Most math that comes to mind at the mentioned of the word is the computation drills endured daily in school. I did well in math, memorizing the "rules" and working the problem, but never really understanding the "why" behind the computation. Once I began homeschooling, I knew I wanted math to be applicable to daily life for my children. The big challenge for me was HOW.
Lots of research and time, brought me to unschooling mom2mom. Cooking, gardening, archery, shopping, timing, hiking, iPad games, and board/card games were things we were already doing that involved living math. Excited that we could expand on that I looked forward to more enjoyable moments.
In a second of weakness, I purchased Teaching Textbooks for the kids since they requested "computer math program." Within 2 months, both were very tired of the computation and repetitive drill. I can't say I blame them. The robotic voice and simple explanations left a lot to be desired. I know so many moms who love this program that I was sure we were doing it wrong when even my "people pleasing" daughter was ditching the lessons. But once my son explained, he enjoyed our math when it happened in real-life, I got the message loud and clear.
Another point of weakness fell upon me, when reading post from a homeschooling mom struggling to get her son to memorize his multiplication facts. Yikes! I was sure my children had not memorized the multiplication table or understood the point of the table. Fortunately, God knew me all to well. The same day while reading Learning All the Time, by John Holt, I came across the information on multiplication. He suggested posting a 10 X 10 grid with numbers 1 to 10 along the top and down the side somewhere convenient. Doing so, I told the kids there was no rush to fill in the grid. Naturally, within a day they had each filled in their individual grid. Most exciting was the conversation overheard on the patterns observed and ways to determine the desired answer. Immediately, each child requested a new grid larger than the first. This one has taken a little longer but continues to expand their understanding of multiplication and workings of numbers.
Living math is labor intensive as you must be active and involve, but my kids will tell you they love math! That is success in a culture that can crush excitement in math.
As a family one thing we do well is try new sports together. Last, winter was archery. Everyone received a new bow, shot a 3-D indoor league, and participated in outdoor archery competition. The kids went on to win some competitions in their separate age division and I used the archery skills to hunt antelope in the late summer. Bow hunting is something my husband has done since I met him.
This year the new sport is skiing and snowboarding. In case you don't know me well, I HATE to be cold. Yes, this was the first concern when I told friends about the move to Idaho. So it is surprising that I would choose to go in the snow and wind to ski, but winters here can be long and boring when confined to the house.
An hour long class and we were off, down the bunny hill that is for the day. My son insisted on snowboarding while the rest of us tried skiing. On our ride home the truck just about burst with excited voices explaining the successes, failures, and fun had on the mountain. Now, we are proud season pass holders for the duration of this year and next.
Our second time to ski and snowboard proved to be even more fun as we ventured off the beginner run to the next level, greens. The very last run of the day found us trying out a blue, although totally by mistake.
These new adventures are chocked full of true learning. Last ski trip alone forced us to read maps, discuss safety as life-flight helicopter landed while we ate lunch, and overcome challenges (like me riding the ski lift). When you see learning in everything, your eyes are open to all the possibilities.
Wow! That can seem harsh and totally out of line, but oh so true. So what do nothing?
No, be a fellow learner, observer, scholar of the world. Take time to breathe-in the patterns in nature, the video game, the new obsession or whatever captivates your child's attention. Be present to listen, to discuss, to help.
Sounds easy enough, right? Well, I always need a little peek into real world application. So here is that peek into how I walk this idea out.
My daughter asked Santa for a sewing machine for Christmas. (Yes, we are Christians and we still have Santa. No more discussion on that.) Surprised by this late add to the list of desired items, I talked to my husband and we shifted some items around to make it work. (I am an early Christmas shopper, but fortunately have children with January birthdays so shifting gifts is easy.) Thrilled Christmas morning by the shiny, pink sewing machine, my daughter insisted on beginning right away. After a quick breakfast, we set up the sewing machine, found material in the scrap/craft basket, and began testing out stitches. Immediately, she created clothes for her dolls and stuffed animals, capes for herself, her brother, and our dog, and stuffed heart pillows for anyone nearby. Within a few days, she was out of scraps and ideas. A trip to our local fabric store not only helped with the supplies, but also ideas for projects. The employee suggested looking up "burrito pillowcases" on YouTube and from there she found "Made Everyday." Instantly inspired, she designed, measured, and cut pillowcases for friends and family. Since, she moved on to sewing pillowcases to donate to the children in foster care in our state. Could this 8 year old girl do all this alone? Maybe, but having me explore this hobby with her by providing materials, watching videos, discussing ideas, and taking out my own machine to learn as well gave her the support to keep going.
