Homeschool Hangout

This evening I joined a group of parents who home educate their children, to film a conversation via Google Hangout. We all use different approaches to education, from my own unschooling methods to a virtual online school.

In this video we briefly covered the basics - legality, methods, socialisation, additional needs and our tips for people considering HE. Our host, Katie Spencer White, will be arranging more Homeschool Hangouts to look into specific topics in more depth.

If you would like to know more or get in contact with any of the people featured in this Hangout, there are details in the description for the video.

Welcome!

I have finally managed to update my favourite posts from our Facebook page 'Living Outside the Box' to here and I have joined Google+.

Please bear with me as I try to coordinate the three sites and get them working smoothly.

In the meantime if you have any questions on home education, unschooling or respectful parenting, please contact me here or on one of my pages and I will get back to you.

Junk modelling!

This morning Small made two robots from boxes, cardboard tubes, packaging paper and a lot of masking tape. He is now eyeing up every piece of rubbish I throw away to see if he can recycle it into another junk model instead.

Making tape is better than sellotape for this, in my opinion, because it is easier for little fingers to tear pieces off and stick down.

This evening we started painting them but they have days of painting and playing to come.

Lighting a fire

If you can find the passion inside a child, there are no limits to the depth of learning possible. Find the spark and watch the fire take hold.

Communication... Static on the frequency

This poster summed up H yesterday. We don't make a huge deal of mother's day but the card and flowers for me, plus me rearranging the kitchen to incorporate my new bits and pieces was enough to make it a hard day for him. Must admit, I didn't deal with it very well myself and I may have joined in with the meltdown at one point, but nobody is perfect ;-)

Today he has done a great job of asking to be held or for cuddles when he needed it, chewing his new chewy necklace, using his weighted blanket and taking himself off upstairs for some quiet when he wanted. He even chilled out enough to sit down and watch some TV. That counts as a successful day to me.

Power struggles

Years ago, when H (Small) was a tiny baby, or perhaps even before, I saw an article on parenting and a response to it that has stuck with our family ever since. I cannot remember who wrote the article or the response, but it has become engrained into our family.

The article was staying that when you allow a toddler to sleep in your bed he feels powerful - he is physically in between you and your partner - so he feels he is between you emotionally too.

The response said something to the effect of: I'm looking at my child, lying between his parents, and can see how powerful he feels. Either that or he feels safe and is asleep. One or the other, it's hard to tell!

This has become a standing joke between my husband and I, when we are aware we are parenting away from the norm. One of us will pipe up with "I'm sure H feels really powerful in the relationship right now" and be greeted with "Or he's asleep, one or the other!"

Behind the scenes...

I saw this on Facebook and it rang true!

Q: How does a homeschooling family change a light bulb?

A: First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life.
Then, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles.
Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill.
On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill.
Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed.
And there is light.