Caz

In a previous post I hinted at a possible shift in my blog and life, and this seems like as good a time as any to elaborate.   After my extended illness, we had so much trouble getting back 'on track' .. the kids' behavior was pretty bloody ordinary (Aussie slang for suckful), and lessons were met with 'how long will this take?' or 'can I be done now?'  *sigh*    There was fighting and yelling ... some of it even from the kids ;)   I was thoroughly at the end of my rope, I was looking for a full time job and going to put their behinds in school.  I honestly had no idea WHAT to do, and didn't really think school was the way to go, but I was feeling like a complete failure.

What saved us from this fate?  Logistics & scheduling!  I have a 2 week overseas trip coming up, which did not even come close to coinciding with school holidays.  That got me started thinking about how stressed I was when Frodo WAS in school, feeling like my days were dropping off/picking up and little else.   So, in short, no the boys are not going to school... and no I'm not going to work full time (although I may look for a casual evening job)  We're actually going the opposite direction.  

Which brings me to the title of this post.. My DH suggested to me that maybe it was all just too much, and maybe I needed to try what Ms. x does (a homeschooler we know that is an advocate of Natural learning).. and you could have knocked me over with a feather.   What brought this on, I asked him?? Do you realize what that means exactly?  No required daily curriculum, just following what they are interested in etc?  His answer was ' But you said when I came home that the kids didn't really do any schoolwork today, but here's Samwise counting coins he's scrounged from all over the house and grouping them into like piles.  Then you're discussing how much he has and what he could buy with it etc.  That sounds like math to me?' *insert jaw drop here*  I knew that, but it's the first time he really put it that way to me.  

So, I hit MDC as I do for all things ;) and asked the Unschooling mamas' there for advice on how to actually DO this thing.  I was referred to another message board and on it I found a thread with various terminology for 'unschooling' (delight led learning, child led, natural learning etc etc) but one mama coined the phrase LIFE, or Learning In Freedom Everyday!  and I just thought how COOL is that??   

So without further adeiu,  HERE is our new classroom -------->

I have no fears of them 'doing nothing' all day, because everyday is filled with so many possibilities.  They quite often ask me to 'do math' or to look at their great Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History etc that I'm just going to stop telling them it's time to do X, and wait for their lead.   It should definitely be interesting, and I'll still pick up library books on things I know they are interested in (dinosaurs, space, ocean stuff, anything ancient) and I'm sure I'll pick up lots of little educational games & kits at Aldi and the Early Learning Centre (our fave 'toy' store) and they won't lack interesting things to get stuck into!  

Here goes nothing!

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