carnationsgalore

What other ideas/activities can I use for strewing instead of books. When the kids were younger, they loved books but now they aren't interested. They are 11 and 13 and don't like things geared to younger children. What else can I do to think outside the box? ;)

Beth

Marina DeLuca-Howard

Telescope. Ours was just under $300, but freecycle and lawnsales or second
hand shops are great for things like that. Our nightowls love it. Also,
cool baking supplies, knitting needles and yarn, and carving tools with wood
blocks.

Marina

>
>



--
Rent our cottage: http://davehoward.ca/cottage/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sarah

Movie passes, computer games, memberships, friendship clubs, cable, the TV guide, cool magazines, yard sales, thrift stores, new restaurants, old restaurants, day trips, camping trips, cookbooks, tools, wood, science kits, kitchen experiments, money, paper, craft supplies, interesting people, sidewalk chalk, water balloons, hair scissors and a mannequin head, board games, card games, magic tricks, cool catalogs, the mall, a parade, a visiting author, homeschool park day, the park, a new park, the river, a midnight walk, a sunrise walk, a treasure hunt, a scavenger hunt, a concert, a trip to your artisan bread baker, skis, flower seeds, vegetable seeds...
 
That should get the ol' brain waves wavin' :)
 
Sarah Anderson-Thimmes

--- On Thu, 9/24/09, carnationsgalore <addled.homemaker@...> wrote:


 



What other ideas/activities can I use for strewing instead of books. When the kids were younger, they loved books but now they aren't interested. They are 11 and 13 and don't like things geared to younger children. What else can I do to think outside the box? ;)

Beth


 
.


















[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

kimcronin.meltzer

Hi,
We have a pretty large record collection, and they're easy to leave in their
little cupboards. Recently, I've been going through and just looking for
records that my three year old and I can explore.

We listened to a little Robert Frost, him actually reading his own poetry,
but he didn't really like that. He ended up LOVING a "cycle of songs on
texts by Federico Garcia Lorca," this avant-garde voice scape with his songs
sung in spanish. I read him the poem in English, and he asked to hear it
again. He also really loves this record, "Chief Red Thundercloud and Co. A
Child's Introduciton to the American Indian. We had some fun reenacting
the dances by means of the descriptions of the dances in the narrative.

I was amazed. That experience sent me rifling through all of our records
looking for more things.

So, I think strewing music is a great fun thing to do. Check out random
CD's at your library and look for something new, lot of things new, and see
what you guys might like.

Kim
Baltimore


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-What other ideas/activities can I use for strewing instead of
books. When the kids were younger, they loved books but now they
aren't interested. They are 11 and 13 and don't like things geared to
younger children. What else can I do to think outside the box? ;)-=-

I think books are the worst thing for strewing. It's not that I never
bring in a book; I do. But especially for new unschoolers, if they
think learning is in books, if the mom thinks that and passes that on
to the kids by leaving books out, they don't make the giant step away
from "book learning" to natural real-world learning.

http://sandradodd.com/strewing

I hope there's very little about books there.

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-So, I think strewing music is a great fun thing to do. Check out
random
CD's at your library and look for something new, lot of things new,
and see
what you guys might like.=-

I think having music on without thinking of it as "strewing music" is
good, but the three examples seemed more like "educational" records--
poetry, narrative. That's cool too, but it's not music just because
it was on a record. Listening to books on tape or to Mp3s of readings
of things is similar, nowadays.

Try various kinds of music, though, and just because a kid enjoys some
baroque brass ensemble doesn't mean he loves trumpets or that he loves
baroque music; just means he was interested in it that one time.
Don't jump like a gold prospector on anything that looks like a rich
vein. Maybe play some other baroque stuff another day. Maybe play
some other trumpet stuff. But don't invest lots of time and money
just because a kid smiled and asked a question or two. Sometimes it
will take a year for an interest to take hold. Sometimes a minute.
Sometimes an hour is all the interest a kid has in the history or
printing, or in the cupcake revival, and their entire lifetime's
curiosity will have been satisfied about that subject.

