Mondays Our Way:Unschooling Gets Press?

Behold-Fox News brings you a very short moment of reflection about unschooling.



Some thoughts I had:

What do PUBLIC SCHOOL high school drop outs have to do with unschoolers? Isn't that more of a symptom of a public school problem?

If a kid wants to be an astronaut, he'll also want to learn calculus in order to achieve his goal-just as any toddler who wants to walk will first crawl to achieve their ultimate goal.

A lot of unschooled children need to be structured learning? Hmmmm....words for thought LOL.

What do you think about this interview? What, if any, are your questions about unschooling that I might be able to answer for you?

Mondays Our Way:I Heart Blocks!! (Review and Giveaway)

As I have mentioned during a previous Mondays Our Way, blocks are a great way for kids to develop their mathematical thinking. Not to mention they're fantastically fun. What kid (or Daddy) doesn't like to build their own city and then smash it down Godzilla-style? That's fun for the whole family.

And we all know how much I love things that are both fun and educational.

Unfortunately, as I also mentioned in that post, blocks can be incredibly difficult to find. I have no idea why-who can't remember using and loving blocks during their childhood?-but they seem to have gone the way of the Pog. After searching every Target, Walmart, Fred Meyer (that's Kroger for my east coast friends), and toy store I could find in my local area I ended up with a choice between Lincoln Logs and Legos. Not exactly what I was looking for. Then I found All Children's Furniture.com. I am in love with this website and I can tell you right now the majority of our kid's presents are coming directly from the site this year. Besides having great kid's furniture (we've definitely got our eyes on the gorgeous cherry toy box for Christmas) they also have an entire section dedicated to blocks of all kinds!

So imagine my excitement when I was able to iron out a giveaway with them! I am so excited to be giving one lucky reader a Wonderworld 50 Piece Block Set, courtesy of our friends at All Children's Furniture. These blocks are perfect for table top town construction (and demolition).

The shapes available in this set also happen to lend nicely to exploring putting together and deconstructing larger shapes (discovering, for instance, that two triangles make a square).






These blocks are perfect for kids two and up to use their imagination and learn a little bit about math processes along the way. As an added and very important bonus, these blocks are made out of environmentally friendly rubberwood and painted with non toxic paint-so if your little builder is still approaching things mouth first (ala Baby Bug) you don't have to worry!

As always, all you have to do to get an entry is leave a comment. Voila! Entered to win awesome stuff. If you want to increase your odds though, we have optional entries for that too......

1. Follow me on Blogger! (or, in a separate comment from your entry comment, let me know that you already do!)

2. Follow me on Twitter!

3. Tweet about this contest, and link to your tweet here (one Tweet entry per day)

4. Join my BlogFrog Community

5. Become a fan on my Facebook page

6. Blog about this giveaway using the blurb (with links):

"MrsM is giving away a fantastic set of blocks from All Children’s Furniture who carries everything from kid's furniture to toys. Contest ends 9/15!"

The contest does-end on 9/15 that is. So get your entries in. Good luck everyone!

Mondays Our Way:Child Led Means Letting Go

As you probably have heard if you've been around here long, we are unschoolers. (That's the whole point of Mondays Our Way.) The truth is, there are a lot of definitions for 'unschooling'-what one parent considers unschooling another more "radical" unschooler may not. Some unschoolers use textbooks, some do not. Some use projects, some do not. Some allow anything within the boundaries of what they consider potentially educational, some allow anything period. There is a very broad spectrum among unschoolers, but the basic founding principle of unschooling is that learning should be child led.

Hubby and I believe that children, left to their own natural devices, will use their natural curiosity and desire to understand in order to learn everything they need to know-and that we as the parents are here simply to introduce as many interesting and educational ideas and activities as possible in order to inspire our children. We don't believe in begging, requiring, or coercing our kids into desk and paper schoolwork, and think that children learn better in a less rigid environment.

The trouble with kids is they always want to do whatever it is you're not doing. That's why yesterday Monkey approached me and we had this conversation:

Monkey: Mommy, you're my teacher, right?

Me: Yes, that's right.

Monkey: You're the best teacher ever Mommy.

Me: Thank you sweetheart. You're a very good learner.

Monkey: Mommy? When can we start school?

