Apr 16 2008
Obsession
It’s things like this that make me think that unschooling just might work for Superboy.
When Superboy is interested in something, he gets a little obsessive. His current obsession is wilderness survival. (Don’t ask me where he comes up with this stuff. I just sit back and watch it happen.) What do I mean by a little obsessive? By way of explanation let me walk you through his current obsession.
Here are just a few of the things he has been doing outside of “school time” the past few days:
- Perusing websites with names like Wilderness Survival, Wildwood Survival, and the Wilderness Survival Guide.
- re-reading relevant sections of his Dangerous Book for Boys (which btw, got left out in the rain the other day because he reads it outside in the woods, then runs off to make a bow and arrow or some such forgetting all about the book. I am not sure which is more dangerous, him or the book)
- carving a spear head out of a piece of bone he dug up,
- lashing it (after researching proper lashing technique in his Boy Scout Handbook and his Book of Knots) to a piece of river cane,
- which he harvested from down by the creek, and
- throwing it at a cardboard target he made.
- building a survival lean-to structure out of a bunch of brush in the woods from instructions he found here.
- making fire (but of course!) using…
- a magnifying glass OR
- a battery and a piece of wire OR
- a sandwich baggie of water! Who knew??? OR my favorite method…
- a can of coke and some chocolate! Amazing!
- packing a survival kit using info from this site.
- starting to design and make a board game based on survival skills
- reading stories from Cheating Death: Amazing Survival Stories from Alaska
- researching poisonous plants (esp water hemlock) in his botany books and field guides and drawing them in his nature journal.
- researching how to make beef jerky and writing up his shopping list.
- Taking this Wilderness Survival Quiz and passing with flying colors.
- begging for a trip to the library to find more books on the subject.
Keep in mind this is all stuff he is doing completely on his own, after his normal schoolwork is done (or mostly done*Ahem*). No one is telling him to do any of it.
The boy is just obsessed (in a totally positive way, of course).
And it isn’t the first time. I’ve seen this obsession happen with Superboy many, many times before with a wide array of subject matter: dragons, pirates, sailing(this one was/is huge), Lewis and Clark, monsters, the Civil War..I could go on but I won’t. The typical length of time for his obsession to run the full gamut from first spark, through total absorption, to dwindling interest is about 3 weeks. Sometimes more, sometimes less. And though the obsession may fade over time as he moves on to the next great thing, many of these subjects become lasting interests for him that he returns to more casually again and again months or even years later. So I wonder…
If he can dive into a subject with this much vigor and enthusiasm, expose himself to new ideas, absorb tons of new information and hone new skills, which then develop into a lasting body of working knowledge for him, then am I actually doing him a disservice by NOT letting him spend the majority of his time following his own interests as far as they will carry him?
What do you think?
I would love if my child became obsessive about anything under the sun!!! Anything!!! You’re lucky!
Your son reminds me of myself. I just recently realized this about myself. I often start something and end up taking it to obsessive levels without even knowing I am doing it. Once I realized this, I looked back on my life and saw that I have always been this way. I just like to do things all the way. And when I get in that mode, that is all I want to do, focus on that one thing. This can be trouble now that I am a mommy, as taking care of a two-year-old is not something that can be put on hold while other interests are pursued.
With that in mind, I think that you are not doing him a disservice by not allowing him to spend a majority of his time in those pursuits. I think having him devote time to all of his studies and letting him work on his obsessions in his off time is teaching him something very important. You are teaching him that his obsessions are good, but that they also have a time and a place. It is an important life skill for him to know how to put them on hold while he does other things. Afterall, when he is all grown up and working for a living and/or being a parent, he will not be able to just drop everything to focus on one obsession for a long period of time.
While Arwen makes a good point, I would counter, if he can’t spend all his time on his obsessions now, when will he be able to? I think we are often too scared that people won’t learn those necessary skills and yet if they really are necessary, they will be learned when he needs them.
On top of that, you have already said that you think unschooling is the “ideal” and that it works as well as any other method you have tried. Given that he does have these obsessions (and Mrs. Darling’s comment reminds us that not all children do), I would think they would reassure you that moving away from the structure will work.
