What is "strewing"?

[MyLittleWonders]

I see this term all over ... what is it?

[folkypoet]

Good question!

We're discussing the definition right now in another thread: Unschoolers, can we talk about initiating?

Looks like it depends on who you ask. At its most basic, "strewing" refers to strewing your children's paths with cool resources. Problems creep in when the parents' intention isn't in line with allowing (gosh, I hate that word) the children to direct their own education as they see fit or when the strewing replaces actual sharing/offering/etc. and removes the human element from the equation.

[Lillian J]

Well...it seems to be like unschooling - it all depends on who's defining it or who's doing the strewing. The dictionary meaning is to scatter or spread things unevenly or untidily. I'll just tell you my own experience - which was long before this became an issue. My son, when he was little, and I guess even was he was older, was often reluctant to just go ahead and gracefully/enthusiastically accept something I'd offer for consideration as something I thought he'd be interested in. His inclination was to assume it was something schooly - because, I think, he'd been to school, and when I first brought him home, I had an agenda of teaching him, albeit very lightly and with Waldorfy methods. Or maybe it was just the chemistry of his personality in combination with mine - I really don't know. Later, I wanted to provide lots of interesting things to support his interests and to encourage his reading and research. So I'd bring home things and just leave them on the couch or in a few other places around the house. That gave him the opportunity to find them, look them over, decide for himself whether he was interested - and it eliminated his having to have any kind of exchange with me about any of it. He usually loved the things he found - so it worked great. And there was some humor in it - he knew how the things go there - I never tried to make him think they'd been dropped there by magic. The issue here is whether it's sneaky or dishonest to strew things around that you think your child might be interested in - or to strew things around that you wish your child might be interested in - instead of coming right out and mentioning them. For the life of me, I can't imagine why it's an issue for anyone - I think we all know the chemistry and relationships within our own families better than someone else can. True, we all make mistakes that someone outside the family might be able to see with more clarity, but this is such a matter of personal chemistry that I just don't see it as something everyone can agree on. Lillian

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by folkypoet

At its most basic, "strewing" refers to strewing your children's paths with cool resources. Problems creep in when the parents' intention isn't in line with allowing (gosh, I hate that word) the children to direct their own education as they see fit or when the strewing replaces actual sharing/offering/etc. and removes the human element from the equation.

Ah! Okay, now we're getting closer to the heart of the question. What are the "problems" you perceive - assuming the strewing remains just strewing rather than coercion or pressure? You mean there are people who do nothing but strew? I would think those people are at least using more common sense than those who are afraid the unschooling boogyman will get them if they do anything to influence their children... - Lillian

[Lillian J]

one more thing!

I was just thinking about the fun my son had with some of the things he found strewed.

But I really think they seemed a lot more like his own thing because of the fact that he was picking them out of the pile instead of having them handed to him by me, or having me say anything about the pile of stuff. That's just the way he was - and I think there are others out there like him. We had a great relationship - it's just that he's always valued a certain kind of independence while at the same time valuing my input. A delicate dance. Lillian

[MyLittleWonders]

Okay, first of all, this sounds like something that would work well with ds#1 as he's a lot like me and doesn't like much direct instruction. So ... if I were to strew something, would that be like picking up some books that he might be interested in, some new puzzles or card games, a board game ... is that the idea? I'm guessing you're not all strewing workbooks around the house, though I could see that being a possibility if your child liked doing them on their own without people really knowing about it (I was a closet workbook lover . So, what are some of the thigns that you have strewn around the house? If ds is close to reading and interested but wants nothing to do with actually being instructed on how to read, would some phonics type activities and/or BOB like books be good to just leave around for him to discover and "read?" I think I get the concept but am at a loss for what might be strewn ...

[Dar]

Maybe it's useful as part of deschooling? Because kids still have issues about learning not being fun?

I guess I see 'strewing' as different from just having a lot of stuff... I mean, Rain periodically digs through bookshelves or cabinets and finds stuff she's either forgotten we owned or never knew about. That's clearly her own thing - often I don't know about it until days later, when I notice her reading something. She knows that she's free to peruse all of the stuff we have... and really, if she's looking for something interesting it's easier for her to look on our game shelves or book shelves or in the art cabinet than to paw through all of the carp-piles strewn around...

I guess I have also read about a lot of "sneaky" strewing... Mom sitting down with pattern blocks at the breakfast table and playing with them, or sticking a "cool" history book next to the Nintendo. I don't really understand why one wouldn't either hand the item to the kid, if you want to see if he's interested, or else put it on a shelf where similar items are kept, if you want it available as a resource for him to discover.

dar

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by Dar

I don't really understand why one wouldn't either hand the item to the kid, if you want to see if he's interested, or else put it on a shelf where similar items are kept, if you want it available as a resource for him to discover.

Again, I think it's a matter of personal chemistry. There are some who simply prefer a more indirect way of getting the input - they are reluctant to just accept something out of hand the way they would if it's put on the side. But I don't see why putting things on a certain shelf is any different than putting them on the couch. I think the "sneaky" implication is probably what's bothering you, but I think it's more just a matter of the way individual dynamics work. - Lillian

[MyLittleWonders]

Actually, I would be one that sat at the table (or more likely on the floor) and play with pattern blocks. But not to be sneaky, but rather because I like them. And, in a way, my boys would be exposed without the direct ... here's something I think you'd be interested in. If it's a genuine interest of yours, then I think it's a genuine way of exposing them, ykwim? There are definitely things that would not fit that category for me, but then again, I think knowing your children well (which I would think as homeschoolers and/or unschoolers, we have a pretty good handle on their interests) helps you know what to introduce them too.

And for my ds#1 - he's never been schooled, but his personality is just a lot like me. He's very independent in his learning. He's actually the one that introduced us to unschooling just based on who he is. He doesn't like direct instruction and neither do I (especially from those closest to me ... I had a much easier time taking instruction from a 3rd person that I wasn't familiar with like a teacher rather than my dh trying to teach me something). So, I can point things out to him; I can suggest things to him; but in the end, I have to stand back and let him try things at his own speed and in his own way. He'll ask for help when he needs it. So, coming right out and saying, "I think you'd really like this game" might not go over so well. But, either sitting down myself and engaging in an activity (for instance the pattern block example above) or bringing home books, puzzles, games, etc. that allow him to warm up on his own seems to work much better and he doesn't feel "forced" into something.