Learning - the connection- videogames/history, swords, musical instruments
BRIAN POLIKOWSKY
Its amazing how learning is all connected.
Some may think that playing video games is a waste of time and that a child
needs a well rounded education.
I have a homeschooling friend that is really into all the well rounded classic
education.
Her kids have classes for; French, piano and ballet just to mention a few.
It was not like her oldest boy wanted to learn ballet or tap dancing.
He really wanted to do TaeKwon Do.
But he is stuck with Tap dancing and ballet. Hard for a kid build like a
linebacker that loves fighting and stuff that is very boyish.
It is not that her kids all asked for piano lessons.
That is what they do.
My son MD turned 8 this Summer and has never really asked to learn any
instrument.
We have a piano he played a lot as a toddler. We had an acoustic guitar ( I fell
on it and broke it :( )
MD really loves playing video games. He loves Legends of Zelda and has many of
the games.
He has also read about 10 of the Manga books.
He is very interested in Knights and all that goes with Middle Ages until about
the Renaissance period.
SO Friday we went to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
It was school days so they had several events specially for kids .
We made plans to get there early before 10 AM so he could hear about swords and
fighting.
He listened to them show and demonstrate combat for over an hour and was
totally into it.
On the way there, a two hour drive, he read his book about Knights.
Then we watched the jousting and many other cool things around.
About one hour before we left I was in a store as Gigi , my 4 year old daughter,
was checking
out dresses and other girl stuff, I looked across the street and there is a
store with Ocarinas for sale.
Next I see a sign with a triangle that I recognize as the Tri- Force symbol for
Legends of Zelda.
I have not played any of the games but I listen and watch and I have read a few
pages of the books.
Mainly I have listened to my son talk about it.
There is one game that Link plays the Ocarina.
SO we all went across the street and I bought him an Ocarina. They came with
two sheets of songs including one with
the music from the video games.
He practiced playing for almost two hours coming home and have practiced since
Friday.
I started writing this post just after he started to practice again. He
just got done and it has been almost one hour.
( I write a little, feed a kid, move laundry...)
So from liking Knights, swords, video games my son has found a musical
instrument that he wants to learn.
Ocarinas are hard but he is very happy with how he is playing.
This may not last long or it may. I don't know yet. But it is sure amazing to
see him learn so much and be happy with it.
Alex Polikowsky
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Some may think that playing video games is a waste of time and that a child
needs a well rounded education.
I have a homeschooling friend that is really into all the well rounded classic
education.
Her kids have classes for; French, piano and ballet just to mention a few.
It was not like her oldest boy wanted to learn ballet or tap dancing.
He really wanted to do TaeKwon Do.
But he is stuck with Tap dancing and ballet. Hard for a kid build like a
linebacker that loves fighting and stuff that is very boyish.
It is not that her kids all asked for piano lessons.
That is what they do.
My son MD turned 8 this Summer and has never really asked to learn any
instrument.
We have a piano he played a lot as a toddler. We had an acoustic guitar ( I fell
on it and broke it :( )
MD really loves playing video games. He loves Legends of Zelda and has many of
the games.
He has also read about 10 of the Manga books.
He is very interested in Knights and all that goes with Middle Ages until about
the Renaissance period.
SO Friday we went to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
It was school days so they had several events specially for kids .
We made plans to get there early before 10 AM so he could hear about swords and
fighting.
He listened to them show and demonstrate combat for over an hour and was
totally into it.
On the way there, a two hour drive, he read his book about Knights.
Then we watched the jousting and many other cool things around.
About one hour before we left I was in a store as Gigi , my 4 year old daughter,
was checking
out dresses and other girl stuff, I looked across the street and there is a
store with Ocarinas for sale.
Next I see a sign with a triangle that I recognize as the Tri- Force symbol for
Legends of Zelda.
I have not played any of the games but I listen and watch and I have read a few
pages of the books.
Mainly I have listened to my son talk about it.
There is one game that Link plays the Ocarina.
SO we all went across the street and I bought him an Ocarina. They came with
two sheets of songs including one with
the music from the video games.
He practiced playing for almost two hours coming home and have practiced since
Friday.
I started writing this post just after he started to practice again. He
just got done and it has been almost one hour.
( I write a little, feed a kid, move laundry...)
So from liking Knights, swords, video games my son has found a musical
instrument that he wants to learn.
Ocarinas are hard but he is very happy with how he is playing.
This may not last long or it may. I don't know yet. But it is sure amazing to
see him learn so much and be happy with it.
Alex Polikowsky
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]