Me: We are learning all the time! Remember just yesterday we learned the Chinese word for happy, and the day before that we learned about butterfly pupae. Wasn't that fun?

Monkey: Yeah.....but I want to do school.

Me: Oh really? What part of school would you like to do?

Monkey: I want to have a backpack. With stuff in it. And a special time to sit and write in my book. And a chart to tell me what my school job is.

Me: Well, that sounds really interesting.

Inside Voice Me: That doesn't really sound like unschooling.

So what do we do as people who believe in unstructured child led education when our child leads us into structured learning? We do it. What other choice do we have? I still don't plan on administering any tests (and I doubt Monkey will ask for them) and I certainly don't plan on having instruction times with me talking and Monkey just sitting there staring at me....but I do want to respect his wishes. This is the time where we really need to buckle down and accept that child led learning might look different than we thought it would. That our children will create their own definition of their unschooling experience, and that sometimes that definition might turn out differently we had ever planned.

So far, this is how I think I will meet the needs he expressed to me-Monkey and I are going to go to the store and buy some special school supplies. Then, together, we're going to make a chart with a list of projects on it, and then we're going to then set up a special "school time" during the day (probably when the girls are down for nap) when Monkey can choose a project that he would like to work on for "school".

Is that structured enough to count as school in the mind of a child who has never been to a public education institution? I hope so-but I'm bracing myself for even more of the unexpected, and learning to let go and trust that Monkey will choose to learn in a way that is most beneficial to him. After all, child led means child led.

Mondays Our Way:Math is for the Birds

If all of the homeschooling parents I know have one common fear, it's teaching math. Most of us rarely use it, barely remember it, and-let's be honest-don't even like it. I mean, who likes math?

My sister, that's who.

She's a total freak of nature, and I mean that in the most loving way possible. My little sister currently has her BA in Mathematics, is planning on getting her PhD in a couple of years, and is currently teaching a bunch of groaning high schoolers in the public school system....but while she loves to teach her first passion is math itself. Her love of math is freakishly strong; she loves it more than most people hate it. Case in point-

My sister has a math joke tattooed between her shoulder blades.

I know what you're thinking-yes there IS such a thing as a math joke, and YES she is the biggest nerd alive (even if her fellow math geeks consider her to be the 'inked rebel' among them). She's also a bonafide genius in the flesh. So naturally when it comes to teaching math to the kidlet's she's number one on my calling list.

I asked her recently what was the most important thing to teach little kids about math. Her answer? To be mathematical thinkers. Teaching children to think in mathematical type processes will help them succeed in their future math endeavors. Introducing concepts like "putting together" and "taking away" and "less than" "more than" and "equal to" introduce basic math skills to your children. It's very important to give small children opportunities to solve problems, to work with shapes, and to think in steps.

Does this mean it's time to whip out the math worksheets? Not unless you want to!

One of the best ways to help kids develop their mathematical thinking is by using manipulatives--or blocks, as my kids like to call them! Giving children blocks of different shapes and sizes gives them the opportunity to practice important mathematical basics like sorting, adding/subtracting/dividing/multiplying, and problem solving (how does one build a tower taller than themselves?). Blocks are, literally, the building blocks of mathematical thought process. The problem? It is nearly impossible to find a set of classic blocks these days. Lincoln logs, sure. Legos, sure-and of course those are great tools as well....but try to find a set of back-in-the-day good old wooden blocks and you're going to have quite an adventure on your hands! Trust me. The good news for you is I've already done the leg work and can tell you that the ONLY place I have been able to find a set of classic blocks is at All Children's Furniture.com. [Exciting news/disclosure: I am working on an upcoming review and giveaway with these nice folks~so keep a look out for that!]

Another great math learning activity can be found in origami. Origami teaches children to work with step by step instructions, recognize shapes and patterns, build on their spacial skills, and gives kids the opportunity to become the teachers (an important part of learning, called a "teach-back") when they share their Origami art with others. You can find instructions for a ton of fantastic origami items of varying difficulty levels at OrigamiFoldingInstructions.com.

One of my very favorite ideas is building birdhouses. Building a birdhouse combines spacial skills, shape and pattern recognition, step by step thinking, and problem solving skills and can easily be incorporated with science as well as art. You can find birdhouse building kits for right around $10. I found a fantastic site online called Birdhouse Villages Collections, which has very reasonable prices and has a small book collection of bird guides as well.

