You gotta watch out for labels on toys and other materials that say "educational!" or "We make learning fun!"
These phrases and expressions may sound all well and good to many people, but to me they often telegraph a real lack of understanding as to how kids (and adults) really learn, which is through play and self-directed exploration. This is why I always cringe a little bit when I see these types of labels on toys.
Everything is educational if one is constantly in the mindset of an explorer, learner, and teacher.
My son wanted to make a YouTube video today demo-ing his brand new toy, the Jūou Kingu, or "Animal King." This is decidedly not an "educational" toy, but it is one he loves, and that is why learning happens naturally.
A scene from the currently accepted "shut up and listen" model.
A few things to note from the vid:
He is teaching.
Isaiah teaches the viewer how to use the toy. Teaching others how to do something is very important to the development of a child's self-confidence, and makes learning more complete. As a quote often attributed to Einstein says: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Very true, indeed.
He is skimming the fields of math, biology, engineering, and language.
Which area of focus may end up most captivating him later in life (maybe none of these, perhaps) is up for grabs, but the point is: EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED. Nobody here is trying to teach him the "animal names," "counting," "shapes," or "English" as disjointed areas of study disconnected from his real life experience.
Everything is connected. My son also is still better at Japanese than English (we live in Japan), but loves to speak English to me. He had to really focus here to explain and demonstrate this toy to me entirely in English. YouTube and technology (my son is a big fan of toy demo videos on the social media site) are a great way to light the fires of curiosity.
He is doing what he wants!
Why people still don't see this as the all-important factor, especially in "education," blows my mind and, frankly, pisses me off. It is a blatant ignorance of years of scientific and psychological research showing that the current models of compulsory schooling ("public education") are broken, and indeed, have been designed that way from the start.
This decades (centuries?) long denial of the evidence for how children actually learn viewed in the context of no real changes taking place to adapt to this knowledge in the public "education system," seems to betray an almost intentional refusal to help children actually learn and grow into independent, self-directed, happy and healthy human beings capable of real critical thought.
ENJOY THE VIDEO!!!
~*~
(Thanks for stopping by. If you missed the last Unschooling Blog, "Vol. 27: Fatigue, Frustration, and a Slow, Happy Moment in the Park (cryptic lessons from a jungle gym, caterpillar)," you can find it HERE.)
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
Aw... So cute. You got a winner there. The "educational" system is killing the kids. It is simply a big Skinner box. Training only. No thinking allowed. Keep up the good work.
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Great article. I will be looking forward to reading more of these in the future. I am not a parent yet, but plan to be in the near future, and I full intend for my kids to be unschooled. Do you have any book/reading suggestions? Thanks!
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Thanks, @agorist13. My number one recommendation would be A.S. Neill's Summerhill. This book changed my life, and that's not an exaggeration. It documents Neill's experience as the founder of a world famous democratic school in England. He describes in depth how children so shamed, suppressed, and made fearful by compulsory schooling are set free by self-acceptance, personal responsibility, and complete freedom.
After that:
Awareness by Anthony DeMello
How Children Learn John Holt
Dumbing Us Down John Taylor Gatto
Hope this list helps!
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Thanks! Very helpful. I have actually read Dumbing Us Down and How Children Learn, but the other two I havent. I'm gonna check them out. Thanks again!
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Nicely done. Parenting for the win. Teaching is the ultimate stage of learning. Here, you can easily determine what you do or don't know. All the holes in your understanding just pop up one by one as you try to explain it. Plus you have think in creative ways a lot of times to get the point across.
For your son to learn this at such an early age, sets the stage for his continual success, and for him to be a creative and imaginative thinker who can easily adjust to any situation.
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Well said! Exactamente! And thanks for the very kind words.
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was going to ask how his japanese was lol thx for answering 😆 👍 😊 I wish I would've spent more time studying different languages when younger, I hear that it's much easier for children to pick it up than it is when you learn them as an adult
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Same here. Yep. They've got that Zen "beginner's mind" and don't seem to be as limited as those stuck in mental ruts.
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Very cute and wicked smart. Thank you for always being a good steward of the community! Steem On brother!
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Thanks!
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Anytime my friend, anytime.
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nice sir really this is right edcation is reallpy have many importance in our life and it give us many benifits but i think every time education is not comusory some time a good talent is better than educatio @kafkanrchy84 sir
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Thank you for raising your child this way, and for getting the word out. I was home schooled and have immense appreciation now for the ways in which self-directed learning contributed to my excitement for/enjoyment of life.
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Nice. I'll have to show that to Leone later.
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I love your quote:
Everything is educational if one is constantly in the mindset of an explorer, learner, and teacher.
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Thanks, @millionairemark.
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I love this learn "through play and self-directed exploration" point of view. To me this is a key change that educational systems should integrate.
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Wow! Very good, your child is much telanted, I think he is only 4or5years old, but he knows English much better.yes our good teacher is our environment, if envirnment is sound then every child learn many things by exploring the situation. It is a saying that a child learns much from his house, it his base of education. Thanks for sharing such a valuable information .Happy steeming friend.
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It's great that you help your son to make a video. Many Deli would like to make a good movie, but without the help of their parents can not. And your son is lucky :)
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Really love this post. Great breakdown of what me and my wife try our best to do with our 3 and 5 yr olds. We are unschooling our kids in a foreign country, Belize, and find it ao much more fun and stimulating. Im constantly being drawn towards play and challenged to only interact with them when I am in a good space. Things turn out so much better. I would love to write on this as well from a alighly unique perspective. Great piece!
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nice articel and video sir about it some study
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nice sir really thank you
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@kafkanarchy84 - I missed some of your last blogs because I was off the grid. This one is cool. The point you make about children learning through anything they have fun doing is exactly right. We do not need 'educational toys' for that. I have often observed kids playing with sticks and rocks - figuring out making structures while the so called 'educational toys' remain untouched.
Your son has obviously learnt about Youtube since he intrinsically has adapted the 'demonstration video' style of youtube. :) I was a bit intrigued to read your statement about his skimming the fields of maths, engineering and biology but after watching the video, I understood it. It was cool to see how he has figured out that locking mechanism works only if the head is pushed down on that red block. He has also figured out some things like getting the head of the Animal king with the sword.
Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
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