Some examples of middle school "outside the box"

[johnandtinagilbert]

YES!!!!!! As much as I'd love for my oldest to work more independently....it's just not him. He learns best w/ interaction, discussion. Programs that teach to the student and only expects the parent to check over answers and make sure it's getting done, don't go over so well with him. When I read posts that say "My kid just loves to take his workbook and go off and get it done. I think "WOW." Not my kid. He would never get anything done and if he did, he wouldn't retain it without discussion.

 

Time to press play.......

I hear that. Of my 3 Elders, only one of them is an independent worker. Both boys NEED me to follow up and really be on top of them or their work will not get done. My daughter gets her instruction and is off to the races....she's my favorite. (kidding).

[Colleen in NS]

I felt like while his science knowledge is years ahead of most kids, if he goes back to school, be it middle or high school w/out the skills to match, I'll be setting him up for failure.

 

I would never teach skills and no content. Is that even possible?

 

I think that would be like trying to teach how to cook, with no food. :D You need the food in which to put the skills in context.

 

... we spent 2-3+ hrs/day on science watching science shows, discussing, doing experiments, reading science books, playing games. We just don't have that kind of time this year. Math has to get done, writing has to get done, spelling, grammar, logic. I'm trying to shift over to only writing in content areas and am considering dropping WWE4 for my DS10. What I hear from Jackie and KarenAnne is that they make that kind of time and I'm trying to figure out how.

 

My understanding (and I could be mistaken) is that they either know how to incorporate skills into their children's activities, or they learn how to do so along the way, as they feel a need comes up. If you think like that (for example, Jackie's description of teaching...oh no I can't remember....it was something to do with grammar, I think - she laid it all out in game form....) or want to learn to think like that or get books to help you come up with ideas, you can incorporate, too. I'd guess it's all what you are comfortable with. You mention a possible return to public school - can you incorporate or learn to incorporate, in time to give the skills you mention that you think are necessary, for that return? Or, if not all, then maybe some. Like your mention of doing writing skills within content.

 

Also, I think a lot of it for me is not understanding terms. You mention you can teach writing, grammar, and outlining through content. What does that mean exactly? I take that to mean something we did last year.

 

Your description is one good illustration of what my understanding of this means, too.

[AuntPol]

I would like more examples.

 

I tend to do use curriculum but never the way it was intended to be used. Right now, we are using TOG. We are on week 17 and well, my kids hate it. Some of the books are great and some are not. They like the mapwork and timeline but hate the worksheets. We rarely have time for projects and when I mention them, they say they'd rather not. They love it when I read historical fiction but if I hand them the exact same book to read themselves, they hate it. They hate every book I assign just because it's assigned.

 

My 10 yo son's idea of schooling:

Lit: read fantasy books or action adventure books; IEW poetry CD

Writing: Legends of Druidawn

Language Arts: MCT w/any writing being about Star Wars, LOTR, D&D, etc. ALso loves studying for spelling bee

Math: Singapore and Life of Fred supplemented with Timez Attack and Lure of the Labyrinth. Do not write any of the problems down -must do it in his head if possible.

Logic: Any critical thinking book, Fallacy Detective, logic problems, sudoku. Play chess and other strategy games.

Science: Do Ellen McHenry's The Elements, read most anything as long as he doesn't have to do a worksheet, lab sheet, or outlines. It must be fun -explosions, cool effects, or something destructive. Definitely wants to know the "why" behind it.

History: Have me read aloud Historic Fiction, preferablly about wars or action adventure. Playing games like Age of Empires and Crusaders. Watching Time Commanders, Deadliest Warrior, etc. Watch some history channel shows. No written work period.

Geography: States and Capitals songs

Music: Themes to Remember

Art: Not much-occasional Draw Write Now book

Latin: LFC is okay -likes the videos and chants and sometimes the activity book but hates looking up derivatives, and the boring stuff.

 

If Radically Unschooled: Play video and computer games all day long (some educational, some not), practice Brazilian Jui jitsu and sword fighting, play board games. Read Calvin and Hobbes, Star Wars books, and Lord of the Rings (again and again); Never do any chores. Wear same clothes everyday even if they are dirty or don't match.

 

DD 11

Lit: Prairie Primer (but not writing assignments -just let her pick) and then read Dork Diaries, Diary of a WImpy Kid, and Lightening Thief series over and over and over and over and over. Do NOT assign or recommend or strew a book because it will automatically be rejected. Must find a "cool" kid to tell her that she should read book.

Writing: Write in her journal and write stories for hours on her own but not let me look at them.Text and email her friends; Let her write with bad grammar, poor spelling, etc. No structure, guidance, etc.

Language Arts: MCT if she had to do anything and absolutely no spelling

Math: Watch Cyberchase; Life of Fred when she decides she wants to do it- can't be assigned; Shopping (but must buy something -window shopping always leads to tears)

Logic: Surely you jest but I think she may like rhetoric since she likes to argue.

Science: Watch Mythbusters w/o caring WHY it works-just watch the explosions and go get popcorn during the explanation process. Play Spore Absolutely no reading anything, no lab sheets, only cool experiments. Biology -go to aquarium and swim with dolphins but not read about those animals or learn anything beyond "aren't they cute." Take horseback riding lessons but not learn about horses. Museums only if they have some cool thing that doesn't involve learning. NO Physics period. Chemistry -do a few explosions but don't tell her why it works or the science behind it. Earth Science -Zero interest unless doing the volcano.

History: Listen to me read a Historical fiction book but no written work or narrations. Watch Liberty Kids but no documentarys or anything black and white.

Geography: Don't learn about history of country -just flora and fauna.

Music: Guitar Lessons (this is new-no interest until BFF started lessons this week. I think it will fizzle out once she learns she has to practice)

Art: Expensive craft kits -preferably those that are over $20

Latin: HATES It and would not do it period.

