I have to admit, that there are days when I worry about unschooling.  My type A, determined, organized half starts fretting and wondering if I was wise to allow my laid back, adventurous, spontaneous side to win in the battle of deciding how to homeschool our children.  There is still part of me that wants to not only keep up with the Jones' but also have my kids outperforming their counterparts.

When I was researching various curriculum's initially, one that really stood out to me was the Charlotte Mason method.  I loved a lot of aspects of her teaching method - copy work, nature journal, lots of outdoor time, learning from great literature.  One thing I remember reading was her distinction to NOT school until the age of six, but allow children to be children up to that point.  They will be learning, but not to sit down and do lessons with them before that age.

This is what I am attempting to do.  I have to fight off the urge to "do school" with the girls and allow them to enjoy their childhood free from mom pressuring them to be outstanding at an early age - ha!  Don't we all just want our kids to be the smartest, cutest, most inventive, creative kid that ever was?  It is really hard to sit back and just let them be. 

But to my amazement (and delight) the unschooling thing is actually working itself out.  Trinity has taken up copy work all on her own volition.  It started with a little diary that she bought for herself last summer at a yard sale with money she had made at a lemonade stand.  She loved to draw pictures in that diary and was so proud of it.  One day she came to show me her latest drawing, only to my surprise, the page was covered in letters.  At the top of each page the name of the month was printed, and she was copying the letters.  Soon she progressed to asking me to write something and then she would practice it herself.  Lately, it has been a small pocket sized New Testament from which she has been copying.

Mommy is breathing a big ol' sigh of relief!
My kid really is going to learn to read and write and do math.  It will happen!

Posted in: copy work, Homeschool Lane on Saturday, January 9, 2010 at at 8:30 PM