Beginnings of Homeschooling/Unschooling

We recently pulled thirteen year old Andrew out of public school after many years of battling the schools. A week later, we decided to pull five year old Sosena out of transitional kindergarten. I don't think anything has given me as much peace this year as being able to take the extreme academic pressure off my kids. Seeing them learn at their own pace, in their own way, and actually enjoy it has been a huge weight lifted after a very rough & tumble year of transition, loss and challenges. Most satisfying is seeing that they're able to be kids and enjoy their lives together while learning what they want to learn.

• Sosena sat at the table for lunch today, and wore a bright red skirt on her head. You can see it pictured below on her brother's head. She talked a lot about needing a haircut since it was so long. 
• She spent time reading her yogurt carton, and sounding out the words "Strawberry" and "Banana."

• She typed out new words on her iPod learning app, and I never knew she could spell anything but her own name! Yes, I caved and gave my 5 year old an electronic device on her birthday. When I saw all the cool learning apps, I couldn't resist. She gets two 20-30 minute periods/day, if she wants to. Some days she doesn't even ask to use it.

  

  Andrew decided to do his worksheets in a lovely head covering 

  yesterday.

• She assisted me in starting the laundry, and when it was finished she folded and put away all the napkins & dish towels. I didn't even have to ask for assistance, and she had a blast.

• She danced & danced, sang to music, and basically did her own version of aerobics.

• Sosena asked for some learning worksheets. I gave them to her, and they were completed on her own. They were done neatly and correctly-- both handwriting and math work. She enjoyed every moment!

• We sat and talked a lot. It's amazing how much young kids learn and soak up if they have an adult who will just sit and talk with them one-on-one at least 10-20 minutes a day.

• Sosena said "Candy is good for me, right? It helps me grow." She's still finishing up her Halloween stash, so I had to explain what sugar is, what it does to your teeth and how it affects the brain and blood. Quite a lesson. Now she says "I want some candy, but I will only eat a little so I can feel good and stay healthy." Of course, we ration it out in small amounts for her, but now she knows why.

• Andrew had a very fun time reading about the California gold rush era. He did two hours of research on the topic, and took extensive notes. He doesn't know it, but he's doing things he used to hate: reading and writing. I love it! As long as he's learning about something he is excited about, he doesn't even notice he's doing those things. And he's spending far more time doing them than when he was in school.

• He studied various dog breeds, and did the corresponding writing to go with it. He also learned about etching into metals and fine jewelry, and watched a video about how jewelers make their creations.

• He drew up a floor plan for his room. Now that his older brother, Lee, has moved out, he has some serious plans. We implemented many of them today, and his room looks great.

•  Andrew completed all his usual daily chores: feeding & grooming the cats, cleaning out the litter box, straightening his room, dishes.

• We do so much talking with him home all the time now. We notice more when he says a sentence incorrectly, and have started holding him accountable-- i.e. he has to re-state what he said slowly, with more thought, until he says what he means. He has language processing issues for various reasons. We could just let it slide since parents know how to translate their kids so well, but we're not letting anything slide now.

• He's finally dropped the demand to be graded on everything he does (poor kid was so brainwashed!) No grades, just effort with a willingness to do his best in all things. Oh, and to have fun of course!

• After taking about 6 weeks off math, I started testing him to see where he's at. It took him, a while to clear all the algebraic mumbo-jumbo from his head. That confusing stuff had him so lost, he couldn't even remember how to do basic addition! He has a math disability, so we're focusing on basic life-skills math. He's finally completing worksheets competently, and feeling good about himself. He's learning how to count money, long and short addition and subtraction, and knows his multiplication tables. I'm already seeing some progress in a very short time, which has us feeling very hopeful. Struggles came up when he didn't want an assignment to end, wanted more attention, so pretended he didn't know how to solve a problem. We had to sit down and explain how it works in math terms:
  Math + Honest Effort = Fun privileges that day
  Math + Dishonest Effort = No fun privileges that day
  Despite having a math disability, he got it right away and started doing much better. hehehee!

• Self Esteem: He's starting next week on a reading assignment. It's Louise Hay's renowned "You Can Heal Your Life." He's been trying to do better in the self-love department, but he needs a nudge. We're seeing the importance of this since he's getting older. The low self-worth affects everything he does, and stems from seven years of institutionalization and abuse in India- intense stuff. So, I'm breaking it down in chapters and having him write a synopsis of each chapter. He's going to take his time with it, which means it could take him a while to complete. He also has the "Love Yourself, Heal Your Life Workbook" to go with it. I don't like to push assignments on my kids, but I'm going to make sure he associates this book with getting attention.. he craves attention, so that get him motivated.

Sosena with Daddy reading "Stellaluna"

I'm surprised at how effortless this has seemed so far. Of course, this is only a handful of a-zillion learning opportunities that have taken place since starting the homeschooling adventure. They seem to happen 'round the clock. We're looking forward to museum visits and road trips. With homeschool, plus both parents working from home, we have freedom to do so many exciting things as a family. I always talk to Andrew about the ginormous classroom we have (the world) and how eager I am to explore it with him!