Examples of Expanding on an Interest?
athenagwis2
Right now I am in the process of deschooling with my 8 yo son. I need it way more than him, but we are learning and growing together. I have been reading the back topics on this board and the articles on Sandra & Joyce's sites. I am storing little tidbits in my brain for use as I go. My son is an extremely curious kid, but I saw that curiosity wane when we started doing workbooks and curriculum at home. Since we have been deschooling, his curiosity is picking up again, which is great! I love answering his questions, and watching how our conversations weave from one topic to the next.
Some of the back topics I have been reading in this group are about facilitating learning vs. just having fun. I was hoping I could get some specific examples from those of you that have been unschooling a while about how you would go about expanding on an expressed interest. I think hearing specifically what you might do would help me to see how this works in a day to day environment. So lately my son has been asking a lot of questions about cops and courts. If your child was asking about this topic a lot, what might be some things you would offer to him to expand on this interest?
Thanks everyone!
Rachel
Some of the back topics I have been reading in this group are about facilitating learning vs. just having fun. I was hoping I could get some specific examples from those of you that have been unschooling a while about how you would go about expanding on an expressed interest. I think hearing specifically what you might do would help me to see how this works in a day to day environment. So lately my son has been asking a lot of questions about cops and courts. If your child was asking about this topic a lot, what might be some things you would offer to him to expand on this interest?
Thanks everyone!
Rachel
Pam Sorooshian
On Sat, Jun 2, 2012 at 12:44 PM, athenagwis2 <athenagwis@...> wrote:
Go walk around in your local courthouse - you can sit in on open court -
maybe traffic court.
-pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> So lately my son has been asking a lot of questions about cops and courts.Judge Judy?
> If your child was asking about this topic a lot, what might be some things
> you would offer to him to expand on this interest?
Go walk around in your local courthouse - you can sit in on open court -
maybe traffic court.
-pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
sheeboo2
---- So lately my son has been asking a lot of questions about cops and courts. If your child was asking about this topic a lot, what might be some things you would offer to him to expand on this interest? -----
What kind of questions is he asking? It might be that he has a specific interest in police and courts, or it could also be that he's thinking about bigger issues like morality and ethics, or how these things are legislated. Depending on the kinds of conversations he's hearing in the background of his life, he may also be thinking about issues of class and prejudice, or perhaps he has some fears that something bad might happen to him because of something a bad person does......I think an interest in "cops and courts" could mean lots of things!
Try to figure out where his interest is coming from, if possible.
A lot of police and fire departments will give tours if you call in advance and schedule one. He might be interested in specific kinds of crimes/punishments, in which case, *you* can do a bit of research and offer him the information he's curious about. Maybe he'd like some defective stories? Our 8yo really liked the most recent Sherlock Holmes movie (not the new BBC series); the violence was highly stylized and didn't bother her, at all. There's a wonderful version of Sherlock Holmes called Sherlock Hound by Miyazaki, so if he also likes anime, he might Love this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKsFURf7C18
Brie
What kind of questions is he asking? It might be that he has a specific interest in police and courts, or it could also be that he's thinking about bigger issues like morality and ethics, or how these things are legislated. Depending on the kinds of conversations he's hearing in the background of his life, he may also be thinking about issues of class and prejudice, or perhaps he has some fears that something bad might happen to him because of something a bad person does......I think an interest in "cops and courts" could mean lots of things!
Try to figure out where his interest is coming from, if possible.
A lot of police and fire departments will give tours if you call in advance and schedule one. He might be interested in specific kinds of crimes/punishments, in which case, *you* can do a bit of research and offer him the information he's curious about. Maybe he'd like some defective stories? Our 8yo really liked the most recent Sherlock Holmes movie (not the new BBC series); the violence was highly stylized and didn't bother her, at all. There's a wonderful version of Sherlock Holmes called Sherlock Hound by Miyazaki, so if he also likes anime, he might Love this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKsFURf7C18
Brie
sheeboo2
--- Maybe he'd like some defective stories? ----
um, that should have been "detective" stories, although defective stories might be interesting too :-)
Brie
um, that should have been "detective" stories, although defective stories might be interesting too :-)
Brie
Jill Parmer
On Jun 2, 2012, at 1:44 PM, athenagwis2 wrote:
My son Luke was around 9 or 10, and he loved the tv show Boston Legal. He was really interested in how Alan Shore would argue a case, and all the other factors coming into a situation.
