Dmmetler Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 This is our third year doing it-we had a lot of great presentations (and only 2 completely unprepared kids-from the same family). I think my favorite was the little guy who had acted out Hercules and the hydra with legos, recorded on his mom's computer, and SANG the dialogue between the characters, so we had "Hydra"-the opera. This really is a LOT of fun and a great way to get kids together-and seems to usually be self-filtering to get like-minded people without pain. Here's DD 9 presenting on Apollo, Python, and the Delphic Oracle, with the help of a live visual aid (who kept trying to hide in her shirt because we had our first cool fall day, and we meet on my screened porch). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 Sounds so fun! We are doing this next year, so I am stockpiling ideas. Keep 'em coming! How do you structure your meetings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share Posted September 12, 2014 What I do is set a broad topic for each month, and each kid (or family, if there are younger siblings who are tagging along-I had one video presented today by "Zeus" and "Hera"-Hera was the kindergarten sister, who rode through on a tricycle decorated with peacocks) presents a topic that fits into the theme, and then we do a shared activity-this month was creating a family tree of the Olympians and Roman Gods-which is a BIG part of the NME. I'm registered as a classics club, so I have those activities to draw on as well as the NME syllabus and subtests. It ends up being a lot of fun, and the kids really enjoy it. A good number of them dress up, but others create videos, some have programmed video games, created lego sculptures, done art projects like paintings and statues, and so on. As they get older, they tend to get more into actually writing papers and presenting them. I don't put an age/grade limit on it, but because we take the NME, that tends to keep it mostly to 3rd grade and up, although I've had a few younger ones who have been really into it (like the little guy who did his opera-he's actually finally in 3rd grade and will be taking the NME for the first time this year, but started in the club mid way through 1st grade because he got so excited at that point in SOTW. He's been definitely an active part of the group from the start). There usually are one or two people who expect me to teach a class (I think that's where unprepared mom came in), and they either tend to get with the program or drop out pretty quickly, because it's hard for the kids to fit in to this excited bunch if they AREN'T prepared and enthusiastic about the topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share Posted September 12, 2014 I will also say, a big part is having enough people that you actually have a group there, but not too many. For me, I can manage about 10-12 without trouble on the porch, and usually by the time it gets cold enough that we HAVE to be inside, cold/flu season means that a family or two will be out, With 10-12 kids, we can present and do the activity in about 90 minutes, and usually they can stay on task that long, and still get some social time (I plan a 2 hour block intentionally). With 8, which is more typical in winter, it takes about 60 minutes, and they get more social time, but still have enough structure that it's not a playdate. When the number is such that it takes much less than an hour to do the academic portion, I've found that kids and parents take it less seriously and it quickly becomes a social/hang out time, not a learning one, which isn't the goal (and really, really frustrates the few kids and parents who DO take it seriously). I tried an ELE class, and it never worked-the first year, I ended up with high school kids who's parents thought a monthly class would teach their child Latin. The 2nd year, I required that parents stay, and the high school kids stopped coming, and ended up with only 6 kids, two families besides mine. Most months, it was just one other family, and it just wasn't successful with such a small group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Sounds fantastic! At some point I will probably end up starting too many groups for my dd, as there does not seem to exist anything at all here! In the meantime, can I just drive Alex to your house?! A few hundred miles to play (I mean learn about!) mythology AND see snakes? She would die of happiness:) I recently ended up completely cutting up a beautiful copy of a Child's Introduction to Mythology so that we could make Popsicle-stick finger puppets. Daddy painted her a backdrop with Mount Olympus, and she has been busy recreating puppetshow performances:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 I'd love to have your Alex here-I think she'd fit right in :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Thanks for the tips! Good things to keep in mind. Do you meet in the morning or afternoon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 Afternoon. My experience is outside activities in the morning often end up being school that day, so I want a block of time for school first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.