UNSCHOOLING IN NOVEMBER.

i suppose i dropped the ball on these unschooling posts. i'll try to get back to posting our unschooling activities and resources next month. as usual in our household there has been an abundance of crafting and costumes. this month we focused on the first thanksgiving but, didn't dig too deep into specifics. the kids mostly enjoyed dressing up like indians(no one wanted to dress up like a pilgrim.) with war paint, fighting each other in a pretty epic backyard battle and recreating the first thanksgiving with toilet paper roll dolls. we watched some fun videos on youtube about the first thanksgiving, squanto and some american indian dances. i love that when they get to do the things they love, they retain much more about the topic than if they were staring at black and white text on a page. i also think it makes a difference that they're learning about what's relevant here and now. obviously, in november we focused on thanksgiving as most schools do and in december we'll focus on christmas, etc. but i love having the freedom to do that any time of the year and with any topic the kids are interested in. it doesn't need to be limited to holidays or historical events. the past couple of months the kids learned quite a bit about pregnancy, birth and babies, because that's what was relevant and happening around us. the knowledge and experience they gained from that is something they could never get from being in a classroom. it's important to me that they're learning things that will serve them well in real life. i've said before that providing them with rich experiences and concentrating on developing good character and relationships is a higher priority to us than academics. when they are given the freedom to make choices about their learning, they take ownership of and pride in their learning. when that happens, their self confidence and self motivation increases. and those are the kind of people who are successful in life. i see it happening already and i am so proud of these little learners.

-bette