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| The boys love hands-on science. senk 2013 |
If you were to ask Joey what his favorite homeschooling lessons are, he would look at you quite resolutely and reply, "science." Not only are his science lessons hands-on, but they're infused with integrated learning. Joey reads and writes in his journal about his latest exploration topic (currently constellations), follows directions to assemble kits and models (recently an inexpensive microscope kit), and becomes an eye-witness for how science works (such as, observing the transition between physical states of water from solid to liquid to gas).
Joey will spend hours putting together a wheelbarrow, parking gate, letter scale, crane, and various other levers-based designs with his Engino Mechanical Science Building Kit or using his Little Labs series Intro to Engineering test the speed of a racing car he built as it traveled down inclines and explore concepts of engineering on land, with air, and in water. It's amazing to see how easily he follows the directions in the accompanying booklets and revels over the challenges they provide.
But, Joey isn't just learning science through reading or assembling kits. He also has science integrated with mathematical principles. For Christmas, dear friends (and neighbors) bought Joey a gem of book: Addition Adventures by MindWare. This booklet weaves together addition and orienteering in order to discover the answer to a posed problem (such as, which clump of grass has a hidden 4-leaf clover). Joey solves the addition problem and then uses the answer to move along the grid in the specified compass direction. The trail twists and turns around the grid, until it stops on the right answer. Of course, my almost-6-year-old likes to provide more of a challenge for himself and answers the addition problems in Roman numerals, but you don't have to. {Nota been: if you get the Addition Adventures book, make a note that there is a typo on page 28. Joey discovered it! Number 20 should be "9 + ___ = 11 (E)"}
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| Levers with Grandmommy - how exciting! senk 2013 |
Suffice it to say, I love integrated learning! Outside of the grade-specified school setting, learning is not rigid and specific, but dynamic and integrated. I hope Joey and I can continue to embrace life-long learning and find ways to link together subject matter, rather than filter them into remote topics for study.
What are your thoughts on integrated learning? How do you find ways to bring subject matter together rather than rend them into separate categories?
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