Distractions and Life and Learning



Hi Friends!

I decided to share our goings-on today because this is just how it goes when homeschooling.


Some days, I wake up early and make a plan.  I was very pleased with my plan this morning.


And then kittens showed up on our porch.  5 puffy, cute, mewing kittens.

It was then that I realized my plans were flying out the window.

Gone with the wind.

Down the drain.


It became an all-out nature viewing spectacle.  It began with this little guy last week, then we had another kitten show up yesterday.  When we peeked out the window this morning, we spotted 3 more kittens and the mama.  We were hooked.


National Geographic on our front porch.

Okay...I could either give up on homeschooling for the day (very tempting)

 

--or--

 

Switch gears and turn this into a learning experience that still counts as a homeschool day.



That sounded like more work for me, but then I wouldn't have the homeschool mom guilt of missing another day of school. 

Art Girl was so excited about these little poofballs that she threw a coat and shoes on over her pajamas so she could see them in person before breakfast.

This was not going to go away.

I decided to switch gears.


First step?  I gave her the camera and put her on assignment.  Get some great pictures and videos of these kittens.  I'm going to put some on Facebook.  So 30 minutes later, she returned to show me her takes.  This is good experience, especially for my visual learner who loves making art.

The poor quality of these pictures is my fault - I accidentally left the camera out in the dew.  The lens is sort of foggy.  I'm going to try the dry-it-out-with-rice trick.


Next step - get dressed.  I think it was noon by this time.  I'm not exactly a stickler for "morning clothes" while working on school.  Especially when we're not planning to leave the house until after lunch.  Most days we're dressed by 10:00. 

While I went through the usual subjects in brief with Hulk Boy and Shop Girl, I assigned Art Girl to design and record a presentation about the kittens for our homeschool group meeting this afternoon.  She spent the next half hour working on it. Recording, editing, and practicing her presentation.

Tomorrow I think we will watch a YouTube video about the development of kittens. 
She will eat it up.

To justify this day of learning to my teacher self, I made a mental checklist:

Presentation = reading, writing, and speech
Photos and video = art
Drawing a "Look and Find" guide to all the kitties = more art, writing, and spelling, too.
Cat chasing = gym class  (many laps around the house to get the best pictures)



Have you ever had something you were so interested in that you couldn't think of doing anything else?  She had this intense focus that couldn't be dissuaded or redirected.  I had to be in that moment and it meant I had to adjust or school would be a bust.

To be honest, when we have a day like this, I ask myself why I don't do it more often.  Learning math facts is not nearly as interesting.  Diving into something a child is keenly interested in will be something they absorb and remember forever.  This is delight-directed learning, and if I'm honest, it's how I learn as an adult.

Think about that time you played The Good Witch in your 3rd grade class presentation of The Wizard of Oz.  How about that volcano science project that wowed the judges or the book report you did on Thomas Edison?

You learned more from those than any workbook, and I try to keep this in mind when my kids' interest strays from our regular book learning.  I think it's important to follow these rabbit trails because it may lead in a direction that one day will become their profession!  She could become a nature photographer, a news videographer, a journalist, a veterinarian, an author, an artist - who knows? 

I guess my job is to let her find the oysters and help her gather the pearls.  One day, they will make a beautiful necklace that shapes the way she sees herself, and helps her discover her God-given purpose in life.


We finished "school" today with a painting project.  When all else goes ka-phlooey, make art!


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