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We decided at the beginning of the school year to try something a little different this year. Instead of following the regular school year schedule, we were going to "do school" for three weeks, then take a week off. We would also be "doing school" year round versus taking July and August completely off. Not that we really completely took July and August off - we still did a few unit plans that did not involve paper work. Nature stuff mostly - like observing animals, plants, insects, weather, etc.
So this was our first official week off on our new schedule and this is what I discovered...
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt is constantly asking what we are going to do for school that day.
If there is nothing planned for school, PS2 and DS are boring and he's on his own computer (the old computer that has next to no memory) playing Reader Rabbit or some other educational game.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt can be found on the couch reading about bears, wolves, stars, planets and what ever other book we dragged home from the library.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt will plug in the cd/cassette player and listen to books on tape while reading along. This week was Suess and Munsch.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt can be found in the kitchen asking if we can bake cookies and asking me why we use this ingredient or that and what each of them do.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt is at the table doing a craft on his own. This week it was a toilet paper tube Autumn Wreath (complete with bent beyond any further use wire coat hanger), milk carton pirate ship, beaver lodge out of toothpicks and popsicle sticks and what ever else happened to strike his fancy.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt can be found sitting on the floor playing with Legos he hasn't played with in over six months.
In short...If there is nothing planned for school, I don't hear a single complaint about school. I don't hear a single moan or groan about coming to the table. I don't hear a single "when I'm done this level" - when he's pulled out the ps2 without my knowledge and started playing when he knows he's not allowed to play it until after 4 pm...
I think I just might like this new schedule.
So this was our first official week off on our new schedule and this is what I discovered...
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt is constantly asking what we are going to do for school that day.
If there is nothing planned for school, PS2 and DS are boring and he's on his own computer (the old computer that has next to no memory) playing Reader Rabbit or some other educational game.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt can be found on the couch reading about bears, wolves, stars, planets and what ever other book we dragged home from the library.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt will plug in the cd/cassette player and listen to books on tape while reading along. This week was Suess and Munsch.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt can be found in the kitchen asking if we can bake cookies and asking me why we use this ingredient or that and what each of them do.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt is at the table doing a craft on his own. This week it was a toilet paper tube Autumn Wreath (complete with bent beyond any further use wire coat hanger), milk carton pirate ship, beaver lodge out of toothpicks and popsicle sticks and what ever else happened to strike his fancy.
If there is nothing planned for school, Squirt can be found sitting on the floor playing with Legos he hasn't played with in over six months.
In short...If there is nothing planned for school, I don't hear a single complaint about school. I don't hear a single moan or groan about coming to the table. I don't hear a single "when I'm done this level" - when he's pulled out the ps2 without my knowledge and started playing when he knows he's not allowed to play it until after 4 pm...
I think I just might like this new schedule.
We started on a 3 week on, 1 week off schedule at the start of the calendar year. I realised a couple of months ago that he learnt just as much (or more) in those off weeks as the rest of the time, and without the angst of me trying to teach him! He loves to learn, just hates to be taught anything... So we've drifted into sort of unschooling / natural learning for the majority of the time. It's working for us and we're loving it!