he wants more structure
Jo
Last year was our "kindergarten" year of homeschooling and for the
first month or so I was very structured. I kept track of what we did
and what subject. We did daily circle time (singing, stories read, poem
recited, spanish and asl vocabulary) and little worksheets. My son was
very much into all of this and if he wasn't we didn't do it. Well, we
ended up moving across country and I just couldn't maintain that much
structure. Now, he is begging for circle time and he says he misses the
little activities.
I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if y'all
have tips for overcoming my own inner dislike of structure.
I guess, now that I think about it, it's just a matter of singing and
stories together (and whatever else he is into) and having activities
available whenever he wants. Maybe I can put together a little folder
of worksheets that he can chose or not? Ug, it still feels so, I don't
know, arbitrary.
first month or so I was very structured. I kept track of what we did
and what subject. We did daily circle time (singing, stories read, poem
recited, spanish and asl vocabulary) and little worksheets. My son was
very much into all of this and if he wasn't we didn't do it. Well, we
ended up moving across country and I just couldn't maintain that much
structure. Now, he is begging for circle time and he says he misses the
little activities.
I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if y'all
have tips for overcoming my own inner dislike of structure.
I guess, now that I think about it, it's just a matter of singing and
stories together (and whatever else he is into) and having activities
available whenever he wants. Maybe I can put together a little folder
of worksheets that he can chose or not? Ug, it still feels so, I don't
know, arbitrary.
[email protected]
In a message dated 6/29/05 1:50:56 AM, wildflowerpowerwoman@... writes:
schooly way you can, so that the parts he likes about it are the "most unschooling"
kinds of parts. Read books about play and freedom, rather than about school
and classrooms. Sing songs about the joy of the woods, and bunnies and
birds, rather than about academics.
BUT on the other hand, there are some great "academic"/educational songs out
there, like the Animaniacs songs about the state capitals or the nations of
the world. Unfortunately, they're not on DVD yet, but they're on VHS
(singalong videos) and CD.
When my kids were little we listened to a lot of very sweet music and still
those songs come up. Holly was watching Raffi in Concert just last week.
She asked me about Baby Beluga and I couldn't remember all the words or find the
old cassette tape, but got out the video and started winding to look for it.
She got cranky and said just let it play, and watched the whole thing.
Then I found a book I had not found in the first quick search. A picture book
with the lyrics which I did NOT have when the kids were little, but bought
within the last year at a thrift store. With my youngest 13, I still bought a
Raffi picture book, and it was still put to use.
So I would not speak against a scheduled reading and music session. Let him
have a folder of worksheets, but maybe a good thing to put in the folder
would be song lyrics, and you could sing from the lyrics sheets and put them back,
and not "make it a reading lesson," but make it a clear use of words on
paper, and if you sing from the same papers a lot (or from picture books with
lyrics), that will help with music AND reading and the material of the song too.
When my kids were little I would have to transcribe songs out for them, but
now you can lift them from lyrics sites on the internet very easily.
We have lots of books with the lyrics of a single song, illustrated, so you
have to turn the pages too fast sometimes for singing in rhythm, but you could
do one verse and then go back and look at the pictures, and then do another
verse. We have The Erie Canal like that, and I like the illustrations, but
that's the one you really have to barrel through the pages on. <g> Others
have several lines per page and that's easier.
Wanting a little structure isn't the same as wanting school at home all day,
and it will probably pass anyway. I'd do it.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if y'allYou can do it without really LIKING it. Do it in the least harsh and
> have tips for overcoming my own inner dislike of structure.
>
>
schooly way you can, so that the parts he likes about it are the "most unschooling"
kinds of parts. Read books about play and freedom, rather than about school
and classrooms. Sing songs about the joy of the woods, and bunnies and
birds, rather than about academics.
BUT on the other hand, there are some great "academic"/educational songs out
there, like the Animaniacs songs about the state capitals or the nations of
the world. Unfortunately, they're not on DVD yet, but they're on VHS
(singalong videos) and CD.
When my kids were little we listened to a lot of very sweet music and still
those songs come up. Holly was watching Raffi in Concert just last week.
She asked me about Baby Beluga and I couldn't remember all the words or find the
old cassette tape, but got out the video and started winding to look for it.
She got cranky and said just let it play, and watched the whole thing.
Then I found a book I had not found in the first quick search. A picture book
with the lyrics which I did NOT have when the kids were little, but bought
within the last year at a thrift store. With my youngest 13, I still bought a
Raffi picture book, and it was still put to use.
So I would not speak against a scheduled reading and music session. Let him
have a folder of worksheets, but maybe a good thing to put in the folder
would be song lyrics, and you could sing from the lyrics sheets and put them back,
and not "make it a reading lesson," but make it a clear use of words on
paper, and if you sing from the same papers a lot (or from picture books with
lyrics), that will help with music AND reading and the material of the song too.
When my kids were little I would have to transcribe songs out for them, but
now you can lift them from lyrics sites on the internet very easily.
We have lots of books with the lyrics of a single song, illustrated, so you
have to turn the pages too fast sometimes for singing in rhythm, but you could
do one verse and then go back and look at the pictures, and then do another
verse. We have The Erie Canal like that, and I like the illustrations, but
that's the one you really have to barrel through the pages on. <g> Others
have several lines per page and that's easier.
