Keris Stainton's Blog, page 32

Homeschooling Harry: What’s unschooling?

One of the first things people ask me about homeschooling is how I know I can teach Harry everything he needs to know. As if I’m just going to be doing school, but at home. That’s what I would’ve thought too, before I started reading up on homeschooling and that is, I think, what a lot of homeschoolers at least start out trying to do.

Even with the Flexischooling, we started trying to do a bit of writing, maths, French, science, but found very quickly that it didn’t work. Harry resisted being “taught” by me and I wasn’t that keen on it either, mainly because it just wasn’t fun. One of the main reasons I wanted to try homeschooling in the first place was because Harry has such a love of learning and when we tried to do it “formally” I felt like I was bashing the love right out of it.

I remember when Harry first started school, I wrote a blog post complaining about some homework he’d been given and a friend said she wanted her son to do homework because she wanted him to know that school wasn’t the only place for learning. That baffled me at the time and it still baffles me now. You don’t have to spend very long with children before you realise that they’re learning all the time. Learning doesn’t have to be done with books or tests or even interactive whiteboards. You know when toddlers drive you round the bend asking “Why?” all the time? That’s learning.

So the main thing about unschooling is that I won’t be ‘teaching’ Harry, he’ll be learning through, you know, living. The first thing I read that really made me think about how this works was that children learn some of the biggest things they’ll EVER learn – walking and talking, for a start – just by living and playing and being in the world, but then suddenly, at age 4, society suggests the only education is formal education.

From everything I’ve read, it seems that children can pick up everything they need to know (obviously what they need to know is another discussion!) by themselves. They follow their own interests/passions and parents act more as facilitators than teachers.

Kate Fridkis has a really great post about learning how to write. This is my favourite part:

As the founder and leader of The Manhattan Free School, Pat Werner recently explained to a group of educators, kids never stop learning. They are learning all along. They don’t “learn to read” the moment when they pick up a book and can sound out the words. They’ve been processing relevant information since they were born, and that moment is only the moment when the information begins to fit together in a way others can plainly observe and categorize.

Harry Reads to Joe update: 56%

So when I last posted about this, I said “How soon can we get to 50%?” and we did it in three days! How cool is that?

Harry and Joe were featured on the Save the Children UK Facebook page, which was brilliant and gave funds a big boost. I’ve been nagging away on Twitter and Facebook too and we’re all really thrilled at how supportive everyone  has been – thank you!

I just wanted to share what Harry said when someone from Save the Children asked why he wanted to do this:

“I think anyone would want to help poor children. So they can have a better future. And it’s sad that they don’t have enough to eat at such a little age.”

You can read about the challenge here and sponsor him here.

10 days Shredded

Yes, I know it’s probably been 30 days since I started it, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it every day. Not just because it’s hard, but because if I tried to do it every day I’d get bored and give up. I know myself. But I’ve finished the 10 days of Level 1, so I thought I’d post an update.

So I’ve been doing it alternate days where possible and while it is undeniably hard, it’s not as bad as I’d expected it to be. It can’t be, because I can do it. I wouldn’t say I enjoy it exactly, but I do love the sense of relief and achievement at the end. When I used to run, I never experienced the famous “runners’ high” but I do get a high at the end of this workout. I always want to laugh and not just when Jillian says, “I know you feel a knot in your stomach – that’s your muscles getting stronger. That is fear leaving your body.”

Body-wise, I don’t think I look any different. I’ve noticed progression in that the workout has got easier and I can do things now I couldn’t do in the beginning. And I think my waist is slightly slimmer, but that’s all. My skin’s better though and also my hair, oddly enough – when I get up in the morning it looks much the same as when I went to bed, instead of it being all stuck to my head on one side and mad on the other. I’ve also noticed that I’m not eating as much and I’m definitely not eating as much chocolate, plus I’m drinking more water and less tea/coffee/wine. I’m also finding it much easier to get up in the mornings. So I call that a win.

Now on to Level 2!

Little Howard’s Big Show (featuring David)

We all absolutely love Little Howard’s Big Question on CBBC. It’s one of only a few shows that David and I will happily watch without the boys (see also: Phineas & Ferb and Horrible Histories).

David took Harry to see the Little Howard live show a couple of years ago, but I missed out because Joe was too young, so when I spotted they were on tour again, I booked tickets for all of us.

We didn’t tell the boys and when we got to the theatre and Joe saw the poster for the show, he said, “Can we go and see that one day?” Heh.

Disappointingly, there were not very many people there at all. I counted about 40, but it seemed like less since the theatre was about 75% empty. I really don’t understand it, since what, um, Big Howard does is so original, clever and funny – he should be hugely famous in my opinion.

