the road to inspired learning
I want others to see what a delight directed (or interest led) homeschool might look like in middle school, so here's a snapshot of Elijah's year last year. Foundation Education Our brand of delight directed homeschooling is balanced between student choices and a foundation education which includes language arts and math. This year I also included science (more on […]
Instead of posting our upcoming curriculum, I decided to do a year-in-review post. Delight Directed Learning is still a bit of a mysterious method of homeschooling, and I want to try and give it some roots and leaves. Foundation Education Our brand of delight directed homeschooling is balanced between student choices and a foundation education which includes reading, […]
When I wrote the Cultivating Curiosity Series, one of you asked me if I could concoct a list of must have homeschool supplies for delight directed homeschooling. This has been rattling around in my brain ever since. {rattle, rattle!} At first I thought compiling a list would be impossible because my kids' delights are probably not the same […]
We've been homeschooling for awhile. If my math is right, and if I count preschool, it's been 9 years. That means I've been fielding homeschool questions, comments, compliments, and complaints for almost a decade. One comment I repeatedly hear is, "You must be really patient." As if the patience fairy swooped down and sprinkled some of her […]
I'm guest posting today over at So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler? My topic? Delight Directed Learning, of course!
One simple CD. Elijah wanted to learn about Ancient Greece. He's been asking and asking and asking. But I hadn't take the time to find quality, living books for him. So he's been waiting and waiting and waiting. And then I found Heritage History. One simple $25 CD complete with 46 good books. I did […]
Here are your questions with my hopefully helpful answers. I am not the final authority on these matters, but I hope my own experiences will be beneficial to you. Do you focus on one study at a time? Or are there times when you have multiple studies going on? I am trying to help Parker […]
When we first started this delight directed gig, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to handle everything. (Should we learn a foreign language? What about art lessons? Grammar? Spelling?) So, I started making things up–making my own plan to bring the best of both worlds together. I wanted to give my son as much […]
Did you really think I could go ten blog posts without printables? Holy withdrawal, Batman! I could never do that. So, here are a few tools to get you going with delight directed studies! You can use these documents to create a small notebook for each of your students. It will serve as an idea […]
One day a few weeks ago Simon started buzzing about Ancient Egypt — question after question. That afternoon I had him help me gather a pile of books (from our shelves) and we started our Ancient Egypt adventure. It continued over the next few days as we read through the stack. That was it. No […]
I don't skip through the halls of homeschool conventions singing this news (for fear of being smacked, punched, or gunned down — or maybe all three!), but my children do enjoy learning. It gives them pleasure and satisfaction. They delight in their studies. So there. I said it. I usually refrain from advertising my love-to-learn […]
Yesterday, I gave you a list of twenty-five ways to stir the pot and cultivate curiosity. Today, I want to dissect #25: Read great books together. Read. Which means exactly that. Read. Read-read-read-read-read. And then read some more. Do it often and frequently and much. Read! Great books. Not just any book will do; it needs […]
Sometimes kids lose a bit of their curiosity. And sometimes learning gets stagnant. But it doesn't have to stay static. You can keep kids curious. I'm often asked, "What if my child isn't interested in ANYthing?" What then? If your child is bored or in the doldrums, tempt him with miscellaneous items — a tub […]
Asking questions and answering questions is imperative for cultivating curiosity, but sometimes we need to go a bit further. Sometimes we need to stop, drop, and roll with discovery. This starts with me. This starts with you. We must make the deliberate decision to allow our children to make discoveries on their own. I love […]
What do badgers eat? Why can't we see the wind? Does metal come from the ground? What's the gospel? Is anyone going to the moon ever again? Why can't you turn left at a red light? Can I have a puppy? Were there giant woolly mammoths? Why do people have sin in their hearts? Why do […]
I'm a trained teacher. A few months ago I flipped through my ancient portfolio–the culminating project required of teacher trainees at the university I attended. I spied my philosophy of education. I scanned it. I laughed a little at my words and the praises my profs penned in the margins. I knew so much before […]
Don't miss the FREE Microscope Study Notebooking Pages I shared yesterday. My sister, family scientist, purchased my boys a microscope and a slide making kit for Christmas. I was intimidated. They worked it no problem, but I cracked a slide. Seriously. My code name in high school chemistry was beaker-breaker. Things haven't changed much. My boys kept asking […]
Elijah's country choice this year was England. I will share photos of the entire fair tomorrow, but today I will highlight some of Elijah's hard work. Elijah labeling and coloring a large map of the United Kingdom. Finished map! The beginnings of a double-decker bus. Elijah designed Big Ben from LEGO bricks. Elijah starting to […]
Elijah wasn't born a bibliovore, but he quickly became one after his first reading challenge. I remember reading the first chapter or two of The Boxcar Children to Elijah and conveniently leaving the book out for him to snag, if he wanted. I spied him peeking at the next chapter and remember him finishing off […]
Eighteen months ago, I published a Learning with LEGO lapbook for my older son, Elijah. My younger son is now just as in love with LEGO as his older brother, so {this afternoon} I decided it was time to create a junior version. Simon is delighted! I will report back once we’ve built our brains […]