765 Hours to go
-22.25 hours in week 3
743 Hours left (I'll round up)
Sunday Alani worked on a Girl Scout Project with her Grammy. They also played countless games of yahtzee and checkers. I should count all of this time. Game playing, especially for a 6 year old, is a great way to learn decision making, quick counting, multiplication, addition, strategy, and with Yahtzee she also got to practice writing her numbers. But I can't tell you how many countless hours were spent playing one of these two games. She played checkers with her Grampa, her Grammy and her cousins. She also ran around with an old friend for a few hours and we had church. I count church for "school" hours because it includes history, singing, and craft time, as well as listening to stories, memorization, copywork. . .church has it all, really :)
Alani did violin practice twice while we were in IN . . .oops! But that probably totaled 30 minutes, since she had a lot more to practice this time around.
Monday Alani spent about 30 minutes doing a presentation and in discussion with a group of women Grammy gets together with for bible study. I would say that 30 minutes of presenting something she'd partially memorized, oration, public speaking. . .that's ALL learning time in my book. Then she watched an educational animal DVD for an hour. More game playing. Coloring.
As I watch this school year unfolding before us and realize that this year I am discovering so much about who I am as a mother/teacher and how we will work together as a diad and triad as well, I feel that I'm falling in line with my OWN way of doing things :) I am seeing so much wisdom in recent information I've read which states that until the age of 7, free-play is the greatest learning environment for children. And information that a friend has shared about one of the "most intelligent" (how that's quantified, I'm not sure) cultures in the world, not starting formal schooling until about age 8. I've talked to other friends who homeschool and don't start until age 7. I've watched my own daughter change from a child I thought would be completely unteachable through anything other than arts and crafts, eight months ago, into a child who proclaims that she LOVES math and school and become a believer in myself that we CAN do this without as much pain as I thought it would cause, because I'm waiting on my own child's readiness.
I don't have to hold her back where she is strong and at the moment, I don't have to push too hard where she is not, because she will become more ready to be pushed, as time goes on. I am trying to take more opportunities to deliberately teach her things of the world when we are out and about, things like money management, decision making, but also "that's the sign for bathroom." :) And she seizes opportunities to figure out the world, for instance, she spent about an hour pouring over the safety card in the seat back pocket on the airplane. . .that's important stuff. She knows how to order her own in-flight beverage, without fearing speaking up, saying what she wants, or feeling she shouldn't speak directly to adults with authority on things she understands. She might speak quietly to a group of women about her Girl Scout project, but she CHOSE to do that project, at this time, even when she knew that part of it meant presenting to a group of women she didn't know well, and she was public speaking, even if quietly.
Funny as it is, as I feel myself doing the "unschool" thing, all of the material that appeals to me comes from Well-trained mind. But even then, I do not have to follow a rigid schedule of schooling, even when choosing a classical education. . .we can adapt ANYTHING to our life, our way of learning together. I've been acquiring books slowly due to cost or sharing with other families. And each time I learn a little more. I actually learned this bit in week 5, but while I'm backtracking and sharing thoughts, I'll just share here. The "first language lessons" book was the first book that told me, straight out, 1st graders are not actually physically capable of large amounts of copywork! Writing with Ease eluded to it being difficult, and I was approaching it much like the Violin, it feels weird to hold something that way or in that position or tuck your elbow under, but your mind will begin to take over for your muscles and fall into place and those muscles will build up in a way that it becomes natural for them. The same with writing, right? Nope. . .apparently the 6-8 word copywork sentences in Writing with Ease were supposed to give me the clue that that's about as much as I should even expect from my 6 year old. . . PHEW! I just thought she was whiny :)
While in IN, we really didn't do any focused school work. We read Little House each night, by request from Alani. She played a thousand games of checkers and Yahtzee, practiced her violin twice and played with her cousins a lot.
Back on Track
Tuesday it was cousin time, game playing and Build-a-Bear.
Wednesday it was a carnival that her Grammy and Grampa put on, with a mad-hatter tea, and swimming in the evening (Physical education, strategy, playing well with others).
Thursday it was more Build-a-Bear and then a nature walk with the cousins (who are also homeschooled, quite separately from our decision to do so). The nature walk was probably the most school-like activity that we did during the trip, well, the Indiana part of the trip. And wouldn't you know it? MORE game playing with her Grammy :)
Friday we headed to Kentucky. . .there was probably a geography lesson in there, but between "she touched me" type comments, mom not having the appropriate snacks (though I had like 12 options) and needing stuffed animals from the trunk, necessitating pulling over on the side of the highway. . .I just let the geography lessons slide. We did end up at an old 1880s settlement after dark, so again, there was probably something historical to share there, but I didn't :)
Saturday was a wedding . . . it was lots of playing with a favorite Miss Rae and being REALLY helpful, and riding in a limo three times.
Though there were learning opportunities this week, we'll call this week a wash, because I honestly could not count up the hours spent playing checkers and yahtzee and listening to stories from her Grammy about her own past (okay, I don't know if Alani was around for those. . . but I was sure learning a thing or two).
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