27 November 2011

another year of learning

Last week we had the lovely Sandra come visit us. Sandra is one of the home ed monitors for THEAC (Tas Home Ed Advisory Council).  Part of the process of home education in Tasmania requires you to be registered and to be monitored.  This occurs around 12 months and then every two years if you are doing ok. It isn't about whether you are a good or bad teacher but just to check all is going well.  Here in Tasmania we are fortunate to have a council that is open and accepting of many styles of learning.

I felt mostly confident that we were doing fine but I think there is always that small niggly feeling that 'what if we haven't done enough'.  What an understatement LOL

Because both my kids had been to regular school for a short time we really did have to take it slow and 'de-school' for a bit.  Once they had come through that process though we evolved quite a bit and adopted a natural learning (unschooling for those in the USA) approach and haven't looked back really.

It wasn't until we had spent two hours with Sandra that I realised just how much we had done in the past 12 months!  Here is a round up of our year of not doing much........

Some of this is with our home ed group in Launceston and some are just activities as a family or with friends.
I am pretty sure I have missed some things but my memory is shot.  Whilst the kids both read quite fluently the eagerness to read comes and goes, same with writing.  Nienna is very keen on writing stories and will fill book after book with short stories.  Beren doesn't like hand writing but will write stuff on the computer and has an ongoing pokemon project.  They both enjoy games on the computer/DS and Wii as well as playing lego together. Nienna also loves imaginative play with dolls, doll house and littlest pet-shop toys. They also love using audio books and watching dvds.

Live Performances
Joseph and his dreamcoat
Oliver
Beauty and the Beast
Peter Pan

Excursions
Historic Franklin House visit (Launceston)
Coal Creek historic mining village (East Gippsland, Vic)
Sand sculptures and workshop (Frankston, Vic)
Historic Entally House (Launceston)
Convict cemetery tour (Launceston)
Forest and sustainability day (Golden Valley, Tas)
Beaconsfield Gold mine tour
Nature world (Bicheno)
Westbury maze (Westbury)
Tutankhamen exhibit (Melbourne museum)
Chinese museum (Melbourne)
Screen World (Melbourne)
Graeme Base Exhibit (Melbourne)
Vic Arts Centre
Oatlands History Room
MONA (Hobart)
Launceston museum

Recreation
Taikwondo (weekly)
Trampolining (weekly)
Highland dancing (weekly)
Launceston aquatic centre visits
Launceston bike and road awareness centre
blueberry picking
Games in the park
Home ed 3 day camp
Treasure Island play centre
Drama workshop
Beaconsfield skate park
Trevallyn dam reserve, kite flying day
Royal park play day

Activities
Scottsdale Kids Craft group (Weekly)
drawing day
zentangle/doodling workshop
origami workshop
egg dying
felting
sewing
easter ornaments
season table
Beach combing
cooking
sewing
costume design for fancy dress parties
Pottery
Science show and tell day

Team building games and 'get to know you' activities
Quiz day
Ambulance visit and talk with paramedic
Show and tell day
kite making

Bravehearts child safety presentation
Painting
planning and planting veg garden
putting up rain and temp gauges
writing poems
lego play
reading
mini plays
creating sculptures from cardboard and boxes
creating miniature shop
Boardgames and more boardgames
dying wool and felt







3 comments:

gemiNy said...

I'm dreading our visit for the same reason, although it won't be for another 3 months or so. I'll have to try writing everything in a list like that - looks really good summarised in that way :)

Kelli said...

I didn't do this list until afterwards but wish I had earlier, I wouldn't have stressed then LOL

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

Sitting on your fanny all year, are you? I'd hate to think what an active lifestyle looks like. Congrats on a great homeschool year! :)