School At Our House

Welcome to the September Carnival of Natural Parenting: We're all home schoolers


This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how their children learn at home as a natural part of their day. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.


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My daughter is fascinated with school.  She loves to look at pictures of children writing, reading, crafting, or playing in a colorful classroom.  She loves to see the teacher sitting at the desk or writing on the board.  She loves the equipment.  She loves to watch the school buses go down the road, full of noisy, happy children.  And when I ask her if she wants to go to school, she bursts in to tears and clings to me.  This doesn't bother me in the least.  Instead, she goes to school at our house.

School at our house is mud.  It is seeds going into the ground and plants growing up from those seeds.  It is baby chicks who grew into full sized hens and should start laying eggs any day now.  It is a sand pit full of shovels, buckets, bins, and whatever else they find that looks like it belongs there.  It is two swings hanging in a tree.  It is finally being tall enough to climb into the little dogwood tree.  It is dolls in strollers, wearing cloth diapers, on their way to the "grocery store".  It is painting and doing special crafts.  It is peeling hard boiled eggs.  It is helping to build a playhouse, and getting the scrap lumber to use with their little hammers.  It is reading good books, all cuddled up in a pile on the couch.

In other words, school at our house is living, growing and learning doing just what we would be doing anyway.  They are learning Earth Science by watching the seasons go by from the actual out of doors.  They are learning about life cycles and where food actually comes from by watching the plants and animals come and go.  They are learning physics in the sand pit and on the swings.  They are learning creativity in their play, nutrition in their kitchen, and a love of language from their songs, stories and books.  My children are living and breathing their education.  They are getting it all over their clothes.  They are pouring it all over the dining room floor.  They are carrying it around the grocery store with them.  They are wearing it on their bodies.  They are sharing it with their friends.  The only thing they are not doing is reading about it at a desk.


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Carnival of Natural Parenting -- Hobo Mama and Code Name: MamaVisit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be updated September 14 with all the carnival links.)

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Our Mindful Life: School At Our House

Our Mindful Life

Our Mindful Life is about paying attention to what it is that we do on a day to day basis and how we impact each other and the planet. We will talk about all of the things that we do here at home to make ourselves and the world a better place.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

School At Our House

Welcome to the September Carnival of Natural Parenting: We're all home schoolers


This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how their children learn at home as a natural part of their day. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.


***


My daughter is fascinated with school.  She loves to look at pictures of children writing, reading, crafting, or playing in a colorful classroom.  She loves to see the teacher sitting at the desk or writing on the board.  She loves the equipment.  She loves to watch the school buses go down the road, full of noisy, happy children.  And when I ask her if she wants to go to school, she bursts in to tears and clings to me.  This doesn't bother me in the least.  Instead, she goes to school at our house.

School at our house is mud.  It is seeds going into the ground and plants growing up from those seeds.  It is baby chicks who grew into full sized hens and should start laying eggs any day now.  It is a sand pit full of shovels, buckets, bins, and whatever else they find that looks like it belongs there.  It is two swings hanging in a tree.  It is finally being tall enough to climb into the little dogwood tree.  It is dolls in strollers, wearing cloth diapers, on their way to the "grocery store".  It is painting and doing special crafts.  It is peeling hard boiled eggs.  It is helping to build a playhouse, and getting the scrap lumber to use with their little hammers.  It is reading good books, all cuddled up in a pile on the couch.

In other words, school at our house is living, growing and learning doing just what we would be doing anyway.  They are learning Earth Science by watching the seasons go by from the actual out of doors.  They are learning about life cycles and where food actually comes from by watching the plants and animals come and go.  They are learning physics in the sand pit and on the swings.  They are learning creativity in their play, nutrition in their kitchen, and a love of language from their songs, stories and books.  My children are living and breathing their education.  They are getting it all over their clothes.  They are pouring it all over the dining room floor.  They are carrying it around the grocery store with them.  They are wearing it on their bodies.  They are sharing it with their friends.  The only thing they are not doing is reading about it at a desk.


***
Carnival of Natural Parenting -- Hobo Mama and Code Name: MamaVisit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be updated September 14 with all the carnival links.)

Labels: , ,

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