Who would have ever thought I would have been okay with my kids making a full time job out of playing a video game?  I sure never thought I would get there. But I have.  My boys spend most of their waking hours on a computer game called Minecraft.

Over the years, after I decided to homeschool, I found myself migrating more towards a philosophy of life called Unschooling.  Yes, we pulled out the text books and “educational” websites at the beginning of our homeschooling journey, but my kids got bored with it.  I saw them resisting the work I was providing for them and not retaining much of what I was teaching.  They would even pretend to be sleeping in the mornings, trying to avoid my “school” work.

For the last couple of years, I’ve let go of doing anything that looked schoolish.  Of course, if they want to do worksheets, they are welcome to explore that, but gone are the days that I force them to sit and do anything.   Instead, I’ve started asking them what they would like to do and let them do it.  What I’ve observed as they play video games, watch cartoons, make their own cartoons on Zimmertwins and read Garfield books is a huge improvement in their reading, math, vocabulary and social skills.  In essence, I’ve fully embraced the unschooling philosophy that everyone learns differently and learns best when given the opportunity to pursue things that they enjoy doing.  I know I always have.  Why would that be different for my kids?

In March we were introduced to the computer game called Minecraft.  My boys took to it like nobody’s business!  This game is so much fun and the fun and depth with which they play never ends.  You can create worlds from scratch, build your own towns, tools, weapons and avatars.  You can play on multi servers where you plan communities with other people playing the game.  I have observed my kids developing  many new skills playing Minecraft and wanted to write about them here.

Problem Solving Skills

When you spawn in Minecraft you are in the middle of nowhere with only trees, caves and animals roaming around.  If you are playing in survival mode, you will also see creepers, skeletons, zombies, spiders or enderman that will attack you starting at sundown.  You must try to survive by cutting down trees and building yourself some type of primitive shelter to protect yourself from the monsters that come out at night.  You also have a hunger bar and if you don’t find food, you will die.

Sounds easy, but trust me it’s not.  You must come up with a statagy for surviving that first night and be quick about it lest you die at the hands of the monsters in the dark or a hungry belly.  I have seen the kids come up with elaborate plans for surviving that first night.  They’ve learned to hunt for food, build shelter, mine coal for torches and make tools from natural resources all within the span of a 10 minute Minecraft “day”.

After that, they have to think quickly about how to continue to survive and build up a world in which they can live more easily.  They plan gardens, set up farms with pigs, cows and chickens, build crafting tables and furnaces.  They figure out how deep they must mine in a cave to find diamonds, gold and other precious metals.  They must learn which weapons or tools work best for hunting, defending themselves against monsters and mining.  The stakes get higher the more you survive.  If you die you are at risk of losing all of the accumulated materials you have collected in your inventory.

Minecraft provides a continuous arena in which to flex those problem solving muscles and continue down the path to further development in the game.

Research Skills

The boys have learned how to research by playing Minecraft.  When they want to learn a new trick or how to build an intricate lighting system for a mansion they have built they head to WikiHow, Youtube and other internet sources.  There they find tutorials on how to build elaborate systems for their cities-  how to run recessed lighting, how to build irrigation systems, how to plant and maintain gardens and how to build extravagant things like showers for the bathrooms or fireplaces for the living rooms.  They have learned to bookmark their favorite tutorial sites, share them with friends, and even explain to others how to do certain things.  They are even considering doing their own tutorial videos for youtube.

Communication Skills

The boys have learned to communicate very well playing Minecraft.  They have met friends through our Shine with Unschooling group and also through the Unschooling Gamers Yahoo Group.  Through these groups they have learned to set up and use Skype.  It’s not uncommon to have several kids from all over the world playing Minecraft on our family server while skyping with each other.

They are learning to work together to gather food for the community, build stores to sell armor, weapons and food,  build amusement parks and engineer new cities.  They are learning to maneuver through different personality types and problem solve disputes between the players.  They are learning to respect the wishes of others and communicate their own wishes and come to agreements on what is going to happen within the world.

If they don’t learn to communicate well on Minecraft, the game doesn’t go as well.  Working with others on the Multiplayer servers is key to building and maintaining a world that works for everyone.  Kind of like real life, huh?

Typing Skills

With no keyboard or formal typing lessons, the boys have become very fast keyboarders.  There is a chat section on Minecraft which has motivated them to learn to type faster and more accurately.

Cameron told me the other day that he is so glad I didn’t force him to do the typing program I tried to get him to do.  Through his love of working on the computer he has gotten to be a master typist.

Spelling Skills

Spelling has improved immensely for the boys as they learn to navigate through the internet and chat with friends on Minecraft.  It is essential that they are able to communicate with their friends on the chat section of Minecraft or in forums where they are trying to get answers to their questions.  This has motivated them to learn to spell well so that they are understood by their friends.

Vocabulary

I have seen the boys vocabulary expand a lot as they learn new words through friends or on the internet in articles they are reading about Minecraft.  Many times they use words that me and their Dad are amazed by.  Their new vocabulary spills out into their every day conversations.  I can’t imagine that my forced vocabulary lists would have yielded boys who use language as well as they do.

Science

Both Cameron and Caleb have asked to go to the library to get books about diamonds, obsidian, gold, silver and other gemstones.  They have learned a lot about the layers of the earth.  They have learned about all types of stone, wood, gemstones, caves and mining.  Their love of Minecraft has peeked their interest in all sorts of geological study.

They have also become interested in Bioms.  There are deserts, jungles, forests and oceans on Minecraft.  Many different creatures live within the different biomes and the kids have loved learning about them all and often jump over to the internet to explore one biome or another.

Creativity

I have seen a surge of creativity in the boys since they started playing Minecraft.  Cameron’s love of drawing has expanded to drawing worlds of Minecraft scenery.  Caleb has come up with stories about Minecraft characters.  They have learned to invent tools and other things that help them problem solve in their game.  Caleb and I even built a real stone pickax out of sticks and stones at the family farm recently.

I see them being more creative about problem solving in real life as well.  They are more likely now to work out a problem for themselves, rather than ask me for a solution.  They seem to be getting more creative in everything they do.

Math and Spacial Reasoning Skills

In order to build a structure that is functional as well as visually pleasing, you must develop math and spacial reasoning skills.  I have seen the boys figure out in their heads how many blocks will be necessary for a foundation – doubling, tripling and even quadrupling that number in their heads and then apply that to a building in Minecraft.  I have witnessed them taking an idea in their minds and building complete cities with recessed lighting and fountains and statues and stores using spacial reasoning and math skills.  They are figuring it out on their own without any “formal” training in engineering.  It really is remarkable to see some of the things they’re building.  I also have Minecraft installed on my computer and haven’t had near the success that these kids do.  Obviously, spacial reasoning and I don’t get along very well.

If you’re worried that your child is playing too many video games or that they seem to spend a lifetime on Minecraft, just know and trust that they ARE learning.  Play the game yourself to get an idea of the difficulties that must be endured just to survive much less build elaborate cities.  Talk to your kids and listen to what they are doing and how they are figuring out HOW to do it.

They ARE  learning from these games.  Many times it’s obvious that they are gaining valuable skills and sometimes it looks just like play.  Gaming is truly an amazing way to explore the world if we can just let go of our preconceived ideas about it and let our children (and ourselves) thrive at it.

Read my subsequent articles about Minecraft here:  Minecraft-Learning the 3 R’s, More Minecraft Love, A Minecraft Birthday  

Subscribe to get updates on Minecraft articles – