She holds on tight, drawing her legs back and thrusting them forward, swinging high before dropping low. Potential energy, kinetic energy, gravity, delight: she experiences them all.
Many years ago, my son, Callum, bought himself a skateboard and then, tucking it under his arm, he walked to a nearby dead-end road where he could teach himself how to use it away from the traffic. He was gone a long time, and when he finally returned home, a series of scrapes had appeared on his legs and arms. But there was a grin on his face. After experimenting and adjusting his technique, my son had worked out the basics of skateboarding, taking into account his experiences of gravity and friction. He also learnt something else: as well as a helmet, he needed protection for his elbows and knees!
Kids learn a lot about gravity, friction and other things while engaged in their activities and games, don’t they? They work out how the world works by experiencing it.
How Kids Learn
I wrote the following words in my book, The Unschool Challenge:
… Kids learn so much without us realising, don’t they?
We might think we have to teach our children about such things as forces, gravity, density, heat conduction, friction, the seasons, energy, and life cycles. But even if we never mention these things, our kids will still learn much about them.
Kids might not be able to name Newton’s Laws of Motion, but they will learn how forces work while pushing each other on the swings, tugging heavy boxes, and feeling the strength of the waves while playing in the ocean. They know about gravity because they leap and swing and bounce. Jumping in puddles teaches them about the transfer of energy, and so does running on hot sand.
Kids experience friction by attempting to walk on ice or a wet floor or hauling a heavy cart along a rocky path. They know it’s better to throw a ball than a feather to a friend. They can smell the salt in the sea air. Each year, they live through the seasons with all their changes. They know that rain falls from clouds and the sun can burn skin.
We could spend a day at the beach or a playground or hiking through a forest and come home thinking that our kids have done nothing but get some exercise while enjoying themselves. We might assume we have no notes for our homeschool records books. What could we possibly write? All our kids did was have some fun. But it’s amazing: while they’re playing and enjoying themselves, children are soaking up all kinds of learning. They’re observing and listening, touching and smelling. They might even be tasting. (All my kids ate a few snails when they were toddlers!) They’re also experimenting as they work out how the world operates…
Challenge 17: Learn by Experiencing
It seems to me that kids learn best when they have lots of free time to explore and experiment, try things out and see what happens. What do you think?
You could:
? Be a fellow curious explorer. How do we do this without taking over and interfering with our kids’ natural curiosity? I share some ideas for doing this in my book, The Unschool Challenge.
? Do Challenge 17: Learn by Experiencing. I’m sure you’ll be surprised by how much your kids are learning while playing or doing nothing much at all!
? Stop by and share a story about something your kids have learnt while experimenting, experiencing and taking delight in the world around them!
