Archive for the 'Child-Led Learning' Category
Thursday, March 27th, 2008
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Traditional Instruction
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Read about sea turtles.
Complete worksheets about sea turtles.
Write a report.
Take a paper/pencil test at end of unit.
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| Read about honey bees.
Complete worksheets about honey bees.
Write a report.
Take a paper/pencil test at end of unit.
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| Read about manatees.
Complete worksheets about manatees.
Write a report.
Take a paper/pencil test at end of unit.
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| Read about pioneer life.
Complete worksheets about pioneer life.
Write a report.
Take a paper/pencil test at end of unit.
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| Read about space.
Complete worksheets about space.
Write a report.
Take a paper/pencil test at end of unit.
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Meaningful Learning Experiences
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Gather information about sea turtles.
Visit a sea turtle rehabilitation center.
Record observations in science notebook.
Create a lapbook about sea turtles.
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| Gather information about honey bees.
Visit and talk with a local beekeeper.
Make bee crafts such as beeswax candles.
Share facts learned via a blog or website.
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| Gather information about manatees.
Visit a natural manatee refuge.
Write a letter to lawmakers thanking them for making laws to protect the manatee.
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| Read “Little House in the Big Woods.”
Visit a pioneer village or museum.
Learn to churn butter and make candles.
Create a lapbook about Pioneer Life.
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| Gather information about space.
Visit Kennedy Space Center or planetarium.
Develop a model of the solar system.
Go stargazing and record observations.
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The point is to demonstrate the difference between learning that really “sticks” versus rote learning. Rote learning is what traditionally occurs in schools. Many adults agree that much of what they learned in class was actually memorized and regurgitated for the test. That’s the difference between rote learning and meaningful learning. It absolutely must be noted that educational research supports learning skills in context rather than in isolation. Letting children play active roles in their education is backed up by research while the more traditional “skill and drill” approach is not.
Posted in Child-Led Learning, General Homeschooling Information | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
Wow. If this isn’t unschooling at its best, I don’t know what is! The Vogel Family recently completed a 12 month, 9,300 mile trek around the U.S.A. and Mexico. They’re currently planning for a new adventure that will take them from Alaska to Argentina! Both parents are former school teachers and have turned their bike trips into opportunities to help New York kids through the Reach the World program.
Posted in Child-Led Learning, Travel | No Comments »
Friday, October 5th, 2007
A must read for every parent of young children, in my opinion..
Einstein Never Used Flashcards
Posted in Book Recommendations, Child-Led Learning | 1 Comment »
Saturday, July 21st, 2007
Great article by Kathleen McCurdy
Why Natural Learning
Definitely worth reading, I think.
Posted in Child-Led Learning, General Homeschooling Information, Reading Room | No Comments »
Thursday, June 7th, 2007
I’m mom to a right-brained (visual spatial) kid. Married to one too. I’m also one!! LOL 
I wonder where Loralei will fall on the spectrum since we’re all right-brained!! Why is this important?? Because traditional schools set these children up to fail… The same can be true of traditional homeschool methods. Anyway, this is an excellent blog post that I thought was worth sharing..
Understanding the Right-Brained Creative Learner
Posted in Child-Led Learning, Learning Styles and Special Needs, Reading Room | No Comments »
Monday, May 28th, 2007
The idea of homeschooling several children can be scary for some parents. The unit study approach will help you maintain your sanity while meeting your children’s needs.
Homeschooling Multiple Children: Meeting Their Individual Needs Without Going Crazy
Posted in Child-Led Learning, General Homeschooling Information, Reading Room, The Unit Study Approach | No Comments »
Friday, May 11th, 2007
This is an AMAZING essay! I remember the term “teachable moments” from my college days. We were told to watch out for them. They’re a moment when a child is interested in learning something and actively engaged..
I haven’t heard this term in awhile and love the author’s use of it.
Anyway, here’s the article.
Posted in Child-Led Learning, Reading Room | No Comments »
Friday, May 4th, 2007
This Yahoo Group looks really wonderful!! I’m not a member yet (but plan to be soon).
Group Description:
Welcome to Scientopia, a new list list that provides cool online science links for unschooling/homeschooling exploration, as well as a forum for discussion of IRL science resources, events, news, etc.
This list is dedicated to exploring how science can be learned and enjoyed without “school”, without canned curricula, without artifically dividing it up into grade levels and turning it into a chore; and how science is all around us waiting to be explored and how humans are natural born scientists!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Scientopia/
Posted in Child-Led Learning | No Comments »