After talking with Her Royal Genius Queen of Math Nerdom, I am no longer apprehensive about teaching math-to tell the truth, I can hardly wait to get started doing all of these fun, math skill building projects-and we'll be doing lots.....we've got to make some for the grandmas and grandpas too! Fun, education, and Christmas presents from Monkey all in one?

Math IS fun! [Don't tell anyone I said that.]

Mondays Our Way: Community Projects

It's my personal opinion, that one of the very best things you can do with your kids-both as a homeschooling parent, and just a parent in general-is get involved with volunteering. This is the triple play-it teaches life skills, it teaches moral lessons, and it gets your kids active in the community....everybody wins!

The trick is to find things that are age appropriate and match your child's skill level. When kids are small they will probably need your help, so it's a good idea to volunteer as a family. This not only provides your kids with a good example (Mommy helps people and so can I!), it also lends them a leg up when they need detailed instructions and/or supervision during their volunteering activities.

You can help your child get the giving bug when they are little-even a toddler can help you walk toys, clothes, canned food, and backpacks of school supplies to charity donation centers and community drives. Preschoolers can use their sorting skills to work at a food or clothing pantry. Grade school children can follow instructions well enough to do community clean up projects, and may be mature enough to work in a senior center.

Besides looking at your child's skills you're also going to want to look at their natural interests. This can help them to really connect with the volunteering experience and will help them stick with it. For example, a child who likes to build with blocks may enjoy volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. A child who is devoted to your family pet might like to volunteer at the Humane Society. Kidlets who love gardening might enjoy participating in a park restoration project.

Matching your child's skill level, skill set, and interests to find the right volunteering action for them can be hard, but it is so worth it. Community involvement is priceless-in life and unschooling alike. A base of compassion and understanding, a love for people from many different walks of life, hearing and understanding the life experiences of others, learning to give of themselves and be a part of their greater community-all of this and more can be learned in addition to simple homeschool lessons; reading, writing, math all has a place in the real world, and your child will experience the joy of giving to the community and practice their skills while volunteering.

So what's to stop you? Take your kids out and get involved!

Mondays Our Way(Late Edition):Grade Level

As I mentioned in last week's Mondays Our Way post you-the homeschooling parent-decide what grade your child is in. That's a great advantage when it comes to testing schedules, but that it also a large responsibility-classifying your child at an appropriate grade level effects their test scores, which in turn effects their college prospects, which in turn can effect their careers.

So how do you know, before you sit down at the test, if your child if your child is ready to be at that grade level? That's where educational standards come in. There are national education standards, but those mostly just set the guidelines for your state's educational standards (the ones you're really going to want to look at).

I have a natural hesitancy towards working with the public school district and prefer to do as much on my own as possible, but unless you are a public school teacher finding resources for state education standards can be difficult. They are often tucked away in some dusty corner of the internet, so as to "encourage" people to ask for them rather than find them on their own.

Luckily I am one obstinate pig headed broad dedicated lady, and after hours of internet mining I have come across EdStandards.Org, a website created and hosted by two small school districts in upstate New York. On this page there is a link to each state's individual standards page, which delineates by grade level what is expected of children in your area.

This, my friends, has been like unschooling gold to me. There is a lot that is expected of children these days-for instance, in my state children are expected to be able to create PowerPoint presentations with minimal assistance by the end of first grade. I never would have guessed. By having a list of these standards I have been able to assess exactly where Monkey's skills lie, and create new opportunities for him involving skills that he needs more practice with. While I don't exactly teach to the grade level expectations (we, as unschoolers, are more interest driven than standard driven), there are many people who do so very successfully and no matter what kind of homeschoolers you are knowing your state's standards is just one more step in arming yourself with knowledge that will help you and your child have the best educational experience possible.

Anyone else want to share their golden homeschooling/unschooling find?

Mondays Our Way:Test Anxiety

Testing.

There, I said it.

Unschooling brings along a lot of questions about testing. From the public school side, people tend to be skeptical, wanting kids to be tested to "prove that they are really being educated". From the unschooling side (which tends to differ from traditional homeschooling on the subject of test administration) the thought of the government handing our children a standardized test leaves a foul taste in our mouths.

