Killing fears and exploring beauty of life......

Words from Jay Vasavada , Kavishri Rajendra Shukla has provided seeds of inspiration for home schooling years ago. Being impress from an idea and putting it into real life are two different things, but I was firm about - study must be fun first. Not fully willing to send Ashna school at age of 2 1/2 ,but applied at one school nearby and got admission without donation. Frankly, school decision totally taken by watching other's example.Not happy with school environment,uniform etc. Playgroup passed without much problem. Jr. KG teacher started complaining about writing reluctance. Same complain in Sr. KG and in 1st too. Teacher's biased attitudes, no child-centered vision of school, age old teaching methods, more pressure on academic development and always blaiming parents responsible for child's poor performance....all these has vanished our hope that there may be some change in today's schools. Everyday feeling guilty for sending our child at school and killing her originality,curiosity,happiness and disturbing peace at home....still we could not think about leaving school.Why?


This school is counted as one of the best schools in Surat and that too near to our home.
No exams upto 1st standard unlike other schools.
Ashna never said she doesn't want to go school.
She was getting touch of her age children.


What if we leave school? Home schooling always attracted us but as I said to believe in something and to act upon it are different. Thousands of questions...and fears attached with them. Applied in same school for Megh and same as Ashna got admission without donation but before that decided to follow will and home school at least Megh. Then don't want to be in condition like hemlat,before school opening in June asked Ashna if she is ready for homeschooling, she agreed and big relief!


But following will is not so simple - have to be clear & firm in each and every aspects attached with homeschooling decision. What a child learn at school? Is it possible to teach everything being at home? We are never in teaching field, will we prove good teacher? What about methods of teaching? Will she miss school ever? What about socialization? Apart from courage to take such decision, dedication and responsibility are major criteria. Then what about my career? because with service oriented work it is not possible to home school children. Need to learn how to be effective teacher. How to control our own temperament? Provide them all facility to nurture their interests and keep away all our conventional parenting and teaching conditioning. When anybody ask about it we must be firm and confident to answer any question, so children too feel confident about it. Read lot (many home schooling websites, people’s experiences,Russell,Vasily,Osho.Krishnamurti etc.), thought lot....and was sure about this process will not end , but have to create our own unique way.One of my customer who is chairperson of a school trust asked "Don't you feel you are detaching your daughter from her school life?" A friend asked "Suppose in future you ever feel your children are lagging behind than other children then?" My uncle's first reaction "Are you crazy? I know a girl who was home schooled and can never mix with people" One of our friend's mummy who was teacher still try to convince us rethink about it. My parents who completely trust me and never resisted my decision were too bit worried but now happy. Thousands of questions (fears) - social, financial, psycological, educational, pedagogical etc. So,killing fear of future,fear of uncertanity in life,fear of any obstacle coming into way of following our will.


Killing fears has given us strength,courage and opportunity to explore beauty of life.We learn things at our convenience and pace,according to our interest. No duck and horse comparison,no compititon,no exam and minus points of school removed away.Have enough time for developing our interests. Children completely enjoyed last monsoon season-bathing in rain,playing with sand,taking rain-walk,learning about rain and water cycle etc.Megh leaisurely enjoys his gardening passion instead worry for school timing. Ashna is not tired during her gymnastics class like other school going children and enjoys it very much and in morning can take enough sleep!.Can apply our own innovative ideas to academic education too,no restriction of syllabus can go for any book or website which can satisfy our curiosity or thrust to learn.Can enjoy camp fire in winter.Can take equal part in matter of home from shopping,renovation,planning garden to cleaning and feel responsible. We are not worried about her performance at school and no hurry to start academic education for Megh.Most important is we have time ...children can come to us,ask and we too have enough time to answer & explain them,play with them...less chance to miss beautiful moments of life which we were missing because of hurriness and lack of time....advantage - more attachment between family members.Freedom of time,selecting syllabus,thinking,working,learning & enjoying!!! Open and aware to learn from everything -nature,book,website,life around or people around.So,this is beauty of life for us.

