Reflecting today with other home ed parents at just how wildly different this lifestyle choice is.
Its not so surprising that our choice to unschool has led us down a path where complete transformation awaits us! Take out the 8am crush and 3pm melt down (I know it wasn't that bad every day! I'm paraphrasing) and what do you get? A space for new boundary setting within the relationships, a new trust where choice is rekindled, a new rhythm to the day, week, month, year. A setup that can morph, adapt and weave in new needs as required. An environment where listening to the changing needs of growing and developing bairns is unavoidable!
In this house it has become a regular request of one or another to say "Parle!" (parlay!) meaning 'I've Got Something To Say!' and we're learning to get the talking stick out and listen to each other.
Where we as parents are choosing to balance mental intelligence with emotional intelligence, self awareness and social awareness within our every day experience and whilst it can seem the strangest thing, for me the biggest revolution has been that we are simply doing this together. They are still so small and I feel a hundred times better in my own wellbeing to feel them under my wing. Not saying that wing's perfect but its mine, and I'm Mum.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Letting Go (Again!)
So the process of letting go control is still happening. A friend who has home schooled since the beginning with her 4 boys says that for families who leave school (as opposed to those who never try school) its as much the parents who are deschooling as the children.
I really agree with this. I've returned to the art of 'strewing' (only recently found our there is a word for it!) which is leaving things around and about that the kids may or may not find interesting, useful, inspiring, springboard them off into an interest..
I find it challenging at the moment to let go of my expectations of what might happen. Each day I am finding more and more that the process of learning is like building blocks, where pathways are laid, weeks (months,years) may pass before that area is returned to to lay foundations or build. Or a whole storey may be built in a day.
http://sandradodd.com/life
for inspiring heartening reminders on unschooling
No matter how much theory I learned as a trainee teacher, its being with my own kids that is showing me this. And this learning in partnership is where I feel we are fitting into the unschooling model where all of life is seen as a learning experience for adults and children alike.
I really agree with this. I've returned to the art of 'strewing' (only recently found our there is a word for it!) which is leaving things around and about that the kids may or may not find interesting, useful, inspiring, springboard them off into an interest..
I find it challenging at the moment to let go of my expectations of what might happen. Each day I am finding more and more that the process of learning is like building blocks, where pathways are laid, weeks (months,years) may pass before that area is returned to to lay foundations or build. Or a whole storey may be built in a day.
http://sandradodd.com/life
for inspiring heartening reminders on unschooling
No matter how much theory I learned as a trainee teacher, its being with my own kids that is showing me this. And this learning in partnership is where I feel we are fitting into the unschooling model where all of life is seen as a learning experience for adults and children alike.
Love this reminder
This is a daily free enewsletters I get - often the words are very helpful for where my experience is...
THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/
www.enjoyparenting.com/
:: No Regrets ::
As you progress and become a wiser parent, you may at
times feel regret that you didn't "know better" when
your children were younger. You may even feel guilty
for "damaging" them. If so, let Mother Nature inspire
you to a more hopeful perspective.
Have you ever explored a wild forest and appreciated
the awesome way in which Life springs forth from the
chaos? Then you know Mother Nature never regrets. She
learns as she goes and always makes the best of things
as they are. She never looks back.
When a tree takes root in the shadows, Mother Nature
doesn't regret giving it a "sub-optimum" start in
life. She trusts it will bend toward the Light and
find a way to thrive. And in doing so, the tree
creates its own unique beauty.
She knows that no storm, flood, or fire can stop the
endless Flow of Life through her children.
http://dailygroove.net/no-
Take the next step...
Join the PATH Program:
http://www.enjoyparenting.com/
Get "The Daily Groove" BOOK!
http://www.enjoyparenting.com/
Share this groove on...
(Please include this paragraph and everything above.)
Copyright (c) 2012 by Scott Noelle
PATH Program members: See WHAT'S NEW
"Inspiration & Coaching for Progressive Parents"http://www.ScottNoelle.com
http://www.EnjoyParenting.com
PO Box 19901
Portland, OR 97280
USA
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Food Glorious Food!
