Elijah has no problem keeping his days filled with things to do. He's got long lists of what he wants to get to--books to read, video games to master, bird houses to build.Rose, on the other hand, is more social and more used to teachers and other adults directing her days. Now that she's homeschooling, she sometimes has a hard time figuring out what to do with herself. She has an insatiable appetite for movement, contact with others, and just plain keeping busy. I've heard the words "I'm bored" lately more often than I'd care to count.
She spends lots of time playing with her brother and friends both homeschooled and those in school. She spends lots of time with me and I really enjoy being with her. But, like her brother, I like to spend time to myself and usually have a lot on my personal agenda. I also would like to see Rose be more self-directed so generally when she's bored I say "good!", which is not the response she's usually hoping for.
So what's a girl at home in the afternoons to do? Well, learn to cook and bake, of course! Rose is 9 and has often helped her dad or me in the kitchen (her dad more, of course, because he does more of this stuff). But now that she has lots of time, she's wanting to do more on her own.
A couple days ago, she made her first batch of chocolate chip cookies *almost* all by herself. I was in the kitchen, helping when needed, but she had to read the recipe, get out the ingredients, mix the dough, etc. I mainly did the hot oven parts, and I did help her clean the dough off her hands, and we both made the sacrifice of eating the cookie dough off the bowl and spoons (we do trust our eggs as they're from a small local farm).
Her brother's contribution? About thirty seconds of stirring, and then making off with a few chocolate chips and a silly grin!
Now shh! don't tell Rose that while she was baking she was doing math, reading and learning a bunch of different life skills. She just thought it was for fun!
Comments
My boys are so young still, and are self-directed for only minutes at a time. It is tough! I love their spunky intense-ness, so to speak, at this age, but also look forward to when they can work, read or play independently for 30 minutes or an hour or something as they get older (so I don't have to work every single night after they go to bed!!!). :)
When I homeschooled my kids and they told me they were bored, I would say "Boredom is a gift." They usually would sigh and did not want to hear that. But it is the truth. When was the last time you were bored? I would like to find the time to be bored. When you are bored you have to think and that is what homeschooling is all about!