leeannpal Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 We have a mix of serious, nonfun work and a little fun stuff. I think we do about 75% nonfun, rigorous work and add a bit of fun in each day. I am no big fan of 'edutainment' as I have found that my own kids tend to focus more on the entertaining, fun things and ignore as much as possible of the actual learning they are supposed to be interested in. So, we do the hard work and the kids get a chance to enjoy a little bit of educational fun afterwards. This works for my kids, I'm not sure if they are typical or not. Why can't learning be fun? Even memorization can be practiced in a fun way. Kids seem to retain things that they are interested in. Can they become interested in multiplcation facts, learing about adverbs or writing a paragraph? Of course, if you can find a way to present it that is appealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Isn't there inherent value in tackling something difficult (and maybe less than "fun") and succeeding? Interesting and challenging are necessities. Time to pursue their own interests is necessary. Fun is not. I could never do "fun" simply because I have 5 school-aged dc who all have a different idea of what is "fun"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyjoh62080 Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 This is great. Thanks SO much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Isn't there inherent value in tackling something difficult (and maybe less than "fun") and succeeding? Interesting and challenging are necessities. Time to pursue their own interests is necessary. Fun is not. I could never do "fun" simply because I have 5 school-aged dc who all have a different idea of what is "fun"! Color me crazy but I tend to think of "interesting and challenging" as being synonymous with "fun." Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Color me crazy but I tend to think of "interesting and challenging" as being synonymous with "fun." Bill :iagree: So do we. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Just wanted to interject a few comments here... I just finished my first year of homeschooling and it went pretty good. We mainly focused on the 3R's. Good job!! This is the very FIRST thing I was going to say! Whether you use a traditional or non-textbooky approach to the early years, you really want to focus on the basics, the SKILLS. You're right on track! Right now I am struggling with whether or not homeschooling really needs to be fun. I have my curriculum (all the separate subjects) as well as Konos and the Prairie Primer. What I am struggling with is which route to take. Again, ask whether you're attracted to those unit studies as a way to cover SKILLS or CONTENT. You might decide you could actually blend them. Nothing says you can't add things onto those unit studies to make your skills coverage more systematic. You would just tweak and blend them. For instance, if your plan was to do WWE3 (just guessing here, pulling something out of the air), then look at the skills of WWE3, the lengths of the dictations, the types of narrations, etc. and do those using your Prairie Primer or Konos readings. And do your WTM-assigned narrations on the Konos books. This can blend, this can work. I want to do more hands on and try to tackle the Unit Study approach but my brain keeps taking me back to the traditional textbook approach to schooling. Ok, another question for you. Is this because *you* want to do more hands-on or because your *kids* do? That's something interesting to ponder. These catalogs make everything seem so romantic, like the fun will just FLOW, if only we buy said product. Well I think we all know from hard experience that the fun is US. WE are the magic! Like the others said, you can use a basic textbook sequence and make it pop, or you can take something pretty out of the box and make it plain as melba toast. I suggest you look at your kids and see what they do in their spare time. What do they crave? Do they WANT these types of hands-on? Are THEY discontented and wanting a change? Something you may not realize is that sometimes these unit study curricula are developed for audiences not standard. For instance, the Christian Cottage Unit Studies were developed by a lady whose dd was gifted by dyslexic (2E). So it has TONS of hands-on. There's actually something to that, with the way these non-standard learners learn and process. They have this intense need to DO. But not all kids are like that. You really have to look at yourself, your ability to pull it off, and your kids to see if they even need it. I wouldn't guilt-trip yourself unnecessarily. Sometimes FUN happens when we get our work done and have time to move on to other things like sports or time exploring outdoors or kits or... Fun isn't always what Mom schedules, kwim? Don't underestimate that or think you have to make it all happen. If you haven't been having fun, figure out what has been holding you back. It may not be you so much as a scheduling issue or needing to open yourselves to more outside opportunities or more trips to the library or some interesting science kits or art supplies, kwim? Fun is what they do to themselves with the environment you create, not what you do to them. Doing this I will feel at peace knowing that I have covered everything whereas the Unity Study approach I am not sure if I will or not. I REALLY want to try KONOS but I am afraid. If you focus on SKILLS, you can be pretty confident. Content for the first how many grades (I would say K5-6th) is all pretty much survey. It's the SKILLS you need to worry about. So make sure you