There are a few things that come up under this heading for us making the transition from school to home ed.
We find our kids are affected by the kinds of food they eat and the environment around them while they are eating. I always found packed lunches hard as we have never really done the sandwiches thing, not more than once a week really. Often I would pick the children up and find that very little had been eaten of their lunch. Our preference was hot dinners but these were still heavy on the meat/wheat/dairy/sugar intake in comparison to our diet at home.
We qualified for free school dinners for the last year or so before we left, and this added up to £80 per month for both children! Great service! Financially it may have impacted us, now being responsible for those meals at home, but it adds to the long list of empowering factors about home ed, because now the children are involved in planning and preparing meals, there is a high portion of organic and local ingredients. They and us can play a deciding role in whether they eat sugary puddings or not which means we can be ready for the sugar low if it comes.
We find our kids are affected by the kinds of food they eat and the environment around them while they are eating. I always found packed lunches hard as we have never really done the sandwiches thing, not more than once a week really. Often I would pick the children up and find that very little had been eaten of their lunch. Our preference was hot dinners but these were still heavy on the meat/wheat/dairy/sugar intake in comparison to our diet at home.
We qualified for free school dinners for the last year or so before we left, and this added up to £80 per month for both children! Great service! Financially it may have impacted us, now being responsible for those meals at home, but it adds to the long list of empowering factors about home ed, because now the children are involved in planning and preparing meals, there is a high portion of organic and local ingredients. They and us can play a deciding role in whether they eat sugary puddings or not which means we can be ready for the sugar low if it comes.
Sunday, 11 March 2012
If I find it boring, I can bet the kids will
I've been flicking through some resources today, memories of activities I did at school that light a candle somewhere in my head. But worksheets man...
As a young newly qualified teacher I gained some satisfaction from the setting out of a new worksheet. I'm a bit of a stationary fan, and I enjoy making it look just right. It was a way that I could take info from several workbooks and frame the lesson around the best of the books. This was great for classes of 30. But I also found my soul falling asleep with these worksheets, with rote learning activities and with comprehension tests.
At home, these questions can be checked out while folding the washing, eating lunch or in the bath. I know that they know and spelling it out just isn't necessary.
And so now I'm choosing resources by that feeling in my heart. A "Woo-hoo - This looks/feels Good". Its not a head thing (is that because the kids are young I wonder, will it all get more 'serious' as they get older?) There's always an instinctive way to present and explore life together. And if it doesn't come, then wait for another moment :)
As a young newly qualified teacher I gained some satisfaction from the setting out of a new worksheet. I'm a bit of a stationary fan, and I enjoy making it look just right. It was a way that I could take info from several workbooks and frame the lesson around the best of the books. This was great for classes of 30. But I also found my soul falling asleep with these worksheets, with rote learning activities and with comprehension tests.
At home, these questions can be checked out while folding the washing, eating lunch or in the bath. I know that they know and spelling it out just isn't necessary.
And so now I'm choosing resources by that feeling in my heart. A "Woo-hoo - This looks/feels Good". Its not a head thing (is that because the kids are young I wonder, will it all get more 'serious' as they get older?) There's always an instinctive way to present and explore life together. And if it doesn't come, then wait for another moment :)
Thursday, 8 March 2012
mindful care and attention
A few things to say..
The resources I put together for the kids are carefully , lovingly made as I know some of the resources their teachers at school were put together. How wholesome that the materials that they learn with have been created with heart and inspiration that drops from the heavens, using my hands to express and materialise a concept or idea that might help them on their way.
I've picked up a guitar with purpose today, looking fwd to exercising these sleepy fingers into belting out some singalong songs that I hope to invite other kids along to.
Swimming lessons, being together, wondering where it will lead - the unknown of will they ever learn to swim under my guidance (!) (with the help of an usbourne book and other friends I talk it through with) and the thought that yes probably they will and how exciting it is to tread that path and to be a full part of a skill being grasped.
