Entries Tagged 'Epsilon' ↓

…I have many thoughts, most not fully developed, rambling about in my head right now.  I think the end result, should I ever reason it out, will be an epiphany (for me, at least).  So forgive me for pouring my ramblings out here…

I often read accounts of home/unschooling projects in which everyone is involved, learning is happening on multiple levels, connections are being made, and there’s just a warm fuzzy glow encompassing everyone.  But somehow, I didn’t see that as being real.  Not that I thought learning and projects would necessitate a “chore” mentality — just that I couldn’t see it working for and involving every one of us.  For example, I figured that if we decided to… say, learn to play chess, I would read about it before hand, find some good sites, and then impart my knowledge to Gamma.  He’d be suitably grateful and enthralled with the knowledge, and we’d both become expert chess players as a result.  So yes, we’d all be learning, but I’d be learning in advance, and then teaching.

Gamma has a long-standing obsession with Bionicles.  He loves to put them together.  He scours the Lego site for information on them.  He has discovered the wonders of YouTube and homemade movies starring Bionicles.  He plays the game on the Wii, and he watches the movie as often as we allow can stand to listen to it.  He asks me what Bionicles I would like for my birthday, and which action figure I like best, and who I want to be when we play make-believe games together.  It doesn’t stop.  Ever.  All…day…long.

(this has a point… I swear it… at least I think it does… I’m not sure where this will end up…)

I really don’t like Bionicles very much.  The storyline has too much fighting for my taste.  But knowing how infatuated he is with these right now, I tried to look at them objectively and figure out how we could use this as a learning experience.  Not turning it into schoolwork, but extracting learning from it, if you follow me.

But I couldn’t see it.  Sure, he was following sometimes 20- or 30-step instructions, intended for kids three-to-five years older than he is.  But he’s just playing. Sure, he’s correctly typing in words like “Mata Nui” and “Rahkshi” and “Vahki,” and finding videos and instruction manuals.  But these aren’t “real” words and he’s just fooling around. Sure, he’s reading things like “do you want to purchase this hint for 500?”  But this isn’t a phonics program, it’s just a video game.

I kept looking for how I could connect this to history, or literature, or something I saw as meaningful.  I just couldn’t see it.

A week or so ago, Alpha bid on and won a huge lot of Bionicle sets and spare pieces.  When he called me from work and told me about it, I admit I was less than thrilled.  Gamma had just been digging in his heels and ignoring some of the “organic” learning I was trying to make him joyously discover.  Instead, he wanted to be playing with his stinking Bionicles.  I was ready to ban them from the house!  But despite my opposition to the war-mentality, and despite the education battles, I really just want my kids to have fun and be happy, and so, when Alpha came home Friday afternoon with a load of Bionicles, I was grinning along with him while we watched Gamma’s ever-increasing joy as he discovered each new set.

Thus began a two day marathon Bionicle session.  For all of us.  Gamma was the lead builder, as he knew the most about the sets.  Some did not have instructions — Alpha and Gamma figured those out together.  Then came the huge bag of assorted parts.  A strange helmet, an unusual weapon or disk or shield.  I’d  use these clues to look them up on the internet, find the correct name/species (???) of Bionicle, and locate a scanned instruction booklet so they could piece them together.  Epsilon… he is the only two year old on earth, I’d dare say, that can say “Bionicle”, let alone name individual characters.

And it was an absolutely awesome, warm-fuzzy-glow weekend.  Alpha is almost as infatuated with Bionicles as Gamma now.  He loves to build and construct, and figure things out with no blueprint, only to find a blueprint later and realize he was dead-on balls accurate (it’s an industry term).  Gamma was in his element, and I think being the resident expert gave him a level of confidence and assured-ness about himself he’d not realized before.  I loved finding that I’m a valued part of the team — that being research assistant/librarian is just as valuable  (if not more)  as being hands on/go-to-girl.  Epsilon enjoyed getting to play with spare parts and simply not being brushed aside in the interest of real learning, as opposed to play.  And both kids got to see that both Dad’s and Mom’s skills (although vastly different) have great value.

Sigh… if I’d taken the time to write this all out in the midst of the epiphany, it might have made so much more sense… but then I’d have missed most of the moments…

I can’t equate all learning to the Bionicle universe.  I still can’t fathom how our history can be traced through this alternative universe.  Or how most math, or history, or science, can spring from this.  But I am beginning to get the picture of how the learning can happen, and the possibilities are enticing.  I still have a long way to go, but I think I’m becoming more open to the possibilities.

And I think that – getting how the learning can happen – will be the most important step of all.

Can you find a familiar face amongst the legion?

You know those “homeschoolers” who always laugh at the ill-fitting moniker?  You know, the ones that are never actually home, and are always out exploring nature, frequenting museums, and taking more classes than your average college freshman?  Yeah… that’s not us.

We’re homebodies.  At least, I should say, Alpha and I are homebodies.  Gamma seems to follow suit, although whether that’s due to nature or nurture is debatable.  Epsilon has yet to make his preferences known.

