I am so excited! Next week I kick off the 'Get Your Learning Groove On!' Telesummit, where Experts in learning, home education and inspiration will share their tips, tricks and secret weapons to ignite your 'Learning Groove'.

We will be meeting the experts every Monday and Thursday of September at 5:30 PST/8:30 EST starting September 3rd (except the 24th, my 2nd guys 11th BDay and we are away) and boy do they have a lot to share!

I am so thrilled at the great response from interviewees(the Experts!) to be involved. We are all our own expert, but it is so great to hear from other experts who have been there and done that so that we can learn from them (and gain a few tools for our tool belt). Open to new ideas, think in a new way or just get reignited and regenerated.

It is all about getting inspired, getting organized and having some Fun! Here is the line up and the general tone of the interviews (although much more will be discussed!)

• Monday Sept. 3rd ~ Szara Lyn (me!) - getting the year off to a kickin' great start.
  
• Thursday Sept. 6th ~ Bon Crowder - math (need I say more)
  
• Monday Sept. 10th ~ Diann Jeppson - family building
  
• Thursday Sept. 13th ~ Judy Arnall - unschooling and family living
  
• Monday Sept. 17th ~ Dayna Martin - radical unschooling
  
• Thursday Sept. 20th ~ Dianne Flynn Keith - homelearning
  
• Thursday Sept. 27th ~ Allana Pratt - filling our own cups

What would you do for the world with $1 000 000 wish? This year TED raised the stakes. In years past starting in 2005, the TED prize of $100 000 was awarded to 3 candidates who inspired and showed their leadership capabilities with their TED wish. This years TED prize is $1 000 000 which will also give a greater impact to the winning wish.

With the TED prize just a week away from closing nominations it got me to thinking... 'out of the mouths of babes.'

Our children have so much creativity, empathy, compassion and a fresh look at the world without limiting beliefs on what can and can not happen. They see it with new eyes, coming at a problem from very unique ways (as they are not just trying to repeat a previous solution they are starting at the beginning, the whole picture).

I am always so amazed at what kids do come up with when asked (and not asked..) What would they put forward for the TED prize? If they had $1 000 000 how would they use it to make the world a better place, how will they inspire?

This could be a great exploration to ask your child what would be there wish for the world? How would they make it happen? What would they need?

Please share! I would love to hear what these creative thinkers come up with!

And if you know someone who inspires you, has a dream, a passion, a mission (or if you do!) nominate them (or yourself) by August 31st at www.TEDprize.org. You can also join along in the conversation and follow what other people wish for the world...it is quite fun to see all these great innovative ideas in so many areas.  It all starts with inspiration with sparks ideas, community and passion!

Image:FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Well it wouldn't be a launch without a few glitches!  It looks like the Yahoo Group is one of them right now!  It is great that many are interested and I am working to get this fixed by next week. So please try again next Friday Aug. 24th and all should be smooth sailing! Right now I just can't seem to access the account myself to approve members.

Thanks for your patience!

Monday is the launch of the trial of I Wonder Subscription. All who have signed up already ... Monday look for a message in your inbox!

This Monday is the start of our Newsletter for those that have signed up.

Thanks again for all the support!

Happy Heat! (It is so summer here in Victoria... a late start but here at last. Hot and loving it!)

Szara Lyn

Oh SUMMER SUMMER!  I love it! 
I love being outdoors so often, being out in nature, life, wind, running freedom.  Maybe it is because I am the mom of 5 boys and when the weather isn't so 'hot' the energy inside can be a little through the roof.  I love it when the boys can just run and roam freely outside. Camping out in the wilderness, hanging out at seashores, hiking the trails, there is just so much more room for everyone,

With all the outdoor time comes a time of noticing the workings of nature.  The greatest scientists, naturalists, mathematicians all started with just noticing the world around them and wondering, why? or how? It was Thales of Miletus himself, considered to be the first Greek philosopher.  But it was his trying to learn and explore how things worked, noticing that nature has some natural laws and it wasn't he argued all the Gods up there on Mount Olympus causing nature to do Her thing) that set him apart and earned him the title of the 'Father of Science'. It was the beginning of the science revolution; looking for patterns, rational explanations of the natural world by comparing the natural consistent processes he saw all around him. He would hypothesize why and how the mechanics of nature worked by relating similarities, macro examples of the micro and micro examples of the macro.

On your summer outdoor adventures ore even your laze around summer days, look around and notice all the connections right under your nose. We take so much of the excitement and wonder of nature for granted as we whiz past in a hurry.  Slow down, breathe in the warm summer breeze, and connect with your inner scientist wanting to discover. Inspire your child to see through the lens of a naturalist; noticing nature and her inner workings up close. Here is an activity that you can do with your child, or  they can do on their own (reading help may be required).  No materials essential, although a sketch book/journal and some pencils are great to have one hand.

Your Special Place
Discovery is all around us just waiting to be noticed.

