I am excited to be on this unschooling journey with her. It is gonna be even more exciting to see how my daughter grows and develops and learns without direct instruction. It will be different than when I began the journey with my son. He had already learned to read, write, and do a lot of different math. He had been exposed to subject-based learning. The introduction to these three subjects was deliberate and instructional...it looked a lot more like school even though I created my own curriculum. While I have heard many success stories, I have not personally seen how it plays out when the child is "in control."
One of the cool things about having an older sibling who unschools is my two year old benefits from everything he does. She watches the same educational videos in the van that my son watches. She has seen all the Magic School Bus videos, heard many of the classic fairy tales, learned about the Revolutionary War and seen Popular Mechanics-Kids. When we go to a museum, she gets to participate too, even though the main reason I went was for my son's benefit. She even imitates bedtime story time by reading her own books. Now she gets her own bedtime stories, and she really likes it. She sees her brother playing computer games, and she now wants to learn to play them (or games that are preschool oriented, anyway). She copies just about everything he does, and she wants to do everything he wants to do. That may work to my advantage later.
My two year old is learning all about numbers. She is learning to count through playing hide-n-seek, game apps, and NickJr and DisneyJr. She can count to 20, and I have never tried to teach her...I think she is even figuring out how to count objects...the other day she "wanted all 4 of us" to go to the museum. And she counted her malted milk balls yesterday when I asked her how many she had. Math seems to be following a natural course. I just have to keep providing natural, life-based opportunities as she progresses.
I am not even concerned about writing. Since she could walk, she has been picking up any writing utensil she can get her hands on (yes, even the black permanent marker on many occasions--she has a radar that tells her when it has been left within her reach). She even holds them correctly most of the time. I think learning to write will come naturally to her, and she may even enjoy it. Her brother, who hates to write, never wanted to color (unless you count thirty seconds on a new coloring book) and rarely wanted to do any kinds of arts and crafts before the age of five. She is just the opposite. She dives right in. In my experience, girls are often more drawn to writing and projects. My daughter seems to fit that mold, which is why I don't worry much about that either.
I think I may get lucky with her, and she will learn the three r's early, or at least in the same time frame she would have in a school setting. It makes the homeschooling journey a little less scary and a lot less stressful when that happens. And if she does it on her own, I won't ever feel the need to nudge or push her into it. That being said, how do I provide the best opportunities to help her do those things without pressure? That is one of the biggest obstacles in unschooling...trusting your child to do what is in their best interest for their futures. The funny thing is, God already paved the way. He created us to naturally want to mimic and imitate. We are also naturally curious and inquisitive. It is a necessity to survive.
Somehow, we as humans got it into our heads that we literally have to teach children everything they know. And in a way we do. But as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words. They do best by following our lead and gentle reminders and redirection. They mimic our words when they are learning to speak. They imitate the way we wash the dishes or mow the grass with their toys. They pick up books and pretend to read them because we read and read to them. It is also easy to show children the wonder of the world and continue to inspire them. We just have to see the world through new eyes. And when cuddling is involved while curling up to read a book, how can that not bring a desire to read when they are ready. It is a positive experience.
There are so many fun and interesting ways to introduce new educational concepts to children. We live in a time of technology and Pinterest. Yes, it takes more effort on our end, but the extra work is worth it. We cannot allow the wonder of the world to end through forced learning. My son does not have to read pages and pages of a book everyday to be a good reader. He has proven that. He did not have to do a page of math questions everyday to understand elementary level math concepts. Writing may need more practice to gain speed and strengthen the hand, but I don't believe that writing all day and completing homework at night is the only way. I read an article the other day that was quite enlightening, especially when it is applied to any learning situation with our kids. We as parents and educators can really get in the way of natural learning. When we are prepared to meet children where they are, learning can become genuine and meaningful, not just something that is required.
Playing, Pretending, Exploring
My daughter is learning new things everyday that are relevant to her life. One day, reading, writing, and math will also be relevant, and she can learn these skills in a way that is meaningful and enjoyable, not forced or coerced. She can learn them in a way that fits her life. And as she grows, she will have plenty of confidence in who she is because she will have been on a journey of self discovery since she was born. I look forward to walking beside her in this journey and encouraging her and helping her when she needs it. I also look forward to stepping back and watching her blossom into the person God intended her to be...without any of the other junk getting in her way or becoming unnecessary obstacles.
So what is something your kids have amazed you with when you just stepped back and watched?
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