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Monday, November 23, 2015

D is for DELIGHT-DIRECTED learning! Review and GIVE-AWAY {ended}

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. THE WINNERS ARE:

SET 1: Dad Time Homeschooling; Do it Yourself Cooking Tips and Ideas and How to Homeschool -DEBBIE ROGERS

SET 2: Teach Your Child to Read, Write and Spell 100 Easy Bible Verses, Life Love and Dyslexia, Favorite Things to Color and How to Homeschool - CHASING SLOW

Please email me your mailing address at rodandmegs@yahoo.com so I can mail these out as soon as possible! Congratulations! CHECK OUT MY OTHER GIVEAWAY {Palace Pet, Rapunzel doll and Coloring Book} HERE. Ends Monday.

This is week 4 of Blogging Through the Alphabet - D is for Delight-Directed learning.

What exactly is delight-directed learning?

My favorite definition comes from Home Hearts:
 
Delight-directed learning takes advantage of the natural motivation in our children toward a passionate interest. Under mentoring, support, and guidance, the child is given the time and space to investigate and explore his interests. By providing the materials and applying the educational tools of learning (reading, writing, arithmetic, reason) to the subject matter, the child can learn to acquire knowledge for himself.
In delight-directed learning, there is no scope and sequence in which to learn “the facts.” Rather, the facts are acquired as a subject is developed from our child’s interests.
 
This will look different in each homeschool. And that's fine! Every homeschool family is different; every homeschool approach is different; and every homeschool family will homeschool differently with every homeschool approach. {Wow, that was a mouthful.}
 
We have just started our journey into delight-directed learning, but I am going to share how it looks in our family so far.
 
We take trips to the library at least once a week; normally, it's two or three trips weekly. The kids are allowed to select books on any subject that interests them. I do require one science, one history, one biography or geography book. Sometimes, they know what they want to explore. Other times, they pick books that look interesting. I usually throw in a book or two that I think they will enjoy. {And they always do!}
 
We use these journals from the Thinking Tree. There are a variety of pages in these journals like Reading Time; Creative Writing; Screen Time; Math Time; Spelling Time; World News Events; Meal Planning; and so many more! Each day, the kids have 1 hour of Reading Time. They choose four of their books and read each one for 15 minutes. Then, they use the squares on the Reading Time page to write a few interesting sentences or draw a picture or diagram. There are also Draw Anything pages in the journals, and I encourage them to draw a chart or diagram or something they can label on that page. {Doesn't always happen...but I do allow plenty of creativity!}
 
For screen time, they watch a tutorial or educational video and write and draw about it. I allow them to choose any topic they want - they have watched anything from a video on how the Titanic sunk to how to French braid hair, from science experiments with balloons to how to build a working Lego gun, from how to pet a bird to Native American homes. I enjoy seeing the diversity in their interests!

I will occasionally branch out on a topic {especially for Mercie, my 2nd grader}. When she was interested in Pocahontas, we watched movies on Indians, made some Indian crafts, and played Indians! When I could tell she was tiring of these activities, we stopped. Eli and Mikaela can branch out on their own, as they are in 5th and 7th grade, although they may need a push. Eli was reading books on how to pitch a baseball and practiced everyday in the yard. He can tell you exactly how to throw a curve ball or a split ball. Mikaela loves horses, and she has read books on horses, drawn horses, and call tell you what kind of horse it is by looking at it. We read a book on air, and the three littles and I did lots of experiments with air!

I am going to start a Pinterest board for each of them. They will be allowed to check their boards, pick an activity or two, read an article, and  branch out from there! This will allow them freedom to explore what peaks their curiosity, and I will be happy to have them learning more!

The biggest thing I have learned from delight-directed learning is to relax. I have to stop worrying that they will not learn the "appropriate" things and appreciate the diversity of their personalities and interests. I have to watch them learn, not force them to learn. {And don't we all know, you can't force a child to learn! Not that I have ever tried...No.}
 
We have used several boxed curriculums {curricula?} before, and I have written my own curriculum for the kids to use. What I have found is that they retain so little when homeschool this way. School is boring to them, something to dread rather than to anticipate. For me, too. Who wants to teach kids that obviously don't want to learn what you're teaching? How discouraging is it when our kids don't remember anything we have read to them? I know it has made me want to quit homeschooling before! Why bother when they don't want to learn? 
 
Our homeschool attitudes have done a 180 since we started delight-directed learning! They are interested in the books they are reading, therefore they retain so much! They get excited to read something they didn't know or learn an interesting fact they want to share with me. They don't complain about having to "do school". They want to work in their journals! They have been so motivated, that it motivates me.
 
We still use math and grammar workbooks. I am looking to do more hands-on math; more games and activities for the younger ones. I have yet to find a grammar program I love. I make the kids do math, grammar, and cursive first in the mornings, so they don't feel rushed through their journals, through their books, through their learning.
 
