So based on wonderful advice I received, I am allowing a settling time between traditional school and homeschooling. After a few rough days, we have sought out some great museums for education and fun.
I shared that we visited the Children’s Museum of Houston. Not only did this provide imagination fun, it offered great learning experiences.
We did math at the HEB checkout and sorting as stock clerk.
We practiced reading (as well as a lot of silliness) at the Channel 2 KidTV station.
We did not, I repeat, did not have driving lessons. Little Diva seemed a little unsure…
I loved the ability to sneak in learning while they were having fun. It’s a little like sneaking veggies into their favorite meals. It’s best if they don’t know but it makes Momma happy.
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Little Diva and I also visited the Blanton Museum in Austin. Beyond the beauty, I found her asking lots of questions. She asked questions about the meanings behind the paintings. She tried reading the placards. It proved to be another way to reinforce what we’re working on.
We made up stories to go along with some of the pieces. Here were a few of her favorites. (BTW, so there is no concern, the Blanton allows photography as long as there is no flash.)
I was especially heartened by the depth of her questions. She asked me to take a picture of the “Suicide of Lucretia” by Luca Cambiaso.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because it makes me think”.
Well, of course, I obliged.
Finally, there was an unexpectedly moving dance/theatre piece about inequality, racism, and bullying. It inspired many difficult but important questions on the way home.
I don’t know how long we will homeschool. We only began as a part of our travels but I have to say that days like this are heartening. I always wanted to do things like this but found it difficult around the rigors and routine of traditional school and homework. I hope to get as much of this in as we can over the next year.
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Do you homeschool? Or unschool? If not, how do you find time to enjoy experiences like this around school time?
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