You’ll need to relax about expectations because his obsessions are not going to lead to him learning whatever it was you (or some arbitrary third party) think is important for kids his age. But that is feasible. Maybe try documenting his learning for YOUR purposes (he doesn’t need to see this; what he is doing is already meaningful to him), so you can look back and see what he has learned. And also identify any areas that seem to be missing and find ways to encourage some activity that would fill those holes.
Have fun!
I think Superboy is the perfect unschooling poster child.
He’s smart, motivated, responsible, and self-sufficient. I think a child like that will end up pursuing work in a field related to one of his “obsessions” and I think he’ll thank you for this broad and eclectic education. I think he’ll be grateful you allowed him the time to fully immerse himself in all kinds of intellectual as well as “real life” pursuits.
Fascinating discussion! I just wanted to echo something JoVE said. It might be worthwhile to go with the total unschooling thing for a while and document things he’s doing and learning. I am not really an unschooler myself, so take my suggestions with a shaker of salt. But I have long suspected that a big part of unschooling is the parent developing, in Charlotte Mason’s words, the “habit of attention.” Many of “the basics” ARE happening — he’s reading, selecting relevant information in his studies, synthesizing information, etc., etc, everything you’d want in a good college prep. curriculum.
I’ve found it helpful to write down things Sarah does, through her “obsessions,” breaking it down into different subject areas and skills, because that seems to be the way my brain works. Sometimes, when I’m really motivated, I put together scrapbook type portfolios of the kids’ activities. It appeases my need to organize and plan, I guess, while standing out of her way a bit. Hope this makes sense.
Then you should check out this new curriculum that we stumbled upon called “The Science of Survival” by Cynthia Watson. http://busymomhelp.com/Welcome.html
Scout so wants to help me create something like this for his senior year, including a number of adventure/survival trips as exams! We’d have to adapt it pretty heavily for his age, but I think this owuld be a great start. NatureGirl is jumping on this idea as well.
We are also pretty close to Tom Brown Jr’s Junior Tracker School in NJ http://www.trackerschool.com/index.asp , and could use those trip ideas/lessons as part of his program. Or, a trip to visit friend’s in Alaska might be in the horizon…..;)
It sounds like he is having a blast.
I have really enjoyed your recent posts. I myself have been having the same thoughts/ feelings. I question myself all the time if I am doing the correct thing. If maybe we are too lax or too strict at times.
Thank you for the thoughtful posts.
Hi! I have two boys who also go to great lengths with projects so similar! They both want to live off the land and will spend hours carving “tools” and all manner of scary looking pointed sticks (LOL) and making leather pouches etc. A few days ago one of them memorized morse code in just a few minutes and had me “testing” him on it. He wants to be a ham radio operator.
Your son might like to read “Goodbye Boise, Hello Alaska” by Cora Holmes. I just finished it and loved it. The boys in the story did correspondence school, but they really were unschooled there and didn’t even realize what was happening.
Have a wonderful day! Enjoy!
Nancy
I like your train of thought. I will think of them as learning trails now. LOL.
I forgot to mention earlier, I had given the kids the day ‘off’ yesterday. In other words, no seat work. Try as we might on Wednesdays we just can’t get motivated to do school. Well Dragon came in all excited..
“Mom, I’m doing science! I am observing the garden. I am looking at each of the plants, writing a description and then drawing a picture. Isn’t that cool?”
my response…Very Cool.
I totally know what you’re seeing. My oldest son is a perfect “unschooling poster child” also. When I step back and see what is learned from formal studies initiated by parents/institutions/scope and sequence and what is learned from self-initiated, interest-driven pursuits, there just is no comparison. And, as you’ve noticed, first, I just couldn’t come up with some of the stuff my child(ren) does, and second, learning only sticks when it is attached to previous knowledge and perspective. It appears that when they pursue their own learning, it stays indefinitely in their knowledge base. (I have a hubby who I always say, “Why do you KNOW that?” . . . it only took one time to be interested, it seems
)
These attributes, I notice, also seem to fit most right-brained, creative learners, so if you haven’t researched that, you might notice your son
Feel free to peruse my blog about that subject. Also, if it might be helpful, I wrote a post about an experience that helped me completely shift over to the unschooling lifestyle that fit my son so well here:
http://lifewithoutschool.typepad.com/lifewithoutschool/2007/03/from_snakes_to_.html
Enjoy being amazed by your self learner!