The good news is that less than 50% of states require standardized testing for homeschooled students. The bad news is that most people cannot afford to move just to avoid standardized tests if their state requires them. The worst news is that in many states with standardized testing laws there are provisions which would legally force you to send your child to public school should they not meet testing requirements. I could go on for hours-nay, DAYS-about what a flagrant violation of personal liberty that is, but I'll limit it to just the one extra large bolded comment.

Continuing on....

So what do you do if you're looking down the line to forced standardized testing with potentially infuriating consequences? If your kids have yet to enter the public school system you can always remember to forget to register them with the school district-but if your children were already in the system, or your state has criminal penalties for such action, that's probably not a good idea. My recommendation?

Obey your state's homeschooling laws. TO. THE. LETTER. in the letter, and not in the spirit. (Find your states exact law, and a legal interpretation of it, courtesy of HSLDA)

The laws regarding schooling are often not what you would expect. For instance, did you know that the legal age of compulsory education is usually NOT five? In fact, only 11 states require that 5 year olds be in school, and 2 of those 11 allow exceptions. Within the US, compulsory schooling is required, on average, beginning at age 7. (Check HERE to see your state's compulsory schooling age.)

Also, did you know that nearly half of the states that require testing require it at certain grade levels as opposed to yearly or at certain times (find an overview of testing requirements by state HERE)? And who decides what "grade" your homeschooled child is in?

That's right, you do.

Another thing to look into-while many school districts "require" you to turn in your child's standardized test scores, the law often only requires that you keep records available upon written request.

Let me be sure to clarify-I'm not suggesting that you do anything illegal, and I'm not suggesting that you don't educate your child. I do suggest, however, that parents opposed to standardized testing who live in mandatory testing states arm themselves with very specific legal knowledge regarding state requirements and then work within those requirements in a way that best suits their family.

After all, personalized education in the best interest of your child is what homeschooling is all about.

Mondays Our Way:Playing Defense

This is obviously not a newsflash for anyone, but not everyone homeschools. Not everyone believes in homeschool and in fact there are actually people who are opposed to it. Of course this is the case with pretty much every parenting decision out there-bottle vs breast, co-sleeping vs cribs, spanking vs timeouts-whatever you decide there is always someone who thinks what you're doing is wrong, and that's cool. Diversity of opinion makes the world go round, and as long as everyone is feeding/clothing/housing/loving their kids that's all that matters. Right?

Unfortunately there will always be that one person who just can't help but butt in. You know this person-the one who makes it their personal mission to try to "make you see the light" (the light being their parenting style). If it's a person in the grocery store or a nosy neighbor it's pretty easy to smile and nod and just go about your business...

but what do you do if Buttinski McKnow-It-All is among your close friends and family?

I have a couple of particular relations that keep trying to "talk me out of homeschooling". Their first plan was to just ignore our intention to homeschool altogether. They've spent the first 5 years of Monkey's life saying,

"You know, when he goes to school...." "Just wait until he's in school...." "Once the kids are in school...."

I've mentioned to them 8739498731099999 times that our kids are already in homeschool, and that we have absolutely no intention of placing them in public school, but they have simply chosen to ignore it. It's almost as if they were trying to trick me into sending Monkey to school....like somehow if they acted as though he was going I'd just get confused and send him.

Unfortunately for them I have a five year old-I'm not one myself.

Now that Monkey's would-be Kindergarten enrollment is coming up soon, they've decided they need a new strategy. I like to call it the "oh THAT old thing". Every time I mention something about homeschool their response is,

"So you still think you're going to do that?"

Then they proceed to tell me everything I "haven't thought of"....Some homeschooled kids are "behind" (I don't actually believe in "behind" but that's a whole different post), Homeschool kids don't get enough social interaction (like I've never heard that before), etc. etc. Then they start backpedaling-they're only saying it out of concern....

You know, you have 2 babies under 2 to take care of-homeschooling would be so inconvenient.

You know, having to come up with your own curriculum could be really challenging.

You know, it's nice to get a break from the kids when they go to school.

I know. I know. I know. But kids are always inconvenient, most parts of parenting are challenging, and to be honest no matter how much they make me crazy (and they DO) I really feel no need to send my children away 8 of their 13 waking hours 5 days a week. And still these people don't think we should be homeschooling, so they simply refuse to let it go.

