tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post5679925785270650232..comments2023-03-24T14:12:43.183+00:00Comments on Feet on the ground and head in the clouds: Should a fish be able to climb a tree?Motherfunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10809370449833738968noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post-35630586052338467782012-03-04T11:42:48.366+00:002012-03-04T11:42:48.366+00:00You have summed it up beautifully Lily. Not all ed...You have summed it up beautifully Lily. Not all educational material is inherently bad, the more open ended the better - some toys sold under the educational label leave more room for interpretation and experimentation than others - lego, duplo 'educational' box-sets (that have cogs, pulleys, gears, etc etc... Some things billing themselves as educational are so completely boring and have such a singular use that there's no room for the child to discover anything themselves. stuff like board games is cool - Indie is learning to multipy playing endless games of yahtzee at the mo.... and we love chess and scrabble, boggle and other games where the idea is to use numbers and letters creatively :-)Motherfunkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10809370449833738968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post-46773851605475298682012-03-04T11:21:31.469+00:002012-03-04T11:21:31.469+00:00Here, here! Well said! Bravo! And all the other ve...Here, here! Well said! Bravo! And all the other verbal accolades my brain refuses to remember right now...<br /><br />We do have lots of toys and educational 'stuff' - having acquired much of it secondhand it bothers me less if I've made a wrong purchase. <br /><br />That said, I'm still discerning! Some of the 'stuff' you come across to 'teach' kids with is just appallingly reductionist - treating skills as little individual cogs in a human machine rather than supporting the organic nature of learning. We only buy when there are multiple ways of using the toy - I don't want to raise a one-trick child so no one-trick toys for us!<br /><br />Also, absolutely can't see the point in making us all jacks/jills-of-all-trades when the increasing complexity of the world is requiring that less and less. And yep, all that concentrating on our weaknesses does is make us unhappy - it's in elevating our own strengths that we contribute most to our own lives and the wider world.Lilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12732069465269276569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post-5030082823847955372012-03-01T11:19:38.543+00:002012-03-01T11:19:38.543+00:00Hi there Ross - I am really honoured you took the ...Hi there Ross - I am really honoured you took the time to read and comment here - I have been reading your articles for years, and have really enjoyed them all. Didn't realise you were blogging too! Am I right in thinking you don't live a million miles from here (We're near Long Sutton) :-)Motherfunkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10809370449833738968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post-68587417754622083462012-03-01T11:08:23.901+00:002012-03-01T11:08:23.901+00:00Brilliant article! It's such a shame more pare...Brilliant article! It's such a shame more parents can't let go and allow their children room to grow and learn. I was also talking about fish climbing trees back in my January blog (http://rossmountney.wordpress.com) It's a subject close to most home educators hearts I think! My blog's there for help and support with home educating if any of your readers need it. All the very best. xRoss Mountneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10197824499243468021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post-31384469246559291152012-02-29T11:16:13.643+00:002012-02-29T11:16:13.643+00:00Yeah I guess it depends on how you define and meas...Yeah I guess it depends on how you define and measure success x how's your back doing?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post-56998781710922553552012-02-29T10:54:20.230+00:002012-02-29T10:54:20.230+00:00Lots of highly 'successful' people are act...Lots of highly 'successful' people are actually miserable.Motherfunkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10809370449833738968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post-22862418602026170022012-02-29T10:30:25.298+00:002012-02-29T10:30:25.298+00:00I hope by having the time to discover and nurture ...I hope by having the time to discover and nurture their interests and ultimately understand themselves better than they would if left in school pursuing someone else's curriculum at potentially the wrong pace and potentially in the wrong order for them will ultimately lead to a job/career/pursuits that will make them happy and will keep them enjoying life and learning which are of course the same thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post-73391923774496709062012-02-28T22:53:11.905+00:002012-02-28T22:53:11.905+00:00Yep, I think you're right. We don't get it...Yep, I think you're right. We don't get it right all the time either, but it's ok not to be perfect. If we were home edding to be super academic then the school-leaver stats aren't exactly hard to beat, but we're not aiming for that anyway. The goals and achievements we're aiming for relate to happiness and wellbeing, and helping our kids to find the courage and strength to live on their own terms, in their own good time, learning from all the people in their life, by living amongst people doing what they do, and following their diferent passions. And remembering that one day they will be someones lover, maybe someone's dad. It's not only about what job they might or might not be able to get :-)Motherfunkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10809370449833738968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8954736734810179748.post-25033980348879956062012-02-28T21:44:06.830+00:002012-02-28T21:44:06.830+00:00You know what I am just so grateful we have chosen...You know what I am just so grateful we have chosen to home-educate. I'm only sad we didn't choose to earlier. I can't say we are getting it ALL right ALL of the time and we definitely have wobbly bad days but that's life. I think we are learning so much more than any national curriculum education. I think we are learning to think for ourselves more and more. I wonder if we have adopted this non-trusting attitude when it comes to children simply out of spending less and less time with them due to the need for more time to work to keep up with the cost of the more and more consumerism lifestyle that exists here in the UK?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com