Michelle Leifur Reid

On 9/17/06, Joyce Fetteroll <fetteroll@...> wrote:

> When people ask "Do unschoolers use workbooks?"
>
> I want to reply "Don't ask that question!" ;-)
>
> On the surface the simple answer is "Yes, some do." But *why* is
> someone asking? And what do they mean by "use"?
>

I have a child that likes to do math workbooks. To her they are the
same as my doing a sudoku puzzle book. She enjoys the challenge of
the "puzzles" in the book. She likes numbers and has never felt
daunted by mathematics. I buy her these workbooks when she asks and
they sit on the "art shelf" in our hobby room right next to the
coloring books, crayons, balsa wood airplanes, and some modelling
clay. They are no more nor less important than anything else on that
shelf. For her they are fun and enjoyable. Is she learning
something. Sure. Am I thrilled? Sure. Am I anymore thrilled that
she is doing a math workbook than if she had chosen to pick up the
modelling clay and build a tiny graveyard in the style of Tim Burton?
No. I'm thrilled, not that she is doing math, but that she is at ease
in life enough that she knows that I weigh modelling clay to equal the
same in importance as I do a math workbook (that she asked for). And
she will leave the math workbook alone for weeks or sometimes months
(just like the clay might be left alone for weeks or months). Then
one week she might see them again and spend the next few days doing
nothing but math workbooks. We might even have to go to the store and
find more workbooks. The week after that it might be the modelling
clay and she is building a giant scene from Corpse Bride across our
workdesk. We might even have to go to the store to find more clay.

> Do unschoolers use coloring books?

I don't know about all unschoolers, but I use coloring books. I love
to color. I love the feel of crayons and the smell of crayons. I
love the feel of the somewhat rough coloring pages and the way the
crayon reacts to different paper textures. Somewhere in my life I got
"too old" for coloring. I'm not sure if it was something that my
mother said, society said, or just the feeling that other kids might
look at me oddly if I was coloring with crayons. My son, otoh, could
really care less about coloring books. He would much prefer to have a
sheet of paper from the recycling pile and color his own thing.


--
Michelle
Michelle Leifur Reid
YOUR Pampered Chef Consultant
850-474-0817
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/michellelr
Check out my homeschool cooking classes!

Melissa

I think that's great, Emily and I both love love love workbooks with
puzzles and games. In terms of kids who are still deschooling though,
the workbooks are not the best option because it's not the challenge
the child enjoys, it's the predictability and ease in being able to
provide just the right answer. Does that make sense? So whenever
someone asks if unschoolers *can* use workbooks, I always appreciate
someone saying *why* do they want them, rather than just 'yes' or
'no'. KWIM?


On Sep 17, 2006, at 10:37 AM, Michelle Leifur Reid wrote:

> She enjoys the challenge of
> the "puzzles" in the book. She likes numbers and has never felt
> daunted by mathematics.



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