Find your special place. It can be a spot in your backyard, a nearby park that you visit lots. Find a place to just sit with nature and notice, experience and discover.

Bring along a journal, sketch book, pencils, a camera or even just your minds eye.

Sit quietly at your spot. Take a few nice relaxing deep breaths of fresh outdoor air. Fill your lungs and then release.

Now with all your senses experience this special place in nature.

Close your eyes for a few moments and ask yourself....

• What do you hear? Is it loud? Quiet? Listen more, do you hear anything else? Birds? Water? People?
  

• What do you smell? Can you smell the grass? Or flowers? The air?

• What do you taste? Can you taste the air?

Now open your eyes.

• What do you see? What can you see far away? In the sky? What can you see up close? Beside you? Underneath you? Are their any creatures making their way around? Birds? Insects?

• What colours do you notice? How many shades of those colours can you see?

• What textures are around you. Feel the grass, plants and flowers nearby. How do they feel?

• What kind of shapes do you see? Can you see any circles? Rectangles? Triangles? What about spirals?

Notice a a few things around you and compare them. Are they the same shape, the same size. Is one bigger, by how much do you think (double the size, 10 times the size). Are they from the same kingdom (are they both birds, or insects, or plants). See if you can find 5 things they have in common and 5 ways they are different. Think about your items you are noticing in your special place, are they connected somehow?

Now take some time to write down in your journal what what you noticed or how you are feeling. Draw some pictures of your special place. Come back lots to your special place. Even take a few minutes each day to sit in your special place. Notice the changes, the similarities from day to day. Let yourself relax and be part of nature (as you are part of nature!) You are now a Naturalist!

To download a printable of this so  your learner can take it with them out in nature to their special place, just click the download file below.

And to really amp up observation and FUN, check out this Doodling in Math Vihart series of 3 short videos.  It is so neat to notice the connections.  I am sure your naturalist will be making a few connections out there regarding the Fibonacci sequence and plants after this! I LOVE the Vihart videos.  She is so fabulous, enthusiastic and Fun at its finest!

And speaking of the Fibonacci sequence, have you heard or read about the 13-Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence?
Read more: 13-Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence

Well enjoy your Fibonacci Summer Days.  I am going to go look for spirals in the sky and a few 'slug cats' (gotta watch vihart!).

What a FUN day!  We had our final Ancient China Warrior class today with our gang and to close the session we held a Murder Mystery.  Party Grab wrote us a Mystery based on our Ancient Chinese themes using relevant timelines.

We handed out characters last week so everyone could prepare their costumes.  The Emperor and family all the way through the class system to the fishermen, shepherdess and servants. Wow!  Everyone looked fabulous, all the silken robes, hairdos, headdresses and more!  The kids all really enjoyed getting into their characters. The mystery was so well done, not an easy case to solve that's for sure!  Many suspects with motive and lots of found evidence, kept us guessing all the way through.

In the end before we read out the final results and after everyone had discretely submitted their submission of who the murderer was, we took some time to call out the top suspects and vote on who should be jailed for the crime.  This lead to almost a hung jury until right at the last moment the last person voted and split the tie. The convicted person was sent to jail and then we read out the final conclusion.  We sent the wrong suspect to jail! This of course lead to quite the discussion about assumptions, evidence and due process ... but mostly just FUN!

We will definitely be making this a habitual way to end the session, we loved it!  What a great way to tie up the session's learning's of the culture and society of the times than with some role playing. Thanks Party Grab (who, by the way, is a homelearning teen).

The boys have been having some fun with friends exploring Ancient China over the past few months.  One book they just recently came across and LOVE is Warriors and Wailer; One Hundred Ancient Chinese Jobs you Might have Relished or Reviled by Sarah Tsiang.

This book inspired my one son to do a fabulous project and presentation.  He was an Employment Councillor commissioned by the Emperor.  He handed out his personally created Personality Employment Assessments which was a list of about 15 questions.  He then analyzed the results of his companions to determine the proper fit of an Ancient Chinese Job that would be ideal for them (he narrowed it down to 8 preselected jobs). 

Some of his classmates were

• An opera singer -Your parents sign up their very young to be taken in by a mentor and sign a 7 year contract with. You grow in deep debt to your mentor.  Your days start at 5am and are filled with learning acting, acrobats and combat skills (yes you spend as much time on martial arts as you do with singing!).  And then after a long day of practices and exercises you get to spend the evening performing (and if you or your team mess up you will be beaten with Bamboo canes!)  YIKES what a life!
• Pekingese Caretaker - Taking care of this regal lion like dogs is serious business. Solely for the the emperor(ess) no commoner is allowed to own one, and taking one ensures you a death sentence. They live in their own silken apartment, given the finest food and you would protect them with your life.
• Fake Buddhist Monk - Avoid taxes, conscription and grave digging and make some money on the side.  A little (or a lot) of moral implications on this but a job some did do.
• Minister of the Household
• Assassin
• Emperor
  

Other Ancient Jobs in this book include Sorceress, Astrologist, Concubine, Wet Nurse, Matchmaker, Grave Digger, Noodle Maker, Junk Sailor, Vegabond and so many more.  The descriptions are informative and so very entertaining.

