curriculum

what even is it? this master that rules us all…. I think of these lovely well-meaning, probably nice people, all sitting around genuinely believing they are doing good for children writing away, contemplating every word. I do think it smacks of what a lawyer (friend’s father) once said about the law – that a belief…

It’s happening

There is something in the wind, and I think they are called hormones. H is definitely a young woman now. Apart from the physical, where she is a small number of cms shorter than me. They way she talks is changing. She has become authoritative! Opinionated! It’s fascinating. Thank goodness she still says she loves…

It is getting harder to write these posts

Mainly as my child is getting older. Her learning isn’t as photogenic.. not as subtle, perhaps. Today, we went to the NMIT (Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology). I saw squillions of things I wanted to “do”.. to play with. Big machines you could cut wood or metal with. I saw a room full of silk…

it looks like school to me

except she chose the activities that she has decided that are crucial… This is handwriting, mirror handwriting, upside down writing, left-hand writing, and handwriting in her own personal code. The words are from her Shakespeare insults calendar. “Now I am doing my ds the right way all the time..” Joined up writing to follow! Handwriting…

What! We don’t have to do anything?

rather “Please don’t”… Children do not like being incompetent any more than they like being ignorant. They want to learn how to do, and do well, the things they see being done by bigger people around them. This is why they soon find school such a disappointment; they so seldom get a chance to learn…

not doing my assignment

ooo don’t get me started on self-directed education, I might go on and on and on. That is not what my assignment is on. It is on something interesting that I have been enjoying reading about, and I enjoyed learning to use Canva. However, that is not what I shall be marked on. I totally…

so many words

I am doing my Masters and my current course is about play based learning, the value of play, in early childhood. I took the course thinking it was about play based learning fullstop, I just didn’t notice the ECE caveat because of course ECE is play based (aparently not!!) I thought. There are so many…

Keeping it real

Maybe this is technology.. either that or it’s just some random kind of learning. Now, a treasure hunt is a good thing if you want no client input. It’s all secret… and you can hang out undisturbed in your room. This was no whip up, that’s for sure. One morning, she even got up at…

What was I thinking when I worried…

I have hardly heard from my child for days. She goes into her room and communes with her (it’s now hers), laptop. “Who’d have thought writing was so addictive!” a quote! I was worried: writing, and I am sure there are other posts on me worring about her saying she wants to be a writer…

what happens at when I can’t see

H has been sick and spent a few days watching TV. This just happened to coincide with an interview on Radio New Zealand about how we don’t totally relax. I went with the whole mind-numbing TV thing until I was too restless and started some random projects, so my eyes were off the ball. H…