Geography, chat, Wednesday May 2

Geography--the whole idea of it. What is it, what's it good for, if you're not going to "teach" it, can't you at least be aware of it so that you can balance what you're presenting, discussing and considering in high-level, cool and thoughtful ways? (But don't tell your kids. Be casual.)

Those who went to school often think they "know geography" but it might be lists of countries, and maps, in their heads. "Geo" does mean world," and "graph" does mean writing or drawing or maps. What else ties in with geography in the real world?

Bring a story or an idea.

Geography is featured on page 81 of The Big Book of Unschooling or at http://sandradodd.com/geography/
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History Chat, April 25, 2012

History! Having discussed last week that it's good not to think much of "subject areas," now let's really look at nothing but history. Be thinking of what you can bring to the chat that is purely history, and nothing else. Let's not get off topic.

Page 80 in the book; here on the webpage: http://sandradodd.com/history/
That page is old, and kind of old-timey, for a webpage.
If you find bad links, please let me know. If you know of other, better links, please let me know that too. Maybe on Wednesday the 25th during the chat!

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"Subjects" Chat on April 18, 2012!

Page 79 of The Big Book of Unschooling has very little text, so I'm going to quote the whole thing. Anyone who wants to study this time can listen to the song that's quoted there. If you listen to Herman's Hermits, you'll be short one verse.

Subjects
Kirby was five and not going to go to school that year when I decided to keep the whole idea of a structured curriculum divided into subjects secret from him for a while. So we carefully and purposefully avoided using these terms: science, history, math.
He was too young for us to need to avoid terms such as "social studies" (which doesn't come up outside of school anyway) or "grammar," but I was prepared to rethink my list of terms to avoid as he got older, if he continued to stay home.

By the time his brother and sister were unschooling, some of those "names of subjects" (in school parlance) had been discovered on TV shows about school, or in jokes or songs. Don't know much about history; don't know much biology… By then, though, I was ready with confident answers, and we were all sure natural learning could work.

If you can avoid using school terminology, it will be helpful in many different ways that you will figure out if you don't already see them.

SandraDodd.com/subjects

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Stages of development

Wednesday April 11 chat

You can't expect children to understand what adults understand, but that's no reason not to treat them respectfully.

The Big Book of Unschooling has sections on Abram Maslow and Jean Piaget (pages 76-78).  Another theorist to consider is Erik Erikson (here's a chart of his stages), but for me those are depressing and school-bound.  I think the others might be better for unschooling, though none of them need to be "the one and only one."  They're ideas among ideas

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April 4 chat on giftedness and intelligences

Giftedness and the idea of "intelligence"  (pages 71-75)

Schools measure math and reading and call it "IQ" but there are other things people can be quick or slow about.   What combinations of "intelligences" might be good for what?  How does it help for unschoolers to know these things?

Check for how your time zone matches daylight savings time in the Mountain Time zone, and try to show up when it's noon at my house.  

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