 

If Radically Unschooled: Watch Disney channel or Nickolodean, play Webkins, Wizards 101, and PopTropica; shop and spend money; Do crafts (but nothing assigned -ler her go to AC MOORE and pick it out), bake sweets, and socialize with her friends; Paint her nails; Then spend the evening writing in journal about how deprived she is because she doesn't have an IPOD. If totally bored, may read the only 3 acceptable series known to man (mentioned above) over and over and over. Never clean her room -all clothes on floor until she runs out and then buy more;

 

Would do Scout badges but do the exact number of steps needed, no more; will pick the easiest steps, do the least amount of work possible to qualify, and beg me to substitute some things. She will not present to her troop. She can get away with it in Girl Scouts because I'm her leader and know she did the work but doesn't like her AHG leader because she has to present her work. She also doesn't like her Former Girl Scout leaders and present AHG leaders because they pick the badges, projects, etc. She has to have full control of everything she does.

 

 

My dilemna is I want my kids to love learning and have fun learning. I want to let them develop their own strengths, etc. I don't want them to be like I was bored, cramming and flushing and learning nothing but getting that A then going off to college and floundering from not knowing how to study. However, I'm a box checker by nature (If I unschooled, I'd make lists all day long lol) and fret I'm not stretching them if I don't do XYZ. I worry about skills and habits because they hate to do anything boring, anything that requires practice, etc.

Edited January 27, 2011 by AuntPol

[johnandtinagilbert]

I would like more examples.

 

I tend to do use curriculum but never the way it was intended to be used. Right now, we are using TOG. We are on week 17 and well, my kids hate it. Some of the books are great and some are not. They like the mapwork and timeline but hate the worksheets. We rarely have time for projects and when I mention them, they say they'd rather not. They love it when I read historical fiction but if I hand them the exact same book to read themselves, they hate it. They hate every book I assign just because it's assigned.

 

<snip>

My dilemna is I want my kids to love learning and have fun learning. I want to let them develop their own strengths, etc. I don't want them to be like I was bored, cramming and flushing and learning nothing but getting that A then going off to college and floundering from not knowing how to study. However, I'm a box checker by nature (If I unschooled, I'd make lists all day long lol) and fret I'm not stretching them if I don't do XYZ. I worry about skills and habits because they hate to do anything boring, anything that requires practice, etc.

Some audio books may help with this. Librivox has a great library.

 

Skip the worksheets and do projects. Mine always say no, but when we do them, they enjoy them.

 

Everything requires practice...that's just life, iykwim.

[justamouse]

They hate every book I assign just because it's assigned.

 

 

 

Give them more of a choice, and let them self direct.

 

IE: "You need to read a book about Martin Luther because that is where we are on our history timeline. Go online to the library website and find something that you would like to read, and check Amazon, too, perhaps we could get it through an inter-library loan. Then come to me with your choices and we'll talk about them."

[Cindy in NY]

My dilemna is I want my kids to love learning and have fun learning. I want to let them develop their own strengths, etc. I don't want them to be like I was bored, cramming and flushing and learning nothing but getting that A then going off to college and floundering from not knowing how to study. However, I'm a box checker by nature (If I unschooled, I'd make lists all day long lol) and fret I'm not stretching them if I don't do XYZ. I worry about skills and habits because they hate to do anything boring, anything that requires practice, etc.

 

Here is a link to a blog that is inspiring to me. Sometimes she uses the term unschooling, but what she really does is interest-led education. You may find it helpful.

 

http://www.yarnsoftheheart.com/p/my-education-philosophy.html

[elegantlion]

My dilemna is I want my kids to love learning and have fun learning. I want to let them develop their own strengths, etc. I don't want them to be like I was bored, cramming and flushing and learning nothing but getting that A then going off to college and floundering from not knowing how to study. However, I'm a box checker by nature (If I unschooled, I'd make lists all day long lol) and fret I'm not stretching them if I don't do XYZ. I worry about skills and habits because they hate to do anything boring, anything that requires practice, etc.

 

I think there are two degrees of "outside the box", at least at the surface level. One is doing traditional curriculum in non-traditional ways, tweaking taken to the extreme. The other is doing non-traditional subjects at the start. I see your son's interests and immediately think of what Jackie posted on a thread some time back about taking time to study wars and the warrior. Not normally something on the list at all.

 

My ds watched every episode of Mythbusters last year via Netflix. It wasn't school time, but he still learned a ton. But I didn't feel comfortable calling that science for the year.

 

It's hard enough to get to the point you'll tweak a curriculum and feel comfortable doing it, but to take off on a wild hair because your child is interested in _____ (fill in the blank). I pondered a lot last year about taking a year to study Asian history. It put a monkey wrench in my long term plans for sure. But it's been a good year, we've both learned a lot.

 

We were just discussing subjects today and trying to figure out where his enthusiasm was for a certain subject. It has waned a little and he wants to put it off until summer or next year. It's not a core subject so I'm obliging. (It's Japanese if you must know) I think he still wants to learn but he wants it to be fun and by the time we get to it, it's not fun because of everything else we've been doing. Another struggle is making sure you don't suck the life out of what they are interested in by making everything about school. It's a hard balance and sometimes you have to watch closely so everything doesn't become a training exercise.

 

The hard part for me was not saying "We spent good money on these books, you will finish them." He has time to get to it later, so I smiled and agreed.

 

Writing is still my big nemesis. *I* feel like I need a curriculum, but I forget when to tweak. These recent threads have been most helpful for me in that arena.

 

Some days I wish we could all just be content with opening a textbook and reading, but then we wouldn't be having so much fun (I define that in a weird way, not all balloons and cotton candy) on our journey.