Ideas For Home Educating......

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My son is 7 and can be difficult to engage i would love some new ideas preferably fun ways of learning.

He is a bright lad but likes to be in charge lol

If we all add different ideas to this thread it could help us all out when we get stuck for ideas.Heres my contribution for now lol....

My son loves treasure hunts so i add sums and questions to each clue to get a little bit of "work" out of him.

Take him places. Just about anywhere will offer learning opportunities. New places are more fun than Tesco, of course, but even Tesco has its moments. While you're out, look out for people who really love what they do. Such people are worth their weight in gold. The child may pick up that particular interest but even if not, he's getting the idea that people deserve to do things which make them happy, that adults like to learn things too, and that there's nothing you can't tackle if you are keen.

Car mechanics, plumbers, computer repairmen, scientists, volunteer cycling advocates, winemakers, museum staff, vicars and farmers have all taken time to talk to us at some length about what they do, how and why.

We once went to see a chap at the city council about the dangerously misleading road markings on the approach to a roundabout. I'd found them confusing and had seen several near-accidents as other people seemed confused. Was he ever interested and delighted by the challenge of how to improve the lane markings!! I kid you not, we talked to him about it for 45 minutes as he pored over the drawings, explained the regulations and considered various solutions. After we left, my daughter and I agreed that we could hardly think of a job which would interest us less than deciding where to paint arrows on roads. However, she said, "I hope I will love my job as much as he loves his." I assured her that she would, though she might have to try a number of things before she found a job she loved.

I find motivating my DS (7) to write can be a challenge. Sometimes he prefers it if my DD (10) is his teacher and she generally gets him to write something without any fuss! Not quite sure what she does but it always seems to go very well!

Also, again on the subject of handwriting, I sometimes get out my DH's shaving cream and we use the shower door as a writing board, or a tray of sand or as a treat a plate of jelly powder.

Great ideas,thanks....i do have trouble getting him out of the house though ..unless he wants to go (he has HFA) ...i really wish he would pop to the shops without a battle lol.Although thinking about it although he doesnt get chatting to people he does ask about objects and automatic doors ect. which i guess is all learning.

We do have trouble with handwriting thinking the sand would be could for spellings will give that a try.

I've just used these free science resources (adapting them to age and ability).

www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/ccaf/CRESTStarInvestigators/AboutCRESTStarInvestigators/Sampleactivities.htm

They were great fun! But then I'm also a traffic engineer who works for the council and loves it......

YouTube videos of Monty Python, Mr Bean etc. Mythbusters, Qi, Top Gear.

Comedy programmes bring up all sorts of topics to do with our society, not suitable for younger children but cover a lot of PSHE once they are older!

Board games, Cluedo, Monopoly, Scrabble, roulette.

Card games like vingt et un.

Anything involving chatting, using language, challenging ideas, what if discussions, honest discussions about anything. Using vocabulary for real is the top tool in our house as honing and enjoying language is the key. All those concepts get our brains working and arguing/discussing/chewing things over is just the best way to get to know each other and what we think and why.

Listening to the radio in the car leads to discussions. It could be of what the 70's were really like or what we think of Lady Gaga, why potholes happen or what on earth that lorry is doing.

Genuine chats about what is happening rather than staged topics work in this house. There is always loads of data to work from right in front of us. Mine can tell a false approach a mile off!

Can you tell we have hfa in our house?

TooJung.....Great ideas thankyou....how do your chats go with your HFA?....

with my DS 7 (HFA) he talks alot but it is usually about his teddys and imaginary "shows" they are attending or other imaginary things........if we do get onto a "real subject" he takes over and doesnt really want anyones opinion except his own lol

His loses interest really quickly and when im trying to "teach" him he is constantly tries to become the teacher.

He has been having a teacher once a week (to get statemented,but not sure if i should now) and she has said the same about him and how he is always trying to take control...was wondering if you have this problem.

Well, I sit back and listen, smile, laugh, take part as I would with an adult really, but one who is on his or her own agenda. If I try to get preachy he switches off immediately, so I have learnt to just chat at his level and enjoy his company. It's relaxing to not worry as such about introducing planned words or points. I used to try that and I'd be on edge all day!

He'll come into the room and tell me about something and I will ask him to clarify anything I don't understand. He used to tell me/ask me to play Top Trumps a lot, so we'd do that. We worked out our own versions of the rules to make it more interesting and to prolong the games. I'd talk about why I liked particular cars or planes and if it were really true that they flew so many miles up in the atmosphere...

Ds2 will mention something briefly and it is obvious that he gets exactly what it means. He doesn't need a 5 minute lecture on what exactly elections are, for example. If he mentions elections or I do and he understands it then 'discussed elections' goes in my book. It's as easy as that.

It's like observing the weather, you can't tell the clouds where to go, but they are certainly there if you look out for them. The more you look the more you see. The more you see, the more notes you can make for your home ed record!

Think i definately need to relax more lol as i do get uptight and on edge because he can be interested one min then seconds later say"thats enough now its boring" or "stop talking mum"

He loves board games but the rules are usually changed to suit him ...sometimes if he does come to me and i say "what do you mean" he just says "oh forget it" or "i dont want to talk about it now"....i do find it hard to back off at times although i am much better compared to how i was when we started HE.

I am currently under a little pressure from professionals who say he needs to be in school which i am struggling a little with.

realised my limitations with home educating my 2 teens (one of each) and searched Mumsnet dilligently for solutions. Problem 1 was them being bored with me doing the teaching. A home tutor wasn't an option, for many reasons. The internet provided a perfect solution. It took some research but one in particular-Learnbycam (www.learnbycam.com ) offered what we were all looking for.

They have listings of teachers-professors too!-who tutor just about any subject one to one via webcam. Both my home schoolers have responded really well and have tutors that not only hold their interest but are available to them any time they need assistance. It's definately taken the pressure off home schooling and I'm signing up for the guitar lessons I wanted but never got around to!
It works for us, hope this has been helpful
Mrsmuffin