Most Popular Posts from the Learning Curve

Since the "reopening" of this here blog, I've sifted through the drafts folder and tossed whatever was no longer relevant, carried an unpleasant vibe (I was deeply dark and ranty for a while there) and revisited some of the existing posts to make sure they weren't replete with irrelevance or overly snarky.

I assessed some of the most popular posts and decided to re-share them with you.  Some are prolific ponderance, some are a great laugh - enjoy!

The Sensational Dr. Spin

There is great value in learning to recognize when we are being played.  It is expected that the entertainment industry will lull us into a fantasy using hyperbole and beguiling presentation.  We actually want that from our entertainment because it's great fun.  However, although pretending to be factual, it's important to acknowledge most media "news" is just another facet of the entertainment industry, and as such, uses a technique called spin to sensationalize reality and make it more enticing for the audience. 

In public relations, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure. While traditional public relations may also rely on creative presentation of the facts, "spin" often implies disingenuous, deceptive and/or highly manipulative tactics. (definition from Wikipedia)

We engaged in a spin exercise recently and it was fun, educational and a little bit wacky :)  

In order to avoid being manipulated by the daily avalanche of fallacious news and information we must learn to separate fact from fiction; and calling out fallacies.  We learn to do that by employing critical thinking skills. We sharpen those skills through ongoing practice and experience.

In an effort to exercise this skill and better understand how easily we can be manipulated by coy presentations of information, we became the manipulators, so-to-speak and played Spin Doctor.

Here is the exercise.  It's quite fun.  Give it a try and if you do, let us know how it goes for you!

This is appropriate for any child whose writing skills are well enough to write a couple of paragraphs and express themselves reasonably.  The grammatical mechanics and style prose are not as important as the exercise itself.  (Although, any writing is a good opportunity to discuss these elements)

First, write a straight article on anything at all that occurred recently.  It's especially fun if it's a mundane event with some sort of punctuated element:  It was a windy day, a  waitress brought the wrong drink at the restaurant, a friend fell off a bike down the street, a dog kept barking next door, Mom made pancakes for breakfast.

When writing the straight article, just stick to the facts, what, how, who, why, when.  Avoid opinions, emotions etc.  Just tell what happened.

This works better with 2 or more participants.  If you are working with one child, do an article yourself as well or ask your spouse or other friends family to help out.  We did four.  

Then swap the articles and SPIN!  Participants will read the straight article and add sensationalism to it, making it still mostly true, but with tactical spin.  The goal is to make it sound more interesting and dramatic and like something ghastly or incredibly awesome happened and that everyone should take cover or take action.  This is done by inserting hyperbole, well-placed opinion, logical flaws and manipulative language.

This is not an easy thing to do!  And that is part of what is learned here - that sensationalism is a skill and a trade that people practice and therefore are paid to do - which tells us something about "news" right there!

The second, but no less important lesson learned here is how to recognize manipulative language and spin, which helps us learn to avoid being swayed by it.

And of course, extra practice in the mechanics of language and creative use of words, helps us sharpen our communication skills which bolsters our intellectual health and well being. 

Reading the straight, then the spun version out-loud is fun, educational and brings about great discussion.   We laughed, we pondered, we philosophized for a good chunk of the afternoon; and it still comes up frequently when we recognize spin elsewhere; which is the whole idea!

Spin Doctoring helps train the brain to recognize when it is happening and punctuates the significance of understanding language beyond just superficial speech and reading words.  It also demonstrates the significance of critical reasoning.




Skills Practiced:  Grammar, Communication skills, Creative writing/expression, Critical Reasoning

TV, Video Games Etc: Digital Devices and The Curve

A Question was posted on the Questions page and I wanted to give it a thorough and thoughtful response because it regards a topic that is important to any modern parent in this digital age. If you have any questions please visit the Q&A page and leave a comment :)

How do you, in your family, deal with the issue of TV, computers, internet, games etc?

There was a time when I could have been quoted saying that television was bad and video games were terrible and dangerous and kids should never have cell phones etc.  Okay maybe that's a bit strong, but I could have said similar because I once felt strongly to that extreme. 
Of course there was also a time when you would have found every new-to-the-market gadget in my living room, fully embracing the digital boom.  Point is, we learn, we grow, we evolve and we alter our habits as our perspectives change - and our perspective often do change as life goes on and we watch our children grow and develop.  It's (if you'll excuse the blatant relevancy) a "Curve" :)


One can very easily spend too much time watching pointless television, gaming, surfing the Internet etc, not to mention the question of age-appropriateness and exposure (or lack thereof) to potentially concerning materials. 