Wanting a little structure isn't the same as wanting school at home all day,
and it will probably pass anyway. I'd do it.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
I forgot to mention one thing that was lots of fun when Holly was younger and
really wanted to read, but wasn't there yet.
I know this can be done on a Mac but I don't know about a PC. Someone
advise for those particulars if my directions don't work.
I took the lyrics of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, removed
all punctuation, used search-and-replace to turn all the spaces into returns so
that it was a long list of single words, and then used sort and alpha (used to
be under tools on the word menu, but those menus change some). So I
alphabetized a list of all the words in the lyrics. It was fun! And she could
see how many times words like "and" and "the" are used, how many times "Joseph"
was used but that some words were only used once.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
really wanted to read, but wasn't there yet.
I know this can be done on a Mac but I don't know about a PC. Someone
advise for those particulars if my directions don't work.
I took the lyrics of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, removed
all punctuation, used search-and-replace to turn all the spaces into returns so
that it was a long list of single words, and then used sort and alpha (used to
be under tools on the word menu, but those menus change some). So I
alphabetized a list of all the words in the lyrics. It was fun! And she could
see how many times words like "and" and "the" are used, how many times "Joseph"
was used but that some words were only used once.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Robyn Coburn
<<<<Last year was our "kindergarten" year of homeschooling and for the
first month or so I was very structured. I kept track of what we did
and what subject. We did daily circle time (singing, stories read, poem
recited, spanish and asl vocabulary) and little worksheets. My son was
very much into all of this and if he wasn't we didn't do it. Well, we
ended up moving across country and I just couldn't maintain that much
structure. Now, he is begging for circle time and he says he misses the
little activities. >>>>
My suspicion is that maybe he is missing the focused individual attention
from you for a comfortable length of time on a predictable basis - stability
and predictability both areas that are disrupted by moving home.
My suggestion is to do more activities with him, asking him to choose them
and take the lead in the games, and for you to let go of the academic
keeping track - depending on your State laws, but at least over summer.
Perhaps instead of thinking of it as "structure", think of it as "routine"
so that he has the comfort of knowing that he can have your undivided
attention for three hours before lunch or whatever works out. The fluid kind
of movement from one interest to another during a day that is often reported
by many Unschoolers will most likely come in time.
<<<<< Maybe I can put together a little folder
of worksheets that he can chose or not? Ug, it still feels so, I don't
know, arbitrary. >>>>>
It's not arbitrary if they are worksheets he is interested in and he is free
to choose or not.
However as I said, having them there for him to do may not be answering the
whole underlying need.
Robyn L. Coburn
Yahoo! Groups Links
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first month or so I was very structured. I kept track of what we did
and what subject. We did daily circle time (singing, stories read, poem
recited, spanish and asl vocabulary) and little worksheets. My son was
very much into all of this and if he wasn't we didn't do it. Well, we
ended up moving across country and I just couldn't maintain that much
structure. Now, he is begging for circle time and he says he misses the
little activities. >>>>
My suspicion is that maybe he is missing the focused individual attention
from you for a comfortable length of time on a predictable basis - stability
and predictability both areas that are disrupted by moving home.
My suggestion is to do more activities with him, asking him to choose them
and take the lead in the games, and for you to let go of the academic
keeping track - depending on your State laws, but at least over summer.
Perhaps instead of thinking of it as "structure", think of it as "routine"
so that he has the comfort of knowing that he can have your undivided
attention for three hours before lunch or whatever works out. The fluid kind
of movement from one interest to another during a day that is often reported
by many Unschoolers will most likely come in time.
<<<<< Maybe I can put together a little folder
of worksheets that he can chose or not? Ug, it still feels so, I don't
know, arbitrary. >>>>>
It's not arbitrary if they are worksheets he is interested in and he is free
to choose or not.
However as I said, having them there for him to do may not be answering the
whole underlying need.
Robyn L. Coburn
Yahoo! Groups Links
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Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.7/34 - Release Date: 6/29/2005
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[email protected]
In a message dated 6/29/2005 10:28:08 AM Pacific Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
*****Wanting a little structure isn't the same as wanting school at home all
day,
and it will probably pass anyway. I'd do it.
I found through the years when the younger kids were asking for more
"structure" they were actually asking for more time with me. We were a family of
seven - military - with our share of moves, so there were certainly times when
I was doing LIFE and not giving them the attention they wanted.
I remember for a period of several months I made myself available to Donika
and Devin in the afternoon on every M W F - if they wanted. Trevor was a
baby and usually napping for at least part of that time - so we could read or
play games - their choice.
When they were older and asked for structure they were asking for help in
defining learning objectives. Shawn especially wanted that - and stuck with it
for long periods of time when he was 12/13. He set his own schedule of
structured learning when he was 17 to then take the GED.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected] writes:
*****Wanting a little structure isn't the same as wanting school at home all
day,
and it will probably pass anyway. I'd do it.
I found through the years when the younger kids were asking for more
"structure" they were actually asking for more time with me. We were a family of
seven - military - with our share of moves, so there were certainly times when
I was doing LIFE and not giving them the attention they wanted.
I remember for a period of several months I made myself available to Donika
and Devin in the afternoon on every M W F - if they wanted. Trevor was a
baby and usually napping for at least part of that time - so we could read or
play games - their choice.
When they were older and asked for structure they were asking for help in
defining learning objectives. Shawn especially wanted that - and stuck with it
for long periods of time when he was 12/13. He set his own schedule of
structured learning when he was 17 to then take the GED.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]