Three Self-Directed Family Learning Activities
My children were my greatest teachers.
Being aware that we are learning together all the time made it easier for me to create family activities that we could all share. The activities led to extended learning experiences – not just for the kids, but for everyone.
Conversations endured for weeks. Trips to the market resulted in new recipes. Nature walks inspired poetry and science. Museum visits sparked forgotten memories and made us yearn for travel.
Here are three activities that made a lasting difference for us on our homeschooling journey:.
Eight Changes We Made After Homeschooling
Every time I see a post about teachers no longer assigning homework, it brings me back to a time when boring, senseless homework ruled our world! School was the elephant in the room that we all catered to. Our lives changed radically when we homeschooled.
Here are the biggest changes that I remember making when we first started homeschooling.
Nurturing A Child’s Love Of Reading
When I was a child, reading gave me the chance to escape an unhappy reality. It was not a passive activity. It was astonishingly active. I may have been lying down or sitting, but I was in another place. My imagination was activated, and I felt as if I were living in a garret in London, or skulking through the walls of the Chateau d’If, or attending a young mother-to-be in confinement in rural 1800s Russia.
As I grew older I realized reading was more than a thrilling escape; it was a way to know myself better. Great writing reflects humanity, and we can see ourselves mirrored in complex characters and their stories. We have that sense of self-discovery, a personal awakening, through the reading of a good book. I remember this feeling at age four or five when I read And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street*, by Dr. Seuss, a validation of my own imagination in a way that helped me to deal with the everyday world.
Visiting Museums With Children
I was a rambunctious, strong-willed, independent child, and my mother was determined this would not stop her from pursuing one of her passions: museums. She devised ways to keep me interested. I probably raced down the museum galleries yelling my head off, but somehow she kept me amused.
We played treasure hunt games, where she would direct me to find something. "Look for the hidden dog in a painting in this room," which I proudly pointed out once discovered. I never forgot the "Three Musicians" by Picasso, with a wagging tail keeping time and the rest of the large dog sitting in shadow under their legs. You can see it at MoMA. At the Metropolitan Museum you can pick up treasure hunt guides developed by curators just for kids. Browse the Greek galleries for animals or gods and goddesses mentioned in the Percy Jackson books. Find scenes and objects From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Search the African galleries or the arms and armor collection, or look for games of chess. You can download the guide before you go or pick it up at the information counter.