Chelli Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 I was in awe of the people in the more involved lessons thread who mentioned that they barely ever or never do projects, experiments, arts/crafts type stuff when schooling. My dd8 LOVES to do all of these things, but I HATE them. Is there a way to train her to be happy with reading and notebooking/lapbooking (I don't mind these!) instead of making, crafting, experimenting our way through, what seems like, EVERY subject? Or should I just wait for her to outgrow it? We are using Heart of Dakota just so she has her fill of all of the above. I am too boring to come up with stuff on my own. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 I think the secret is to teach your kids to take ownership over their own desire to do those kind of projects! Sure, there are some things that are too dangerous/complicated and require adult supervision. But my DD8 who loves crafts has learned that I am probably not going to set up very many of those for her. She has learned to look through a craft book, read through projects, pick something out, and ask for any special materials. I try to keep a list of special things we need to buy, and she knows that on any given day she might not be able to do any project her heart desires (I do keep a pretty well stocked art/science/etc supply cabinet), but we'll try and make things possible at some point. She knows if she does something she will have to clean up after herself, and needs to ask permission for especially messy projects. I try hard to say "yes" to these things -- but if I know we have something out of the ordinary going on, I may tell her to save it for another day. I find that the more I leave her to her own devices when it comes to these things, the more her skill grows. She is really probably better at crafts at this point than I am! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 I don't know why anyone would want to get a kid to not like that stuff. I know it's not always easy to shepherd kids through the projects, but I think many kids learn better that way. "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy." - Ms. Frizzle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 (edited) Or should I just wait for her to outgrow it? Nooooooo...... Grin and bear it. Support it. Encourage it. Slowly but surely, transfer the controls! I think the secret is to teach your kids to take ownership over their own desire to do those kind of projects! :iagree: DD is a crafty projectaholic. I have had a great deal of luck buying her age-appropriate craft books. You don't necessarily have to do projects for all school subjects all the time. But these kids do need a creative outlet of some kind...daily apparently. :lol: Edited October 29, 2012 by Alte Veste Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 We don't do any of the things on your list, but my kids do plenty of those things in their free time. My philosophy has been to do the basics well and then give them plenty of unscheduled free time to let them explore on their own. I wouldn't survive if I did the "extras" as part of school. For example, my oldest loves all things pioneer but I have never initiated a pioneer project or craft with her. I have purchased a pioneer dress and bonnet and supplies and given her support. In the summer she loves to dress up and harvest our garden veggies. She uses the veggies to make stews and dyes. Then she takes our scrap bucket and dyes the scraps of material. The dyed material she hand sews into little dolls. She convinces her little sister to tag along, and on her best days, she convinces my boys to be pioneers/Indians along with her. She is also learning how to knit. My aunt purchased her knitting supplies, and now she is attending a knitting group Wednesday afternoons. The other ladies in the group are all great-grandmothers, so I think she will learn much more than knitting there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 I think the secret is to teach your kids to take ownership over their own desire to do those kind of projects! .....I find that the more I leave her to her own devices when it comes to these things, the more her skill grows. :iagree: we don't do those you listed as school but my boys have their favorite personal projects. They work out a list of what they need and we get them during the weekend. Supervising if needed is a lot easier than planning things for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 DS hates that kind of stuff. He's far too old for that (he's 8) :tongue_smilie: DD needs it. She needs everything to be sprinkled in fairy dust and involved cutting pasting painting making a gooey gluey mess. Thing is the more you foster this, you can sloooowwwly have less and less supervision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 DS hates that kind of stuff. He's far too old for that (he's 8) :tongue_smilie: DD needs it. She needs everything to be sprinkled in fairy dust and involved cutting pasting painting making a gooey gluey mess. Thing is the more you foster this, you can sloooowwwly have less and less supervision. :iagree::lol: DD has a glue gun. And operates it all by her lonesome. DS9 and DS6 admire as they walk by. :lol: DS9 is very into science and tinkering. DS6 might go that way. But crafts? Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 :iagree::lol: DD has a glue gun. And operates it all by her lonesome. DS9 and DS6 admire as they walk by. :lol: DS9 is very into science and tinkering. DS6 might go that way. But crafts? Nope. :lol: Yeah DS is doing this great physics class. I hardly ever have to help him at all. Last year he wanted to do all of this ridiculous stuff and I tried to let him as much as I could. I slowly became slightly "unavailable" for short periods so he could just try on his own. And he would be so proud to have figured it out. Now I hardly have to do anything. It's funny because dd likes to make all kinds of cute things for brother. He treasures them. But ask him to be involved and acts like you asked him to put bows in his hair. THough he will help her. He just won't be caught dead enjoying it on his own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 We don't do any of the things on your list, but my kids do plenty of those things in their free time. My philosophy has been to do the basics well and then give them plenty of unscheduled free time to let them explore on their own. I wouldn't survive if I did the "extras" as part of school. :iagree:This. Couldn't have said it better myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCrazyMama Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) What I meant by my answer on the other thread is that I don't look at the curriculum and plan extras or deeper lessons. My kids do like projects, experiments, etc. and usually have their own ideas of what they would like to do and I (try to) let them and help them with those things. Often they are not at all related to what we are learning. My elementary age children have a couple hours of free time (at least) on most days and they are not allowed to use that time in front of a screen.:) ETA- After reading the other posts I'm going to ditto this. We don't do any of the things on your list, but my kids do plenty of those things in their free time. My philosophy has been to do the basics well and then give them plenty of unscheduled free time to let them explore on their own. I wouldn't survive if I did the "extras" as part of school. Edited October 30, 2012 by Happyhomemama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Well, I've never done that kind of stuff, because I'm just not that sort of person. If she wants to glue things, colour things, and so on, she has to get her fill of that stuff at other times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I think the secret is to teach your kids to take ownership over their own desire to do those kind of projects! Sure, there are some things that are too dangerous/complicated and require adult supervision. But my DD8 who loves crafts has learned that I am probably not going to set up very many of those for her. She has learned to look through a craft book, read through projects, pick something out, and ask for any special materials. I try to keep a list of special things we need to buy, and she knows that on any given day she might not be able to do any project her heart desires (I do keep a pretty well stocked art/science/etc supply cabinet), but we'll try and make things possible at some point. She knows if she does something she will have to clean up after herself, and needs to ask permission for especially messy projects. I try hard to say "yes" to these things -- but if I know we have something out of the ordinary going on, I may tell her to save it for another day. I find that the more I leave her to her own devices when it comes to these things, the more her skill grows. She is really probably better at crafts at this point than I am! :lol: Yup! And I let dd7 (with me looking over her shoulder!) browse pinterest. She is allowed to pin ideas onto my crafts board and I'll get the supplies she needs (within budget). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Provide her with the materials and let her do some projects on her own while you work with a sibling & check in on her. You can be slightly less involved that way but she still gets her fill, and some direction if she needs it. She's old enough to know how to take care of all the supplies and put them away properly. I've always sought to keep my kids stocked on supplies (and often ask them for wish lists, LOL!) and let them come up with their own ideas. I do have some curriculum that have project-ideas in them too. Since you like to lapbook, maybe use that more for reinforcing things, and then let her have supplies for craftier ideas she'd like to complete? Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I don't know why anyone would want to get a kid to not like that stuff. I know it's not always easy to shepherd kids through the projects, but I think many kids learn better that way. "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy." - Ms. Frizzle :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a27mom Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 If I had to regularly plan that type of thing, I think I would fail at homeschooling. We don't do a lot of crafts etc... for school. We do occasionally (every few weeks) do impromptu crafty things. We also do a lot of practical things and take advantage of those to introduce science themes. When we cook, garden, fix something around the house they get to look touch and feel and participate. My girls get lots of time to play. They rarely watch tv. Sometimes they will come to me with a craft they want to do that they found in a magazine or something. They always have stickers, paper, crayons, scissors, and glue sticks available. They play with Lego a lot as well. I am sure as they get older I will have to be a bit more intentional, but I am hoping they will take some leadership here and I will be more of a facilitator/helper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I just let my dd have lots of craft supplies, a glue gun, material (from Grandma's scraps, and old clothes we were going to give away, etc.), stuffing, craft kits, paint, and I get out of her way. She is always pasting, gluing, making, mixing, and sewing something. As she gets older, I try to get some more mature projects that involve a little more know-how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I like projects and crafts. But they do take a back seat to the basics and running a house. I try to aim for one SOTW project each chapter. And our