Time to Play

As a homeschooling parent, one of the most valuable gifts I give my child is time.  Time to spend how he chooses.  There's plenty of time to eat when he's hungry, drink when he's thirsty, and use the bathroom when he needs to--basic freedoms we don't take for granted, having once been in school.

There's a lot of time to talk together, natural conversations arising from the TV shows he watches and the games he plays.  Funny stories.  Musings.  I'm glad to be there to answer his questions, and look answers up together, learning alongside each other.

Wouldn't it be absurd, as a homeschooling family, to have designated "question and answer" times, like kids have in school?  I could wear a sign, like Lucy in Charlie Brown: "The doctor is in".  Only, my sign would say:  "The teacher is in".  My son could then, between the hours of nine and ten, ask me all the questions about the known universe.  I would have all the answers.

Yet, it's a funny thing about my kid and his questions.  Sometimes our most profound and meaningful discussions happen around eleven o'clock at night.  Or when I'm changing his sister's diaper.  Or composing an email.  For me, his sparks of curiosity are often curiously ill-timed..

Fortunately, we have lots of time.  The diaper can't really wait, but the email can wait.  The dishes can certainly wait.  Increasingly, the scheduled classes can wait.

While I can't always predict when the spark of curiosity will strike, I can predict when it won't.  This is my third year of homeschooling, and I can predict with about 95% certainty that when I say "Now it's time to....", my child's eyes will glaze over and the spark will be gone.

He was fairly compliant, in the beginning.  Kindergarten and a little of first grade taught him to tow the line some.  But there was no engagement, no joy or true learning.  Not the kind that I see naturally, every day, when he chooses how to spend his time.

In his free play, my son creates, tinkers, ponders, imagines, and produces.  He reads and writes and does math calculations to support his play.  He does these things for real reasons: his own reasons.

We can provide our child time to learn through play at home, but unless we have a big family, we can't easily provide play with others.  That's where park days and the Discovery Learning Center come in!

Starting January 8th, on Wednesday afternoons, my son and I will open the DLC's doors to families who are interested in learning through play.  The DLC has a rich collection of toys and games, and children are welcome to bring their own to share.

I have no idea how this experiment will go.  Homeschooling kids have such a wide range of interests and personalities, that there may or may not be a spark of shared interest between them.  But there might be.  And we can set aside some time and some space for that to happen.

Moving blues, moving excitement!

Hi Santa Cruz Homeschoolers,

I just got back from picking up a bunch of boxes from a homeschool family who are moving to a new home and donated boxes for the DLC. I noticed a nice parallel between their lives and the life of the DLC: They seemed exhausted by the process, but happy to have their new, improved space. Their former home is located closer to the center of things, but their new home, although more remote, offers a step up for them.

That's what it's like at the DLC right now. Moving, of course, is an exhausting process. You should see the avalanche of emails on the DLC board email list. OK, maybe you shouldn't! We don't want to scare away anyone who joins. But really, moving is complicated and takes a lot of effort, which we are all putting in.

But the result of this move is going to be great. Yes, we did love our old location, which was more convenient for many members. But our new location offers a step up for us. Before, we were restricted to one room which was damp and crowded. Now we'll have not only our library, but classrooms, a kitchen, and a gym that we can access on a regular basis.

Before, we had to know what our schedule would be a month ahead of time in order to reserve our space. Now, we will have our space 24/7. Do you have a support group you've really been wanting to start? Have an idea for a class that you're willing to run for free? Are you a professional teacher who wants a great space dedicated to lifelong learners? Just looking to throw a party?

Well, here we are! Or, here we will be, starting August 31. The new DLC is waiting for your inspiration to help fill it with life.

• If you have a few hours in the next week, please check out our website for ways you can help with our move
• If you are interested in joining our board or just helping out on a committee, please come to our board meeting Monday, August 19 at 7 p.m. at our Roxas space
• If you have ideas for classes, support groups, or any other sort of event, please contact us!

We're looking forward to seeing everyone at the new, improved DLC! Don't forget our Open House, Wednesday, September 4, 10-2.

Summer camp.... homeschool style!

This week has heralded the first ever Discovery Learning Center summer camp experience. This year we are offering two camps, all volunteer-led, very homeschool-friendly. It's an experiment, and so far, a successful one.

For some reason the lines on the map don't show up here.
The kids are having a great time interacting with the
floor map of the US.