A sense of not wanting to meddle in their development. Simply answer the questions, allow inspiration to guide with any tools along the way, allow the wonderment of exploration and learning in every moment, prioritise it and trust in the unfolding.
If an idea is worth running with it will make itself known. Sometimes a subject is one question for now and won't be looked at for weeks, if ever again. Some seem ongoing, the ebb and flow as the child picks up however much they need right now and then lets it settle before reinforcing and carrying it forwards.
Thats all for now.
The resources I put together for the kids are carefully , lovingly made as I know some of the resources their teachers at school were put together. How wholesome that the materials that they learn with have been created with heart and inspiration that drops from the heavens, using my hands to express and materialise a concept or idea that might help them on their way.
I've picked up a guitar with purpose today, looking fwd to exercising these sleepy fingers into belting out some singalong songs that I hope to invite other kids along to.
Swimming lessons, being together, wondering where it will lead - the unknown of will they ever learn to swim under my guidance (!) (with the help of an usbourne book and other friends I talk it through with) and the thought that yes probably they will and how exciting it is to tread that path and to be a full part of a skill being grasped.
A sense of not wanting to meddle in their development. Simply answer the questions, allow inspiration to guide with any tools along the way, allow the wonderment of exploration and learning in every moment, prioritise it and trust in the unfolding.
If an idea is worth running with it will make itself known. Sometimes a subject is one question for now and won't be looked at for weeks, if ever again. Some seem ongoing, the ebb and flow as the child picks up however much they need right now and then lets it settle before reinforcing and carrying it forwards.
Thats all for now.
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Its about how we learn not what we learn!
Months have passed and I feel firmly both feet in our home ed lifestyle. It has been a coming home for me literally, claiming our children back and developing a new relationship as a family growing together.
I will chart a little about what each child has been up to on the other blog, but I have been increasingly aware that any linear developmental mapping is not easily achieved! We are building upon knowledge, understanding, skill bases that are changing every day. Our school day is not a fixed one, nor is it restricted to daytime. The freedom to notice just how each child develops is continuing to be a total joy. It is more of a fractal, ever moving onwards, backwards, sideways in an ebbing and flowing wave of life.
I can however record what we've been up to, just that lot of the learning is 'between the lines' so to speak.
Still learning how to balance all the needs within this new shape. I am alone for a few hours to address lots of thoughts/jobs that I have put off during the busy days! Hence the chance to write a little on this blog!
How wonderful would it be if accepting this fractal of movement within human experience became more understood? Letting ourselves be with our ebbs and flows, knowing that together we are that shape, not imperfections when we stray from a rigid 'norm' but simply part of an ever flowing biorhythm...
I will let my thoughts unfold (similarly accepting the randomness of my own thoughts/learnings/developings and not trying to pin them down), enjoying the witness that this blog allows.
Thanks for reading.
I will chart a little about what each child has been up to on the other blog, but I have been increasingly aware that any linear developmental mapping is not easily achieved! We are building upon knowledge, understanding, skill bases that are changing every day. Our school day is not a fixed one, nor is it restricted to daytime. The freedom to notice just how each child develops is continuing to be a total joy. It is more of a fractal, ever moving onwards, backwards, sideways in an ebbing and flowing wave of life.
I can however record what we've been up to, just that lot of the learning is 'between the lines' so to speak.
Still learning how to balance all the needs within this new shape. I am alone for a few hours to address lots of thoughts/jobs that I have put off during the busy days! Hence the chance to write a little on this blog!
How wonderful would it be if accepting this fractal of movement within human experience became more understood? Letting ourselves be with our ebbs and flows, knowing that together we are that shape, not imperfections when we stray from a rigid 'norm' but simply part of an ever flowing biorhythm...
I will let my thoughts unfold (similarly accepting the randomness of my own thoughts/learnings/developings and not trying to pin them down), enjoying the witness that this blog allows.
Thanks for reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)