One night we got pulled over for having one back light out, and when the officer came back from checking out my license in his car, Luke had a short conversation with him about "what if" scenarios, and the officer was nice enough, and not too busy that we all had an interesting short conversation. Not suggesting getting pulled over, but what about talking to a street cop? In our downtown area we have officers on bikes that are standing around keeping an eye on things, someone like that might be willing to talk if things are quiet.
Oh, and some towns offer ride-alongs, with an officer out patrolling, or watching cars with a speed gun.
Jill
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> <<<So lately my son has been asking a lot of questions about cops and courts. If your child was asking about this topic a lot, what might be some things you would offer to him to expand on this interest? >>>DENNY CRANE!
My son Luke was around 9 or 10, and he loved the tv show Boston Legal. He was really interested in how Alan Shore would argue a case, and all the other factors coming into a situation.
One night we got pulled over for having one back light out, and when the officer came back from checking out my license in his car, Luke had a short conversation with him about "what if" scenarios, and the officer was nice enough, and not too busy that we all had an interesting short conversation. Not suggesting getting pulled over, but what about talking to a street cop? In our downtown area we have officers on bikes that are standing around keeping an eye on things, someone like that might be willing to talk if things are quiet.
Oh, and some towns offer ride-alongs, with an officer out patrolling, or watching cars with a speed gun.
Jill
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
"athenagwis2" <athenagwis@...> wrote:
While you're still deschooling, I wouldn't "go there" at all - it's too easy to slip back into looking at the world through a lens of lessons and "teachable moments". Instead, focus on having fun and make a conscious effort to question the word "just" (as in: just having fun). Much of the time, learning looks and feels like play. Relax into playing and enjoyment.
That, in and of itself, suggests that he doesn't Need any help expanding his interests right now. He's doing just fine on his own, looking and asking and wondering. Go with that for now. The idea of "expanding" interests is more for times when kids seem to need something more, and that's not all the time. Sometimes what kids need is to spend time digging down deep into one specific interest.
It could be fun to visit the local sheriff's department and get a tour - call and find out what they have for "field trips" and let them know you're homeschooling. Depending on where you live, you might see if there's a local Schutzhund training organization and if you can come see the dogs. But to an extent, it depends on what he's really interested in. He might like to become a pen pal with a prisoner. He might want to play laser tag, or cops and robbers with someone. He might want to know about political prisoners - there have been some in the news recently and that might have piqued his interest. Or he might want to have a Men In Black marathon and imagine how cops and jails would all be different if there were real space aliens causing trouble.
What kinds of questions is he asking? Start there, without trying to "expand" for now. If he has a lot of curiosity, it's better to let That take the lead for a bit and see where it takes y'all.
---Meredith
>> Some of the back topics I have been reading in this group are about facilitating learning vs. just having fun. I was hoping I could get some specific examples from those****************
While you're still deschooling, I wouldn't "go there" at all - it's too easy to slip back into looking at the world through a lens of lessons and "teachable moments". Instead, focus on having fun and make a conscious effort to question the word "just" (as in: just having fun). Much of the time, learning looks and feels like play. Relax into playing and enjoyment.
>>his curiosity is picking up again, which is great! I love answering his questions, and watching how our conversations weave from one topic to the next***************
That, in and of itself, suggests that he doesn't Need any help expanding his interests right now. He's doing just fine on his own, looking and asking and wondering. Go with that for now. The idea of "expanding" interests is more for times when kids seem to need something more, and that's not all the time. Sometimes what kids need is to spend time digging down deep into one specific interest.
>>lately my son has been asking a lot of questions about cops and courtsAhhh, that's your problem, you're seeing "feeding" an interest as "expanding". That's old schoolish thinking - don't learn any more than you have to for the test kind of thinking. Answer his questions. Watch cop shows and movies if he likes that sort of thing - silly things like A Fish Called Wanda are just as good as something serious like Law and Order or To Kill a Mockingbird, especially if you live in the US. What the heck is a barrister? Do they really wear those silly wigs?
It could be fun to visit the local sheriff's department and get a tour - call and find out what they have for "field trips" and let them know you're homeschooling. Depending on where you live, you might see if there's a local Schutzhund training organization and if you can come see the dogs. But to an extent, it depends on what he's really interested in. He might like to become a pen pal with a prisoner. He might want to play laser tag, or cops and robbers with someone. He might want to know about political prisoners - there have been some in the news recently and that might have piqued his interest. Or he might want to have a Men In Black marathon and imagine how cops and jails would all be different if there were real space aliens causing trouble.
