There is so much curriculum I plan for yet feel we don't learn. I have decided for the next few months to pull books, experiments and curriculum out of my desk and off the shelves, adapt them for our RDI goals and then just DO them instead of plan. I was recently listening to a webinar on 'mindfulness' and the presenter suggested that there needs to be a balance between learning / planning and 'doing.' I could plan anything for anyone but the doing is another matter.
That brings me to today. Andrew asks, "what's a Haiku?" I told him the description of 7/5/7 syllables and I dug out a book I had tried to use to teach him on another day. It is called, A Child's Introduction to Poetry and he spent the next several hours writing Haiku and learning about all the other styles of poetry as well as reading biographies on poets.
Later in the evening I went and found an old poetry book of mine; Rhymes About Us by Marchette Chute. I opened up the cover and inside was written, "To Amy with love from Aunt Nancy, Uncle Jim and Brigitte July 1975." I was the same age as Andrew when Aunt Nancy gave me this book. The book was fun and more importantly fun to share.
We have had other 'learning' instances this week too. I have a text book that I had put aside for learning about trees in the fall. When we began RDI I put some things out of my mind. As I was de-junking my desk I set the book on the kitchen table and Andrew spent the afternoon reading it. Go figure!
I will still have to plan math and handwriting but even that has become a bit easier as I am structuring our lessons with RDI goals in mind. I am amazed that Andrew will come and sit with me for short math lessons without (too much) complaint.
