maths 5, literacy 5, science 3, history 3, Geography 5, PE 3, Socialisation 3, Arts/crafts 6, Languages 3, Domestic science 4
These are the number of mentions these topics have had in the last week. We have been pretty much child led [ie things offered only when SB at a loss until she decideds on one - usually read a book as well], and since there were 2 nursery days, which must count as socialisation, so add 2 there, I’m quite impressed by how balanced it looks without trying. Obviously, different amounts of actual time are involved, and I have little evidence of actual learning!! [as not tested!]
She has had a specific interest in volcanos this week – def not sparked off by me at all. Also has spontaneously been coming out with litle snippets of information – ie at the grand canyon thing when they mentioned 4000 years ago, she asked if that was far enough ago for dinosaurs, where although it isn’, it did actually show to me a grasp of the concept of a v long time ago, which hasn’t always been evident.
So, which way we will eventually jump?? Certainly not leaning towards the full homeschooled with rigorous timetables. Also not completely autonomous, as with the shared [hopefully] pattern, we will need to have a story arc as it were to the education, but the infilling on an autonomous front, so that we can get resources ready for the week, and see what we get through. May get stuff together for small projects, to get us all into the swing, and have ideas for family/home centered ones, and a few others that we can have ready, as well as reacting in a lets find way to whatever takes her fancy. Hopefully our style will evolve to gel with SB’s natural learning patterns.
I think the nice thing about thinking about it and starting so early, is there really isn’t any pressure on us to show results as yet. So we get to develop first. [though there is an emphasis on reading at this age, prob as you can see that they're nearly there, grasping at it, and you just want to give it to them]
Wondering what the difference will be with Chris in the driving seat??
The shared approach we have in this family is one reason that something like Sonlight works well for us, and in the months we’ve been between Sonlights we’ve been following a similar pattern, me having a thread of ideas in my head, or a sequence of books or activities, then making a list for my mum on tuesdays or for jonathan on fridays of where we’re up to with any given book or subject