cover those, and you're fine. I hope it makes sense what I am asking. Is it okay to just do the separate subjects without all the hands-on fun stuff? Yes, it's ok to do things a little more straight and give your kids time, freedom, and supplies (that opportunity/environment thing we were talking about) to create their own fun. But that's only if it works for your kids. Some kids are workbooky and fine with that, some AREN'T. Just look at your kids and see how it's going. I want to have fun but I do not want my children to think that school is all fun and games and I don't want to feel like I need to come up with some kind of fun game for them to catch on to a specific concept. Yes the old fashioned flash cards may be boring but it works. What you do as the teacher does not determine how they learn. Each dc learns the way he learns, and either you get in sync with it or you don't. School says only kids who learn the way the teacher says succeed. At home we are privileged to be able to try whatever it TAKES to get things to connect and the important things to stick. If you happen to have a dc who needs more than flashcards and more than workbooks, then you'll see that and diversify your approach. Even if your dc DOES learn with just rote (flashcards, etc.), I think what you'll find is that doing other things, say reserving 30 minutes every Friday for math games, will improve his speed with the concepts and his ability to carry the skills and content over to other areas. When we write letters, we're carrying those skills over to real life. When we play Scrabble, we're carrying spelling over to real life. When you play Monopoly or store, you're carrying math over to real life. You WANT to do this. You don't want to raise him able to do his work only for a workbook or test and having no clue how to use it beyond that. :) I want to stop pulling out these books, putting them away and pulling out others, pulling the other books back again and pulling out the first set of books and around and around again. It's making me crazy :D This year I've had to stop and ask myself whether we're living the DREAM, or whether we've gotten into a rut. It's a good thing to stop each semester or each year and reflect on where you're at. Is what you're doing matching your goals and what you intended when you went into homeschooling? Don't let FEAR stop you from living the dream. I'll say it again, as long as you are covering the SKILLS, it really doesn't matter how you approach the content (Konos, whatever). Especially in these younger years, you have so much flexibility. If something is your dream and what your kids crave, go for it! A year of something WON'T kill them. Even if you screw it up, it's only a year. Do your math daily, work on your LA skills, but beyond that anything will be fine, honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I think it only needs to be "fun" if you are trying to drive home a point or if they are having a hard time getting through the lesson otherwise. If it is painful for them to sit through, maybe it's time to get a little creative. But otherwise, why kill yourself? Life isn't always entertaining. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 :iagree: So do we. And unsurprisingly we like the same stuff :001_smile: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyjoh62080 Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share Posted July 11, 2011 I had to stop back by to say that all of your posts have been so helpful. It is much appreciated. Thank you all SO much!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) I had to stop back by to say that all of your posts have been so helpful. It is much appreciated. Thank you all SO much!:lol: Want to know what I think? I'll tell you anyway :D I think that if you can stimulate a child's mind they will actually grow dendritic connections and other neural-pathways that make the mind strong. So that materials that challenge the upper level cognitive skills do more brain-building than less cognitively challenging approaches. One can also (and should) build lower level cognitive abilities (like rote-memorization) but this can not supplant higher level thinking with any hopes for the same results. How one learns a subject matters is vital. The materials many of us find "fun" are not "fun" because they are easy, or filled with-bells and whistles, or replace entertainment with learning. Instead they are "fun" because they speak to (and challenge) children's intellects. Instead of being "passive" recipients of knowledge from on-high the best materials deeply involve children in the process of learning. Those are the kinds of materials I want to use, and (thankfully) I've been able to find things that fit the bill. Bill Edited July 12, 2011 by Spy Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 a very interesting post - thank you for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 I suggest you look at your kids and see what they do in their spare time. What do they crave? I totally agree with this. And it's different for every child. Some of mine find it fun to read all day, some want to draw pictures or paint and one only wants to answer questions while bouncing on a trampoline. Know your child and try to ignore all those pictures of children excited to see mold growing or attentively listening with expressions of bliss. The fun at my house won't look like the fun at your house. And not everything needs to be a giggle, just enough that they don't dread school. Maybe not thrilled but don't dread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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