Cultural Richness and Wonder in your Homeschool

[Gabrielsyme2]

Would love to know how some of you make space for cultural richness and wonder in your homeschool. We cover the basics and beyond academically but I want this year to be beautiful, to nurture my children artistically and to maintain a home life that feeds the soul. Wow. Not asking for a lot am I? I'm interested in both big picture/philosophical answers to this question and specific details and practices that support a richly engaged mind.

[MeghanL]

We live about 15 minutes from an art museum. We utilize this to the fullest by studying the artist who is on the special exhibit or a regular exhibit once a month. 

We live about 15 minutes from a pretty active theater. We utilize this to the fullest by going to as many events as we can (at least with my youngest 2, my oldest can't handle theaters of any kind). 

We subscribe to Wired magazine. We utilize this to the fullest by taking an article a week and diving into it as much as possible for geography, music, literature, technology, etc. 

For the kids science, I try to make sure I include "Science in the News" every week so that all the sciences are seen as fluid and changing. We also get great debates when we talk about quantum computers, creating life on Titan because of the methane cycle or whether or not DNA sequences should be able to be patented. 

 

My point is that whatever is around you and grabs your interest, THAT'S where the excitement is. Your mileage may vary, but no matter where you are, opportunities abound to really dig deep in philosophy, art, music, etc. 

[Rachel]

For my family that means spending time outdoors and weekly tea time. My kids adore tea time! We put a table cloth on our kitchen table, get out my grandmother's China and read a poem or two. We make or buy a dessert to enjoy as well. I really thought the idea sounded cheesy, but it is probably my kids' favorite part of homeschooling.

 

I make it a point to go hiking or to a creek bed every 10 days or so for the kids to really spend time in a beautiful area outside. They play outside at home or the park daily but this is different. My 6 year old has gotten into observing birds. My boys like finding interesting rocks. It isn't a cultural richness but it is instilling wonder.

 

I take advantage of local cultural events. For ballets and plays we frequently attend the school performances which are less expensive and often have a kid friendly introduction or a question session. I keep aware of what is going on in the community and take my kids to various events, I find there is often more going on than we are able to take advantage of.

[Gabrielsyme2]

We do tea time as well! Same exact set up. My daughter loves putting together flower arrangements as a centerpiece.

[Rosie_0801]

My daughter makes me spend all our money taking her to ballets, operas, museums, special exhibitions at art galleries, interesting restaurants, other religion's book shops and whenever possible, road trips. 

Happily, we are not in charge of paying the mortgage.

 

We also watch a lot of documentaries. So many cool things! Lately it's been 'Redesign My Brain' and a series about the Taklamakan desert. If we get to the library this afternoon, I'm going to look for another season of 'Grand Designs.' She likes watching other people build houses.

[Jackie]

My daughter is young, 6yo, and my main philosophy at this point is to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks :) DH and I also don't shield her from very much, so she hears political discussions, science discussions, religion discussions, travel discussions, current events discussions... and when she wants, she is looped into those discussions.

 

We do the things mentioned above: art museums, theater, poetry tea times. Plus the other usual suspects: the zoo, children's museums, science museums, history museums. My daughter loves museums as much as I do (maybe more) so this is easy for us.

 

We're very fortunate to have a number of activities available to her (and be able to afford them, though she's stretching that), so she has instrument lessons, children's choir, "forest school"/nature classes, and she's starting circus arts classes.

 

She has a knack for language that leaves me in the dust. She currently takes classes from Homeschool Spanish Academy because she surpassed my abilities. We do one big trip a year together, last year was Honduras the year before was Guatemala. For these trips, we do a homestay for 3-4 weeks, so she has lives very similarly to local families, which she loves. For both of them, we also saw ruins and learned some about the country's history.

 

We have access to restaurants serving ethnic food, so she has grown up with Indian, Thai, Korean, Tibetan, Turkish, and Cajun food alongside the more common American, Italian, and Mexican.

 

We read books. I seek out book lists that focus on diversity. We read folk tales and fairy tales from around the world. When we study history, I search far and wide to include less represented people so it's not all white men. We use standard books like the UNICEF How Children Live series, more modern ones like Material World, and whatever else I can get my hands on. (I love our library!) I try to make a point of including authors that aren't all "like us" culturally. I have a great thread on here from a while back where people gave me great lists of books for diversifying our book choices.

 

I just asked my daughter how she learns about the world. She was able to talk about the travel, museums, and more explicitly "cultural" books. She was shocked to learn that others that travel might only go to tourist destinations (she fully knows that not everyone has the opportunity to travel), and that not all children go to all those ethnic restaurants. She is now horrified at me bland childhood, lol.

[Earthmerlin]

My daughter is young, 6yo, and my main philosophy at this point is to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks :) DH and I also don't shield her from very much, so she hears political discussions, science discussions, religion discussions, travel discussions, current events discussions... and when she wants, she is looped into those discussions.

 

We do the things mentioned above: art museums, theater, poetry tea times. Plus the other usual suspects: the zoo, children's museums, science museums, history museums. My daughter loves museums as much as I do (maybe more) so this is easy for us.

 

We're very fortunate to have a number of activities available to her (and be able to afford them, though she's stretching that), so she has instrument lessons, children's choir, "forest school"/nature classes, and she's starting circus arts classes.

 

She has a knack for language that leaves me in the dust. She currently takes classes from Homeschool Spanish Academy because she surpassed my abilities. We do one big trip a year together, last year was Honduras the year before was Guatemala. For these trips, we do a homestay for 3-4 weeks, so she has lives very similarly to local families, which she loves. For both of them, we also saw ruins and learned some about the country's history.