You would think that such blatant opposition would be fairly rare, but pretty much every homeschooling parent I know has at least one friend/relation who are like mine...so what's to be done about the close people we love who do NOT love the fact that we homeschool?

First I would recommend addressing their concerns point for point. Explain to them your motives in homeschooling, your approach, and your thought process. Offer to send them email links to more information. Try to set their minds at ease, after all they are friends/family.

WhenIf that doesn't work, I recommend attempting to agree to disagree. Let them know that you respect the fact that they have a differing opinion, but they need to respect the fact that your child is yours to raise as you see fit.

If all else fails, you just have to set a boundary and agree not to talk about it. If/When they try to bring it up, I'd simply say "I understand you have opinions about homeschooling, but we are very confident in our decision and are really not seeking any input right now" and just leave it at that.

At least, that's what I've done. What about you guys? How do you defend your choice to homeschool?

Mondays Our Way:Project-ing

Who doesn't love projects? Well, unless the project is going through the attic. Or cycling summer clothes and winter clothes. Or fixing leaky toilets. Fortunately, I'm not talking about (or doing) any projects like that-I mean fun projects. Think scrap booking or quilting....or learning about world culture and history!

What? That can be a fun project too!

Oh yes it can.

Don't believe me? I'll show you.

The first thing we did was go to Fry's Electronics and get ourselves a gigantic world map and hang it above the dining room table. Of course Monkey immediately began inspecting it and asking questions about it, and we've had a lot of fun talking about directions again and finding our town on the map (we live near (but not in) a big enough city that it's on the world map). Now all we had to do was take it one little step further onto the world stage.

So I had Monkey choose a country to learn more about. The winner is.......

Australia!

So how do we incorporate the culture and history of Australia into our unschooling experience? We're going to start where we nearly always start.....with food! This week we are going to make Lamingtons-which besides being a positively delicious looking sponge cake with chocolate and coconut, were also conveniently (for unschooling purposes) named after a historical person (Lord Lamington, a late 19th century Governor of Queensland).

We also plan on learning some Australian songs and the history behind them (including of course the infamous Waltzing Matilda) as well as using the internet to learn about different animals native to Australia.

We'll practice reading, writing, logic, math (with cooking), as well as Internet navigation and research and we will gradually learn more about Australia, it's history, and it's inhabitants....there are so many fabulous directions to go with this, and so much to be learned! I am very excited to keep moving on this project, to learn more about Australia-and of course the rest of the world! This is a long term project though, so I'll have to be patient.

I'll keep you guys updated on how it's going!

Mondays Our Way:Celebrate Smart

Holidays, celebrations, and special occasions happen throughout the year, and they can be major disruptions to homeschooling. (They can also be major disruptions to healthy eating-does it still count as 'baby weight' if you gain it after the baby is born?) With family and friends coming over, it's easy to skip through the educational stuff in favor of late nights and to die for deviled eggs.

Still despite the holiday gorging festivities, I have found a great way to squeeze in some learning before busting out the party trays (and squeezing into something with an elastic waist). Having kids make holiday appropriate cards, decorations, and presents can really put the learning into party. (Hey, I claim creative license on that one.)

This Father's Day Monkey wanted to draw Hubby a picture as a present. Drawing in and of itself is of course a great creative educational outlet, but to take it one step further, I suggested that he draw Daddy a map to a special place that he wanted to go just him and Daddy.


He drew instructions with his map to the local riverside park. (Fun side note: if you look closely you may be able to see that our car is drawn as a taxi. Shows you where I stand! Ha ha ha.) Monkey was learning to create a map with recognizable landmarks, and how to give driving instructions-not to mention it was a great opportunity to discuss compasses and physical directions (what street is south of our house?).

Also? Adorable Father's Day gift. They did make a very special father/son trip to the park, which is another great educational opportunity, though I suspect they mostly just had fun throwing rocks in the water like they normally do.

There are a lot of great holiday/celebration educational activities. Writing letters to put into cards make gifts from the kids more personal and helps practice writing and spelling. Hand made gifts are also a big hit-like plaster hand molds, which besides being adorable keepsakes provide an opportunity to discuss science. Planning and decorating for a party provide a chance to talk math--for example, if we have four people come over, plus the five people in our family, and everyone eats two triple chocolate brownies how many brownies will we need? For bonus points: How much cumulative weight will we gain, and where can we buy bigger pants?

