Monday, September 17, 2012

It Was a Treeschooling Kind of Day



These days...I am doing a lot of driving of kids to and fro.....which is an insult to any homeschooling time I may have for my youngest.  Therefore, I have decided that I must bring him along sometimes.....so that I may get some of our read aloud time accomplished.
 
 
TREESCHOOLING is a term we invented a long time ago, when my oldest was younger than my youngest, for the times when we would take our schooling out of doors and sit under our fruit trees.  Some of our best homeschooling memories have been spent under the trees.  In the case of the afternoon these pictures were taken, the trees were at a local city park.
 
We remembered the blanket, the books, the soccer ball, hot tea, water and some dried fruit. Next time, we need the "nice" camera.  :)  ....to catch good pics of the birds.....
 
Without any prompting, the moment I began to read aloud to him, Malachy headed for the closest tree.  He promised that he was indeed listening while he climbed.  I had him give back some narration....he was listening. :)
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This little fella, a Western Scrub Jay, hung out near us for most of the visit.....getting within three or four feet.  He had no interest in our dried fruit, though we tried to entice him.  The nice camera would have taken a better picture.  :)  These are a common bird in our lives.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I also brought along a book for him to do oral reading for me.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The view form our spot:  huge beautiful trees.....excellent breeze, perfect temperature.
 
 
 
 
 
Our book choices.......he and I are covering The French and Indian Wars and the Pre- and Revolutionary time period as well.
 
 
 
 We got a lot about this little guy's behavior....and we also saw Stellar's Jay, a dove, and three flickers at once in one spot on one tree.
 
 
 
 
 Of course we laid on the grass on our backs and looked to the sky.....through these trees...
 
 
 
 
Cuddling with Mama, of course, while he reads aloud
 
 
 
I went ahead and put as one of the labels for this post:  homeschooling methods......because it has always been one of our favorite ways to homeschool.  Our best and favorite years have always included lots of Treeschooling.
 
 
If you don't do it already, DO get out under the trees!  It is an awesome way to learn.......
 
Please tell me if you do......
 
 
Treeschooling blessings,
 
                          Chari
 

5 comments:

  1. Chari,

    I love taking homeschooling outside. We either go to the beach or read aloud in the garden - it always feels nicer to be outside. Sometimes, it's more distracting but they're usually good distractions, I think.

    These are great photos considering you used the less 'nice' camera! The last one is very special.

    God bless, Chari:-)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Vicky!

      Outside just offers a whole new perspective and energy. I think we may try a repeat today at the park....bringing the NICE camera! ;)


      Blessings!

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  2. Chari,

    I love that term: tree schooling!

    We have also learnt to make the most of our waiting times while we are away from home. Actually what started out being an inconvenience has turned into an opportunity for adventures. We like to go to the lake with our books and scooters. Or take photos while walking along a bush track, or even run some laps around the lake before enjoying a picnic morning tea together. On rainy cold days I read out loud in the van while we sip hot chocolate.

    There's some beautiful trees by our lake. Next time we visit, I shall take along a picnic rug and some books, and we shall do some tree schooling!

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    Replies
    1. On Monday....my oldest daughter repeated history by taking her writing class outside under our apple trees for poetry study. :)


      We are like that, too, Sue....always making the most of our time wheneever and wherever.

      Isn't that an excellent example of "homeschooling is a lifestyle" not just "school at home"??

      Looking forward to having a nice fall so we can do more treeschooling......hope God cooperates with me! So far so good!!

      What do you mean exactly by "bush track?"

      Blessings!

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  3. We had a treeschooling-ish kind of day last week! I love taking it outside. Even if we don't do it half as often as I think we should, I do know that kids will remember even something repeated infrequently with a great deal of fondness. I recall the few of my high school teachers that occasionally had class outside with greatest fondness.

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