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Project, hands-on, and interest based learning - Any advice on "how"?


rafiki
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Well, I do some interest led and some of my own topics. When it's hands on and projects they love anything I cover it seems.

 

I just use google and youtube searches either spontaneously to explore a topic or more formally to pull a unit together. I find that for many topics there is so much out there to use (webpages, interactives, videos, unit studies, lesson plans, project ideas, etc.) that the problem for me is more about what to cut or when to call the planning done. If I'm doing something more unit like for a topic I collect all the neat ideas (saving links with a note about what it is and what I thought) then I organize into topics with the best hands on idea(s) I found to go with. If it's spontaneous it's really not much time for me at all. My kids seem to like a mix. Or rather one likes me to plan things in his areas of interest and the other likes to launch out on his own.

 

Current example in case it helps:

 

We began reading Mr. Popper's Penguins late last week and my boys wanted to learn about penguins. I searched for things and then organized the ideas I found into lessons with a topic per day. So I searched for penguin movement for example because a child wanted to know what tobagganing was and found a site that talks about penguin movement, three youtube videos that show penguins moving in those ways (so for example I searched penguin tobagganing on youtube), then I found two sites that have neat ideas I'll used for the active part/hands on part of our exploring. I'm sure they will add to it on their own.

 

I find that when they are engaged in the topic they will give you ideas. Example on Friday one child told me he wanted to learn more about blue whales so we looked and found a wonderful interactive webpage about blue whales. He spent a long time exploring it with me and we talked about it and then he wanted to measure out the distances illustrated (size, diving distances, etc.) with me. His twin wanted to pretend to be a whale so he and I figured out how to make a costume. I don't think much about the webpage is in his memory bank outside of it's big and what it does/doesn't eat but he learned tons from making that costume (with paper products and tape...I don't sew!). They are different. They made it their own. Both loved it. I bet your kids will as well. In fact, I bet the older kids could take on a lot of the planning for themselves in areas of interest.

 

There is just so much available online in almost any topic area. Short example--they want to branch out into ocean life and in a quick search last night I found lots of ideas they might like:

Diorama http://www.holdthatthought.com/crafts/Shadow_Box.pdf

This is a survivor game (crab life/beach) http://www.otago.ac.nz/marinestudies/resources/download/survivor.pdf

Squid Diorama http://www.otago.ac.nz/marinestudies/resources/download/squid_diorama.pdf

Food chain in the ocean: http://www.otago.ac.nz/marinestudies/resources/download/GulpandSwallow.pdf

Deep sea game: http://www.otago.ac.nz/marinestudies/resources/download/DeepSeaGame.pdf

Food chains ideas: http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/lesson_plans/453/Animal%20Classifications%20and%20Food%20Chains%20So%20Whats%20Eating%20You.pdf

I know there is tons out there on this topic. I just wanted to illustrate that it's often an issue of cutting out activities rather than finding enough. And kids will take it and run with it usually.

 

If you had time and the kids had strong interests you could find tons of ideas for whatever topic interests them if they didn't have particular thoughts themselves. I think some kids need more help in that area than others (one of mine could be all on his own as he loves to imagine and explore and the other seems to want/need more from me). If it were me and my kids needed my help I would probably make it easier on myself and let each child pick a topic and when it's his/her week everyone does the topic that child selected knowing that next week their topic is the focus. Maybe that doesn't work with kids with age ranges like yours, I don't know. Mine are very different in interests yet I've found that they enjoy the things we do as they are contributing and I'm also finding ideas that appeal to each of them. The more a child does himself (coming up with and carrying out the ideas--especially those older kids) the more I think the learning will stick and be enjoyable both.

Edited by sbgrace
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Face it-it's going to be time consuming :)

 

What we do is have 1-3 larger, long-term projects going at any one time depending on the kids interests. Right now, my boys showed an abiding interest in Explorers, so we are working through HITW New Explorers CD and creating lapbooks and notebooks, as well as some baked goods :) We are also creating a lapbook on Da Vinci, and doing lots of outside reading about his inventions and his life. Younger is worknig through ES Biology, so we've been watching his live butterflies-they just came out of their chrysalis yesterday! So fun. My boys also love to cook and bake, so that's a fairly easy thing to incorporate.

