tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post2324985915694737764..comments2023-10-21T03:54:12.029-04:00Comments on A Gift Universe: Turns out we're unschooling alreadySheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-22874349853582577012012-02-10T20:13:13.667-05:002012-02-10T20:13:13.667-05:00Well, he needed to know what he was and wasn't...Well, he needed to know what he was and wasn't allowed to eat! He loves to "forage" in the yard for edibles ... since, of course, he learned from last summer's garden that we can eat plants. I had to look some stuff up to be quite sure, but now he's an expert forager! (It helps that I try to keep toxic stuff out of the yard altogether ... he keeps trying to eat the pokeberries unless I rip the whole plant up.)<br /><br />I have to laugh whenever you mention the stuff you do with your brothers ... because, of course, that's where I learned all this myself. I practiced on Joseph in particular (who, good grief, is TEN now). We'd just bop around all day engaging in Socratic dialogues. Or something. He wanted to know everything about everything and seemed to think I was the wellspring of all knowledge. Kids are so eager to learn, it isn't work for them unless you make it work.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-60558434047544663082012-02-10T16:57:52.778-05:002012-02-10T16:57:52.778-05:00+JMJ+
I did a little bit of this with my brother...+JMJ+ <br /><br />I did a little bit of this with my brothers, too, when they were toddlers. =) Since they weren't with me all the time the way Marko is with you, I could give every little session a specific "learning goal"--but had it been the other way, we would likely have eased into a completely unstructured model, like what you have here with Marko. <br /><br />By the way, I'm especially impressed that he can identify different herbs in the yard! I'm not much of a "flora" person and all plants kind of look the same to me at first glance. =P Your little botanist puts me to shame!Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-63273623592716652082012-02-09T14:06:04.642-05:002012-02-09T14:06:04.642-05:00What you described as 'life with toddler' ...What you described as 'life with toddler' is exactly what my life looks like every day with my family of kids, ages 7, 6, 4, and 1.5yrs. We simply live and learn together, we follow our interests (individually and collectively) and we set our own agendas. It's awesome.Patti @ Jazzy Mamahttp://www.angelbabyjazzymama.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-74024097087942011362012-02-07T10:47:35.020-05:002012-02-07T10:47:35.020-05:00Yes, the term unschooling is pretty negative. I p...Yes, the term unschooling is pretty negative. I prefer "self-directed schooling" or something. All unschooling is is education without a lot of forced desk work, and instead taking the opportunities that come every day and the child's interests to form what you do. Up to the age of ten or so, it's almost impossible for a child to do anything that *isn't* educational -- they know so little that they learn from everything.<br /><br />I imagine when Marko's school-aged, I'll make him do a bit of math and practice reading and writing, but as for the rest, we can follow his interests for quite awhile without missing out on anything. So while I'm not intending to do "strict unschooling," I am learning a lot from that educational philosophy and hope to put it into practice.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-9826214338427090102012-02-06T17:53:06.293-05:002012-02-06T17:53:06.293-05:00That's great! I never thought of this as unsch...That's great! I never thought of this as unschooling since the term brings to mind something more anti in nature, as opposed to natural learning. What you're doing with Marko seems like a natural thing to do with kids, something that could also easily complement structured schooling, in or out of the house or schoolhouse. <br />Regardless, though, this sounds like fun. Marko's lucky to have a mama and daddy with patience and curiosity themselves!Heathernoreply@blogger.com