Butterfly Garden

After we planted caterpiller host plants like milkweed and a kind of lily (we call it baby lily) we have noticed many caterpillers and their life on those plants. We decided to do something more in this direction and planned for butterfly garden. For butterfly garden one needs two kind of plants 1. nectar plants which can attracts adult butterflies and 2. host plant which can provide food to caterpiller. We already have barmasi (perwinkle) ,jasood (hibicus), plumbago and many other flower plants which atrracts butterflies. But when we came to know about and brought pentas,lantana,verbena,jetropha we have seen difference. Some butterflies sticks to these flowers such that we can do photography. Still we are learning together more about butterfly garden and different species of butterfly. Butterfly likes sunlight,wet places,flat stone to enjoy sun light on.


Nikhil a crazy plants buyer brings new plants for butterfly garden everyday. Ashna is learning about different plants ,their name and their speciality from our talks. Sometimes Megh too babbling some names but he is the most hard working person on this program! He enjoys digging for plantation. My work is research about different plants and butterflies.


Ash too joined digging and plantation work but while digging she found a small statue Megh has hide few days back in soil. And she reminded video she seen on net digging and finding dainasour's fossils and she has imitated those girls on video. Clean statue with paintbrush and collected broken parts of it.

Tides

For Gymnastics class daily we have to cross bridge on river Tapi. Children are use to observe river and keen to notice water level goes up and down. Day after full moon day while passing from bridge Ash noticed water level was low. She asked why? I told her there are two tides everyday but on full moon day and new moon day you can see difference clearly in water level. Now, Why on full moon day and new moon day?

She was having knowledge about how day and night and how moon rotates around earth but not knowing how full moon and new moon occurs. Started experiment with globe and source of light. First experiment how day and night occurs by projecting her as Earth first and then using globe. Then using mirror as moon explains how full moon and new moon day occurs and how different phases of moon. Still her question was unanswered. And because it is difficult to explain her gravitational forces of sun and moon (though tried to explain with magnets), centrifugal force of earth and other reasons behind tides on full moon and new moon days. Answer in short ,because positions of sun and moon on these two particular days are so which causes tides. Though her curiosity half satisfied she was happy knowing something new about full moon and new moon day and enjoyed long discussion about how earth born and how life came into existence. Now we are going to take record of water level each day.

Mirror Magic!

Making Patterns

Shopping+Maths

Yesterday we went for some shopping. We have learnt Line Symmetry recently so finding symmetries in buildings,flyover,vehicles,numbers etc. It was fun for Ash as she digested Line Symmetry perfectly. There was a cell no. on one advertise board 9377793777 …confused for a while then said “No”.

[ She has enjoyed following links to understand line symmetry.

http://www.linkslearning.org/Kids/1_Math/2_Illustrated_Lessons/4_Line_Symmetry/index.html

http://regentsprep.org/regents/math/symmetry/Lsymmet.htm

She like making 7 pins Polygon and finding symmetries in them. Is there any symmetry in Alphabet letters? Yes, then Vertical, Horizontal or Both? Found 3 Symmetry in Triangle,4 in Square, 5 in Pentagon , 6 in Hexagon – summarized the rule and most surprised by Circle! ]

Then we have purchased two kind of dates- Irani & Kapkap. Irani date box weighted 2 kg 600 gram and Kapkap box weighted 3 kg 400 gram. Irani – 40 Rs. per Kg and Kapkap 65 Rs. per kg. It was date and jaggery wholesale merchant- Ash noticed whole shop – big weighing scales, types of dates & jaggery. I have asked her amount of irani dates. She is familiar with kilo and gram words but not knowing relation and still unaware of division and fraction so got confused. On road I just told her 1kg=1000gram. Then she counted Rs. 110 but then left it pending to make it clear at home.

At home, we took 3 clay pot (diya pot) and marbles. For 1 kg took 10 marbles in one clay pot and explain her 1 marble=100 gram dates. So three clay pots containing 10,10 & 6 marbles. Now, for 1 kg we have to pay 40 Rs. Then how much for 100gram? To simplify divided 10 marbles in 5’s two group …now 20 Rs. for 500 gram and got answer 4 for 100 gram. And then final amount of Rs. 104 for 2 kg 600 gram dates.

Same way she found amount for Kapkap dates. Just simplified calculation by changing rate to Rs. 60. and She enjoyed it.