So remember, just because it's a special occasion doesn't mean you can't learn something...even if all Mommy learns is that the fat in a New York steak takes approximately 30 seconds to glob onto her hips.

I hope you all had a Happy Father's Day!

Mondays Our Way:Unschooling-The Chaos Theory

The biggest thing that gets in the way when you homeschool?

LIFE.

If the kids are in school 8 hours a day it leaves time open to run that emergency errand, take care of the unexpected family need, or tend to one sick child (or one sick mommy!) at home while the rest of the troupe is gone for the day. Homeschoolers have no such time. All of life's little emergencies must be solved, on the fly, with all children in tow.

This can get complicated.

More traditional homeschoolers may be able to sit the kids down with workbooks and squeeze in a spare minute-and of course, as unschoolers our family totally rocks the educational TV-but let's face it. Kids can only sit and watch/work for so long and the unexpected usually doesn't come at you on a schedule.

So what do you do as a homeschooling parent? I say go with it.

My theory is that chaos can be educational on a whole new level. Not that I recommend you give your home over to anarchy a-la Lord of the Flies...but a kid can learn a lot from some of life's little surprises.

Mommy is sick? Not to worry. Well, okay, worry a little. Things are bound to go undone, and kids are bound to go a little nuts when the cat is away...or sick as the case may be...but enlisting your kids in little ways can help them learn compassion and empathy (for poor sick Mommy), independence (as they do more things for themselves while you rest), and it's easy to add in some more of the 'educational' type knowledge as well. Have your kids help you brew some peppermint tea. Let the older ones organize a quiet educational game for the little ones. Discuss microbiology and pathology over a lozenge and some Kleenex.

Have an unexpected errand? Can you say 'Car Bingo'? Older kids can estimate the time it will take to complete the errand based on mileage and rate of travel. Or, as you're getting ready, have the kids make To Do lists of their very own which include both your daily errands and activities they want to do when you get home. That's good practice for writing and organization skills, as well as gives them something to do while you're out ("Alright kids, check off 'get toilet snake at Home Depot' ") and reminds them of what they have to look forward to when you get home.

The trick to stopping life's interruptions into homeschooling (in my experience) is not to try to stop life from happening, but rather to wrestle every educational moment and tidbit you can out of the unexpected.

If worst comes to worst they can always learn the fine art of "Heads Up 7-Up".

Mondays Our Way:I Heart Television

Do you want to know my dirty little unschooling secret? My kids watch TV.

I know.

Call me a black sheep amongst homeschoolers, but our family loves TV-and while TV has been blamed for everything from childhood obesity to poor SAT scores and ADD, I see absolutely nothing wrong with letting our kidlets watch quality educational programming whenever the opportunity arises.

I know it is trendy these days to not own a TV, or to not allow kids to watch, but none of our kids have developed a twitch, and our experience with TV has actually been enriching.

Yesterday, Monkey came up to me and said, "Mommy-let's count these pennies! En español! Ready? Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez!" Thank you, Dora The Explorer. Thanks to School House Rock he knows what a noun is, and understands what bones are and what they do. Thanks to an idea he picked up from Little Einstiens he now understands the process of metamorphosis. Go Deigo Go taught him about the diet, habitat, and skills of sloths.

Most recently, Monkey (okay, all of us) has fallen in love with Ni-Hao Kai-Lan...and it is because of this obsession that Monkey is now speaking Mandarin...and quizzing me on it. Regularly.

"Look Mommy! This car is hóng sè (red)...can you say 'hóng sè'? And this car is lu sè(green)...can you say 'lu sè'? Good job Mommy! You can talk like Kai-Lan!"

Besides 'red' and 'green', Monkey has also learned:

Hi-ni hao
See you later-zài jiàn
Thank you-xiè xiè
Grandpa-yé yé
Slippers-tuō xié
Push-tuī
Pull-la
Jump-tiáo
Up-shàng
Down-xià
Fast-kuài
Snow- xué
Dinosaur-kǒng lóng
Listen-tīng
[If you want to hear the pronounciation, I recommend going to this site.]