While we do live in a digital age and there is some benefit to embracing that, it would be stupid for us to ignore the concerns as they are indeed legitimate; and there's the rub right there.  I have come to the conclusion myself and for my family, that there is indeed something to be gained and enjoyed in digital/computer/tech/smart-phone etc... and something to of which to be legitimately wary.

The simplest and most brilliant way this can be articulated is this - it is AND and BOTH.  Alas I cannot take credit for that because although I have borrowed this many times since I first heard it, it was given to me by Janet Sternberg with whom I had the pleasure of interviewing for a great episode of Unplugged Mom Radio wherein we discussed just this issue.  It is worth noting that Ms. Sternberg is a former student and research assistant to Mr. Neil Postman, who is the author of Amusing Ourselves to Death and other publications that strongly criticize television and the information age.  It was such a great conversation and I do strongly recommend anyone who has grappled with this to give it a listen because I believe it will be of great use to you.   The overall lesson of course was "AND and BOTH".  That is what I took away from it and that is what I give to you.

Television is horrible and it is entertaining and even sometimes somewhat useful.  Video Gaming is dangerous, potentially harmful, addictive AND it can be entertaining and fun, and sometimes (depending on the game) educational.  In and of itself, it is AND and BOTH.   Smart phones, iPads etc... addictive, a time waster, potential exposure to concerning material... AND can be useful, helpful and fun.  

I think that is the answer, AND and BOTH.   To jump to either extreme does not benefit anyone and really just creates more stress from intentional resistance. 

Now, all this said, I realize that this does not address the risk from the actual exposure to electromagnetic pulse and signals that have been found to be hazardous to the eyesight, brain activity etc... and I'm also particularly skeptical about the potential carcinogenic issues.  These are all legitimate concerns as well.

There are many, very important concerns.  As with many other areas in life - there are many important and realistic concerns, risks and potential hazards.  So what do we do with potential hazards?  We take precautions.  We are careful.  We are smart about our usage and as parents, we supervise, we communicate and we demonstrate healthy usage and habits.

I don't want to ignore the rising current in the "Radical" approach of just leaving the children be and trusting them to self-regulation with devices and technology (and whatever else).   I don't like that ideology (I'd say philosophy, but I think that's too strong of a word for it) because I think it's stupid and self-servicing.  (It's "look how cool I am" parenting).   Children are young human beings, deserving of the same respectful consideration of adults - and that means that they deserve our attentive and experienced input and intervention when it comes to potential dangers and hazards of which they are likely unaware.   It is not disrespectful to supervise your child's use of digital devices (et cetera) no more than it is to supervise their first use of a motor vehicle - a machine that is both useful, fun AND potentially dangerous.



So where are we now right?  You're question is for me and how I, in my family deal with the issues.  Well, this is how it is in our house right now:
I have a laptop, my husband has a desktop.  He runs a business online, I do some of my work on line. 
We have three children.  They share one desktop and that works out just fine.  They use it for lessons, email, creativity and fun.  They play Minecraft and a handful of Lego games.  My daughter also blogs and shares her artwork.   We do supervise the time they spend, but it's flexible and not pre-set; it depends on what they are doing and why etc.  For example if I notice that 45 minutes of Minecraft has passed, I simply make it known that it's been a while, then they usually decide it's time to wrap it up.   If an hour of working on a graphic design for a book cover has passed, I usually leave it be. 

I have a smartphone, my husband does not.  The children have a shared cellphone that can text and make calls only and whomever needs to take it, does so.  This has worked out alright so far.

We own one iPad.  We share it.  This hasn't been a problem.

We have a big screen TV and a smaller TV in the family room.  The children DVR a handful of shows in the family room.  We enjoy, as a family, some old sitcoms via Netflix and a family movie once or twice per week.

We do not own a game system... No - I'm lying. 
Just this Christmas, my son thought it would be cool to have some "vintage" video games so my husband bought him an Atari Flashback pre-loaded with a few dozen vintage games.  We've been having a good time with Centipede and Space Invaders for the last few days.   Other than that we do not have a Wii or Xbox or anything like that.   They do play sometimes when they visit friends and that's fine.

My 12 year old is asking for an iPod touch.  She is saving up for it herself.  My husband and I are not yet on the same page about it, but we've talked about it and we'll get there, together ;)



So the way I see it, these are the keys:
Be flexible - every child is different and therefore there will be different concerns that arise from their individual habits, and this will change as the world changes, as your family changes and as your child grows.
Communicate - express your concerns, talk about the hazards and uses just like anything else in our lives that is both fun, but needs caution.
Supervise - Be a parent - it's okay.
Remember that everything can be and probably is - AND and BOTH
Remember that Learning is on a Curve :)

I hope this helped, and I do strongly recommend a listen to the podcast I mention.  It's really helpful!