So, most of our time, we actually ARE at home.  And I think that’s fine.  But I’m also trying to get out and do more with the kids, to expose them to what our area has to offer.  This week, we ventured out to the PASS, a science adventure park a mere ten-minute drive from our house.  It’s a former colliery, turned into a great hands-on museum.  Although, obviously, all the info and audio-bits are in French and Dutch, the areas of the museum geared for the younger set were relatively easy for me to translate on the fly.  Not that the kids cared about the text.  They were more concerned with trying out absolutely everything.

There’s lots more to explore, including a weather observatory that Gamma’s excited about, so I think this was a good find and we’ll be back frequently.    Where to venture next?

Enough with the mommy guilt.  Oh, I’ve got plenty in reserve for the coming weeks.  Plenty of concerns, fears, hesitations, but what ifs, etc. to keep you reading for months.  Instead, let’s take a look at the good.

Gamma and I made homemade currant bread while Epsilon played in the sink:

We found this in the yard:

The boys played outside in their pjs after dark:

Captain Courageous here had just watched a movie that scared him the night before...

...so he enlisted Epsilon to hold his hand as they ventured to the farside of the garden.

the young adventurers returning safely home.

Epsilon most definitely does NOT need to take naps anymore (according to him):

I made the mistake of leaving Epsilon on his own for five minutes so I could run upstairs and get dressed:

exhibit A

exhibit B

exhibit C

Unschoolish highlights of the week to set my schoolish heart at ease:

• finished reading Fantastic Mr. Fox and Gamma begged me to read it again.  Instead, we started and are nearly halfway through The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which Gamma says is way better than the movie.
• watched Pole to Pole and Mountains, two of the Planet Earth episodes.  This sparked much conversation regarding the circle of life, predators, and what happens to a species when its natural predators disappear.
• a cheap, plastic toy centipede sparked the question, “is this an insect?”, which led to a couple hours buried in our bug book, comparing insects, centipedes, millipedes, etc.  Fascinated that Alpha and I have seen enormous centipedes in Hawaii.
• Alpha and I have recently started working out in earnest, leading to questions such as “how fast can you make your heart run?  what happens if you make it run too fast?  will it explode?  can you make it run too fast?  Much time spent perusing the body encyclopedia, looking at heart info and identifying the muscles that we were working.
• read plenty of BOB books; also the titles to the chapters of the books we’re reading, the Cheerios box, instructions on the new Wii Mario Kart game, etc.
• wrote a letter to his cousin: I luv you Paige.  Gud job on yur driving test.  Love, Gamma
• taught Epsilon how to play with the Starfall site on the computer.
• watched a Just So Darwin episode on pufferfish.
• played with the Wii, on the computer, make-believe of all sorts, and built models with his Legos.

And lots and lots of other stuff.

things Gamma, Epsilon and I did today:

• read three chapters in Dahl’s “The Witches”
• read assorted other books throughout the day
• measured a bedroom window for curtains
• took the circumference of the biggest pumpkin from our garden (55 inches)
• vacuumed, Gamma earning 2 euros toward his next Bionicle purchase
• pretended a plain brown refrigerator-sized cardboard box was a castle
• played knights and marauders, Gamma and Epsilon shooting imaginary arrows through the slits in the box
• played Bionicle on the Wii (Gamma gave me lessons)
• looked up information on the computer about Bionicles and read said info aloud until I was hoarse
• played outside, some kind of made up game in which I am the Queen of Ice and he is the King of Fire (Epsilon gets to be minion to us both, running back and forth to serve our dastardly plans)

Things we did not do today:

• phonics
• fight

We’re back, and ready to hit the books, so to speak.  Scotland was…. awesome.  Incredible.  Bonny.  Alpha and I spent a good portion of our time there trying to figure out if there was really, truly, a way we could stay there permanently.  We both know it’s simply not practical, but, oh!  In our hearts we desperately wish it were!  It was two weeks of relaxation, luscious surroundings, enjoying each other and the kids, and visiting with good friends.  And the bonus?  No internet.  Funny, I imagined I’d go stir crazy without it, but it was wonderful.  No constant e-mail checking, no blog updates, no mindless celebrity gossip.  I’ve actually been loathe to sit down at the computer since we returned home on Sunday.

School has started.  By the end of day one, I was quite literally re-evaluating the local schools.  Epsilon turned two while we were on hiatus, and has hit the terrible twos with a passion bordering on madness.  He’s turned into a screaming-hitting-fighting-whining machine.  And Gamma, well Gamma has perfected the fine art of backtalk.  And ignoring one’s parents.  And making glaring faces.  And blatantly refusing do anything that’s asked of him.

Day two was a little better, but it’s been a tough return to reality.  And let me assure you, we’re not attempting to do hard-hitting, sit in your seat academics.  I don’t think at this point it’s a matter of what we’re doing.  It’s a matter of me trying to establish a little parental control over the situation. Of re-establishing boundaries that have somehow disappeared somewhere along the way.  When did that happen?  Neither of the boys has ever really challenged us before.  Now, to have both of them doing so at once, is really difficult.

