Side trip anyone?
Side Trip anyone? Or is that a rabbit trail?
Some days the questions in the first section of our schedule have consumed the next 3 hours of our day. What is it about this person that made him do that? Why do shepherds worry about that? What is the item mentioned and how was it made in biblical times? Why would that make someone die?
These questions have sent us to the dictionary, the library, to bible scholar sites, to our Pastor, and to other learned people we know. We have dashed the planned day, and created photo montages of scripture memory renditions. One day we created a cartoon of a story to tell us all the books in the new testament. My toddlers have played the part of ornery wandering sheep some days until lunch time, when they were led to green pastures and cool water for a picnic.
But here's the kicker, WAIT FOR IT...
They still learned a WHOLE lot. Even if we didn’t crack a book open after that first half hour.
They learned, we learned, and we learned HOW to learn.
This may not be your goal, and that is ok. My goal here is to let you get a glimpse into my world and what worked for us.
Some homeschoolers do this all the time, often called unschooling, it is how their days are "planned". A well placed question, an interest a child brings to the table, or something the family experiences leads to investigation and learning of all kinds.
Unit studies can be a bit like this as well. Instead of different subject lessons, every subject is focused on one topic. Take for instance if your unit is on France. You read stories about French people, French history, science marvels that started in France. French art, music, cooking, all math story problem have a Frenchman as the subject! You get the point. This style of learning can often help cement the lessons in experiences more effectively for some learners. Truth be told some parents and families just like this more and so Unit studies are their thing.
We have done a few unit studies when the mood struck, but this is not our normal "M.O.". I do stay flexible for the side trip and let the learning evolve though, it is one of the best parts of the freedom of homeschooling!
~Jeanette
