Unschooling James and Adam

Maria Montessori taught us that children learn through their senses, that’s why she designed her materials to be multi-sensory. Charlotte Mason taught us that “education is an atmosphere.” Gathering inspirations from these pioneers, I’d like to share some of the ways we unintentionally nurture a home that entices the senses, invites explorations, and create memories of childhood that we hope to provide our children for the years to come. Sight -movies, TV series, and Youtube videos displayed on the screen -shelves and stacks of books inviting us to read -artworks posted on our walls -art materials spread on the floor as a child spends an evening “in the zone” -Superhero costumes, action figures, Nerf guns, swords, and light sabers -seeing both parents doing chores, having conversations over coffee, crying or comforting each other, reading novels or playing computer games, working as a team, having adventures, solving life’s challenges together Sound -wa...

Dads and I talked about going to an orchard to see if we could go for rambutan/lansones picking. The boys wanted to bring their friends with us, so we did. We told the kids to bring some change of clothes in case we spot a river to swim in.  We didn't find any orchard but we saw lansones and rambutan trees along the way. They were still too young to bear fruits though, so we stopped and turned back. On our way, we saw three teenagers on the roadside, so we asked them if they know a place where we could swim. They pointed us to a river resort. Well, it used to be a river resort called "Riverview" but unfortunately, the cottages were washed up by the typhoon Nona. This river in Baranggay Sampaguita was a gem! The water was shallow, so there was no reason to worry as the kids explored. The water temperature was also perfect, not too cold or too warm. We enjoyed the place and we promised to come back next week!

Finn has a habit of sinking his teeth on my foot if I try to ignore him when he asks for food. Food that I just gave him a couple of minutes ago! It’s like he’s threatening that he would bite me if I do not succumb to his feline wishes. We don’t have a picky eater in the family. I take pride and joy in knowing that my husband and kids would eat anything I prepare for them. Let me brag a bit. They devour chicken liver and bitter gourd! Well, except for our cat! Finn would only eat a certain type of fish commonly called “Don Pilas.” If you serve him other kinds, even more expensive ones, he would not touch them. This fish connoisseur also wants his food cooked in a particular way. He doesn’t want it boiled or with salt or with a few drops of vinegar. He wanted it floured, then fried. And if you’re thinking that cats can’t count, think again. If I give him two pieces of fish, he would give me a look that might say “Seriously? Who are you kidding?” Then just last month, he just di...

                Some people say that one of the big reasons why they choose to send their children to school is because of all the fun things they would be missing out on. Proms, sports events, dance or music recitals, etc., You get what I mean. But let me tell you what happened on this rainy Thursday morning at home. It was the intramurals at the public school across the street. There was a parade. Students were cheering for their teams or grade levels. Of course, there were also sports events. This was one of the rare occasions where students do not have classes and get to socialize and play instead. It is a day a student do not want to miss. However, not every student plays a part in all of these activities. Right after the parade, which was a requirement for all the students to participate in, my kids’ friends came over to our house. The night before, James asked me if he could go to the school to see their friends compete. Hearing th...

This afternoon, the nearby public school cancelled their classes. This meant that James and Adam's friends were free, which also meant that our homeschool session would be cancelled. One of the reasons why we chose to homeschool is flexibility. We always have time to accommodate spontaneity. We can slow down with our lessons if a child doesn't get a concept in Math, maybe wait when he's ready for a language arts lesson, or skip a topic that doesn't interest us. In our household, we do not follow grade levels or certain curricula. We also do not give/take tests so there's no need to hurry just to tick off some boxes of to-learn lists. We take our time, we deep-dive if we have to, we stop when we get bored, or we change course when we see signs that learning isn't happening the way we want it to. So today, instead of Math pages, some writing activity, and independent reading, the boys spent the afternoon with friends. Some might think that it's wastin...