This week's camp is Camp USA, with a focus on the United States and its geography. Heddi is doing the geography part with games and activities, including a huge US map she made on a rubberized table cloth. The kids are having a great time getting down on the floor and interacting with the states.

Heather is doing crafts, games, and food. She's outside with each group getting messy and having fun. Today, to fit the Midwest theme, she had the kids make potato people, create paper quilts and watch this hilarious take on Gangnam Style, Midwest style. (A homeschooling aside: we adults discussed how amusing it is that our kids see the parodies, such as the Mindcraft Gangnam Style parody, before they actually hear the original pop song!)

I am doing folk stories and songs. So far the biggest hits have been a tale told from the point of view of Davy Crockett, The Erie Canal, and Camptown Races.

At work on Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs.

How is a homeschool summer camp different from others? Well, actually, it's not THAT different. First of all, it's cheap, because we know that homeschool families need to watch their budget. Second, all of us are donating our time - the three of us every day, with parents coming to camp for one day to help out. Finally, it's a mixed-age camp that assumes that learning is fun and interactive is always the way to go. My daughter was complaining the week before about how she didn't want to go, but she's been perfectly happy learning geography in the middle of the summer.

Whether your a homeschooler or not, we have more to come. Check out our upcoming Worldview camp, which happens next week.

Fun Summer at the DLC

Ah, this blog has been a bit lonely. We've been busy! Just a few notes about what's happening this summer at the DLC:

Tomorrow we're ending a 3-week set of fiber arts classes led by Vaiva. It's been great! We want more! Each class is self-contained, so come on by tomorrow to weave on hula hoops. Really.

Heather has been leading a new weekly club, Tech Club. In this club, kids bring their computer-related projects, from programming to art, to share with other kids who like to use computers. Your children can attend whether they have something to share or not. Also suggested is that kids bring mentors who can give everyone ideas for further exploration. Usually on Thursday mornings, but note next week's rescheduling for the 4th of July.

Collectible Card Games on Mondays has been fun - some older kids have been playing Magic the Gathering, and some younger kids are starting up Pokemon. Come on by and check it out.

Starting July 8 we have the first week of a new addition to DLC summers: Summer Camp, homeschool-style. July 8 to 12 we're offering Camp USA for 5 to 12-year-olds. July 15-19 we have Making Sense of the World for 8-and-up. Our camps are cheap - $50! - and parents are asked to stay only one day to help out.

We are thrilled to announce the first week of cartooning classes with wonderful local cartoonist and author Jon "Bean" Hastings, July 8-12 after Camp USA. If there is interest, he will offer a second week for more advanced artists later in the summer. Check out his work here.

Finally, August is board election time and we are looking for homeschooling parents and community members who are interested in helping out. Please e-mail us if you'd like more information.

Fairy Houses and more!

The DLC is hopping with activity this winter. We had a really excellent Dry Ice Experiments workshop led by mom Charlotte. Take a look at our homepage to see a short video. Our expanded Book Club is going strong. Ancient History Club is so popular it's closed to new kids.

What do you want from the DLC? Read below to hear about what some homeschoolers have put together, and let us know if you have ideas for new workshops or classes.

Fairy Houses

Come build a special house for your backyard fairies or gnomes! We'll provide wooden bases and lots of cones, acorns, lichen, moss, twigs, seashells, some colored glass and toilet paper tubes for round houses. Bring any other decorative pieces you may want to add and a glue gun or tacky glue.
Leaders: Kim and Sage
Cost: No material fee. $2-5 donation per family to the DLC (free to supporting members).
RSVP to Kim  (ideally by Tuesday noon) so we can be sure to have enough supplies.
Wednesday,  2:00–3:00 pm

Family Spanish

Anne Marie Scott, a Waldorf-trained teacher and Ocean Grove vendor is teaching a Spanish class on Tuesday afternoons. The kids are really enjoying the class, but several families have had to stop for scheduling reasons. We need more people to keep the class going.  She teaches Spanish songs, plays games, and leads them in short conversations.

Leader: Anne-Marie
Cost: Please contact Anne-Marie directly to inquire about classes and fees.
Tuesdays, 2-3 pm
 

What Types of Workshops Would You Like To See At The DLC?

The DLC is here to serve the needs of homeschoolers.  Input from members and the community helps greatly.   If there is a particular class or workshop that you would like to see at the DLC, please let us know.  We are also looking for volunteers to lead workshops.  These can be as short as one session or as many weeks as you desire.   Contact the DLC with your input.