I was talking about christmas gifts to a co woker recently and as all parents,I'm sure, I was complaining about toys and the "too manyness" of them. I was remarking that this year we were asking for memberships to various places and during this conversation my co worker stated that b/c we homeschool we must only want "educational" toys.
Hmmm, That is pretty much not exactly true. What is traditionally considered "educational"; things like Leap frog products and Dora the explorer and anything that is made to outright act like an academic teacher is just not allowed in my home. I dislike anything that pretends to teach.
I Am Learning All the Time
In my opinion toys should be fun but that is not to say they wont be educational. My kids learn a ton just from playing with each other and working out compromises with very simple tools: some stuffed animals, some Star Wars people and a Hess Truck or two.. Nobody would really call those educational (and truth be told I do think too many toys are a hindrance to learning) however the education lies in the team work in the sharing. Creativity is where kids brains get the most exercise so in that I find Traditional educational toys a bore for the brain (although often the lights and the sounds make kids happy) Dolls that don't "do" anything until the child breathes life into it by sheer imagination and stuffed animals that are loved so strongly that they become part of the family do more for kids brains than a frog teaching them to read at ever decreasing ages.
So yes I like to have educational toys but not academically teaching toys. Santa wont be bringing a toy lap top or Leapsters to teach my kids foreign languages.
Rosetta Stone will be responsibe for spanish and I will be responsible for Latin and math. The books will be in charge of reading and Miss Diane will take care of Piano lessons. In this way to toys are free to just play and quite frankly I think "shadow" has come a long way in learning his Roman numerals.
I much prefer my kids teaching the toys than the toys teaching the kids; academics anyway.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
You must be so patient
Homeschoolers raise your hand if you ever hear these words, "I could never homeschool. You must be so patient" Now keep your hands up if you are really THAT patient. I saw those hands go down. When people say that to me I always say, "Well you know that's a myth we homeschoolers like to keep alive b/c it makes us look good" It generally gets a laugh and I follow it with the truth. There is no way I could ever be as patient as they are to have to follow someone else's rules about how my kid should and must be learning, socializing, waking up, eating for lunch and whether or not my kid is at "grade level"
I don't think it takes any more patience to homeschool your kids than is needed to raise them. So that is not to say the job is without effort just that effort is only equal to having kids anyway.
I find the stressors of homeschooling to be only about parenting woes and I am glad that it isn't exacerbated by someoone else putting pressure on me and my kids to be at some arbitrary level they deem appropriate.
The number one "issue" that I hear over and over in my homeschool circles is trying to make time to teach the older one when the little one is underfoot. Sharing comes up and even bossiness of siblings; things that are just part of the whole parenting package anyway.
Mostly, we are happy to go slowly to help a struggling kid learn to spell and we are happy to challenge the quick study with frequent trips to the library or more math puzzles.
Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child's Education
Patience is required when stuck in traffic on your way to meet friends to see the Statue liberty and more patience is needed when it turns out you are never gonna get there. However , a report on the Statue Liberty will not be "late" and no one is going to fail the test on what is written at the base.
As homeschoolers we only require as much patience as is needed to meet the day to day life existence but rarely do we need to muster up strngth to hear someone else tell us our kids aren't applying themselves.
We get to choose and that is truly the blessing of the whole thing.
I don't think it takes any more patience to homeschool your kids than is needed to raise them. So that is not to say the job is without effort just that effort is only equal to having kids anyway.
I find the stressors of homeschooling to be only about parenting woes and I am glad that it isn't exacerbated by someoone else putting pressure on me and my kids to be at some arbitrary level they deem appropriate.
The number one "issue" that I hear over and over in my homeschool circles is trying to make time to teach the older one when the little one is underfoot. Sharing comes up and even bossiness of siblings; things that are just part of the whole parenting package anyway.
Mostly, we are happy to go slowly to help a struggling kid learn to spell and we are happy to challenge the quick study with frequent trips to the library or more math puzzles.
Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child's Education
Patience is required when stuck in traffic on your way to meet friends to see the Statue liberty and more patience is needed when it turns out you are never gonna get there. However , a report on the Statue Liberty will not be "late" and no one is going to fail the test on what is written at the base.
As homeschoolers we only require as much patience as is needed to meet the day to day life existence but rarely do we need to muster up strngth to hear someone else tell us our kids aren't applying themselves.
We get to choose and that is truly the blessing of the whole thing.
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