Thanks for the awesome question :)

~Laurette Lynn

Creative Synoptic Relationships and A Short Snark on King James

This is a part two to "Mary and her Hate Club" which was a creatively twisted summary that my daughter wrote after reading the associated section in Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. 
I'm posting this as well because it tickled me just as much as the first one; again a humorously stretched retelling in which J exercises her creative writing muscle and simultaneously cements a memory that will provide the foundation for a healthy relationship with an understanding of society and behavior later on. 

Not all of my children do these morbidly fun little summaries, J does because that is her way.  I'm sharing to exemplify and punctuate fun in learning as well as relationships and unnecessary barriers between "subjects".... and because J herself enjoys sharing her work :-) 

An Extremely Short Description of King James
(with many creative liberties, and a smattering of snark)

Meanwhile, in England, Queen Elizabeth is growing old.  Since she never married, her only relative was James.  She gave James the throne of England, and then keeled over in a ditch.  Now James was the king of both Scotland and England; oh wouldn't Mary be proud!

Since that terrible Black Death was going around, and people neglected to get their Plague Shots, no one showed up to James's English King coronation, because plague is easily spread in crowds.  So, just him and his wife Anne went to Westminster Abbey and were just very careful about washing their hands.

The Catholics wanted special treatment because James's mother had been a Catholic.  English Protestants, called Anglicans, wanted James to stick to the Protestant ways he had learned in Scotland, while another group of Protestant Christians, called Puritans, wanted James to stop the Anglicans from copying their religion.  (They were called Puritans because they wanted to purify the church.)  But James rejected the Puritan ideas, and told them to get out of his face...So they got angry.

There was a law that Catholics couldn't go to Anglican church without paying a fine, and that made two Catholics named Guy Fawkes and Robert Catesby angry.  So they planned to blow up the house where Parliament met....until Parliament caught them and arrested them. Remember, remember the fifth of November.

James passed even more laws forbidding religious practice, so the Protestants, Catholics, AND the Puritans were angry at him.

Then James kept insisting that he was a super awesome magic king, who deserved to rule above anything else, and Parliament didn't agree.  When Parliament didn't do EXACTLY what James told them to do, James flipped out and sent all the members of Parliament home.

Despite all the terrible things James did, he is remembered as good king because he translated the bible. Woop-de-doo.

Learning Curves Relevancy:  We learn about Guy Fawkes here as he is mentioned in SOW. J remembers the name from the movie V for Vendetta and ventures elsewhere to learn more.  A relationship is now being cemented between what she learned in the movie, what she read in SOW, what she is learning elsewhere and the discussions that are born regarding tyranny in history and the apparent repetition of political strife over time, and in today's society.  THIS is how learning occurs, not by the arbitrary memorization of useless data.

Mary and her Hate Club: History meets Creative Writing

As I discussed in my post about categorizing and relationships, many skills are sharpened doing any variety of activity.  Learning happens on a curve, not in a straight line.

On that note I want to share something fun from our personal adventures in learning and living.

We enjoy Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer.  We usually read aloud and then talk about what we've read or sometimes journal a summary.  Once in a while when inspired, one of the children will write an entire essay on a particular event or person that they found to be especially interesting.  We don't rely entirely on SOW but we do enjoy reading through the summarized accounts in these wonderfully written volumes.

Today, we read a bit about Mary Queen of Scotland.  We've been talking a whole lot lately about variances in religion and specifically, variances within Christianity itself and how humanity has been affected, socially and politically over time and still is today.  The account of Queen Mary was timely.

My daughter, J enjoys writing.  She often journals summaries of what we read aloud.  Sometimes, J adds a little flair and creative spin to jazz up the story.  The creative spin deviates from the historical account, but she has a good time.

(To satisfy that need in us Moms and Dads to tally the subjects covered, we've got history, politics, religion, social studies, technology (J used Evernote) and of course creative writing. ;) )

Since I mention it... Here I shall share the very abridged, very brief and swift account of Mary... with plenty of creative liberty.

Mary, the queen of Scotland, inherited the throne when she was only five days old.  Her mother, Mary of Guise, ruled in her place.  Mary of Guise was a good queen, but she was Catholic, and the Protestant noblemen didn't like that, oh no they didn't like it AT ALL.

So the Protestant noblemen created a hate-club-council against Mary of Guise.  Mary of Guise was afraid that the noblemen's hate-club would try to turn her daughter, Little Mary, into a Protestant.  So Mary of Guise sent Little Mary to France, where she would learn to be a good little Catholic, and always, always, always listen to the church.  Mary of Guise died a few years later, without ever seeing her daughter again.