 

On Sundays (meaning, I should be doing it right now) I print out all the needed material for the lapbooks or notebooks. If another project or idea has caught my kids' eyes (for example, ornaments or projects around the holidays) I will do my prep work on Sunday before the week we are going to do it. Sometimes I'll try to prep 2-3 weeks at a time, but that doesn't usually happen. Prep work for me means I need to go through the project ahead of time, print out material, cut it out, put glue sticks, scissors, required material in a ziplock baggie so it's ready to go. For baking or cooking projects, that means making sure all the ingredients are on hand and recipe is printed and ready to go.

 

For my younger, he enjoys making mini books on different animals, so that means I need to find the project online or put it together myself, (currclick has cheap ideas-homeschoolbits comes to mind as a vendor), print the materials, make make sure, again, that all the things we need (markers, stapler, string, ribbon, glitter) are all in one place....

 

you get the idea :lol:

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My older dd is the poster child for interest-led projects. She makes miniature villages out of things in the house, has a box of different boxes and things from the recycle bin that can be reused, sews toys designed in her imagination, and stuff that is way beyond my imagination or ability.

 

What I have done is ask her what she is interested in doing, then providing material and stepping away. We have lots of books with projects like "More than Moccasins" and the colonial one and some middle ages themed things to help her when she needs inspiration. We also a variety of science kits and craft kits that we've collected over time.

 

We have daily unstructured time when the girls can read, play outside, cook, build with building sets, draw or do projects. If she has been a few weeks without an idea of her own, I'll assign a science project book to be worked through. If she needs additional supplies, I let her make a list then I take her to the store and let her choose what she needs.

 

I think the younger will follow the same path, but she has very different interests. When she's bored, she will flip through the project books then as me to help her get her supplies.

 

I used to try to be the one to choose projects. I would expend a tremendous amount of time and energy setting up this stuff. Then I'd be disappointed the educational value. I just wasn't getting a good return on my investment. Since I have shift the responsibility to the girls, they learn more from their projects and are very proud to have completed them on their own.

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What I have done is ask her what she is interested in doing, then providing material and stepping away. We have lots of books with projects like "More than Moccasins" and the colonial one and some middle ages themed things to help her when she needs inspiration. We also a variety of science kits and craft kits that we've collected over time.

 

:iagree: Especially the bolded part.

 

How it typically works for us is that we make a big trip to the library every week or so. As soon as we get to the children's section, DD1 finds our wonderful children's librarian (no exaggeration. She's awesome!) and tell the CL what she's looking for (books about silkworms, skeleton books, whatever). I'm very, very hands off. She loves the independence. She picks out books and videos she wants and that's that.

 

At home, she picks through our crafting and scrap materials (old boxes, construction paper, glue, sticks, leaves, markers, old jar lids... literally anything!) and designs her own projects. I do like the idea of having project books available to her like a PP does. (making a mental note...)

 

My role: drive, buy specific supplies as needed, listen to her talking about what she's learning, act grossed out by talk of "icky things" (she loves grossing me out :) ) and read aloud the books that are too difficult to her.

 

I occasionally make suggestions. For example, I'm going to suggest mummifying a chicken because it's so "icky" and wonderful and relates to her interest in ancient Egypt, but I won't force the issue if she's not feeling it at the moment. We have plenty of time to play with raw poultry later. She's only 7 :)

 

Do not over-think it! Children want to learn, especially when they pick the topic. You are the travel agent not the cruise director. Encourage, support but don't force anything. Just :chillpill: and watch them blossom. Trust the process. :grouphug:

 

You want to know the coolest part? She remembers almost everything she's learned this way. It is a part of her.

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I am in NO WAY an expert in this, but I think that I tend to struggle with the things that you struggle with as well. So, I thought that I may share the things that I have learned.

 

1) Read blogs that inspire you to the way that you want your homeschool to "feel" and "look". I learn so much from others that have gone before me and done what I hope to do. Here is a post that I detail some of my favorites.

 

2) Make a regular trip to the library. Use your online library system if you have one to pick up books on subjects that interest yoru children.

 

3) Watch your children and try to pick up on what makes them excited.

 

4) Structure time not content.

 

5) Allow lots of "bored" time.