What kinds of questions is he asking? Start there, without trying to "expand" for now. If he has a lot of curiosity, it's better to let That take the lead for a bit and see where it takes y'all.
---Meredith
Rachel
===
While you're still deschooling, I wouldn't "go there" at all - it's too
easy to slip back into looking at the world through a lens of lessons and
"teachable moments".===
Thanks for the reminder Meredith, I am trying to just answer his questions
right now and leave it at that. I was more asking this question for the
future, when we are ready to move away from deschooling. I am trying to
understand what unschooling looks like with more concrete examples. This
way I don't fall into the "schooly" trap. I know it looks different for
everyone, but I figured if a few people gave me some ideas on what they
would do for their own kids with the example I gave, it would help me to
start to see how this will work in our house once we are ready. During
this deschooling time, I am trying to learn and read as much as I can about
unschooling. I have already made some mistakes by jumping in and making
announcements too quick, so we are working on repairing that. I just want
to be sure I don't do something like that again. I know this can work for
my son, and I want to be sure I do the best job of it I can.
Rachel
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
While you're still deschooling, I wouldn't "go there" at all - it's too
easy to slip back into looking at the world through a lens of lessons and
"teachable moments".===
Thanks for the reminder Meredith, I am trying to just answer his questions
right now and leave it at that. I was more asking this question for the
future, when we are ready to move away from deschooling. I am trying to
understand what unschooling looks like with more concrete examples. This
way I don't fall into the "schooly" trap. I know it looks different for
everyone, but I figured if a few people gave me some ideas on what they
would do for their own kids with the example I gave, it would help me to
start to see how this will work in our house once we are ready. During
this deschooling time, I am trying to learn and read as much as I can about
unschooling. I have already made some mistakes by jumping in and making
announcements too quick, so we are working on repairing that. I just want
to be sure I don't do something like that again. I know this can work for
my son, and I want to be sure I do the best job of it I can.
Rachel
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
Rachel <athenagwis@...> wrote:
http://sandradodd.com/typical
One of the problems of asking questions like this "for the future" is that you don't have enough information to ask questions which will give you the answers you think you want - in part because the answers you think you want aren't about unschooling! That's a common issue on lists like this one - sometimes it feels like being caught in the middle of a Douglas Adams novel: the answer is 42!
This might explain what I mean better:
http://sandradodd.com/seeingit
---Meredith
>I am trying toIt might be better to read accounts of "typical" days, then:
> understand what unschooling looks like with more concrete examples.
http://sandradodd.com/typical
One of the problems of asking questions like this "for the future" is that you don't have enough information to ask questions which will give you the answers you think you want - in part because the answers you think you want aren't about unschooling! That's a common issue on lists like this one - sometimes it feels like being caught in the middle of a Douglas Adams novel: the answer is 42!
This might explain what I mean better:
http://sandradodd.com/seeingit
---Meredith
BRIAN POLIKOWSKY
This is a great read on how you may move from deschooling into unschooling
http://sandradodd.com/kellylovejoy/stages
really worth reading if you are new or even not as new but still not sure .
Alex Polikowsky
________________________________
From: Rachel <athenagwis@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, June 4, 2012 4:22 AM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Re: Examples of Expanding on an Interest?
===
While you're still deschooling, I wouldn't "go there" at all - it's too
easy to slip back into looking at the world through a lens of lessons and
"teachable moments".===
Thanks for the reminder Meredith, I am trying to just answer his questions
right now and leave it at that. I was more asking this question for the
future, when we are ready to move away from deschooling. I am trying to
understand what unschooling looks like with more concrete examples. This
way I don't fall into the "schooly" trap. I know it looks different for
everyone, but I figured if a few people gave me some ideas on what they
would do for their own kids with the example I gave, it would help me to
start to see how this will work in our house once we are ready. During
this deschooling time, I am trying to learn and read as much as I can about
unschooling. I have already made some mistakes by jumping in and making
announcements too quick, so we are working on repairing that. I just want
to be sure I don't do something like that again. I know this can work for
my son, and I want to be sure I do the best job of it I can.
Rachel
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
http://sandradodd.com/kellylovejoy/stages
really worth reading if you are new or even not as new but still not sure .
Alex Polikowsky
________________________________
From: Rachel <athenagwis@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, June 4, 2012 4:22 AM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Re: Examples of Expanding on an Interest?
