Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Digest Number 2365
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/12/2002 10:19:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
--pam
Not speaking officially for:
The National Home Education Network
http://www.NHEN.org
Changing the Way the World Sees Homeschooling!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected] writes:
> Any helpful tips and advice sure would be appreciated. Especially inSTOP teaching and start playing.
> the reading area.
--pam
Not speaking officially for:
The National Home Education Network
http://www.NHEN.org
Changing the Way the World Sees Homeschooling!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/12/2002 10:19:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
The New Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.
Let the reading instruction just go -- take a long vacation from it for now
-- take the pressure off of all of you and give them time to heal.
You should know that MANY of us have kids who were not reading at 7 and 8 and
are voracious skilled book-loving readers now. 7 and 8 is too early for many
kids and that is especially true if the teaching methods were in conflict
with their own particular learning styles. Blocks have probably been created.
Focus really hard on ENJOYMENT of literature - forget about the reading
skills. HEAL the wounds created by the negative experiences they've already
had in this area -- just enjoy books and magazine and play around with words
and language - but do not force it - enjoy it, share it, have fun.
--pam
The National Home Education Network
http://www.NHEN.org
Changing the Way the World Sees Homeschooling!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected] writes:
> I'm also going to spend some time today looking for lessons for hyperGames for Reading by Peggy Kaye --- it is available in libraries, Maria.
> children, hoping to find something that can help my 7 year old Mirial.
The New Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.
Let the reading instruction just go -- take a long vacation from it for now
-- take the pressure off of all of you and give them time to heal.
You should know that MANY of us have kids who were not reading at 7 and 8 and
are voracious skilled book-loving readers now. 7 and 8 is too early for many
kids and that is especially true if the teaching methods were in conflict
with their own particular learning styles. Blocks have probably been created.
Focus really hard on ENJOYMENT of literature - forget about the reading
skills. HEAL the wounds created by the negative experiences they've already
had in this area -- just enjoy books and magazine and play around with words
and language - but do not force it - enjoy it, share it, have fun.
--pam
The National Home Education Network
http://www.NHEN.org
Changing the Way the World Sees Homeschooling!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/12/02 1:19:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
<< Sorry for the long post, but you'd have to understand Mirial, in
order to understand why i'm having doubts about whether I can do this. >>
Remember the story of Ferdinand the bull? He was different from all the
other bulls and his mother was just patient and understanding <g>. My
oldest was a Ferdinand - always doing things in his own way and style. So I
got taught right off the bat not to expect my child to do what the other kids
were doing - and that I needed to look at what *his* gifts, talents,
interests and style were/are.
Now, it may take years to see exactly where those interests and talents are
taking them. It took awhile for me to get used to taking *very slow* walks
with him when he was a toddler and preschooler because he'd look at every
little speck on the ground. It would take 5 minutes just to get to the next
driveway (then, later, I was surprised with the other 2 children who would
run on ahead of me at the same age).
That attention with the minute details of the natural world has, over time,
developed into a fascination with insects. He's now 14, and he can spend
hours out in the gardens very patiently looking for insects. He remembers
everything he reads or discovers about them - what they eat, the names of
their parts, how their bodies work, their families/genus etc., what plants
they're typically found on, whom else they're food for (this from a child who
doesn't remember what we did yesterday <grin>). We're having a hard time
finding insect guides and books that are in-depth enough to identify many of
the more obscure ones.
BTW, he didn't sit still for me to read to him when he was 7 either <grin>.
We're fairly certain that he'd probably have been labeled ADD if he had been
in school.
" I can't even read to her, because we'll be reading a book, and she'll look
at
the pictures and get to wanting to go see a bird, or ride a bike, or
do anythign that is realted to the picture."
You learn more about birds from watching them then from books. Books can
help with identification and other things, but you *really* get to know a
bird by watching it. For instance, many basic bird books don't mention when
and how birds moult - which is something we learned about recently when we
had a bunch of really ratty looking birds at the feeder.
Anyway, there's lots of time to learn all sorts of things. If she wants to
learn from birds rather than books, why not? She's only 7 <grin>.
(And I still need to remind myself of this with my 14 yo - because now I'm
feeling like "It's only 4 years till college and how will he ever be able to
fill out a good looking application?!" - which really is a pathetic way to
view 4 years of life. I'm working on myself - and he doesn't know I'm
panicking (at least I hope not <grin>)).
Laura
[email protected] writes:
<< Sorry for the long post, but you'd have to understand Mirial, in
order to understand why i'm having doubts about whether I can do this. >>
Remember the story of Ferdinand the bull? He was different from all the
other bulls and his mother was just patient and understanding <g>. My
oldest was a Ferdinand - always doing things in his own way and style. So I
got taught right off the bat not to expect my child to do what the other kids
were doing - and that I needed to look at what *his* gifts, talents,
interests and style were/are.
Now, it may take years to see exactly where those interests and talents are
taking them. It took awhile for me to get used to taking *very slow* walks
with him when he was a toddler and preschooler because he'd look at every
little speck on the ground. It would take 5 minutes just to get to the next
driveway (then, later, I was surprised with the other 2 children who would
run on ahead of me at the same age).
That attention with the minute details of the natural world has, over time,
developed into a fascination with insects. He's now 14, and he can spend
hours out in the gardens very patiently looking for insects. He remembers
everything he reads or discovers about them - what they eat, the names of
their parts, how their bodies work, their families/genus etc., what plants
they're typically found on, whom else they're food for (this from a child who
doesn't remember what we did yesterday <grin>). We're having a hard time
finding insect guides and books that are in-depth enough to identify many of
the more obscure ones.
BTW, he didn't sit still for me to read to him when he was 7 either <grin>.
We're fairly certain that he'd probably have been labeled ADD if he had been
in school.
" I can't even read to her, because we'll be reading a book, and she'll look
at
the pictures and get to wanting to go see a bird, or ride a bike, or
do anythign that is realted to the picture."
You learn more about birds from watching them then from books. Books can
help with identification and other things, but you *really* get to know a
bird by watching it. For instance, many basic bird books don't mention when
and how birds moult - which is something we learned about recently when we
had a bunch of really ratty looking birds at the feeder.
Anyway, there's lots of time to learn all sorts of things. If she wants to
learn from birds rather than books, why not? She's only 7 <grin>.
(And I still need to remind myself of this with my 14 yo - because now I'm
feeling like "It's only 4 years till college and how will he ever be able to
fill out a good looking application?!" - which really is a pathetic way to
view 4 years of life. I'm working on myself - and he doesn't know I'm
panicking (at least I hope not <grin>)).
Laura