Homeschool Word of the Day: Strewing

Strewing means scattering, or dispersing haphazardly. In homeschooling, to strew is to leave education books, materials, and games lying about in the child’s path. Strewing is a word used by unschoolers. While unschoolers allow their children to follow their own paths, many do manage to direct the kids a bit with strategic placement of learning materials. Sandra Dodd, who coined the term, explains this practice well on her website. She explains, “Some of our most successful items have been toys or objects for playing with (sometimes not purely a toy) like pattern blocks, castle blocks, magnets (or some new magnet … Continue reading

What Do You Speak?

Ici, nous parlons francais. Ok, not really, but I am trying. You see, I am trying to speak French to my daughter these days, but I keep forgetting to do so. As a Canadian, I live in a country that is ostensibly bilingual. Really, over here on the West Coast of Canada, we’re rarely bilingual in French and English. However, there is a thriving French immersion program in elementary schools that helps children become competent in French, particularly in oral French. We’ve had a longstanding debate about schooling around here. I’d love to homeschool our daughter and enroll her in … Continue reading