 

Last, but certainly not least:

 

3 times per day repeat this phrase: relax, relax, relax. :tongue_smilie:

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Current example in case it helps:

 

We began reading Mr. Popper's Penguins late last week and my boys wanted to learn about penguins. I searched for things and then organized the ideas I found into lessons with a topic per day.

 

 

 

See, I don't do anything like that. I think it's awesome, but I would drive myself and my kids crazy. I work hard to be flexible. It doesn't come naturally for me. I may pull up a cool youtube video and definately check out library books, but I try not to structure the content too much. Sometimes I search amazon for things that go along with what interests our children, but I try (try being the key word) to relax about it. If I allow them they follow their interests.

 

You're awesome, though! It sounds like your kids will have a blast with everything you design.

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:iagree: Especially the bolded part.

 

How it typically works for us is that we make a big trip to the library every week or so. As soon as we get to the children's section, DD1 finds our wonderful children's librarian (no exaggeration. She's awesome!) and tell the CL what she's looking for (books about silkworms, skeleton books, whatever). I'm very, very hands off. She loves the independence. She picks out books and videos she wants and that's that.

 

At home, she picks through our crafting and scrap materials (old boxes, construction paper, glue, sticks, leaves, markers, old jar lids... literally anything!) and designs her own projects. I do like the idea of having project books available to her like a PP does. (making a mental note...)

 

My role: drive, buy specific supplies as needed, listen to her talking about what she's learning, act grossed out by talk of "icky things" (she loves grossing me out :) ) and read aloud the books that are too difficult to her.

 

I occasionally make suggestions. For example, I'm going to suggest mummifying a chicken because it's so "icky" and wonderful and relates to her interest in ancient Egypt, but I won't force the issue if she's not feeling it at the moment. We have plenty of time to play with raw poultry later. She's only 7 :)

 

Do not over-think it! Children want to learn, especially when they pick the topic. You are the travel agent not the cruise director. Encourage, support but don't force anything. Just :chillpill: and watch them blossom. Trust the process. :grouphug:

 

You want to know the coolest part? She remembers almost everything she's learned this way. It is a part of her.

 

This is awesome. It sounds so much like our home. The last paragraph is SO true. My kids remember tons when they are given the time to follow their interests.

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What I have done is ask her what she is interested in doing, then providing material and stepping away.

 

I used to try to be the one to choose projects. I would expend a tremendous amount of time and energy setting up this stuff. Then I'd be disappointed the educational value. I just wasn't getting a good return on my investment. Since I have shift the responsibility to the girls, they learn more from their projects and are very proud to have completed them on their own.

 

:iagree:

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See, I don't do anything like that. I think it's awesome, but I would drive myself and my kids crazy. I work hard to be flexible. It doesn't come naturally for me. I may pull up a cool youtube video and definately check out library books, but I try not to structure the content too much. Sometimes I search amazon for things that go along with what interests our children, but I try (try being the key word) to relax about it. If I allow them they follow their interests.

 

You're awesome, though! It sounds like your kids will have a blast with everything you design.

Ya, kids are different. At least mine are! The blue whale exploring we did Friday wasn't at all planned or structured. I looked at your blog and we do a lot of that sort of thing (ie kiddo decided he wanted to dress up a like a blue whale Friday) and I do think that sort of learning is wonderful. One of mine often tells me a topic he wants and wants my ideas. He also wants something planned every day. It's the fun part of school for him (for all of us really).

 

Anyway, I find a mix works well here and the kiddo who likes to go off on his own tangents does that naturally and constantly. Maybe all your kids are like that child instead of my other kiddo. Or maybe one of yours (oldest?) is and so the others follow the ideas of that one. Maybe all kids do that and one of mine is weird. I don't know. I think a child that is strong in that direction just does it naturally and so I'm not sure if all the OP's children fall into that category given she's asking for ideas. Maybe they do! If so, OP, make this easy on yourself and just sit back and let them go. You don't have to do much with kids with that bent other than provide materials and enthusiasm in my experience.

Edited by sbgrace
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Eh, kids are different.

 

Absolutely! It's just that I'm also different, and if I plan out what activities we are going to do I have trouble deviating from those plans when bunny trails present themselves. It's more about who I am than who they are for me. I'm just weird. :D

 

All of that said, we do require some basic reading, math, etc. We just start later than others might start. Again, I'm no expert. I'm still a newbie.

