What to do instead of TV - Afterschooling

Dope that I am, I only recently discovered that I what I will start doing in the fall is called, “after schooling” hile I have been reluctant to call the teaching I do with my preschooler, “home schooling”, something about the idea of formal school for the under 5 set bothers me, I WILL be “schooling” him at home while he attends kindergarten, starting in the fall.

With my powerful observation skills, I managed to notice that many, if not most parents do some “afterschooling’ themselves. This appears to include helping with homework, completing complicated projects and driving carpool to Kumon, Sylvan and Score. My friend Crystal and I have a bit of a different idea.

While, yes, we may find ourselves doing any or all of the above mentioned things but, our idea is to fill in the gaps in a mainstream education. In other words, we plan to address those areas that schools don’t – or at least don’t in adequate depth. Most everyone agrees those areas include, art and music. We also think good literature, science and history may make the list.

And when exactly do we plan to insert yet more academic learning into our poor little, overworked kiddies brains? Why, when other children are watching TV, playing with licensed characters, punching buttons on their gameboys and reading Junie B. novels.

We don’t plan to cut out sports or even an occasional video. We plan to let them play, let them read and let them create. To that end, we’ve created a curriculum, with small objectives and lots of field trips, fun books to read, projects and experiments.

This month we’re starting with rocks and pre-history. We’ve rounded up books, borrowed a “teaching trunk” from our local Natural History Museum and found a “science experiment kit” focused on our topics. One an hour or so a week each family reads books, does projects or experiments, or just talks about our topic. Once a week or so we get together and do a field trip or bigger experiment or project.

Obviously, we’re just starting so we’ll see how it goes. But, since “nature abhors a vacuum” we need something to fill the space usually filled by mainstream pursuits.

It works for me …I hope!

Bookmark this post: