It has been almost two weeks. But these field trips are worth blogging.
During our two-weeks vacation with the grandparents, my dad, their grandpa took them to several field trips that I had to beg for at least a day of rest in between adventures. My dad turns out to be a great unschooler, specializing in field trips.
First off, we went to Tagaytay where they saw the volcano and the lake surrounding it. The "island within a lake within a volcano within a lake" was better appreciated with Google Earth. The view was seen while in the vicinity of the mini zoo this back-to-back field trip. Although I'm not a big fan of zoos here in the Philippines, because of the animals' less than ideal condition (they belong in the wild), the kids would have a better appreciation of the wildlife they read in books. They got to touch several of the animals, namely a tiger [cub], a python, an iguana, a cockatoo, an owl, and fed parakeets. M1 also rode a horse!
Second field trip was a visit to the National Arts Center. It's the big red-roofed structure one can see sitting on a slope of Mt. Makiling in Laguna. There they saw a view of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country, and a smaller lake, Alligator Lake.
On the third trip, M1 got to do some ice-skating at the Mall of Asia. We hired an instructor for 2 hours as the mother is not good with it either, aside from having a baby to take care of. M2 would rather not. Maybe next time, when we parents can skate along with them.
Fourth trip was their 2nd time to the Mind Museum. Among the perks of being homeschoolers: us parents can honestly print out homeschool ID cards that say "TEACHER", present it at the ticket booth, and get the discounted rate for teachers-- which we did! The boys continued to be fascinated with the exhibits, especially that of the outer space. Since we arrived a little late in the afternoon already, we were left with only one show to watch. While we waited for our ride home, they boys passed the time at its educational playground.
The 5th and last field trip was a boys day out (with Poppa & Lolo) at Anilao, Batangas, where they went snorkeling. Prior, the boys aren't confident with their snorkeling, but there and then, I supposed they were forced by the situation to learn, and so they were able to enjoy the underwater scenery of corals and colorful fishes. And so they went home with animated stories to tell about the biggest fish they saw, a sea urchin, etc. Unfortunately there was no octopus lingering around, which at the time was the animal they had their fascination on.
So, what happens after the trips? How do we follow through? Do we make book reports, etc.? Well, we're not really textbookishly nerdy, so, no, we don't give them assignments to summarize their learning experiences (only I blog about it). We just let the experience enrich their lives. A lot of the topics that can be discussed, we already have read about in the past, or have casually talked about (or will talk about). But the experiences are already there in their memory banks, a resource we can readily tap on.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Friday, March 20, 2015
How we did the early years to Kinder
We finished Kindergarten level last January, and we’re
now in the middle of vacation. We plan to start his 1st Grade on
April. Here’s the long and short of our ‘Early Years’, and how we’ll do it all
over again with the 2 younger siblings.
Charlotte Mason’s method was the closest fit for our family. I liked her concepts of the art of gentle learning, and how it seemed so natural-- developing good habits, getting acquainted with nature, exploring with the five senses, growing in their spiritual lives, and playing outdoors. (See SCM Preschool guide). We patterned our curriculum after Mater Amabilis Preschool (MA). Sometimes we used a sprinkling of other methods and materials, as each method offered something appealing. During holidays, and on very laid-back days, we shifted to unschooling.
The early years are formative years. For us, this was about bonding with the kids, and starting them with the right habits, character and faith formation. We read classic read-alouds to them while they sat on our laps. Play (see more play & learn activities) was definitely encouraged. When it comes to toys, I preferred the classic wooden toys for them. They explored outside. We listened to children & classical music CDs. And we talked to them a lot. We had no television, and they were not allowed electronic gadgets. A parent’s self-improvement was also critical at this stage for character formation because these things are caught and not taught. We also got to know their personalities, and learning style better. For this stage, I would also highly recommend Before Five in a Row.
For Kindergarten, we used Catholic Heritage Core Curriculum, a couple of its elective materials, and we continued to stay close to MA as much as possible, and also unschool, and continued the things we've been doing for preschool.
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