Little Mary lived in France for the next thirteen years, while the Protestant noblemen hate-club grew stronger and stronger.  When Mary was eighteen, she returned to Scotland to take her throne back.  But when the hate-club met Mary, they where charmed by her hypnotizing stare, and decided to turn their hate-club into a raving fan-club.  Mary told the fan-club that she respected the Protestant ways, and decided to marry one of the fan-club members, Lord Darnley.

Lord Darnley and Mary lived happily ruling Scotland...for a little while.  Lord Darnley missed the assortment of trolls he had in his hate-club, and he decided he wanted more power.  Mary found out that Lord Darnley was getting the hate-club together, so she snuck away and began to gather herself an army.

When the hate-club found out that Mary was getting together an army, the members screamed and ran away, dispatching the hate-club.  Lord Darnley decided the blame the whole hate-club scheme on the Lords who fled already. Queen Elizabeth of England found out about the hate-club, and was surprised Mary didn't stab him on the spot.  Mary pardoned her husband because she was pregnant, and couldn't raise a baby with the constant threat of the evil Protestants.

After Mary's baby was born, she was staying in a castle, and across the town, Lord Darnley was in a separate castle.  The castle that Lord Darnley was in blew up, and Lord Darnley was strangled. Everyone thought that Mary did it, so Queen Elizabeth sent her to live far, far away from civilization.

Mary sent her lots of needlepoint, but Queen Elizabeth threw them all in the trash.  Mary was plotting to escape, so Elizabeth sent her to be beheaded.  Mary's head was disconnected from her body, and the executioner revealed that her hair had turned white.  Everybody cried.  The end.

Note: More humorous was the fast paced "Journalist" tone of voice J used to read it out loud.

Point?  History matters, but have fun with it!

Avoid Categorization: Appreciate Relationships

Relationships and Categorization

As home educating parents, it's impulsive for us to try and categorize each activity into a particular subject; spelling, math, social studies, science etc.  This is mainly because we ourselves became acclimated to this process of categorization and we automatically try to implement the same concept, even though we often struggle to decide exactly which "subject" each experience falls under.  It's worth realizing and accepting that we struggle to fit experiences into categories because they don't belong in categories.   When we embrace the reality of education, we also embrace the reality that separation of ideas is necessary.  An exercise in sharpening math skills can occur during an exploration of the stars; and writing skills can be utilized in journaling the constellations seen on a winter's night. Curiosity about how the constellations were named can lead to a fascinating read through ancient culture.  These are relationships and the natural discovery of those relationships is so important and dreadfully missing from the standard school prescription.

One summer night can span math, history, spelling, grammar, science and more.  It's perfectly normal for us to make a mental note of what is being covered - it's comforting to many of us parents who have experienced a categorized education; or for those of us who live in States that require reporting according to subject; but it's really unnecessary to draw actual lines in a child's exploration and discovery.   Let the organic development of those connecting relationships be what they are because this is what strengthens deep understanding and reinforces a love of learning. 

We are not meant to learn in categorized subjects.  Why? Because life does not happen in categorized subjects and reality is not categorized into subjects.  We don’t segregate our spouse and our children and friends.  Perhaps we segregate our work from our play and enjoyment… and if so perhaps that is something to think about.  Perhaps the categorization into segregated subject matter is a habit conditioned into us from our years of institutionalized schooling?

Incorporating Everything

Subjects should not be segregated or categorized.  "What’s your favorite subject?" should not be a question we ask or one that children can answer.  Life is life.   So you can follow your child's lead and help find fun ideas and activities to explore the topic, leaving the natural relationships in tact.  

For the sake of practical examples, I'll use Ancient Greece.  Many children become curious about ancient cultures because they truly are fascinating so it's a great way to practice the concept of whole learning.  Here are some ideas using Ancient Greece as an example:

Read about ancient Greece from library books, online and/or watch documentaries (history, social studies, geography)
Read the Illiad or the Trojan war or any variety of historical fiction living books on Greece (history, literature)
Use The Oddessy for copy-work (reinforce good writing skills and a love of poetry)
Explore ancient architecture (art appreciation) or Make a Trojan horse (art, history)
Watch a movie set in Ancient Greek times (there are many good ones to choose from) and discuss the theatrics vs. what you've learned from other sources. (history, culture, media)

Older children can explore the intricacies of ancient architecture (geometry, math, physics, history)
Make Greek foods (cooking, math in recipe and also shopping for ingredients)

Learn the Greek alphabet (Foreign Language, reinforce English Grammar)

Compare the myths to modern religions and discuss the evolution of myth to religion and how humanity and cultures change – philosophize on why and lament on the variance of change as well as how some things remained the same.   

Consider how ancient cultures still affect some modern habits (the use of many Greek terms and ideas and philosophies in our modern society).  

I hope this helps provide a sounding board to help you learn to discover the opportunities in your child's own self-driving curiosities.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share to help other readers discover more.