This is just in the past two months. As if teaching Monkey over a dozen words of a foreign language in two months wasn't enough, Kai-Lan is doing a fantastic job curbing fits. By encouraging kids to explore the feelings of others (How does this person look? What did this person say? How do you think they feel?) and by showing and explaining good behavior (teaching kids to listen with step by step instructions for example) Kai-Lan encourages her friends on the show and in the audience to deal with their emotions in a healthy way rather than in outbursts.

And yes, it totally works.

I never cease to be amazed by all the things that Monkey has learned, including all of the great ideas we have discovered and explored further because of quality TV programming...I just couldn't imagine going without a TV!

Plus, I won't lie-if the kids can learn Mandarin for a half hour while I pick up without them under foot, that's truly a win-win situation!

Mondays Our Way:Cookin' Up Some Education

I am so excited to finally be posting the first of my Mondays Our Way posts! I have wanted a way to communicate (and keep track of!) our homeschooling experience and I think that blogging it is a fantastic idea. [Of course, I think blogging everything is a fantastic idea.]

The first thing I should tell you is that we are unschoolers. In some ways it's basically the same as homeschooling-it does take place at home (mostly) and we (the parents) are the primary "teachers"-but in other ways it's entirely NOT the same. There are several key differences between unschooling and traditional homeschooling-for instance:

• We don't have curriculum.
• We don't have text books.
• We don't have worksheets.
• We don't have tests.
• We don't have a schedule.
• We don't have a desk or other classroom type setting in our home.

The more detailed you get about the process of unschooling the less it resembles anything like school at all actually. So, you may ask, how do our kids learn? It's a valid question, and many people ask it.

Our kids learn academics the same way they learned/are learning to walk. I didn't hand the kids a text book about the mechanics of walking, I let them experiment for themselves and I encourage(d) them and guide(d) them in the discovery of their skills. I never set a 'schedule' for their toddling-I allow(ed) them the space and time to do it when they are motivated to do so. In the end Monkey learned (and Baby Bug is learning, and The Bean will learn) how to walk almost entirely because of their own enthusiasm for learning and their own commitment to practice-all we have had to do is provide the opportunity to learn and then encourage and supervise their efforts. We don't have to test them to know that they are learning-how do you know your child has learned to walk? How do you know your child has learned to talk? Growth and learning is observable, without having to mark it down on paper.

Hubby and I (and most unschoolers) hold this to be true with all learning. All we feel we need to do is provide the opportunity and we believe our children will naturally be motivated to learn all they can, apply that knowledge practically, and perfect their skills.

I know this seems improbable-many people feel, as the public school system does, that if you do not regulate and monitor a child's education that they will not get one-but if you think about it without that preconceived notion for a moment, it will might make sense to you. You know that your children are curious-all children are. You know that your children learn all kinds of things just by watching and doing and experiencing life with your encouragement and under your guidance-you can see them using every skill and knowledge tidbit they acquire. Now think-why wouldn't a curious child want to learn how to read? [How many times does a toddler/preschooler ask "what does this say?" If Monkey is any indication, .a LOT.] Why wouldn't a curious child want to understand numbers, or know how electricity works, or learn about how America became a country? Every single question a child asks is an opportunity to learn and grow....and by that measure most small children have several hundred opportunities a day!

Mommy, why is the sky blue? Why are we going to the store? What's that flag mean? What happened to my juice? Why do I have to eat broccoli? How far away does grandma live? Every one of those questions is a perfect learning opportunity!

I guess now is a good time to warn you that if you don't like responding-in depth-to 10,000 questions per day unschooling might not be for you. Actually, there are a lot of reasons that unschooling might not suit people. Even in the homeschooling community there aren't a lot of us. Many people prefer to track their child's progress with tests because they feel that will help them better assess their children's learning needs-and that is completely valid. Also there is a lot of concern that unschooling doesn't teach your children the "right" things at the "right" time, and to a point that concern is valid too. There have been children who were unschooled who didn't learn to read until they were 13 because they weren't interested in it until then. Of course the only child I knew who did that was enrolled at Harvard by 14, so he was obviously busy learning other things, but not all children who wait that long end up that way-most just learned later and go about a normal life. There can be learning gaps, or gaps between peers, while unschooling and that's why a lot of people don't do it.