 

We have access to restaurants serving ethnic food, so she has grown up with Indian, Thai, Korean, Tibetan, Turkish, and Cajun food alongside the more common American, Italian, and Mexican.

 

We read books. I seek out book lists that focus on diversity. We read folk tales and fairy tales from around the world. When we study history, I search far and wide to include less represented people so it's not all white men. We use standard books like the UNICEF How Children Live series, more modern ones like Material World, and whatever else I can get my hands on. (I love our library!) I try to make a point of including authors that aren't all "like us" culturally. I have a great thread on here from a while back where people gave me great lists of books for diversifying our book choices.

 

I just asked my daughter how she learns about the world. She was able to talk about the travel, museums, and more explicitly "cultural" books. She was shocked to learn that others that travel might only go to tourist destinations (she fully knows that not everyone has the opportunity to travel), and that not all children go to all those ethnic restaurants. She is now horrified at me bland childhood, lol.

I like this response & was also thinking of other languages & cultures. We are trilingual--Spanish, French & English. We are also a bi-racial family. These 2 things mean 'culture' is an intimate part of our identity. International travel is a great way to authentically expand cultural awareness but so is speaking another language & making international friends. Those last 2 things can be done domestically.

[importswim]

I have been wanting the same things in my home. I have decided to do 6 weeks on and 1 week "off" of schooling. We naturally do all of the schoolwork that we have to (get to) do including math, history, science, reading, and writing during those 6 weeks and then for the 1 week off we focus on other things. Geography, cultures, artists, and composers are the main focus to the exclusion of all of the other "schooly" subjects. 

 

It gives us a small break from the mundane but also something to look forward to. Not sure about the "feeds the soul" part but my kids love it and we do lots of cooking together and partaking of "tea time" when celebrating other cultures.

 

This was our first week doing it and it's allowed for lots of freedom and conversation.

Edited August 17, 2016 by importswim

[importswim]

We do tea time as well! Same exact set up. My daughter loves putting together flower arrangements as a centerpiece.

Just read this! 

 

I have found there is a tea or tea equivalent in lots of different cultures. Maybe you can focus on an area of the world and have their tea and learn more about them. That would certainly help with cultural awareness.

 

ETA: I am also reading through a book called Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time and I'm really enjoying it. We also use Hungry Planet and Material World.

Edited August 17, 2016 by importswim

[ElizaG]

History, literature, and science cover much of our cultural wealth.  That's the reason they were added to the (formerly 3R's) universal school curriculum in the late 19th/early 20th century:  to provide something of a liberal education for all children.  I'm sorry to hear that some posters find these studies mundane, or are concerned that they're crowding out richness and wonder from their family life.

 

As for how to solve the problem, it seems to me that there are at least two ways to look at it:  

 

- Take stock of the methods and materials you're using for formal lessons.  If they're not a great fit with your homeschool vision, find other approaches that are. 

 

- Take stock of your family's values, interests, and "access points" for informal learning, and explore those areas, as several PPs have suggested.

 

If your family is anything like ours, these two streams of your homeschool will start to run together in places.  No problem with that, as long as the basics are covered.   :-)

Edited August 17, 2016 by ElizaG

[lllll]

nm

Edited August 22, 2016 by Cathi

[regentrude]

Basically we had our kids join in all those activities that DH and I enjoy:

We took our kids to lots of live performances, theatre and concerts, to art museums and architectural sites. 

We spent one day of every weekend on a family outing, hiked state parks and wilderness areas, visited nature centers and museums, rock climbed and camped.

We traveled extensively.

We raised our children bilingually, making a large effort to connect with their heritage culture by continuing traditions, speaking the language at home, traveling for visits.

Edited August 18, 2016 by regentrude

[madteaparty]

museums, talks, time overseas in various situations.

Edited August 18, 2016 by madteaparty

[Shred Betty]

"Maintaining a home life that feeds the soul" to me right now means we have peace which means home is being maintained and tidied in a disciplined & consistent manner. It means I'm ready for the next blessing. To be ready I have to do small calls and tasks almost immediately. Big tasks can't be forgotten or put off too long.

Cultural richness:

We listen to Frank Sinatra or the Grateful Dead while the sun sets & moon rises over the lake. We seriously work hard / play hard in my family all of us together as DH's Practice operates from home or mobile office from the boat or chairlift.

Wonder:

I feel like practically speaking building wonder right now is done in making the conscious decision to allow schedules to be altered - power in being highly flexible, humble, observant, and empowering dd to have control.

For eg. Today instead of pulling out 3 more lessons like grammar, math drill, and WWE, I dropped the structure idea and read a classic myth Jason and the Golden Fleece rewritten by Nathaniel Hawthorne. DD 7 started making it into a "game" by acting out each action we read with me. It was so full of wonder. I could see how much she was comprehending, by re enacting scenes she was probably making it more memorable for herself, and we had lots and lots of fun. Beautiful. I couldn't believe how great it was, and she came up with it on the spot and I just rolled with it, decided to call it a review and literature day.

 

We love watching wildlife as a family and feeding our wild chipmunk Chippy, also catching and observing fish up close.

last summer we spent weeks at the ocean surfing. Something about being at the ocean is magical. Last winter we made it to the mountain with DD even when she was in PS and developed love for courage, the great outdoors, and snowflakes. This summer most days we are out on the lake living like mermaids... Something about this gypsy life doing school together on a fly bridge under the sun....

I feel like for us anyway it's seriously beautiful, so far. We will be doing 3 operas, lots of jazz, classical, and classic rock concerts.

 

We won't be going to museums or zoos this year!!!