Despite the slight awkwardness – which Howard acknowledged – the show was great. David ended up on stage. Sort of.

Harry thought it was hilarious, but Joe wasn’t sure at all, partly because of the added cartoon eyes and “scary teef!”

We all thoroughly enjoyed it, but it would have been even more fun with a full crowd. If you get a chance to see Little Howard’s Big Show, you really should go. There’s nothing like it. And, you never know, you might end up being part of the show.

52 Books: The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes

Oh I was so desperate to read this book. Not just a new Marian Keyes, but a Walsh Family book! I was lucky enough to get a proof copy (sent by a lovely Twitter friend) and I settled down to read it straight away.

And I loved it. Of course I did. I can’t add anything to this fabulous review by Jojo Moyes, except to say that I finished reading it on the train and had to stifle my sobs. (I always seem to end up reading books that make me cry on the train!)

I’m worried now that there will be no more Walsh Family books. But my friend Alison pointed out that baby Kate from Watermelon is a teenager now (she briefly appears in The Mystery of Mercy Close too) so maybe we’ve got the Walsh Family: Next Generation to look forward to. I really hope so.

 

This one time, at BlogCamp…

Photo by Sally Whittle

When I got my book deal, my editor asked me if I’d be willing to do school visits, etc., and I almost threw up. I said yes, yes I would, but I remember thinking “Yeah. When hell freezes over!”

Giving ‘talks’ was my absolute worst thing at school (I did one on budgies and another on Bucks Fizz). And then at university (by which time they’d been renamed ‘presentations’). The thought of standing at the front with everyone looking at me… *shudder*

But then I got invited to do a school visit and I loved it. Okay, some of it was mortifying and I still feel slightly sick remembering it, but it was also thrilling and inspiring. I haven’t done loads of visits, but I’ve done a good few and I get more confident each time (I’ve been really lucky that I’ve done most of them with a couple of Lancashire librarians who are so lovely and supportive that they make it very easy for me).

But then I was invited to speak at BlogCamp. And that would be in front of grown-ups. My first thought was “Hell no!” but then I remembered this

Can’t find the original source, sorry.

and so said yes.

And I really enjoyed it. I was terrified, spent the last few minutes attempting to talk with absolutely no moisture in my mouth at all, and didn’t stop shaking for about fifteen minutes after, but I still enjoyed it. No, really.

And – as with the Vanessa Show fiasco experience – I was just so proud that I’d done it.

Thanks so much to Sally Whittle for organising it all and inviting me and thank you to all the bloggers who were so encouraging on the day (when you’re not really sure that you’re making any sense, it’s really helpful to see people smiling and nodding) and who have tweeted and blogged lovely things since.

(No flutes were harmed in the making of this post.)

Harry reads to Joe update

Yes, we’re a quarter of the way there! How brilliant is that? It’s only been just over a week.

If you’ve been reading the Harry Reads to Joe blog, you’ll know there have been ups and downs, but Harry’s genuinely thrilled to see the total donated increasing (Joe couldn’t really give a hoot) and I really appreciate all your donations, retweets and lovely comments – thank you!

Now, how soon can we get to 50%?

Author interview: Stephanie Butland

I’m honoured to be taking part in the blog tour for Stephanie Butland’s second book, Thrive. I read Stephanie’s first book – How I said Bah! To Cancer – recently, after a family member was diagnosed, and it’s just wonderful: practical, comforting, encouraging and warm. But I didn’t ask Stephanie about cancer, I asked her about writing and books.

Can you tell us about your writing day?

My writing day varies according to whether I’m writing or editing. When I’m writing, I like to write 1000-1500 words in the morning, then let what I’ve written ‘cook’ for the rest of the day while I do other things – research, emails, tomorrow’s blog post. (Knitting, walking on the beach, going out for lunch….) Next morning, I will go back over those 1500 words, then add the next lot. If I’m editing it’s a much more intensive process – I will probably have 3 sessions a day, and do the edit fairly quickly, and ignore as much of the rest of my life as I can.

Writing can be a lonely occupation – how do you cope with the solitary nature of being an writer?

I embrace it. I write in the studio at the bottom of the garden, and I think as I make the very small walk from house to studio something shifts in me as I know that what I’m walking towards is space and time to write. Anyone who has ever tried to write while helping with homework at a dining table will know what a luxury that is!

Have you ever experienced writers’ block and, if so, how did you get past it?

Not really. I’ve got a bit stuck on manuscripts once or twice, and what I’ve done then is gone back to an earlier draft to see whether I’ve taken a wrong turn in the latest one. That’s always been enough to kick start things.

