Chasing Dragonflies for Science Class

At the beginning of this year, I took up photography when I bought a new camera. I decided that as a blogger, I needed a better camera. I just couldn't get the close-ups I wanted with the camera we had.

This lead to an obsession with macrophotography, specifically dragonflies. Consequently, Sam became obsessed with dragonflies as well, so I turned it into a learning experience and began teaching her everything I was learning about the insects. She thorughly enjoyed learning about them, and goes out with me anytime I "chase dragonflies" (as she calls it).

A male Golden Winged Skimmer

 

Reading - Inspired by Penelope Trunk

My husband hates to read, and unfortunately, that apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Sam doesn't like reading much either. I'm the only weird one of the family, I love to read, but as a writer, that's kind of an occupational hazard!

So how do you get a kid who despises reading to actually read a book? 

This is one of the main reasons I let my daughter take my college level courses with me on Coursera because she loved to read all the quiz questions. At least she was reading, right?

One of my favorite bloggers, Penelope Trunk, also homeschools, more specifically, she unschools. She's not afraid to let her kids play video games all day and let them guide their own learning. Because of this, her kids are brilliant.

Our New Curriculum

As I said in my last post, I started reading a new book called The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise, and it discusses... well... a classical education curriculum.

 

It's an awesome book, and reminds me quite a bit of my Catholic school education, which isn't necessarily a good thing.  But, it was definitely classical!

Creating a Homeschool Notebook

Since we live in Florida, our unschooling has to have a bit of structure. The state requires that any homeschooling parent keep a record of the child's progress throughout the year. Although the records may never be checked, you have to be able to produce said records within a few days of being notified that the superintendent wants to see them.

I won't lie, I've been worried that the superintendent is going to pound on my door and say with a menacing voice "SHOW ME YOUR RECORDS!" 

 

So, instead of staying in a constant state of anxiety, I decided to create what I call a "Homeschooling Notebook."

On Choosing a Curriculum

Strict Curriculum vs. Unschooling

Taking our puppy outside allows Sam plenty of
opportunities to learn about nature and get
plenty of exercise.

Both my husband and I have ADHD, so we knew our daughter would have it without a doubt. I also knew a traditional school setting wouldn’t allow her to excel, and certainly wouldn’t foster a life-long love of learning. When I decided to homeschool her, I found there were quite a few ways to do it. Choosing a curriculum proved difficult because most of them were patterned after a traditional school curriculum.

I came across a book called The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith. After reading just a few pages, I knew this was the way to go. Since ADHD causes my daughter to jump from one thing to another, I knew trying to set up a strict curriculum would only aggravate both of us. But, when I read about how unschooling worked, I was ecstatic.

Why I Chose Homeschooling

When I got pregnant 6 years ago, I was on the fence about sending my daughter to formal school versus homeschooling her myself. I didn't have the greatest experience when I was in school. I didn't have any friends and I was routinely picked on by bullies. My mom told me it was because they were all jealous, and looking back, she was probably right. I had a high IQ, and I was told by adults that I was very pretty.