 

P.S. It does sound like lots of fun at your house, though!

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Absolutely! It's just that I'm also different, and if I plan out what activities we are going to do I have trouble deviating from those plans when bunny trails present themselves. It's more about who I am than who they are for me. I'm just weird. :D

 

All of that said, we do require some basic reading, math, etc. We just start later than others might start. Again, I'm no expert. I'm still a newbie.

 

P.S. It does sound like lots of fun at your house, though!

Ah! I've got more issues with not wanting to bunny trail off myself! I'm a natural planner but not very good with follow through or would it be called self discipline. I don't know. But I've got a kid who likes plans. He's a natural list maker etc.

 

 

 

Your house looks fun as well!

Edited by sbgrace
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Ya, kids are different.

 

Yup. My younger DD rarely creates her own projects and needs a lot of guidance from me. She just wants to play with her dolls, draw and ride her scooter, which is fine.

 

She's interested in other things, but not as intensely curious as her older sister (the one I wrote about in an earlier post) and she definitely benefits from more guidance from me.

 

So, with her I get to do more hands-on help and fun planning stuff :D But even then, she's so young (6 yo) that I don't do much beyond books and videos. We've never tried lapbooking, but I think she might really be into that.

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I just finished reading the section on "creating interest" in the project-based learning part of my Educational Psychology book. (I'm cramming for the test. :D) Some of the course is dumb edu-speak garbage, but some of it is actually useful.

 

Anyway, it stated that there is a 4-part process for creating interests. My dc have many interests, and I have always been able to entice them pretty naturally. I thought that this process described well the usual course of events:

 

(1.) situation interest triggered - child sees something that catches their interest temporarily

 

(2.) situational interest maintained - child returns to same source to learn more about possible new interest

 

(3.) emerging individual interest - child seeks out other information about interest through boosk, internet, people, etc.

 

(4.) well-developed individual interest - some interests then become long-time hobbies or interests

 

The books notes that the first few stages are emotional: excitement, pleasure, fun, curiosity.

 

There is also an interesting section on the difference between catching and holding interests. I think a lot of homeschoolers (like many teachers) only worry about catching interests. They focus on fun and exciting interest-catching events (the books gives the example of games or colorful materials,) but then fail to help children hold that interest and make it their own. An example of a way to hold interest is to show the child how the topic is personally useful to them.

 

Anyway, that's not as practical, but I though I would share it, because I think it helps to name the process and then use it to plan. We do interest- or project-based learning mostly during my dc's free time, as I want them to associate it with real life and not "school time," though I also try to create meaningful, practical, and project-based activities as often as possible within our routine subject areas, because that helps aid long-term memory.

 

When dc have an interest, I try to make sure to check that I am providing time, money, materials, and opportunities. It's no fun to have an interest if you can't explore it properly and no one you care about wants to hear about it. I think just doing that has been enough to encourage their interests. Right now, one is labeling a feather collection, one is tatting Christmas presents, and one is studying an extra biology program she chose to work through. :)

Edited by angela in ohio
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I think I posted these resources on your other thread, but I'll post them here too, because I think these resources really do explain the "how" pretty well.

 

Ideas about project-based learning at Camp Creek Blog:

http://www.whiteoakschool.com/

(Look at the links for project-based homeschooling in the sidebar on the right.)

 

Teaching Your Child to Love Learning: A Guide to Doing Projects at Home

 

 

Just about anything on the Reggio-Emilia approach to early childhood and elementary education.

 

Just about anything on inquiry-based education (not just science education).

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I wasn't good at coming up with "projects." The closest I came to it was having my dds involved with Camp Fire and 4-H, so the work for badges became our "projects." I didn't consider them to be "extras," either. They were our curriculum.:-)

 

Also, we did KONOS for two years.

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What does it look like now when you have project time in the afternoons? Are your kids equally self-motivated, do they wander off and do something they think up, do they ever plan and work together of their own accord? If they are busy making, drawing, doing... it's clearly productive and engaging for them and you could simply continue to give them ample time just to go at it. Or you could alternate weeks or days of self-initiated or self-chosen projects with more structured, group ones you put together (and it does take prep time, as you and others have noted).

