Moving...Again

Well, it's been awhile since I've written anything. To be honest, I stopped because nobody was reading it, but then a writer friend pointed out that I should write for myself.

I left my teaching post because we will be moving soon, so writing this blog will help keep my sane. I am planning to homeschool my daughter until we get settled in our new location, so my blog will still be about education and parenting.

In preparation for our move, my daughter is making a book about North Carolina. She is researching famous people, wildlife and plants, places (we recently visited Ocracoke Island) and the three regions. I thought she could share the book with her classmates when we move. She chose what she wanted to include in the book, using her knowledge from living here as well as the internet, books, newspapers and magazines. She also decided that her finished product would be a book and not a song, poster, pamphlet, etc.

The other day, my daughter heard Michelle Obama speaking about nutrition in school lunches. She really liked what the First Lady had to say and wanted to learn more about her. Moments like these are great opportunities to capture a child's natural love of learning.

What are your child's interests? Capitalize on these interests to teach your child about research and finding reliable sources on the internet (Did you know that anyone can add or delete information to Wikipedia?) Think about the research you do every day. How much of it is driven by your interests or things you need to know and how much of it is dictated to you (from a boss or supervisor or instructor)? Which do you enjoy more?