Balance and move lightly, around strewing. Nothing is too little; all
is too much.

http://sandradodd.com/balance

Sandra



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

BRIAN POLIKOWSKY

Beth,
My oldest is only 7 but I have done so many things myself and invited my son to join.
There are great software and games that are amazing:
http://www.stellarium.org/
http://alice.org/
http://www.fantasticcontraption.com/
http://www.super-stacker.com/
http://www.drawminos.com/index.html?id=96077
http://incredibots.com/
http://www.phunland.com/wiki/Home
http://thehappyscientist.com/
http://www.i-am-bored.com/


Places to go and things to do:
 
all kinds of museums,
farms
zoos
orchards
hiking
sports
geocaching
renaissance festivals
theme parks
youtube is a great place to see things about everything, sit with them and watch!
travel
watch movies
play video game WITH them or watch
board games for the family is so much fun!
card games
laser tag
places like house of bounce (inflatables)
obstacle courses ( you can create one on the back yard !)

I think what people don;t get it is that YOU NEED to BE THERE a lot and do it with them.
As they get older they may not need you as much but even a 11 years old likes to do things with the parents.
I see some parents sit back and expect kids to go do things on their own. Some will do it, at least for a while. But I guarantee you that if you join them in exploring  things will be so much more fun to them and to you.


Alex Polikowsky
http://polykow.blogspot.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unschoolingmn/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Marina DeLuca-Howard

Think about your hobbies. That is an ideal place to start. Yard sales are
great for tennis rackets, stuff to tinker with, and roller blades. Whatever
you enjoy your kids will enjoy. My husband and I bought a telescope for the
guys, but until we actually brought it out with snacks and made ourselves
comfy using it the kids were not interested. Its not just about their
interests, it is about yours, too.

Marina
--
Rent our cottage: http://davehoward.ca/cottage/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-. Whatever
you enjoy your kids will enjoy. -=-

Maybe not always, but whatever parents do NOT enjoy, what they treat
as yucky medicine or things kids have to do, kids will NOT enjoy.

I have hobbies my kids don't care about much, but because I've
supported and participated in and hung out around their interests that
weren't really mine, they're willing to reciprocate. They've learned
generosity and attention and trust because I trusted and was generous
with them.

YES to those who pointed out that kids don't want to do things
themselves. Unschooling isn't about acting like you don't have kids
while kids act like they don't have parents. TOGETHERNESS is the
magic ingredient, if there is one, in unschooling. It won't work
otherwise. It might "work" but in some half-ass, the-kid-survived-
anyway way, not in the optimal glorious unschooling way some of the
people here are trying to share with others here.

Be with your kids. If you're wondering "how much?" the answer is
probably "more."

http://sandradodd.com/howto/precisely

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Marina DeLuca-Howard

-=-. Whatever
you enjoy your kids will enjoy. -=-
Well, they might not enjoy a good winetasting at their age lol

I was thinking of what Sandra said, but she said it better: they won't
enjoy "yucky medicine". The kids won't enjoy a parent having "stuff that is
good for them" around, if the parents don't enjoy it as a pass time and
present it as fun.

Our telescope was bought when our kids showed an interest, but we figured
out how to use it comfortably as a family. Until we got it to work and
learned more about it, the did the kids were not interested in it. Lots of
people buy telescopes, microscopes, or hobby sets but if the parents present
it as "work" or boring or something they are tolerating only to enrich the
child or don't take the trouble to make a bit of a production of it kids
will ignore it. Again, the telescope worked when we snuggled drinking
something warm together taking turns looking at a faraway disk with other
disks(Jupiter and moons). Buying even the most expensive hobby sets and
leaving them to be discovered is not the same as buying it and enjoying it
together.

sample low key talk:

I thought I it would be fun if we <insert activity>. Do you want to join
me?

If they make a counteroffer--go with it. Make it pleasant and comfy for
yourself and for them to engage. If you suggest basketball and they
counter with baseball--play baseball, but always think about their comfort.
Thirst, hunger, tiredness...or injuries can be discouraging. IE if you are
shooting basketballs or playing baseball, think about cool drinks or getting
ice cream afterward and enjoying the activity rather than pressure to learn
rules or get excercise as the goal. As a parent you anticipate their
physical needs and draw them out, building trust and fun. Learning is the
by-product in all life situations. Hope this is clear.

Marina
2009/9/24 Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>

>
>
>
>
>
>



--
Rent our cottage: http://davehoward.ca/cottage/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]