Friday, January 2, 2009

Teachable Moments

Homeschool families use a variety of methods to educate their children. Some of my homeschool friends use primarily an unschooling method where parents assist and help children explore and learn about the child's interests. The phrase "teachable moments" is used to describe those times when a child is interested and desires to learn about something. This usually happens throughout the day when the family is persuing their interests and activities. I like the idea of teachable moments, but it doesn't fit my personality.

Today, my 4 and 5 year old daughters wanted me to teach them to read. This happens frequently when I am preparing dinner, driving the car, canning tomatoes or teaching piano lessons. Those times when I can't drop everything and met their educational needs. Paige remarked that she likes it when Daddy is home because he can read to her whenever she wants him. He always has a lap available. I don't.

Joseph has a huge interest in how things work. He is always inventing something from various items found around the house. During the summer, he spends time cutting open plants to see what they look like inside. Joseph asks thoughtful questions throughout the day which I can't answer off the top of my head. Frequently I know the answer, but need time to remember. So I ask he to remind me when I park the car, complete dinner, etc.

Today, Joe had a question about how some gears, levers and pulleys that he was using in one of his Lego creations were causing a certain result. As he walked past me, he said, "I know you're busy, Mom. I'm going to look for the answer on the science book shelves." I am crushed. Obviously, I have put him off to many times. It's good that he is searching for his answers. I know that he needs to be able to research and figure out things on his own. It still feels like I'm a horrible mom.

How do I find a balance between meeting the kids educational, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and still keep the house from being declared a disaster zone? How will clean clothes appear in dresser drawers, if I don't do the laundry on a regular basis? You would think that after 13 years, I would have figured out how to make this work.

5 comments:

Barb the Evil Genius said...

If you could see our place, you'd know how I answer that question, lol. Of course, I also have the girls help with the cleaning of clothes, the dishes and the cooking. Not saying you don't, but delegation goes a long way. Not to mention, the Equestrienne is doing online school, which decreases my school workload quite a bit.

I just can't get into the unschooling thing. I don't think it would suit the way our daughters are wired.

Karen said...

Primarily, I use unschooling methods when we are not "doing school" or when I'm so stressed that formal schooling needs to take a back seat.

My kids do a lot of the chores around here, but with so many kids the clutter monster is hard to keep at bay. I'd like to get a better schedule for cleaning, but I can't seem to find one that works for more than a day or two.

Kim said...

I have a difficult time keeping up on the clutter but the rest of the chores are split up between everyone in the family. My kids started doing their own laundry with help when they were 5, by the time they were about 7 they were on their own. We all have assigned days to use the washer so no one gets behind. I may not like the way the clothes are folded but at least it gets done.

Karen said...

Years ago, I had the kids do their own clothes on their own days. But then we had more children. Currently, we have 6 kids at home, and one who comes home on occasional weekends. I find it too difficult remembering whose day it is and trying to squeeze in the bath towels. We all swim 5 mornings a week, so there are all the swim things to do each day. Maybe when a few of the children leave home, I'll be able to return to the kids keeping up with their own laundry. The kids do put away their own laundry and flip occasional loads of wash for me when needed.

Susan said...

Why is it that I can read your post and be all super-impressed that your son went to get the science book to look up his own answer...
but if it were my kid, I would have the exact same response as you, about being a failure at answering his questions?