Free Range

As a brand new homeschooler, I read book after book on different homeschooling and general educational philosophies. I still read about teaching and learning all the time.  I love the ideas behind a classical approach, and I love Charlotte Mason.  Over time, I realize how much more important it is to decide what works best for each child and for our family than to strictly adhere to one approach or another.

So, we're pretty eclectic about how we learn.  Mostly, we read lots of books.  We also do daily lessons and practice in Math and writing.  We have texts for poetry memorization, history and science, which we follow religiously at times and very loosely at others...

Down deep in my heart, though, I'm an unschooler.  I truly believe, from my own experience as well as from observing my family, that learning happens most thoroughly and permanently when the learner is following what interests him most at the time.  I will never turn my kids loose to do whatever strikes their fancy all day long (because they're kids, you know, and they need to learn to do chores), but if they come across a topic that thrills them and stirs their spirit and creativity, by all means I let them dig deep and explore. 

I have one child in particular who thrives on 'delight-based-learning,' as I've heard it called... 

A little Friday night rainbow looming...  on their fingers.

When he is interested in something, we read every book on the subject from not only our own local branch of the library, but every book we can get our hands on from any source.  He cruises the internet (with supervision, of course), searching to fill his mind and satisfy his curiosity.  He truly does best with a free range approach. 

Silhouette of a Snowy Owl over the Northern Lights

Sometimes, convincing him to sit down for a math lesson is a struggle.  With maturity, he does better and better at cooperating.  However, I never need to worry that his mind will be idle, left to his own devices. 

A couple of well-loved books.  Aunt Sara and Uncle Phil, your gift (on the right) is already well-used, as you can see...

For example, his current passion is birds of prey.  I believe it started with his reading this series.  From there, he began searching the library for any and every book on hawks, owls, eagles, etc.  Then, he began sketching.  And sketching.  And painting.  And writing.  At times, I think the number of papers sitting around our house may drive me insane, but when I see what he's done, I take heart that a bit of creative clutter is totally worth the joy he gets from learning, thinking, creating. 

And the rest of us learn, too!  Little sister has learned to draw kestrels:

And I've heard more about different varieties and habits of these creatures in the past 3 months than I had previously gleaned from 41+ years of existence on this planet. 

Frequently used in Baby's vocabulary is the phrase 'baby owls.'  And 'hawks.'  Funny to see him toddle after big brother saying these words, clearly wanting to be part of his world.  And they do sit together reading about birds, looking at pictures. 

The other kids follow their own paths... sports, an era in history, a ballet, a particular animal...  different things at different times.  And when they decide to investigate something on their own, the learning is meaningful and it sticks. 

Like I said, we have lessons and plans for every subject, but when left to freely follow a topic of interest, it's amazing what they can do. 


And just for fun, in light of the 10-day weather forecast, here's Kid118's 'Arctic Survival Guide.'  Funny.  Hope our power stays on! 

Have a great weekend!  Stay warm!