5 Great Unplanned Homeschool Lessons

March 19, 2009

One of the things I like about homeschooling my son is that many of his most memorable lessons are completely unplanned.  The reason I mention this is, even if you don’t homeschool your kids, I think it is important to pay attention to the little learning opportunities in ordinary experiences.  Kids may learn a lot from books and teachers, but the lessons they are likely to remember are the ones they enjoy.

When I started blogging, I hadn’t decided if I would write about homeschool or about bigger life issues.  This was one of the posts I had written about homeschooling, but I think it is worth sharing here as well.

These were my five favorite unplanned lessons:

1.  Pollination Station

This was the nickname my son gave himself after learning about pollination in our botany class last spring. He went around the yard finding flowers, to locate their stamens and pistils. The lesson got especially fun for him when he decided that, like the bees, he would pollinate the flowers by picking one flower and shoving it, none too delicately, into another. Clearly, this was not the most successful pollination method, but he will most likely remember the concept.

2.  Charlotte’s Web

While we were reading Charlotte’s Web, a fairly impressive garden spider had taken up residence on our front porch. My son started calling it Charlotte and, for a few weeks, we were mindful of her presence and careful not to disturb her web. We took pictures of her and observed all sorts of details about her behavior. Shortly after we finished the story, while we were still a little sad that Charlotte had died, we found the egg sac that our Charlotte had left behind! We guarded that egg sac through the winter and, when we found it empty the following spring, my son said Charlotte’s 514 babies had “flown” away. I don’t think he’ll ever forget Charlotte’s Web.

3.  World Showcase

We recently visited EPCOT Center’s wonderful display of countries. China and Norway were particularly interesting for my son because we recently learned all about China’s terracotta warriors, and Vikings like Eric the Red. It was exciting for him to see these replicas in person, since it made the lessons come to life. For me it was impressive that the people working in those “countries” are actually from each country; most of them come here on visas for a year. It felt interestingly authentic.

4.  Catching Rainbows

The front door to our house has glass in the middle, with tiny, beveled sections. One morning the sun was shining through at just the right angle to create little rainbows throughout our living room. We talked about the beautiful colors being formed by the light and the prisms, and about how rainbows seem to have magical qualities that just make people smile. So we set out to “catch” as many rainbows as we possibly could, gathering happiness to share with everyone we know.

5.  Bubbles in the Rain

When it rains in Georgia, it is not usually advisable to get out in it because of the potential for lightning. However, on this particular day, we enjoyed a light, steady, non-threatening rain. My son and I went out to play in the rain and puddles. For some reason we decided to blow bubbles with one of those really big bubble wands. At first, nothing particularly special happened. But after a short while, as the light rain fell into the bubble liquid, something started to change.

The bubbles, which were HUGE, would not pop! They bounced on leaves, on holly bushes, on roses, on the pavement and the roof several times before popping. It was the most amazing thing! My son caught a bubble in each hand, and joined them together. We rolled bubbles on the driveway and joined them to make one huge one. We watched bubbles floating by, as raindrops started to collect inside them! Since bubbles usually pop as soon as they touch something, it felt as if time was literally standing still so that we could play in the rain. That day we learned to fully enjoy the present moment.

What are some neat unplanned lessons you have shared with your kids?

Related posts:

1. Learning and Becoming: Six Life Lessons
2. Why Do You Fear Being Great, You Yellow-Bellied Coward?
3. Inspiration: Helen Keller “Great and Noble Tasks”

Posted in family, homeschool, present moment