11 April 2011

unschool monday :: the three Rs

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We're a bit blasé about formal academic learning around here these days because we understand that learning happens naturally as part of our day to day. Every now and then though, I remember I'm supposed to be putting some consideration to it as part of our registration as home educators. The other day I noticed a friend mention the record keeping they were doing and thought "oh gosh, that's right!!" Then I thought about what we'd been up to during the week...

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Reading letters from pen pals, writing replies and working hard at making them legible... An impressive feat! Little owlet found this one most challenging. She dictated the letter to me, then copied my writing because she can't read yet, but her letter recognition really came along in the process - and she stuck with it!

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We've been playing some new (to the owlets) board games. Battleship and Yahtzee. That's maths covered. We remembered Battleship after some map reading in the car after our big drive home on Wednesday. Lots of numeracy and literacy involved there too, with geography on the side ;) Little owlet likes to count the markers in Battleship because that's what she's up to lately. Multiples of anything are to be counted. She's also been working on her number and letter recognition in the lifts when we go into town. For the moment, she gets to press the buttons in the lift because that's what she's working on. She's been playing with an old laptop too, pressing the keys, saying the letters and counting how many keys there are. Oh and helping me assemble Ikea furniture - lots of counting there! Then of course there are our old faves like cooking - measuring out half or 3/4 cups. Or counting pocket money and working out how many animal toys it can buy. Or reading stories to each other. Or singing to little owlet and counting her cute little toes, fingers and teeth! Yup, learning happens all the time!

If you'd like to join in and show us how learning happens at your house, please add your link below. Then go for a wander and see natural learning in action in other families. It's always so inspiring to me and good to share the journey.

3 comments:

  1. Fractions happened in our house the other day. Ness asked how I wanted to cut a tomato. I said in half then half again. I asked her another way she could call one of those pieces, and she said a quarter! We then went through and tested other ways we could call quarters, halves and wholes using fractions and percentages using the clock! She understood straight away! Totally impressed with unschooling. I remember really struggling with the concept in grade 5!!! Bec xxx

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  2. We are officially still young for unschooling... But well... It starts at conception really...thanks for hosting.

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  3. I had to leave a comment and say that you are my favorite Blogger! We are attempting Natural Learning here and I will fully admitt to the fact that I blatantly steal ideas from your blog! lol! Thank you!!

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