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What is education if not preparation for life? Real-life experiences give children practical knowledge and skills they can use and teach them how to apply their knowledge
Homeschooling provides control over education to incorporate family values, pursue intensive study of specific subjects into the basics. Schools of higher education add internships, fieldwork and laboratory practice into most programs of study. Parent teachers can use these same techniques of observation, practical experience, experimentation and work to provide a balanced approach to learning to increase each child’s success and quality of education. Observation includes field trips, interviewing, job shadowing, attending cultural events and watching adults work and socialize. Docents at zoos and museums answer questions and provide additional information. They can tell you special things to watch out for and encourage children to pay close attention. Standing on the observation deck and watching the Space Shuttle take-off leaves a more lasting impression than looking at pictures in a book and imagining what flying is like. Attending a legislative session or public meeting provides a glimpse into how laws are made. Having people explain their jobs and show how it's done makes the experience more real. Practical Experience is hands-on experience. Handling money, cooking, sorting laundry, building a birdhouse, learning to play an instrument or painting a picture are all practical experiences. Growing a garden shows where food comes from and how to identify fruits and vegetables. Changing the oil in the car, checking tire pressure, replacing wiper blades or adding fluids teaches auto maintenance. Opportunities abound to focus on the child’s interest or teach new skills. Parents, friends and relatives can share information about jobs or hobbies or take the child along for job-shadowing. Experimentation is based on scientific method. Scientists create an experiment to prove or disprove a hypothesis or educated guess. Experiments are not limited to science concepts and might include cooking, math, cleaning, money, gardening, anything that will help them learn a concept. Children have a natural ability to come up with a hypothesis based on what they already know or research a subject for information. Children start at a young age with experimentation, they learn lemons are sour and sugar is sweet by tasting. They might put mustard on ice cream to decide if they like the flavor. They know if they touch a hot curling iron, they burn their hand. They try new techniques to run faster, to throw a ball farther or to hold their breath longer. Experiments allow children to test ideas in a controlled environment and teach the importance of following directions and guidelines. Using safety first, talk about expected results, see if the expected result occurs, discuss why the experiment succeeded or failed and have fun discovering. Volunteering or Working is good experience for the older child. They can test out what they already know in a new environment and build on their knowledge. By volunteering at an animal shelter, a child will not only learn how to take care of the animals, but also what it takes to keep a non-profit running, fund-raising, marketing, stocking supplies and time management. They will learn what it means to be counted on to arrive on time and do the tasks assigned. Perhaps becoming a lifeguard will allow a teen to earn money. Mandatory coursework teaches safety and first aid to help assess injuries and provide proper care, from cleaning and bandaging minor wounds or calling the Medical Technicians for more severe injuries and illnesses. They will learn responsibility and problem solving skills to translate into daily living. Each child's interests and state and federal laws on child labor will dictate appropriate work and volunteer choices. Families can volunteer together through community organizations and nationwide networks. Where to find resources: Chambers of commerce and visitor’s bureaus can provide information about museums, zoos, galleries and businesses offering tours. A calendar of events showcases opportunities to attend special events anything from a Renaissance Fair to book signings by authors of fiction and non-fiction books and opportunities for volunteer service. Libraries are great places to find information and many offer computer and Internet use, hold story-times, sponsor reading groups and host special events. The internet is a great resource for summer jobs and volunteer work.
The copyright of the article Hands-on Education in Homeschooling is owned by Lyn Michaud. Permission to republish Hands-on Education in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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