Andrea’s having an icon contest. Sounds like a fun opportunity to get creative and think about how “home education” can be represented in a really tiny format. I’m donating a signed copy of Tools of the Ancient Greeks: A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece as a prize.
Have fun!
I live in a place where sarongs are everywhere. I love the way they look and I’m learning all of the varied uses that these brightly colored swaths of fabric offer. So, I was exceptionally pleased to see this list of things you can do with a sarong over at Poppins Classical Academy. I especially like number 3 on the first list!
Years ago, before my family visited Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, we did much reading about the area. We learned that the lake was formed by a volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago; we learned that the lake is the clearest in the world, with visibility up to 70 feet; we even saw pictures of this gorgeous blue lake.
However, none of our research prepared us for cresting the top of the mountain and seeing the awesome sight of Crater Lake laid out below us for the first time. It is more incredible than we would have believed. Hiking down into the crater and actually touching the lake’s water allowed us to see the clarity we had read so much about.
The experience of visiting Crater Lake surpassed our expectations. No amount of reading or research could replace the knowledge we gained from actually being there.
Not too long ago, during a conversation about water clarity, B was able to remind E that Crater Lake was the clearest in the world as well the seventh deepest lake in the world. Would he have remembered this if we had simply read those facts? I can’t say for sure, but I think that because he has a physical memory to attach to the learning, it becomes easier to retrieve the knowledge he acquired.
The theory of experiential learning can be applied in other areas as well; A child who has observed a caterpillar transform into a chrysalis, then emerge as a butterfly has a much clearer understanding of metamorphosis than a child who has only read about it in a book. Actually planting a seed, watching it grow, flower and reproduce more seeds provides the opportunity to know and understand the life cycle of a plant. This is a very different experience than looking at a poster showing the same concept.
Naturally, children learn by doing from a very young age. A toddler’s understanding of the world begins with experiments. Dropping toys from the edge of the high chair, and then hanging over the edge to see where it has gone is a favorite of young children; as parents, we know that this is part of the learning process for them. As our children continue to grow and learn, more of these opportunities present themselves; they learn that pouring water over themselves results in a wet child, dumping over the bowl of food means the food falls out and hitting the baby over the head with a piece of train track causes tears. These are all examples of early experiential learning.
There is no reason to eliminate hands-on learning, just because our children reach school age. As parents, we have the opportunity to supplement our children’s lessons with experiential learning on a daily basis. Learning by doing creates a deeper understanding of a topic or situation, regardless of age. Even most adults will agree that in order to learn to do a task well, they prefer to actually do the work, rather than receive verbal instruction.
A child with an awareness of their surroundings will have certain expectations; if those expectations are not met, the next logical step is to wonder “why?” This is the beginning of true learning. For instance, the child who gained an understanding of plant life by growing a seed may wonder “why?” the first time she fails to sprout a seed. Was it too hot? Was it too cold? Not enough water? Too much? Did that snowstorm in July have any impact?
Analyzing an event that has some significance to a child demonstrates to them that the knowledge they have can help them to understand even more. It is our job, as parents, to provide opportunities for this kind of learning to take place.
By allowing our kids to participate in real life adventures, we encourage a deeper understanding of the world around us. Whether it’s in our own backyard or on a family vacation, offering hands-on learning opportunities gives our children the chance to understand a subject inside and out, upside and down.
Denise over at Let’s Play Math shares in this post many different ways to alter the traditional card game “War” to slip in a little math practice. Gather the kids, a deck of cards for each player and try out Addition War, Subtraction War, Product War or one of the other versions. My kids will love this!
This is the only beach of its kind on the island, and treasured by the local people. It’s not frequented by lots of visitors, simply because it’s difficult to reach and there are so many other – easier – beaches to get to. It’s a rough road in and only doable with four-wheel-drive. Since my van doesn’t fit into that category, we have to reach the beach on foot. It’s about a 2 ½ mile hike in, over dusty, dry red dirt. It’s a hot walk, but we think, worth the effort. At the bottom of the trail is a sign: PLEASE DO NOT TAKE SAND FROM THE BEACH. ~ the locals. A reasonable request, I think – it takes a lot to make sand and this is special sand.
There were a number of people there last weekend, all peacefully enjoying the beauty of the place. Watching the water (rough, rough waves that day) and the people, I spotted a family at one end of the beach, enjoying their vacation. They were a very nice looking family – the kind of family that you’d expect to see at an ice cream parlor, all smiles and happy to be eating ice cream together. I watched as the mom hurried across the beach to their stuff. She grabbed a Pringles container from her bag and ran back. I thought perhaps they were going to build a sand castle. Nope. She scooped up some sand in the container, put the lid on, ran back to her bag, hid it inside and rejoined her family. Fifteen minutes later, a daughter ran across the beach and returned with zip top baggies. Three of them. The family proceeded to work together to fill the three bags with sand. Daughter headed back to the family picnic area, this time empty handed (by now I’m watching this with my mouth wide open). She returns to the family unit and hands mom a pair of shorts. Mom proceeds to hide the bags of sand in the shorts’ pockets and carries the hidden loot over to their bag and places the Ziplocs of sand into her carrying bag.
These people clearly KNEW that they were not supposed to take the sand because they were so sneaky about it. They willingly ignored the wishes of the local people so that they could have a nice souvenir to bring home. And they were involving their three teenaged daughters in their deceitfulness. I’m certain that in future years these parents will be shocked to learn that –gasp!- their children lied to them about things.
Frankly, I understand the desire to have some of this unusual sand – I’d love to have some! – but I would never steal the sand in order to fulfill a selfish desire. And I’d certainly never set such a poor example for my kids. I’m no model of perfection, but this is pure and simple wrongdoing! It may not be an official law, but it is a matter of respect to honor the wishes of the local people when it comes to caring for the land.
If I had been there alone (i.e., not with my husband and an out of town visitor, both of whom would have been horrified if I got involved) I would have said something to them, but I didn’t. I cursed myself for not doing so all the way back to the car. My husband consoled me by reminding me that Pele (Hawaii’s Volcano Goddess) would take care of it. Hawaiian legend says that anyone who removes lava (and I’m thinking sand from lava) from it’s rightful place on the island will have bad luck. People have even been known to mail lava back to the islands after a vacation!
Driving out from the beach, we passed the sand stealers. They had run out of gas. You go, Pele!
I have a new article out in the June issue of FamilyFun. Check page 114 for some “After Dinner Games”.
If the colleges were better, if they really had it, you would need to get the police at the gates to keep order in the inrushing multitude. See in college how we thwart the natural love of learning by leaving the natural method of teaching what each wishes to learn, and insisting that you shall learn what you have no taste or capacity for. The college, which should be a place of delightful labor, is made odious and unhealthy, and the young men are tempted to frivolous amusements to rally their jaded spirits. I would have the studies elective. Scholarship is to be created not by compulsion, but by awakening a pure interest in knowledge. The wise instructor accomplishes this by opening to his pupils precisely the attractions the study has for himself. The marking is a system for schools, not for the college; for boys, not for men; and it is an ungracious work to put on a professor.
~~Ralph Waldo Emerson
From a NYT article, The Gilded Age of Homeschooling:
In what is an elite tweak on home schooling — and a throwback to the gilded days of education by governess or tutor — growing numbers of families are choosing the ultimate in private school: hiring teachers to educate their children in their own homes.
Unlike the more familiar home-schoolers of recent years, these families are not trying to get more religion into their children’s lives, or escape what some consider the tyranny of the government’s hand in schools. In fact, many say they have no argument with ordinary education — it just does not fit their lifestyles.
Except for four days out of the past month, I’ve had an extra person in my house. Two different people, yes, but extra nonetheless. I have cooked for them, decent if not entirely lovely, awe-inspiring meals. I am a cook from scratch person. I don’t do convenience foods, for a number of reasons, but probably mostly because I was raised by a cook from scratch mom. Except, of course, on various driving trips when we make a much enjoyed pilgrimage to Taco Bell. I’m not above scarfing down some crunchy tacos to fill my belly.
Tonight, we sent our latest visitor on the wing. I stopped at Costco earlier this afternoon and picked up a pizza and some chicken bakes. They are now in the oven warming up in time for dinner. If I am feeling really inspired, I may toss a green salad. If not, that’s the way it goes, folks. I’m exhausted!
