organization

[lightinmyhands]

i'm a radical unschooler in spirit, but in all practicality---- I (mom) need organization.  I think it might also benefit my eldest as well..... any ideas on how to implement a very loose, very flexible "lesson plan" of sorts.... I'm thinking more of a waldorf 'rhythm' to our days but with certain times set aside for some pre chosen activities?..... thoughts/advice appreciated.

[seawitch]

How old are your kids? I like the idea of having a daily / weekly rhythm as well. My kids are still young but I love library day. They can browse around the kids' section and pick up any books they'd like us to look through that week/month. It is on their discretion to choose topics but we still have something of a rhythm to it. Or you can come up with vague themes per month or season and see what topics they would like to explore that fall within that general category. Not sure how unschooly you want to be. For example, you can have Native American month and then they can pick out topics that interest them from that general category (various tribes or crafts or nature-lore or myths, or whatever, really).

[SundayCrepes]

Maybe these would give you an idea for general things to try and learn:

http://www.fun-books.com/books/living_is_learning_guides.htm

From the website:

These guides are put together by Nancy Plent, founder of the Unschoolers Network in New Jersey and a long-time homeschooler. She reviewed the scope and sequence charts and curriculum guides of dozens of schools in various states, then combined the highest standards of elements from each to create these guides. Why purchase these curriculum guides? 1) They may help you to fulfill your state's legal requirement to provide an educational plan 2) They allow you to see some of the highest standards for schools at various grade levels, just in case you are curious about what the schools expect or are anxious about what you are doing 3) They provide record-keeping space that can help organize a portfolio.

Besides providing a checklist under each subject, Nancy offers suggestions on how to translate real-life experience into curricula goals. She also lists resources from a variety of companies. Each guide covers two or more grade levels. 

[lightinmyhands]

i really like the idea of having a theme for a month or possibly a season. How often to have outings?  We don't get out of the house very much, my DH and I share a car and he works 30 min. from home and I've got 3 little ones, one of which is only 3 weeks old and so going out is a lot to ask of the smaller ones....and my 7 year old really doesn't like to go out (even though I think she needs to from time to time).  For instance, right now she's really into sharks and bugs...... we do a lot of in home learning about these topics, watching shark week together, researching stuff online, identifying bugs we find (or those my facebook friends find as they love my lil bug identifier!).... should I plan outings around this?  we did get to the aquarium once to see the sharks.... should I push other topics if she's happily obsessed with these? or should I just let her explore her areas of interest for however long she wants??

[greenthumb3]

Yes! I have considered this myself. It is just exciting having fun things to look forward to, as well as helpful in planning.

A little about our family learning style to this point: We have been unschoolers from the beginning, though I incorporate our faith as well as Charlotte Mason-ish activities, like living books and nature study and other things.

I am going with a year theme for 2012: Warriors, since I have 3 boys who love weapons and heroes.

Warning: If you are anti-weapons, read no further!

My boys are always making swords and guns out of sticks they find while camping and they really like Nerf foam dart guns and such things.

Each month will have a different focus.

Since there is a really neat Civil War Reenactment close to where we live in the Fall, that month we'll have a trip to see that and I'll take some time to explore various topics around the theme, like Abraham Lincoln, slavery, life in the South, how guns are made, shooting real guns with my brother who is a gun-nut.

I think of it sort of like exploring a topic, not really a unit study, because it's much more fluid than that and relying on where their interests take us as well. It just makes sense to keep in mind what is happening around us and to plan accordingly.

I also like the idea of having a library day--we've done that in the past.

I have so many cool books and games and other things at home, though, that I'd like to put them to good use--so I have considered having a Math Monday, Science Tuesday, History Wednesday, Geography Thursday and Art/Music Friday. That day, in addition to what we normally do, I'd have a few activities marked in a book (or ideas I've gleaned from other families) and offer it up to the kids which ones they would be interested in doing that day and then we'd do the fun activity together. I imagine this would be about 30 minutes, unless they really liked it and wanted to keep going (like the baking soda and vinegar fountains, which was like 2 hours!) I don't think I would keep up the weekly schedule the whole month or year--maybe for 2 weeks on, and then another 2 weeks after a break and see if it it something we all want to continue.

Gonna be fun!

[greenthumb3]

Originally Posted by lightinmyhands 

 we did get to the aquarium once to see the sharks.... should I push other topics if she's happily obsessed with these? or should I just let her explore her areas of interest for however long she wants??

I guess I should have read down the whole thread before replying.

I hope that my reply was encouraging for you or gave you an idea of what another family does to see what others' learning looks like.

I think that you should happily support her interests as long as she had them and they are hers. Of course, offering to try something else is always a fine idea. I guess it depends a lot on what it is you want for your daughter in the big picture, as far as day to day stuff is concerned. I like to invite my kids to do stuff I already like to do and am good at (or learning about), like baking or painting, or reading a storybook. Learning is just part and parcel with the day, whether that's academic stuff or life around the house kind of stuff, for us.