I love hands-on learning. In fact, I think hands-on learning is the best way to learn. Now don't hear me wrong, I don't think everything needs to be a unit study, like where you recreate the small intestines out of sheets and blankets, dissect an animal, or eat foods that don't need as many digestive juices (whew, I get tired just thinking that way).

 

I'm just of the opinion that kids learn best when they're doing their "thing" with gentle guidance from their parents. It's building, experimenting, coloring, cooking, traveling, seeing, playing on things and with things, eating, smelling, and experiencing. Sometimes those powerful lessons happen after the "official school" closes for the day.

 

Again, this is just me, but sometimes I think educators try too hard to force hands-on learning. Too often, it feels made-up, arbitrary, and extremely difficult to pull off. Real, hands-on learning feels natural.

 

Take last week. We took the whole family to the local children's zoo. We didn't have a plan, and we didn't make the kids report on what they saw. We just walked from exhibit to exhibit, ahhing and oohing over all the diverse animals. My children will never forget feeding an 18' tall giraffe, and its incredibly long and gross, purple tongue acting as a hand as it picked the leaves from their hands.

 

Today, my son Abe (12) was carving a wooden sword from a plank of wood, Ike (14) was figuring out how to wire a 220-volt circuit for his new plasma cutter, and Cal (7) and Jed (5) strategized as they played Settlers of Catan.

 

That my fellow, homeschooling parent, is real, hands-on learning, the best, God-designed way of learning, that you shouldn't grade. But it sure is messy.

 

Be real,

Todd

 

Hey, I'll be speaking in Columbus, Indiana, this weekend at a homeschool group. Did you know you can see where I'll be speaking anytime you want? Click here to see. Who knows, I may be right in your neck of the woods. Also, If you live less than FIVE hours from northern Indiana, you can have me speak to your homeschool group or church. It's easy.

Go here and read an interview from an enthusiastic homeschool mom. Please leave a comment (below the contest rules) about the interview or ask a question in the comments section and you will be entered in a drawing to win a level of your choice from from All About Learning Press, over a $100.00 valued giveaway. Please, one entry per person. The drawing will be on September 30th and the prize will be shipped direct to the winner from All About Learning Press by mid October.

 

Chess is Child's Play, is a 26 chapter, 302 page book written by Laura Sherman and Bill Kirkpatrick. It helps you to teach your children chess by breaking it down into small and simple steps. It can be used to teach children beginning at age 2 all the way up. It even taught me how to play chess. Each lesson has a mini game to go along with it to help cement in the learning of the game, which also makes learning chess fun!

 

The preface is full of the many benefits of playing chess. They range from sportsmanship to problem solving, self-confidence, greater patience and focus and so much more. The lessons are a chapter, a few pages long, that you the parent read and then teach your child through games how to play chess. The games start off very simple to help you learn each piece's name and how they can move. Chess manners are discussed as well. As you work your way further through the book the lessons build on each other and get more complex. Before you realize it, you know how to play chess, as does your child. You both will have a great time along the way as well.

 

While we do own a few chess boards our family had no prior chess experience. This book has made teaching chess easy. We were able to work on it 3 nights a week learning chess. Each lesson and game took about 15 minutes to master. I like that I am able to teach them together and then they can play the simple games together until the next lesson. We are all learning together, even me. My 3 children who range in ages 7-13 have all been able to learn together. (. . .)

 

(To read the rest of the review, click HERE.)