geography is pretty project heavy. As is my Kinder's Peak With Books. I plan the projects, but without any definite "must do" to that plan. If I get to it, great! If not...no big deal. It's extra, not essential to the lesson. We schedule art on Fridays, so our art books get done. But extra stuff---cutting and pasting and gluing egg cartons into caterpillars type stuff. Uh Uh. I have crafts books and I'll occasionally pull something out to do (especially for holidays), but mostly I just let them pick something out and I'll just let them do it, or I'll help a bit if they need it. I like to do stuff personally. So usually they just watch or tag along with whatever I am doing. I've been trying to be aware of it more lately. My family is pretty artistic. We all really love art and I have noticed more grumpies when the hands on stuff has been lacking. Luckily my oldest is happy with drawing and writing. My younger two thrive with a bit more theatrics and mess. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Thanks everyone! I'm not necessarily trying to stifle her creative side. I really like that about her. She's much more crafty and artsy than I ever was! But I get tired of trying to make school fit this part of her personality, buying curriculum just to fit this aspect of her personality and always making or doing for history/science. We school four days a week and at least three of those involve a arts and craft project, history project and/or science experiment. I guess I'm just a little burnt out after doing this type of teaching/learning for four years now! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Don't feel bad! There is a sense in which it'll be better for her to have less planned crafts and activities, so that sue has more time and space for her own creations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) We don't do any of the things on your list, but my kids do plenty of those things in their free time. My philosophy has been to do the basics well and then give them plenty of unscheduled free time to let them explore on their own. I wouldn't survive if I did the "extras" as part of school. :iagree: My dd is most definitely the crafty sort. I have a whole cabinet and she has near free reign over it. For birthdays and holidays and such I always make sure to put those kind of things on her lists as well. I encourage her and try to provide her with various "tools" to do different things. I try to keep my ear open to her interests and to resources etc that I think will match up to those things. Dd has always loved flowers when we do nature walks we identify flowers and such. I've bought different field books for her and checked some out as well. She has (near)free reign to pick my flowers and wildflowers and makes daily arrangements for me anytime we have anything in bloom. We have on the docket this spring and summer to expand our flower gardens and that will be her big project. She loves decorating as well and I let her try out various things in her rooms and sometimes different areas of the house. She likes cooking so I set her to the task of making snacks and such and we all enjoy her sometimes *interesting* combinations. Ds likes building and such and he is getting more control and options over building things the older he gets. He has pipes for making things(along with boards and such around the house) and experiment books. He has a pocket knife that he loves to use and has been practicing whittling. I help him look up things at times when needed or set him free on google. Yesterday he wanted to do science experiments. He read the various ones he wanted to do and I let him know which ones we had supplies for and directed them to where they were. A lot of his interests are more in dh's realm so I direct him to dh when he gets home and dh and him have lots of conversations where dh explains various engineering things and sometimes demonstrates, which he can do very quickly and easily as he understands it without looking it up. He gets to tag along with dh when he does various building projects, which are not special things we do but things that are naturally done around the house, they don't have to be scheduled. As he gets older he will be able to partcipate more and more and also I expect for him to initiate more as he is able. Already I let them help out and direct things as I can. We watch documentaries as a family and discuss things together. Edited October 30, 2012 by soror Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I honestly do the Most Boring School on Earth and it definitely hasn't prevented dd from being a very creative person. She'd probably have more fun with school if I did projects, but it's not realistic for me. Your dd will definitely survive going down to one "project" a week, or whatever works out better -- come on, you've got two little ones! I'm impressed as all get-out you have kept this up for this long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Update: Today when my toddler went down for his nap I handed dd8 and dd5 the craft bin and told them to "get with it". They are happily making paper bag puppets and planning a puppet show for later tonight. I feel so relived! Thanks everyone for stating the obvious and helping me to let go of arts and crafts based home school. I'm breathing easier already! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I would teach her independence for crafts, but I wouldn't stifle that creativity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I don't know why anyone would want to get a kid to not like that stuff. I know it's not always easy to shepherd kids through the projects, but I think many kids learn better that way. "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy." - Ms. Frizzle :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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