===
While you're still deschooling, I wouldn't "go there" at all - it's too
easy to slip back into looking at the world through a lens of lessons and
"teachable moments".===
Thanks for the reminder Meredith, I am trying to just answer his questions
right now and leave it at that. I was more asking this question for the
future, when we are ready to move away from deschooling. I am trying to
understand what unschooling looks like with more concrete examples. This
way I don't fall into the "schooly" trap. I know it looks different for
everyone, but I figured if a few people gave me some ideas on what they
would do for their own kids with the example I gave, it would help me to
start to see how this will work in our house once we are ready. During
this deschooling time, I am trying to learn and read as much as I can about
unschooling. I have already made some mistakes by jumping in and making
announcements too quick, so we are working on repairing that. I just want
to be sure I don't do something like that again. I know this can work for
my son, and I want to be sure I do the best job of it I can.
Rachel
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Kimberly Sims
~ " I was more asking this question for the
future, when we are ready to move away from deschooling. I am trying to
understand what unschooling looks like with more concrete examples." ~
First I think you are getting stuck with looking into the future instead of
living moment to moment present with your child. Looking into the future will
slow your deschooling process.
http://sandradodd.com/moment
While deschooling it can be hard to wrap your mind around what unschooling is
suppose to look like. I know it was for me. I had already had a blog from our
Waldorf school at home days but after realizing school at home was not working I
started to blog more about my thoughts and of our transition into radical
unschooling. I too wanted someone to "show me" how to unschool. This was part of
*my* deschooling process as there is no one way on how to do it with the
exception of being more loving and respectful to your children. It's really
funny for me to go back and read some of my thoughts of what I was
thinking unschooling looked like. You can tell I just didn't "get it" yet :).
Maybe keeping a journal or blog can help you work through your thoughts and
deschooling process.
http://sandradodd.com/gettingit
Really once you shed all your school thinking, while *you* are deschooling,
unschooling will probably look the same as deschooling. You have addressed and
worked out any fears *you* may have of the "what ifs".
http://sandradodd.com/fears
Your child(ren) will more than likely have had an interest you are
already feeding by answering questions, visiting interesting places and bringing
home interesting things. I think you may be getting stuck in reading past posts
of unschooling looking different then deschooling because you have not fully
deschooled yet and still have unaddressed fears. If I am correct those posts
were to help people understand that unschooling should not look like one big
sorority party (so to speak). Learning *should* be happening and parents need to
be involved in facilitating those interests but if you are already feeding a
child's interests, without *your* school baggage then you are unschooling.
Kim
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
future, when we are ready to move away from deschooling. I am trying to
understand what unschooling looks like with more concrete examples." ~
First I think you are getting stuck with looking into the future instead of
living moment to moment present with your child. Looking into the future will
slow your deschooling process.
http://sandradodd.com/moment
While deschooling it can be hard to wrap your mind around what unschooling is
suppose to look like. I know it was for me. I had already had a blog from our
Waldorf school at home days but after realizing school at home was not working I
started to blog more about my thoughts and of our transition into radical
unschooling. I too wanted someone to "show me" how to unschool. This was part of
*my* deschooling process as there is no one way on how to do it with the
exception of being more loving and respectful to your children. It's really
funny for me to go back and read some of my thoughts of what I was
thinking unschooling looked like. You can tell I just didn't "get it" yet :).
Maybe keeping a journal or blog can help you work through your thoughts and
deschooling process.
http://sandradodd.com/gettingit
Really once you shed all your school thinking, while *you* are deschooling,
unschooling will probably look the same as deschooling. You have addressed and
worked out any fears *you* may have of the "what ifs".
http://sandradodd.com/fears
Your child(ren) will more than likely have had an interest you are
already feeding by answering questions, visiting interesting places and bringing
home interesting things. I think you may be getting stuck in reading past posts
of unschooling looking different then deschooling because you have not fully
deschooled yet and still have unaddressed fears. If I am correct those posts
were to help people understand that unschooling should not look like one big
sorority party (so to speak). Learning *should* be happening and parents need to
be involved in facilitating those interests but if you are already feeding a
child's interests, without *your* school baggage then you are unschooling.
