"I discovered it"

The largest challenge I personally face in our family's homeschooling journey, is trusting that my chosen pedagogical method of Unschooling actually works.

Interestingly, the single fact that unnerves me most, is also, essentially the single principle that attracted me to this pedagogy. People learn things most effectively by doing when following their interest / passion. Despite having read about this and the studies that have been done to support this, having personally had no hands on- experience in this during my 'formal' education years, I frequently question myself, and our practices.

There are moments when I am blown away by the things that my boys are discovering...

Wednesday April 17 2012, approximately two hours after waking, K(6) comes up to me as I am finishing my breakfast and states:

"Babsie, when you take a number and it's made of two numbers that are the same, it is Even and when it's made up of two number that are not the same not, then it's Odd. Like 8 is Even because it's has 4 and 4, but 9 isn't because it's got 4 and 5 so that's Odd"

0_0     ~_~   0_0

I vaguely recall affirming this by re-stating what he just said, mean while my brain is going... WTF??? how did he get that? where did he hear that? who told him that? My brain *needed* to know where he'd picked up this Little gem. So naturally I asked him something to the effect of, "Where did you get that from?" The look on his face... somewhat perplexed, as though this was a ridiculous question to ask and the ever so casual answer delivered in a tone of 'well d'uh'

"I discovered it"

So what types of things did he experience in order to make this discovery... to be honest, I couldn't tell you everything. This child likes to do things on his terms. In most cases, if you ask hims to do 'black' he will do 'white' or argue / debate you to 'gray'.

November 2011: Toys were clumped in clear groups across the lounge floor... these were "teams"

Sorting detail of one of the teams
  similar style of characters

sorting detail of another team - blue

sorting detail - ogre / monster...
note they all have green hands
or flesh (scales)

sorting detail of team - genre (trademark)

sorting details : colour, and aside from the casualties, note the orderly columns and rows.

He spends many hours engaged in things. He will sit quietly for a time, and then when the surrounding noise gets too much, he'll wail
"Be quiet, I can't hear myself"

I have seen him walking around head slightly bowed, and moving his fingers in various patterns, that I associate with counting.

March 2012 Cuisanairre rods (FTW)

A few weeks ago, after I used a calculator to work out some numerical problems, he watched avidly, and asked a few questions about how the calculator worked, and since that time, he has been punching in numerals and functions and looking at the results. He spends time arranging tokens, cards, and other pieces in various patterns and groups.

Symmetrical pattern along the vertical axis

I eagerly await what else he will report to have discovered...

and my faith in unschooling, has been bolstered a little more :)

Today: Boys are putting their knowledge of finance into hypothetical practice