be done by a family of homebodies. What do your kids do all day? Do you encourage them or give them "assignments"? I mean, I know what "radical unschooling" is supposed to be like I think and I have read all about "strewing"... but right now I feel lost a bit.
My oldest is in 4th and we are still unschooling (despite all my plans to be more structured each year) He did testing last year and he did fine, though it was soooo boring (we did online testing and it was timed) I'm 36 and was bored to tears by the end (sat next to him and watched), so I told him to not even read the questions anymore and just pick a random answer Bwahahaha (we don't have to turn our testing in-it means nothing to me, it's simply a legal requirement I have to fill) but I will say each section his score got lower, it has nothing to do with his knowing the material, simply the test being soooo boring... After 2 years in PS the kid didn't want to see a book. He'd burst into tears if *I* got a book to read TO him. At some point in time he has taught himself how to read. (of course I did work on the basics of phonics with him) But now, he can read whatever flashes up on the screen when watching tv (this tells me he can read faster than he does with a read aloud, which makes him nervous and he stumbles over his words a lot) Anyway, we are not radical unschoolers. I actually put up a 'typical day' post a few days ago if you care to see how our day goes and what my kids do. http://www.therubynotebook.com/a-day-in-the-life/ I do guide my kids. I do introduce them to topics I think they will like or find interesting. I don't force to the point of tears (no one learns when they are so stressed they are crying) I don't feel I need to follow a curriculum to avoid gaps or holes (everyone has those anyway) I encourage them to be creative. I encourage them to ask questions. I encourage them to find answers. I've never heard of 'project based homeschooling' but we have done unit studies that are of interest to my kids. This year my oldest chose reptiles and amphibians and my youngest chose the 50 states. Plus we're going to be making a lapbook/notebook we're calling "The Estest" full of facts about the biggest, fastest, smallest, tallest, & bestest! LOL (Because my oldest always asks questions when he learns about something "well what's the biggest snake?" or "What's the fastest car?")
It's not a schedule. I really have tried schedules. They simply don't work for us. Caring for elderly parents while homeschooling 2 boys and a hubby who works night demands extreme flexibility! LOL I hope to put up one of those "day in the life" posts every couple of weeks...maybe I'll do another one tomorrow... I think I forgot to add, we're homebodies too. Finances demand it but I do try to do at least one field trip each month (though some months it's simply hiking through some woods & wading in a river and learning about our surroundings as we do so) For us, we simply try to seize the opportunities for learning. Catch a bug, study the bug. Go for a walk, identify something on that walk and study it. Make kids do real life math as it comes up, and it does come up. Allow only education TV (or only educational TV M-F or during 'school hours') If my kids find and interest in something, I find a coloring page, game, project, book, SOMETHING to go with their interest. It isn't always easy...but it's usually doable.
Thanks Josie, I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do. Right now we are covering reading and math and doing other language arts things "organically".
That's my chosen approach. My son loves to work with tools. My aunt got him a kids' tool set for Christmas last year. And I mean real tools, not toys. It's a nine-piece set for ages four and up, and the intent is for them to be used under close supervision. So we're going to set up a workbench for him, and let him build stuff. As for structured learning, we're going to focus mainly on reading, writing, and math, because those are what constitute the college entrance exams, but any other learning is going to be Michael-directed.
What is Project Based Homeschool? Is there a link. I am very interested in discovering new ideas since we just started.
There is a book someone wrote about it, but really a google search will teach you everything you would need to get a basic idea of it.