These journals are a wonderful resource for anyone using the Delight-Directed method of homeschooling. There is just enough structure that you can feel confident your kids are "doing enough schoolwork", but there is enough wiggle room for creativity and independence that your kids will feel in charge of their own education! This is not a multiple choice, fill in the blanks workbook. Look at these sample pages:





 
 
 


Sarah Janisse Brown has graciously sent me enough journals and books to have TWO giveaways! I am so excited for this.

The first set include the Dad-Time Homeschooling Journal, the Do It Yourself Cooking Tips and Ideas {my daughters love this one!}, and the purse-sized How to Homeschool book.

The second set includes Teach Your Child to Read, Write and Spell 100 Easy Bible Verses, "Life, Love and Dyslexia", Favorite Things to Color, and the purse-sized How to Homeschool book.

All you have to do to enter is this:
1.) Leave a comment {1 entry}.
2.) Follow me on Pinterest {1 entry}.
3.) Follow me on Google {1 entry}.

In your comment, please tell me if you start or if you already follow me on Pinterest or Google so I can know how many entries to give you. If you don't, you will only get one entry! You will be entered to win both sets, but you can only win one.  The winners will be chosen on Friday, November 27, 2015 at 8:00 am {yes, Black Friday}.

Check out Dyslexia Games on Facebook or here. Sarah has an amazing variety of journals and books on Amazon, so check that out, too!
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Linking up with Adventures with Jude and Through the Calm and Through the Storm for Blogging Through the Alphabet!
 


37 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I just started following you on Pinterest and Google. Thank you :)

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  2. Very cool giveaway! Thanks!

    ~Okaasan

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  3. I love these, books, they look perfect for my 5 children! Thanks! cross_home2001@yahoo.com

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  4. I love these journals!! My five year old is a creative learner so this is a perfect system for her!

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  5. I followed you on Pinterest...I'm not on Google+ so I can't help you there. :-)

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  6. Oh, we would love to have the blessing of the Bible verses and to learn more on dyslexia. I have a daughter who struggles with some signs of it. I'm a follower on both Pinterest, Google Friends and my reader :)

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

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    1. You are the WINNER of Set 2!! Email me at rodandmegs@yahoo.com with your mailing address!

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    2. ((((thank you!!!)))) Happy Dancing!!! We made it up the mountain yesterday and I got a special package of these goodies from you. I'm so excited to sit down with a tall chestnut praline latte and swoon over them. It's a true blessing and we are very grateful.

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  7. These books are amazing started following you on pinterest. I have a 1st grader boy with no interest in school always looking for fun ideas to keep it fun.

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  8. Thank you for the giveaway. Following you on Pinterest and google.

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  9. Following you on Google and going to pinterest now

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  10. Would love to win one of these! I've had my eyes on these and would love yo be able to try them out before purchasing:) Winning would accomplish that!

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    1. Also started following you on Pinterest and Google plus

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  11. Would love to win one of these! I've had my eyes on these and would love yo be able to try them out before purchasing:) Winning would accomplish that!

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  12. My kids have just started using these journals and we loooove them. We'd love to win more! Thanks for the chance!

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  13. I can not wait for next school year, these journals are so wonderful and using them full time is my dream! I'd do love to win, we all would!!

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    1. I'm going to find you on Google and Pinterest now to up my chances :) Thank you!!

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  14. Replies
    1. It's on my side bar if you look at the web version (not mobile). My user name is rodandmegs on pinterest if you can't find it. :-)

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  15. These would be great for one of my pupils.

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  16. I follow you on Pintrest and Google!! I hope I win!! ❤️❤️

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  17. Thank you for the review - looks like a FUN curriculum!!

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  18. These look like lots of fun! We do a more traditional school routine but my kids do lots of self directed learning on their own time and I think they'd enjoy these!

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  19. We are delight-directed learners, and I just blogged about it as well. These look like so much fun!

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    1. Oh, and I am also following you on Pinterest and G+ now too! :)

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  20. I just discovered these books and received my order today. I am so excited to start using them with my oldest son after Thanksgiving. I look forward to following your pinterest too. Thanks!

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  21. I am a new follower on Google+ as well as Pinterest. :) Thank you for this opportunity.

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  22. I would love to win one of these sets! I'm following you on google and pinterest.

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  23. I keep looking at these books because I think it would help me make the leap from our regularly scheduled curriculum to a delight-directed approach. I'm not quite ready to just jump into a delight-directed style without some sort of structure for our days.

    I also follow you on google+ and Pinterest.

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  25. I already have to one for Dad's on my Amazon wish-list - we'd love to win it!

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    1. You are the WINNER of Set 1! Email me at rodandmegs@yahoo.com with your mailing address. Enter my other giveaway! Look at the top of this post!

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    2. Enter my other giveaway! Look at the top of this post!

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    3. Awesome! I will email you shortly. So for the delay in responding - yesterday I wasn't online much as we found out we are expecting baby #3!!

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  26. id love to try these awesome books out in my homeschool!

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