Kim
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
Rachel <athenagwis@...> wrote:
Recently my daughter (Mo, 10) went through a period of being kind of out of sorts and dissatisfied, wanting something new but not really wanting to try new things. That's a good set up for "expanding" on an interest so I hunted out a lot of new things related to things she already likes. I got her new animation programs, a new electronic pen/tablet thing for drawing, and showed her some new sites and games on the computer. She liked the new animation programs, but by the time the tablet arrived she was totally into playing Minecraft and the tablet is currently languishing. That's not uncommon! I know from past experiences that not all the stuff I suggest will be interesting... certainly not right away. Chances are, she'll eventually get into playing with the tablet. But that's what expanding interests looked like in my house lately - a bit of a doldrums, a flurry of suggestions, some of which bombed, others of which are now utterly fascinating.
---Meredith
>I am trying toI thought of one ;)
> understand what unschooling looks like with more concrete examples.
Recently my daughter (Mo, 10) went through a period of being kind of out of sorts and dissatisfied, wanting something new but not really wanting to try new things. That's a good set up for "expanding" on an interest so I hunted out a lot of new things related to things she already likes. I got her new animation programs, a new electronic pen/tablet thing for drawing, and showed her some new sites and games on the computer. She liked the new animation programs, but by the time the tablet arrived she was totally into playing Minecraft and the tablet is currently languishing. That's not uncommon! I know from past experiences that not all the stuff I suggest will be interesting... certainly not right away. Chances are, she'll eventually get into playing with the tablet. But that's what expanding interests looked like in my house lately - a bit of a doldrums, a flurry of suggestions, some of which bombed, others of which are now utterly fascinating.
---Meredith
Alex
My daughter reads a book about tree frogs that someone left lying out on a table at the library and thinks they are really cool. I tell her that I think the reptile pet store has some--does she want to go there tomorrow? She says YES!
When we get to the pet store, I find the tree frogs and try to show her. She is really excited about exploring everything else, but not the frogs. There's not attitude about the tree frogs, she's not reacting to previous school-y experience, she's just following the next tangent.
This happened allllllll the time the year my daughter was 4. I learned to stop saying, "Look! There's the X just like we saw in Y!" and "Don't you want to see the X before we go?"
I also learned to just not ask if she'd like me to get something related to something she was excited about, if it were relatively cheap and easy, or would involve lead time. Better for it to be a cool surprise then lose interest because mom's beating it to death with all the talking about it.
Alex
(Katya's mom)
When we get to the pet store, I find the tree frogs and try to show her. She is really excited about exploring everything else, but not the frogs. There's not attitude about the tree frogs, she's not reacting to previous school-y experience, she's just following the next tangent.
This happened allllllll the time the year my daughter was 4. I learned to stop saying, "Look! There's the X just like we saw in Y!" and "Don't you want to see the X before we go?"
I also learned to just not ask if she'd like me to get something related to something she was excited about, if it were relatively cheap and easy, or would involve lead time. Better for it to be a cool surprise then lose interest because mom's beating it to death with all the talking about it.
Alex
(Katya's mom)
otherstar
>>>>I read it as a typo. My phone has the letters so close together that it’sEven if it was a typo, it can be used to demonstrate why it is soooo
>>>>a pain to type.<<<<
important to not only be careful with what you write but to proofread before
sending. One typo can cause lots of confusion and create needless
misunderstandings.
Connie
Robyn Coburn
There is no demarcked line between deschooling and "done deschooling"
though, at least for parents. It's an emotional and mental process
that goes on and on. It's more like peeling an onion for parents, than
getting to a destination and getting off the bus.
New stages of life bring up new memories - including unconscious ones
that get you questioning and thinking all over again.
Robyn L. Coburn
WWW.robyncoburn.blogspot.com
WWW.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
WWW.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com
though, at least for parents. It's an emotional and mental process
that goes on and on. It's more like peeling an onion for parents, than
getting to a destination and getting off the bus.
New stages of life bring up new memories - including unconscious ones
that get you questioning and thinking all over again.
Robyn L. Coburn
WWW.robyncoburn.blogspot.com
WWW.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
WWW.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com
sandralynndodd
--- In [email protected], "otherstar" <otherstar@...> wrote:
I've deleted the other posts in that part of this topic, at the request of the poster who made the unfortunate typo.
Typos are bad. Over-reactions are bad.
Here's what's really good: Proofread. And maybe don't use phones, because we get garbage characters such as itâs (see above; not from Connie, but what she quoted).
Would I be discriminating against people who don't have full-sized keyboards if I asked people not to post by phone or iPad or whatever all is problematical? Not any more than I would be asking people who didn't own drums or bagpipes not to play their electric guitars in the pipe and drum band, maybe.