Sewing might not be the thing in your home. Truly, any interest can be a wonderful learning experience for your child and your family. Trust your child and allow them the freedom to be the individual God created them to be.
Two seriously engaging books by Jason Lethcoe.
No Place Like Holmes & The Future Door
Recently, the first book in this two part series, No Place Like Holmes came across my radar unexpectedly. After living on historical fiction (Little House on the Prairie books) this passed fall, I thought a change of genre and location would be fitting. Surprised by the engagement and excitement of the mystery, I felt we needed the second book, The Future Door, as well.
The involved story line, literary "celebrity" involvement of Sherlock Holmes, and science fiction elements intrigued the kids as we used it as a read aloud, but would serve just as well reading independently.
Both children related to the main character and his desire to solve the mysteries and bring an end to the evil forces at all cost. The hint of his faith in God, use of pray, and trust allowed for further relating to the character with out a "preachy" feeling.
Our family really enjoyed discussing clues, speculating on outcomes, and solving the cases right along with Griffin.
The insights from this book, Learning All the Time by John Holt are a game changer for this former public school teacher. John Holt is a father of the homeschooling/unschooling movement for which he has written several books.
Background: I have ALWAYS been interested in the education field, not always my education but how education works in general. I thought this meant I should teach. So I went to college, received a bachelor's degree and the a master's degree in education, then went on to teach public school in Texas for 10 years. Moving to Idaho afforded me the opportunity to stay home. Being dissatisfied with public school opened the doors to homeschooling for me. I must say I felt Jesus putting homeschooling info in my path at every turn as well.
So for five years, my vocation has been homeschooling our two children. I will spare you the details but quickly into our homeschooling adventure I realized that curriculum was not necessary. A relaxed, fun, playful approach to our day brought more smiles, laughs, and happy memories. To my astonishment, I discovered I was unschooling! Since then we have maintained the course, waving between a relaxed, unit study homeschooling approach and unschooling. Teacher training, workshops, and years of teaching die hard, so when I see myself becoming overwhelmed I pick up a book like this one.
Ready? Here is the GAME CHANGER information.
"Real learning is a process of discovery, and if we want it to happen, we must create the kinds of conditions in which discoveries are made. We know what these are. They include time, leisure, freedom, and lack of pressure." (John Holt)
Yes! Think of a time when you truly learned something of significance. It could be sewing, computer programming, knitting, coding, cooking, auto repair. You name it. The conditions you needed to cement this skill were definitely time, leisure, freedom, and lack of pressure. These conditions are rarely abundant in the lives of children and young adults today. Think on that today...
I have heard on occasion that Texans are arrogant, prideful, and cocky, which may or may not be true. Being native Texans transplanted to Idaho for the past 5 year, I continue to get comments on my accent. We still hold on to tradition.
This means
my son holds the door open for his sister and me,
we respond with yes ma'am or no sir
when speaking eye contact is made
special occasions mean special, home-cooked food
thank you notes are hand written
we get loud
I am sure each region has it's own set of traditions. Idaho traditions we are picking up include
fly-fishing
camping (like all the time)
enjoying BLM land
Curious Kind of Woods doesn't scream "typical mom blog."
Shocking, I am definitely not a "typical mom." How you may ask?
Well,
I am part of that small population that keeps their children home and out of school.
I enjoy cooking daily.
I have a passion for hunting and processing our own meat.
I shoot bows as well as rifles.
Those are just a few of my tendencies that move away from typical today.
The name of this blog is originally from a tongue-twister my dad would recite when my sister and I were young. It is also a nod to our belief that curiosity is the root of all learning. Curiosity is encouraged in our home for adults as well as children. This deep desire to find-out and know more keeps us active, engaged, and growing in understanding daily.
So what does CURIOSITY look like in your home?
I love the blogging world. Heartfelt post from everyday individuals. Some I agree with, some I laugh at, some I can't finish. Being fortunate to live in a time where you express your thoughts, encourage others, and share insight freely, I have chosen to begin a journey in writing.
My desire is to write about everything from faith, home, marriage, homeschooling, education, kids, parenting, hobbies, hunting, gardening, and everything else that makes up what I call life. Hopefully, I am able to establish common ground, expand thinking, and challenge assumptions.
The road goes on forever and the party never ends -Robert Earl Keen