 

I've mentioned GEMS science lots of times, and one of the reasons I like it so well is that despite the prep work of gathering materials, it works so well with different ages and kinds of kids. It's guided, hands-on, falling somewhere between structured and unstructured. Others have mentioned the Science in a Nutshell kits as working similarly well with several kids.

 

Another long-term project I've done with co-op kids is a 3-D map of whatever part of the world you're reading about in history. We had huge, table-top-sized maps built on pieces of cardboard, or occasionally on wood because the cardboard tends to curl and warp if you paint it or get it too wet with papier mache. You can draw a grid, then let the older kids copy the country or continent outlines, and everyone can pitch in to make it 3-D with papier mache or clay or whatever you will. Then over time you can add in cities, trade routes with little plastic horses or models of what is traded, sand for desert, etc. The one problem with this is that the maps are big, and they're messy. You need to have somewhere to put them away at the end of the day or week, even if that's in the rafters in your garage.

 

You can put them to work on a Rube Goldberg type of gadget project; there's lots of information of this online.

 

Or you can do more of much smaller projects, like cooking a meal to go with your historical period, doing art in a style that was done at the time, etc. There's a series of books called Kids Can, which has historically-based activities for younger kids, and a more challenging series called Great ________ (fill in time period) Projects You Can Do Yourself. Our library has most of these.

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Great ideas, everyone. Taking notes. The key to doing all this, is getting more organized. Last week ds lost his ruler, his sharpener, and his eraser :glare: My dd is more independent than my ds, who's 4 years older. Ds can't seem to work alone.

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Does anyone have any experience encouraging a child who seems...unmotivated to engage in projects? My dc seem very uninterested in coming up with new things to learn on their own. Ds has certain topics that he always falls back on (dinosaurs, reptiles, gorillas and knights) He never seems to want to step away and try a new topic. I have been experimenting with letting the children chose their own science topics and facilitating whatever projects they want to undertake, but all they do is grab a library book, read it/look at it and call it good. And ds has yet to deviate from the topics above. If I felt he was learning new things, or going deeper in some way, it wouldn't bother me to let him keep at it, but we have read every book the library has about these topics and have been re-reading them for years, literally. When I encourage some project to show what he is learning he draws a hasty picture of whatever topic, and that is it.

 

What can I do with a project reluctant family?

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Does anyone have any experience encouraging a child who seems...unmotivated to engage in projects? My dc seem very uninterested in coming up with new things to learn on their own. Ds has certain topics that he always falls back on (dinosaurs, reptiles, gorillas and knights) He never seems to want to step away and try a new topic. I have been experimenting with letting the children chose their own science topics and facilitating whatever projects they want to undertake, but all they do is grab a library book, read it/look at it and call it good. And ds has yet to deviate from the topics above. If I felt he was learning new things, or going deeper in some way, it wouldn't bother me to let him keep at it, but we have read every book the library has about these topics and have been re-reading them for years, literally. When I encourage some project to show what he is learning he draws a hasty picture of whatever topic, and that is it.

 

What can I do with a project reluctant family?

 

If a child doesn't want to learn that way I personally wouldn't try to do it. It sounds like their learning style is different than hands on/active learners. My kids are project kids. But as a child I would have much rather read a book than done a project of any sort. I learned via reading. Maybe your kids are the same. If they are learning I wouldn't change it personally.

 

But on the deeper thing I'd try to find some books outside (interlibrary, amazon) or documentaries on the topics of interest perhaps. One of mine had a particular interest and a lot of his Christmas will be new books for that interest. He'll get some for his birthday too. You may have already done that. That child is intensely interested in a few topics. But I find he does engage in topics I (or his brother) select if I present them with his interests and learning modalities in mind. If you've got things you need to cover outside of those it sounds like books may be the best way to go for that child?

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Ah! I've got more issues with not wanting to bunny trail off myself! I'm a natural planner but not very good with follow through or would it be called self discipline. I don't know. But I've got a kid who likes plans. He's a natural list maker etc.

 

 

 

Your house looks fun as well!

 

I have a kid who likes plans, workbooks, etc. too. That's my oldest. We get that planned stuff in with AAS/SWR and starting in Jan. Math Mammoth. We've done some MM here and there, but nothing consisitent because I don't require math until about 7 or 8 depending on the child.

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