This book is just fun to read, but so many extended learning activities can come from this (and they just flow naturally from conversation and sharing).

• Rate your top favourite jobs,
• do a survey,
• compare to today's jobs,
• do a pro's and con's list for a series of jobs,
• role play some characters,
• make a skit

.... the list keeps going.

Have FUN!

Every homelearning family's day will look very different from another.  We are all so unique. 

Some of us have large families, some of us small. 
Some parents are working from home, others out of home, some are stay at home. 
Some of us are 2 parent families, some are co-parenting families while others are a single parent family. 

I Feel the urge to go into recitation ... excuse me in advance :)

'One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish.
Black Fish, Blue Fish, Old Fish, New Fish.
Some are red and some are blue. Some are old and some are new.'
~ Dr. Seuss, One Fish Two Fish

The point is, We have different educational philosophies, different approaches and bottom line, different children. We take what fits for our family and leave the rest behind, forming our own unique path.

But we do have some commonalities .  We have chosen an off the beaten path route to our child(ren)'s education.  Many of us are on a continual search to find new research, new material, new lessons, new activities, new ideas ... renewed inspiration.  We, like our children, are learning, adapting and expanding ourselves. 

We too are always life learning.  Enjoy your travels!

No matter what you call your learning philosophy, we all started out here in our life curious and playful.  We see with wonder and joy.  We question, we touch, we explore, we play, we discover ... we learn. 

We are always learning. 

And if we are just left to be, to learn freely; freely, without judgment or scrutiny, without requirements; to follow our passions, able to make mistakes ... just imagine. 

Imagine knowing that you can do anything, learn anything, be anything.  Imagine the joy, the wonder, the perspective of the world and yourself.  Now imagine what the world would be if we and our children would and could be free to learn this way. 

We parents (or anyone for that matter) are not our children's teachers. Children are their own teachers.  We are merely guides, aiding them and inspiring them.  We are facilitators if you will, holding a safe space and encouraging them along their way. 

For it is their journey, their interests, their triumphs.  Let children 'teach' themselves.  Let them learn openly, whole-heartedly and enthusiastically.  Let them be ... truly be ... Let them soar!

Homeschooling or a school-at-home approach is a replication of what happens in a traditional school setting.  Students follow a structured day of subjects, covering the curriculum at hand.  Students complete necessary assignments and readings and are tested and graded against their grade level.

There are many variations of a traditional school-at-home approach.  Some will purchase their curriculum basing their decision on their learning ideals, some will do their own lesson plans based around their children and their interests and some will combine other approaches allowing for a bit more flexibility to their day and how their children are exposed to the curriculum.

Many families new to homeschooling will follow a more traditional approach in the early years.  It provides a security knowing all necessary topics are being covered and that their are no gaps in their learning.  It also gives direct feedback of where your child stands and at what level they are at.  And following a more traditional approach allows for the ease of transition if the child is going to be entering a traditional school environment again (as some families homeschool for elementary years only or just for a year or so).  Also new to homeschooling families find meeting their legal requirements an easier and less overwhelming process when following a traditional homeschooling approach. 

Families from many modalities of learning will oftentimes integrate a traditional model from time to time or use some variation of the traditional model to compliment their learning philosophy. It is always about taking what works for you and leaving the rest behind.  And truthfully even the traditional model can have some good aspects to integrate into your learning way.

Unit Studies is the idea of studying a unit (topic or theme) as a whole.   Instead of separating learning into subjects like science, mathematics, language arts etc, a topic of interest is explored, integrating many subject areas within the topic.  Traditional schooling tends to dissect learning into compartments and students study very specific topics within the context of the subject being studied only.

By studying a topic as a whole, the student can dive deeper into their discovery of a topic and make connections between subject areas.  This approach also allows a student to see a topic from many different perspectives and possibly explore it in a way they may not have if they were restricted to a singular subject.  It can expose them to new and interesting ideas and sometime even help them develop further interests and/or a new  appreciation for a subject.

This approach of study also has many benefits when teaching children of varying ages (like in many homeschooling families) as it can easily be adapted for a variety of ages.  It can also be adapted for a variety of learning styles.  Whether the child is a visual, auditory or kinetic learner the topic can be explored as such.  Every child is so unique with their own way of approaching learning, a Unit Study approach allows them the freedom to 'tackle' a topic as they would like (draw, read, research, write, hands on, etc).    

There is a wide range of 'teaching' methods within a Unit Study approach.  Some take a child led, self directed approach allowing their child to explore their topic of interest and let it lead where it will lead.  Where others may choose to teach Unit Studies in a more traditional way with a curriculum and ensuring that all or specific subjects get touched.   And of course there is everything in between.  Like most learning, no two homes look the same.