what is your modus operandi?

[~*heket*~]

According to HEA some people have school holidays and weekends off ... how does that fit in with natural learning .... call me crazy but, why take a break from doing anything naturally?

We're on "holidays" coz Stylish has just left the institution and we're weening (or weeing - coz that's what I feel like calling it tonight :lol) her off the structured crap that has formed her "learning" for so long (over half her life :shock)

Do weekends mean nothing? Do they mean something? fill me in coz I'm new to this :shrug

I should add that this is the first school holiday that Stylish has spent READING - and fuck I'm happy! I hope it's appropriate reading for the NSW OBoS!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool

[bella]

LOL. We take school holidays and weekends off! We do some structured stuff which is slotted into our weekdays. Weekends Dad's home and so it's harder to keep to our daily rhythm then. "Structured stuff" means time I've committed to the children for learning Italian, playing a reading game, sewing lessons, doing yoga together, reading aloud a chapter book etc. If I don't "structure" it, I don't do it... The reality of being a WAHM of six, living on a farm, etc.

School holidays we've always had off because the after-school activities (eg: gymnastics, violin, etc) aren't on. We used to have mainly schooled friends and they were finally very available. It also gives me time to prepare for the next 'term'. I know that sounds quite school-ish! I can sort through books, gather resources for whatever the kids want to tackle next, tidy up and get on top of things for the coming term.

We only run our home ed group in school terms because we go places which are packed-out in the holidays and we're selfish and want the venues all to ourselves while the "other kids" are in school.

Of course I know no one stops learning during holidays or on weekends! Using these timeframes doesn't stop learning, or put up constraints in any way, it just allows us some down-time and freedom from the busy-ness of having a large family who do various activities. Well okay, it's mainly for me, and that's okay too!

[esp]

we just stop going to the groups and classes that we do.
it's a welcome break and time to get caught up on the serious hosework issue that builds up during the other time.

[jikki]

I've only just taken our 8yo out as well, and we're probably somewhere in the middle. For us, we'll be doing our more structured things on the days that Dad's at work, and saving our unstructured days for when he's at home. Which means that sometimes we'll be doing some structured stuff on the weekend, but having weekdays off! Bella's version of 'structured stuff' sounds a bit like what I hope ours will be....

[Janet]

My partner is home on weekends so it adds a different flavour but I'd be hard pressed to call a halt to learning anyway. :lol

[~*heket*~]

They do beer making classes on the w/e don't they J? :lol

[The_Source]

We have weekends because that is the time when my DH is home. Lots of learning happened here last weekend. Somehow we all sat down and tried our hands at lock picking with the proper tools and everything! :rofl

As for holidays - I consider holidays to be packing the car and leaving town for a period of time. AFAIAC this can happen at any time not just 'term breaks'.

[Kezia]

We are doing a 5 day week for 40 weeks of the year. No, of course it doesn't mean that we don't learn on other days, but it DOES mean I get a break from "translating" what we do into "Educationese" in my logbook on those days.

[~*heket*~]

Can you elaborate on that? What do you do for the 5 days? What don't you do for the other two :D

[~*heket*~]

Stylish is having a holiday next week. She has announced a desire to be tested on what she has learnt so far in that week though :lol Who am I going to compare her to? What should I deem pas / fail results, should she repeat this year??? :rofl

[Ceres]

:lol that is a crack up! No learning for you next week m'kay.....

[GreenGully]

We'd better get back to into this learning thing quick smart when we get home, cos clearly J has switched off while we have been on holiday. Nup, no learning going on here.

[~*heket*~]

so slack :disbelief :rofl

[Ceres]

Well the 2 non-learning children (it IS a weekend after all) are outside building a brick wall out of left over pavers. Nope, no learning going on here at all.

[~*heket*~]

Are they insured while they're building??? (did you take photos :eager)

[Ceres]

Yep took photos! I'm sure GG won't mind me posting pics of her kidlet.

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2580/241/4/573113563/n573113563_1657571_2642745.jpg

[~*heket*~]

That's great :lol very AWWWWWWW ;)

[~*heket*~]

Our week of zilch has begun. Currently the chidlers are playing horses with lego in the hall. Spikee is teething and he's a bit crook, me too :bang Stylish is fine.

Just as I typed that she came and asked me about her times tables testing :lol She used to hate times tables at school, and despite being forced to learn them all hadn't learnt a single one (not even 5, 10 or 11 ffs - how useless is that). Now she knows 2,3,4,5,6, 7, 10, and 11. And what's more, SHE LIKES THEM!

[GreenGully]

They really liked those pavers huh! Definitely didn't learn anything though. :lol

[Sarasvati]

I'm still catching myself thinking that we're home educating "next year"... for Kira, not Imogen! It's nuts how we separate learning into some arbitrary start age! They are both actively learning all the time... time to start claiming the home educator label I think :lol.

[Sarasvati]

Also... was just thinking. In school holidays I used to read encyclopaedias. Not much self-directed learning going on there :lol.

[~*heket*~]

I was only just thinking that this afternoon S! Must go and tell Spikee to stop doing those puzzles!

I'm thinking of some ways to teach social consciousness atm. Any ideas? I thought we'd make our own fairtrade easter eggs this year for starters.

[Sarasvati]

Oh this is always a big one with me. In The Creative Family she talks about Christmas time as the time when they choose a gift for the earth, which is a year long commitment of giving. Their first year their son wanted to help homeless people so each month they donated or helped out. I suppose just talking about what we're choosing and WHY is a good start. Kira has often asked why I am doing something, or we get into a discussion about people who are less fortunate etc. Sometimes I think it goes straight over her head but other times I see she gets it, more or less.

[~*heket*~]

I might show her some sweat shops on google, and then give her $10 to buy an out fit at vinnies for one activity. That should feed the consumer in her and the try hard non comsumer in me :lol

[Sarasvati]

PMSL that's an awesome idea. Did she see any of the stuff about Pacific Brands moving offshore? Maybe you could chat about that too?

[~*heket*~]

DING DING DING! good idea ;)