How is being a writer different from what you imagined?

It’s much more collaborative. I’m working with two brilliant editors (one for my fiction, one for my non-fiction) and every time I implement suggestions from either of them I see my work get so much better. And I had no idea of how much goes on between submitting a manuscript and having a book in your hand.

Have you got any abandoned manuscripts no one will ever see?

There’s a first novel on floppy discs somewhere, that I wrote about 10 years ago. An agent at the time said ‘I’d quite like to see your next thing’ which is, I think, a reasonable assessment of it: if it had been a school essay it would have come back with ‘shows promise, must try harder’ written across it.

What has been your proudest writing moment (so far)?

Holding the first book in my hands. For me, that was the point at which I was really a writer.

If you had to live within the confines of one book, and only interact with its characters (but you would still be yourself), which book would you choose?

This is a fantastic question and I am a little bit sad that it isn’t a real option! I think it would have to be ‘Sense And Sensibility’. Elinor Dashwood is one of my favourite characters in fiction and I think she and I would get on really well. I’d have access to a big library, and would be able to sew and read and spend whole days buying ribbons for a bonnet. I would have a slightly contradictory reputation as an expert needlewoman and outrageous flirt. And, when Marianne died of some reckless thing or other, Alan Rickman would fall in love with me. (I’d be living in the Ang Lee version).

Which three books would you take to a desert island?

This, on the other hand, is an EVIL question and I’m going to cheat. The complete works of Jane Austen, the complete works of John Updike (a Jane Austen for 20th century America), the complete book of all poetry EVER.

If a film was made of your life, who would you want to play you?

Hmmm. Kate Winslet, probably. If she had forgiven me for pushing her off a cliff in Sense and Sensibility.

Thanks so much, Stephanie. You can read more about Stephanie at her blog or follower her on Twitter. Her first novel, Surrounded by Water, will be published in Spring 2014. 

Oatmeal and raisin cookies

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A couple of nights ago, we watched a Sesame Street podcast featuring the word ‘ingredient’. A little girl and her dad made oatmeal and raisin cookies. They looked good (and easy to make), so we picked up the ingredients we were missing (“Ingredient!”) and rustled up a batch.

They were really good. We’ll definitely be making them again. In fact, we’ve got some dough left over, but I’m probably just going to eat that raw… (We used this recipe.)

Homeschooling Harry: Every Day Learning

So we’ve had a week of homeschooling – how’s it been?

Just lovely. Really.

I know it’s going to take some time to get used to. I know that for a while at least, we’re going to feel like it’s still the summer holidays and not that this is permanent. But right now I feel a bit like I do when I remember I work for myself and I don’t have to go to an office anymore. I feel free.

But, yes, I know, it’s not entirely about me. How does Harry feel? During the summer holidays, whenever I mentioned going back to school he said he wasn’t going. I suggested that he at least try Year 4, maybe for 6 weeks? And he said, “Nope. That’s not happening.” I didn’t blame him. It was just me trying to delay the decision really, because how is leaving six weeks into a new year any easier/better than just not going back at all?

By the end of the holidays, I was convinced that staying home was the right decision, but David was still wavering. So we sat down and talked about it. And I managed to convince him that since me and Harry were all for it, he should really get on board. (Also, I used the ‘If it doesn’t work out, he can go back any time…’ argument. I was talking to a friend at the weekend – hi, Alison! – and she said I mentioned it a couple times, that he could go back if it didn’t work out. And that’s because it’s a big thing for me. It seems like a huge decision – and it is – but it’s not an irreversible one and that’s comforting.)

The next morning, I told Harry that Daddy had agreed he didn’t have to go back to school and he said, “That’s what I’ve been hoping for.” Which made me cry a little bit, obviously. I said, “What should we call it, do you think?” I’d been thinking that I didn’t want to call it ‘homeschooling’ since it really has nothing to do with school. Harry said, “How about… every day learning.” Which is perfect, of course.

There’s so much I want to say about all of this – so much that I’ve been lying awake at night composing blog posts in my head – but I’ll just leave it there for now. Except for a couple of paragraphs I read in a recent blog post by Penelope Trunk (who homeschools her two sons) that made me shout, “Yes!” and bounce in my seat with excitement:

I confess that I love seeing how excited I can make them with the world around them. I loved their mouths hanging open. I loved their smiles and seeing them jump in their seats. I want their whole lives to be like that. Every day. I want to teach them how to make that for themselves.

In the meantime, they give that to me. At least once a day. And I think that is really why I’m keeping them out of school. So we can all have more joy, each day, together.

In London. On a school day.