If a small device is insufficient to one purpose, then it probably shouldn't be used for that purpose. There have been problems with smartphone or iPhone users quoting way too much and then saying "Can't help it; my phone does that."
That a post be clear and be proofread applies to everyone, and it's important.
http://sandradodd.com/lists/alwayslearningPOSTS
I don't care what devices people use as long as they can fulfill those requests.
Sorry I didn't get to the request sooner. I've been out at events celebrating the Diamond Jubilee celebration. Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne for 60 years, since 1952 (the year before I was born) and I'm in England, and that's that.
Part of what I saw today is here, but the Windsor ox roast hasn't been blogged about yet.
http://sandradodd.blogspot.co.uk/
Have fun, be patient, be kind and helpful while I'm out and about and busy. Thanks for keeping the discussion going, though, all of you! And thanks for being patient about there being slower and less moderation for a while.
Sandra
>_____________________
> >>>>I read it as a typo. My phone has the letters so close together that itâs
> >>>>a pain to type.<<<<
>
> Even if it was a typo, it can be used to demonstrate why it is soooo
> important to not only be careful with what you write but to proofread before
> sending. One typo can cause lots of confusion and create needless
> misunderstandings.
>
> Connie
I've deleted the other posts in that part of this topic, at the request of the poster who made the unfortunate typo.
Typos are bad. Over-reactions are bad.
Here's what's really good: Proofread. And maybe don't use phones, because we get garbage characters such as itâs (see above; not from Connie, but what she quoted).
Would I be discriminating against people who don't have full-sized keyboards if I asked people not to post by phone or iPad or whatever all is problematical? Not any more than I would be asking people who didn't own drums or bagpipes not to play their electric guitars in the pipe and drum band, maybe.
If a small device is insufficient to one purpose, then it probably shouldn't be used for that purpose. There have been problems with smartphone or iPhone users quoting way too much and then saying "Can't help it; my phone does that."
That a post be clear and be proofread applies to everyone, and it's important.
http://sandradodd.com/lists/alwayslearningPOSTS
I don't care what devices people use as long as they can fulfill those requests.
Sorry I didn't get to the request sooner. I've been out at events celebrating the Diamond Jubilee celebration. Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne for 60 years, since 1952 (the year before I was born) and I'm in England, and that's that.
Part of what I saw today is here, but the Windsor ox roast hasn't been blogged about yet.
http://sandradodd.blogspot.co.uk/
Have fun, be patient, be kind and helpful while I'm out and about and busy. Thanks for keeping the discussion going, though, all of you! And thanks for being patient about there being slower and less moderation for a while.
Sandra
sandralynndodd
This is the link I meant to put:
http://sandradodd.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/beacon-lit-in-staines.html
http://sandradodd.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/beacon-lit-in-staines.html
mitrisue
--- In [email protected], Rachel <athenagwis@...> wrote:
<<I know it looks different for everyone, but I figured if a few people gave me some ideas on what they would do for their own kids with the example I gave, it would help me to start to see how this will work in our house once we are ready.>>
Here's how it looks for us right now. Dmitri loves Super Mario, and he often talks about the cave levels. I told him about nearby Howe Caverns, and he wants to go. Sometimes I look through Netflix and put interesting movies in the instant queue. Then I can show those to him later when he's in a TV mood. We tend to do YouTube clips in direct response to right-now questions. He likes when I find things for him. At the library, I'll pick up books related to current interests. There's about a 50% chance he'll actually want to sit down and look at them with me, but they're around if he gets interested.
There's offering that feels natural and offering that feels awkward. Leaving the books around feels fine. Showing him one when there's a lull in our snuggle-conversation times feels fine. Asking him if he wants to look at a book while he's on the computer or in romping around mode feels off. I pay a lot of attention to how things feel.
Julie
mitrisue
--- In [email protected], "mitrisue" <julesmiel@...> wrote:
Julie
> Here's how it looks for us right now. Dmitri loves Super Mario, andI should add that finding interesting stuff about caves because Dmitri thinks they're neat comprises a slice of what I actually do with and for him. I do a lot more helping him with Super Mario and Minecraft timewise--finding new games and level editors, figuring out how each works, trying to set up a new and complex (to us) Wii level editor, taking him to a computer programming workshop. That's the bulk of it because that's where his main interests lie. The cave thing is an interesting thread woven through and around it.
> he often talks about the cave levels.
Julie