In the end, every parent must do what they believe is best for their children-whether that is unschooling, traditional homeschooling, or public/private school. Every kid, and every family, is different and I have nothing but respect for everyone who does what they believe is in their family's best interest-whether or not that is the same as what I am doing in my family's best interest.

We just happen to LOVE unschooling~enough to post about it on a weekly basis!

This week we made Quiche Florentine-Cooking is always a great experience with ample opportunities for learning in many different subjects!


Getting out ingredients and supplies [Opportunity to learn about organization (how do we keep the kitchen clean), mechanics (why is the fridge cold?), science (why do we wash our hands), and helping others]

Combining the ingredients [Opportunity to learn about science (how and why things mix together (or don't)), spacial skills (stir BIG, stir little, stir clockwise/counterclockwise), reading (the recipe), math (measuring things out), and waiting/taking turns (your turn to stir, now my turn to stir).]

Cooking/Baking [Opportunity to learn about science (temperature and it's effects), also-especially for young ones who are not yet allowed to operate near a stove-this is an ideal time to talk about the history of this recipe (both cultural/historical and within your family).]

Another great thing about cooking with your kids is that it usually provides something hands on for kids to do at many different levels of development. Older kids can focus on technique (sauteing vs frying) and memorizing recipes to use when they leave home. Younger kids, like Monkey, can get their hands in there-stirring, spreading, rolling...in this recipe he got to pat out the dough (and learn about shapes, texture, and size). He also got to draw a smiley face on the crust!

Another reason we love to cook with the kids is that it has practical application (everyone has to eat!) and it has a very tangible reward for everyone. Monkey got a rewarding sense of both accomplishment and capability looking at his creation....


The Bean got to practice focusing her eyes and recognizing voices..............


Even Baby Bug (who was napping during the actual cooking process) got to enjoy some delicious, nutritious food...[Please pay no attention to the mass of toys on the table-Monkey is going through a collecting/hoarding/organizing phase.]

And-oh joy!-there was even enough left over for Mommy and Daddy. YUM! Also worth noting, this recipe got the kids to HAPPILY-dare I even say greedily-ingest spinach. Educational, nutritional, and kid friendly?! It's a miracle meal, I tell you.

Please steal the miracle meal-I hope you enjoy the process AND it's delicious results with your kids!

Easy Quiche Florentine
[Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees]
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 + 1 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp cold water

Mix flour and salt, cut in butter, add water one tbsp at a time until dough is cohesive but not sticky. Bake in a 9 inch pie plate for 8-10 minutes.

Filling:
2 tbsp minced onion
1/4 cup butter
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup milk
4-5 beaten eggs
10 oz spinach, steamed and chopped
1/2 cup cooked bacon crumbles
1 cup swiss cheese

Beat eggs in a medium bowl, and set aside. Saute onion in butter. Blend in flour, salt, pepper. Add milk and cook stirring constantly until smooth and thick. Gradually add mix to eggs, then return entire mixture to pan and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in all ingredients except cheese. Pour into crust, top with cheese, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Drumroll Please...

The time has come for the Name These Weekly Blog Features contest to end. Thank you everyone for your suggestions!

Monday's posts about unschooling will be featured under the title:
Mondays Our Way
[Name contributed by darling Hubby]

Tuesday's weekly polls will now be titled:
Tell All Tuesdays
[Name contributed by my lovely friend Helene from I'm Living Proof That God Has A Sense Of Humor]

Friday's feature posts about things (and people!) I love will now be titled:
Mommy's Fabulous Find Friday
[Name contributed by my new friend Robin from Robins Blue Nest]

And now, on to the electronic drawing for the first ever Mommy's Fabulous Find Friday!

Using the True Random Number Generator from Random.org and listing my followers chronologically 1-24 (WOW! 24! Thanks you guys!) the very first featured follower for Fabulous Find Friday is......

Follower Number 1 (my very first follower gets my very first featured spot? I love randomly good things!)...the fabulous and fun~

Jen from The Spoiled Housewife!

Be on the lookout for your interview questions Jen-I look forward to posting all about you next Friday!

Don't forget my other great weekly features start next week as well. First up: Mondays Our Way, which this week will feature a recipe for quiche!