OK, enough complaining.  I’m just going to pretend I’m back in our cottage in Fort Augustus, back when I thought the behavior issues would disappear when they got home to familiar surroundings.  Imagine that!  I’m 37, and I’m still that naive!

the view out the kitchen window

the River Oich, as seen from our living room

canal-side, as seen from the living room

I’ll post a link to photos from the trip in a day or two, when I get organized.  It’s going to take some time to get back in the swing of things.

Deciding on a homeschooling method has got to be one of the most frustrating tasks I’ve ever set out to accomplish. Why? Because every method sounds perfect. Well, maybe not perfect. But every method appeals to me in different ways. Although there are many, many more approaches out there, these are the ones we’ve considered for Gamma and Epsilon. I’m assuming most readers here are already well-familiar with all the terms I bandy about. If not, visit Ann Zeise for a good overview.

School at Home: Ahhh. Familiar, structured, and all the details laid out for me in textbook format. No gaps to worry about — at least, no gaps that aren’t common to most children. But, knowing Gamma, also no joy. Although he’s young and we’re still discovering his learning styles, I’m pretty sure his style isn’t sit-still-and-glue-your-eyes-to-the-textbook. He’s not a multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank kid. He’s an experimenter. A doer. A think-for-himself kind of kid.

Classical: We love the idea. Rigorous academics, real books, chronological history. All these things are very appealing. But WTM seems… well, a little too rigorous. The emphasis on memorization and the hard-hitting grammar and spelling programs etc… I guess I find this to be a little too much like school at home. Better school at home than if we followed the traditional textbooks and timelines of the public schools, but still not something that is ideal for my sons.*

LCC, in some ways, appeals a little more. The principle of multum non multa makes sense to us, and the pace seems a little more relaxed while still maintaining a great academic standard. However, the division of classical, christian, and modern studies seems a little awkward to me, and I’m having difficulty seeing how that would really play out in our very secular household.**

Charlotte Mason: I, Beta, find CM very appealing. It’s kind of classical with an unschooling twist. The short lessons I think are especially good with young boys like mine, who don’t like to sit still and listen intently because there is so much more to see and do! It allows plenty of time for children to be children and play and be free. Real books? Check. Chronological history? Check. Art and music appreciation but in a fairly laid-back way? Check. Where CM fails us (or perhaps where we fail CM) is in one critical-to-CM area: nature study. I tried to start this with my son. I really did. And he went along, fairly patiently. But he doesn’t want to observe polliwogs or butterflies or learn how flowers grow. He wants to get out a telescope and stay up all night and watch the stars. Or put on a lab coat and explode something in my kitchen. But nature study? Meh.

Unit Studies: The idea of picking a subject near and dear to Gamma’s heart (say, the moon, for example) and then basing our other studies around it is very appealing at the outset. The whole family would be learning together, and be totally immersed in the subject. It sounds great, but the few times I’ve tried to implement this, it seemed a little forced, and Gamma quickly tired of it. And a lot of work goes into preparing for a unit study. To have it fall flat means hours of wasted time, time I could have spent building Legos or reading with him, instead of sitting in front of the computer while he plays quietly beside me.

Unschooling: I find unschooling to be a siren-call — it’s alluring and seductive, and yet terrifying when I fully contemplate it. First-hand experience has shown me that self-directed, self-motivated learning is an amazing, wonderful thing. And it really does happen. Gamma already astounds us with things he’s learned by himself — he asks questions and experiments with how things work, and tries out new ideas all the time.

So why the hesitation? Firstly, I don’t know that I can trust it. Don’t get me wrong. I trust the kids. I don’t think that all they’ll do is watch television all day long. The television is on right now. Gamma is playing with the Lego spider he built – only he’s turned it into a spider-spacecraft hybrid and is flying it around the living room. Epsilon is playing with trains and scribbling on a piece of paper. But I worry about my ability to be able to answer questions, when I don’t know what question will come next. Or how effective I would be at strewing. And Alpha? Alpha, too, can see the learning happening, but is too much the engineer to feel comfortable with something as touchy-feely as unschooling. Perhaps with a different label applied he’d be more accepting.

Sigh.

What we’re really searching for is a well-rounded, academically-sound education for our boys, with science and math at the heart. Real books, hands on, but still plenty of time for boys to be boys. Any suggestions? CM, with “real science” (as Gamma puts it) in place of nature study? Our own take on LCC? Any other suggestions or options I haven’t considered? Whatever we do choose, I’m sure it will be a meld of a multitude of approaches. In a word: eclectic!

*At this point I’m assuming Epsilon will have similar interests and learning styles. Only time will tell! We’ll obviously adjust to his distinct personality when the time comes.

**Yes, of course we plan for our children to be biblically literate. In fact, we plan for them to be familiar with tenets of all the worlds major religions, not just christianity. But that’s a topic for another post!