-Cindy
Yup. Unschooling poster child.
I was about to say I wish I had one like him, but then I looked back at our afternoon where my 10yo tried out a new and complicated recipe (it was only making pretzels, but it had lots of unusual steps that weren’t working well…) and I realized I am just too much of a control freak for it. Then again, if she were off in the woods doing it right, and not needing my help every 2.5 minutes while I’m holding a hungry baby and trying to discipline a wild toddler, I might feel differently, LOL! I love hearing about what Superboy is doing!
Talk about “preparing him for the real world”. What’s more real than survival skills?
Look at the very top of your page. Under your title, the quote that you have, “The world is our classroom.” That says it all. I think that unschooling is perfect for him. :0)
Just wanted to chime in and let you all know this “unschooling” works all the way through. Most commenters here have little ones like you; I have older ones. My oldest “unschooler” is 21 yo and will be graduating Cum Laude from UCCS in six weeks, with a degree in Political Science. My baby “unschooler” is 17 and is just starting to grab the world by the horns and show them what she’s made of. Keep up the good work, keep on blogging so others are encouraged, and if you need any ideas for High School, stop by my “place” for a cup of tea. Unfortunately, I don’t blog as often as I would like to (unschooling gets more passionate and involved as they get older), but there might be an idea or two floating around. Don’t forget to say Hi.
Nice meeting you and your kiddos.
Julie in CO
Boy, I like what both Arwen and Jove have said above. I just wonder does your approach to unschooling have to be an all or nothing? Can it be seasonal? Are there times in life when Superboy enjoys the gentle guidance of things to study and other times he would prefer to take off on his own and obsess like now?
I know for our family Spring in particular seems to draw the unschooler out of all of my kids. It is all I can do to get any table time done. The kids prefer to be outdoors creating, exploring and learning. Truth be told I prefer they learn this way during these times of the year because during the colder months of winter and hotter days of summer they tend to appreciate more parent directed studies / tabletime activities. It always amazes me how much they gain in their learning processes during these breaks.
And, I would have to agree with Jove’s suggestion of documenting all that he is learning or have him create his own daily journal. This could come in handy during transcript preperations. Anyhow just wondering out loud.
Totally awesome!!! Can my boys come over and obsess with him???
Ok…so on the grocery list for tomorrow: a can of Coke and a bar of chocolate. Who woulda thought?? Jacob can’t wait to try this…I’ll be waiting nearby with a large bucket of water, lol!
LOL! You guys are all great!
I wish I had seen this post earlier!
Oh my — these are the times I live for as a homeschooling parent! My children are younger, so they aren’t quite as independent, but yes — when my daughter gets ramped up about something she wants to create I sidle off to the background and let my plans go.
I tend to think — and I’m sure not everyone would agree — that my children have in them the seeds for wonderful things that would never cross my mind in a million years. God will call them in ways that I would never have considered — perhaps ways I would not like to consider! So while I do play a clear role in guiding their learning right now, I try hard to back off whenever I see initiative for most any creative endeavor, even ones that seem totally nonsensical (time machine, anyone?).
My boys went “wilderness” crazy last spring (which I love). You have to have Superboy try starting a fire by touching a 9 volt battery to dryer lint. It is the method we found to be the easiest and most reliable. It is awesome! I just love when my boys get obsessed…I swear I can see the wheels spinning in their heads. Have fun!
As the mom of 3 obsessive explorers chez childsplay, you know what I’ll say.
And, being a rather obsessive learner like this, I feel like everything I learned happened on my own time and I remember very little from actual school time. This has made my unschooling decision a little easier.
Either way, you do a fantastic job instilling a love of learning in your day.
That is amazing! He sounds so much like my boy that it sort of blew my mind for a minute. He sounds like a ’superboy’.
I am bookmarking this for my 11 yr old, Alex. He will be thrilled!
Blessings,
Val