I learned an invaluable secret when I spent two weeks home schooling my nephew
while my mother, his regular homeschool teacher, was on vacation. His program
consisted of two half-hour online sessions with a virtual teacher followed by written assignments that he had to email to the online teacher.
Right away, I realized the simple lessons were way too easy for the gifted third-
grader. One of them involved examining soil in his backyard to determine what type it
is. The lesson cited only two types, sand and loam; but as a former science major I knew there were at least three: sand, clay, and loam.
We went online and investigated and found the three well known types of
soil and one not so well known type. My nephew was intrigued by this information.
Earlier I'd asked him what are his favorite subjects and he'd told me science and
social studies.
Following his lead, I expanded lessons in those two areas to include additional
investigation and research. He loves learning new information and is an encyclopedia of knowledge. The two weeks I worked with him, we studied things that added to his reservoir of knowledge.
I was also able to use his interests to encourage him to do what he hates most: read. By focusing more on his interests and expanding his online instruction based on those interests I was able to get my nephew's attention and keep him engaged.
When our two weeks were over, he told me he wished that I could homeschool him all year!
Talked to my mother today and told her about this blog. She said my nephew is still using the investigative techniques I taught him to expand on the topics covered in his science and social studies lessons. When I was five, my mother was my Kindergarten teacher in her small Kindergarten in our home. She taught me to draw because that was my main interest at the time. I created a comic strip in the 1980s that was featured on "PM Magazine" and syndicated in several newsletters, including one published by MENSA.
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