Personally, I need structure. If I don't have a routine, nothing gets done. It's interesting that I am most productive when I have the most on my plate. Hand me a task at the height of my busy-mommyhood and it will surely be done on time. Hand me a task on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it may get done...on my next busy day.
Even though I prefer structure, I still have a bit of "unschooling" in my veins. If the kids are interested in Kung Fu Panda right now, by gosh, we're gonna learn about China this week. Screw the Brazil lesson plans that were originally on the agenda. Because the learning of China will be that much richer and more rewarding for the interest of the child! It's not a problem, really. Just put the Brazil folder on the back burner and head to the library.
I believe you have to allow some flexibility if you want to get the most out of homeschooling. If the child has absolutely no interest in Brazil at the moment, it doesn't matter how much yapping you do. That info will not get processed to the max if the child is perseverating on China. Of course, I'm speaking with my own Asperger's son in mind. Some kids will absorb whatever you give them, sure, and you're a lucky parent for it! In my experience, however, most kids will learn with more fervor if they are excited and interested in the topic.
When I was in college, I was a girl scout leader. My girls had never heard of the Titanic before. A few months later, the James Cameron movie, Titanic, came into theaters. It astounded me that every one of those girls could shoot off statistics about the topic they had, only months before, been entirely ignorant of.
Learning shouldn't be stuck in a box. It shouldn't be labeled and packaged. It should be fun. By making school a chore, we do a disservice to kids. Combining education with fun breeds life-long learners. That is the biggest failing of public schools--the damaging of a child's innate instinct to learn. They teach to the test, but not to the knowledge.
Unorthodox methods may seem strange but they can work to make the learning process more enriching and rewarding. My kids ask to do school, even on weekends, to the point it drives me nuts! It may be bedtime but they're still begging to do another school activity. No "School Sucks" comes from their mouths. I guess that means I'm doing something right.
And so, I present three unorthodox teaching ideas that I use frequently. They may not be methods you'll see in a conventional classroom, but I find that they are extremely beneficial in my own.
1) Television
Sure, many homeschoolers scream bloody murder about the passive absorption occurring when you stick a kid in front of a television set. When I once commented to someone that the kids were watching an educational show, he responded: "Hmm. I thought homeschoolers hated TV..."
On the contrary, I find TV to be a wonderful resource. No, I'm not talking Spongebob here. Turn on the Science Channel sometime and you'll see what I mean. There's no way I could teach about black holes without such educational programming. Discovery and History Channels are a frequent part of our homeschooling experience. Shows like Popular Mechanics for Kids are another great resource and we often duplicate the experiments shown for the hands-on value.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with supplementing your child's learning with educational programming. Unorthodox, yes, but it WORKS!
2) Movies
Movies are not as versatile as TV shows for younger learners, but there are a few gems. For instance, Night at the Museum is great for historical studies and this lesson can be upgraded or downgraded to accommodate all grades. Have the children watch the movie, then ask them to choose one character or time period represented. A trip to the library is in order so the child can choose books related to the topic. Utilize the internet for research, too. When the child is finished, have them create a display of some kind (perhaps a board with maps, pictures, etc about the topic, or a tissue box panorama). This activity can be recycled again and again with future topics.
Unorthodox, but it WORKS!
3) Nintendo DS
Gasp! Video games? you ask...
Not entirely, although there are a few decent educational DS games (not enough, in my opinion). My use for the DS has nothing to do with video games, actually. In order to utilize this unconventional teaching method, you'll need more than one DS--one for you and one for the student.
Go grab your child's DS and turn it on. You'll notice on the main screen that there is a Chatroom function. It is wifi, in case you didn't know. As long as you are sitting in the general proximity of other DS's, you can chat with whomever may enter that chatroom. You can type, write or draw on the screen, then press SEND and the other chatroom user will instantly see what you posted.
Use this feature in any creative way you can imagine, and with any subject! Personally, I ask the children a question and have them answer on the screen. For instance, I'll ask them to spell a word. They have the option of either typing it using the keyboard, or they can write it with their stylus. If you're doing science, you might ask the child to draw a picture of a cell and label the mitochondria. If you're working on math, type a problem on the screen and have them answer it. The possibilities are endless.
We've even used the kana function in their Japanese lessons. You can type in hiragana or katakana in the same chatroom, so it's easy to have practice quizzes.
I don't know why this is so much fun, but it is. It's basically the same as using a dry-erase board, but for some reason, my kids enjoy this so much more.
Unorthodox, but it WORKS!
Of course, our entire school day is not made up of these methods. They are just a part of the whole. But what a fun part, they are!
As I think my kids would agree, being unorthodox rocks!
