We have been home schooling our children for a little over two years now. It has been a exciting journey. One of the questions that I get the most is what do I do with my kids all day (or in other words, how do I know what to teach them or what curriculum to use)? I find myself stumbling a bit with my words to answer this pretty simple question, so I thought I would write it out to help myself in the future. What do I do with them all day? I try to inspire, not require. It is the 3rd key of Leadership Education, and it supports the fact the teaching is essentially a fallacy. You can't teach anyone anything if they aren't inspired to learn it themselves (and once they are inspired, they tend to self-educate with very little invention needed). Yes, if you require them, they will go through the motions, read the books, and write papers (even good papers!), but if they do not have an internal desire to learn the subject matter, they will forget it soon after the lesson is done. This was my experience in school. Except for some of the classes I was able to take in my late college years (the classes pertaining to my major- my passion and inspiration), I can't recall much of anything I learned in school....because I didn't really learn it. I memorized facts or followed instructions, but I didn't learn. There was very little personal inspiration for me to do so.
Now obviously we can't inspire our children to do everything they need to do in life. I don't wait until they are "inspired" to unload the dishwasher or to make their beds. There are house rules and schedules to be kept that are required. Someone posted a blog entry recently that discussed this topic of "inspire, not require" and asked if certain skills might need to be in this "required" category. For instance, if a child doesn't learn to form their letters correctly and later they feel inspired to learn to write a story, frustration might occur because the basic skill of penmanship has not been taught and could hinder his excitement to continue learning to write stories. The same could be said about teaching your children phonics so when they are inspired to learn history, they can easily pick up a history book or biography and read it.
It's an interesting thought, but I think it is one that we need to be careful about pursuing if we are going to truly stick to the "inspire, not require" philosophy. I think that the reason that most people fall for the myth that children must be taught or they won't learn, is because they believe if they don't require children to study and learn, they will sit around all day and simply do nothing. I had this same concern at the beginning of our home schooling journey. I tried the "require" method for the first year which only led to resentment, frustration, and a complete lack of learning. We have been implementing the "inspire method" now for over a year, and there is so much more quality learning and good feelings abounding in our home. People, including children, WILL learn if you allow them the time and create the environment to do so at their own pace and in their own ways. If they really want to write a story or learn about history, they will figure out what they need to do to make that happen. And if they need help, they will most likely turn to a mentor who has inspired them for guidance.
Having said ALL that (for those of you who are still with me here), I liked this thought of helping inspire my children to learn these basic skills- penmanship (the basics of forming letters), phonics (the basics of associating letters with their sounds), arithmetic (the basic basics of math), and other adult skills (such as teaching my children to budget their money, study the scriptures, basic survival skills- to name a few). I still do not require them to do this daily, but I make sure to set aside the time (should they choose to use it), have the resources they need to learn these skills, and set the example of learning and practicing these skills myself. Sometimes the power of suggestion is all a child needs to take off. When Bradley was barely five, he wanted to write a letter. He didn't even know how to write his name very well at that point. I showed him a little writing workbook I had picked up somewhere and made sure he had the essentials he needed- the wide-lined paper, pencils, a pencil holder so he could learn to position his hand correctly, etc. He also saw me writing frequently in my journals or other books. He sat down at the table and for about 3 days he copied out of this writing workbook. He was writing on his own- with very little intervention from me- after these three days, and after a year of practice he now has beautiful penmanship skills. So, do I think skills should be required? No. But, you can't just sit around and wait for inspiration to hit. Inspiration takes time and thought on the mentor's part, and if your child is ready, he will learn.
As part of "inspiring" my children, Savanna helped me make these cute learning place mats (this idea was taken from this same lady's blog who was talking about the skills). They are basically just two page protectors sewn together. I stuck card stock in both sides, and typed up some simple skills or memorization activities for the kids to look at and work on while they are eating. This has worked out so great. My kids are always eating, and I've found them discussing their place mats or reading them to each other several times a day. When they get tired of what is on there or memorize all the little activities, I can print out new stuff for them and pop them into the holders.
Savanna sewing the page protectors together.
Some phonics, addition problems, and fun nursery rhymes for the boys.
We've discovered that the kids can use dry erase markers on the place mats to do simple math problems or doodle- it wipes right off and then they can start over at the next meal time.
Savanna's place mat - has some geography, some arithmetic rules, and her Young Women's Theme she is working on memorizing.
We find that when we follow this "inspire, not require" philosophy there isn't a need to take long breaks in our schooling because the children are doing and learning what they love. So our summer is looking a lot like the rest of the year. We do a lot of reading/learning and play in the morning, along with our family work around the house.
Ben is a master at folding the towels. :) Family work is an integral part of our morning routine. James and I work right along side our kids helping them learn skills for caring for themselves and their home. They are super impressed with themselves when they can do these home tasks. We've set up some rewards for Savanna as she learns to do some of the harder household duties. She doesn't always get as excited as her brothers, but I feel good about preparing her to take care of a home and a family.
AND
We are still trying to complete a bunch of baby projects. We set up Emma's bed and changing area this week. It looks great! My next project is to wash all of her clothes and bedding, and then I will be making a bunch of meals to freeze and dehydrate for the first month after she is born. 8 more weeks to go- I'm getting very excited!
Her bassinet/changing table/newborn napper station.
James and I did get out for a date this week to see "Eclipse." Eh...about the same caliber as the book. I am not a huge "Twilight" fan. Maybe if I was a decade younger I would appreciate it more. But, it is always fun to get out with my husband alone. We came home and found Savanna and Brad sleeping on the bottom bunk, and Ben sleeping on the top. Pretty cute.
June 28th - July 3rd
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