Each of us probably has his or her own way of folding towels the “right” way. The way you fold your towels may or may not be the same way your mother taught you and your own daughter may or may not fold hers the way that you taught her. I never really thought about the art of towel folding until the other day when I was folding towels with my three daughters. My husband said, “I can’t believe you are letting them fold your towels. You are such a perfectionist when it comes to your towels!” You know, before I had three girls that statement was correct. I have a certain way of folding my towels so that each one will fit perfectly on the shelves I have for them. Now that I have children, most days it doesn’t really matter much to me how they are folded, but that they get folded at all!
That is true for many things in life. We all have a routine, a certain way of doing things that works best for us as individuals. But does our particular way of doing things work best for everyone? Probably not. One of the advantages that I think many parents who homeschool have is that they realize this. They realize that what may be the “right” thing to do for some families is not necessarily the “right” thing for their own family. The challenge that homeschoolers face is seeking ways that works for each individual child.
For example, a homeschooling mom recently expressed her concern that five of her children enjoy doing lapbooking as part of their curriculum, but two of them do not. What could she do to make the other two enjoy that activity too? Well, she can certainly try to encourage them to do that with the others, but if they just do not learn well from that type of activity, then they may have to work together to find an alternative for the other two to work on. If you are homeschooling more than one child at a time, you will soon realize that each child has different likes and dislikes as well as skills and abilities.
What about the reluctant readers or writers? A curriculum that is based solely on reading and writing is not going to go very far with a student who is reluctant or just does not have the ability to do this. Parents and teachers of students who are reluctant readers or writers have the challenge of finding alternative ways for those students to learn.
Adapting unit studies to fit the needs of your student can be easy. It is key to ensuring that you provide the best lessons for your student. Start with vocabulary. How can you make vocabulary words something that each of your children can learn with ease?
There are many things you can do to adapt vocabulary to younger children or reluctant readers including:
1. When working with vocabulary words, ask your reluctant writer to dictate the vocabulary words and their meanings as you write them.
2. Have your child draw a picture of the meaning instead of writing it.
3. You write the word in a sentence and have the child copy it.
4. Practice. Practice. Practice. In the car, on a walk, in the shopping cart! Practice saying the vocabulary words and what they mean.
What about the older child or the advanced reader?
5. For the student who is older or has above average skills, ask him or her to put the word in a sentence or find the root of the word.
6. Give your student one hour to research a topic on his or her own. Give your student a list of concepts to learn about.
7. Encourage your student to expand on the topic or choose a related topic to cover in addition to the unit study.
It is important to realize that not every child folds towels the “right” way! Encourage your child to find what works best for him or her in order to get the best education possible. Learn to adapt your curriculum and unit studies to fit the particular needs of each child. It may take you a little more time and energy- it may even cause a bit of frustration on both your parts, but the end result will be worth it! After all, it doesn’t matter how the towels are folded, but that they get folded at all!
© In the Hands of a Child & Katie Kubesh
Katie Kubesh is co-owner and writer/researcher for In the Hands of a Child. Her Beginning Lapbooking Series has been featured at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s Experimental Zone Homeschool Blog, Cindy Rushton’s Virtual Seminar, Talk-A-Latte, and she will be speaking at the homeschool CHEA conferences this June. Recognizing that hands-on projects are essential to the learning experience, In the Hands of a Child has created Project Packs that go beyond the hands-on aspect. They have taken the preparation time out of the parent/teacher job description with Complete Ready to Assemble Lapbook-style units that are available in printed book, cd, or ebook formats. Please visit their website at http://www.handsofachild.com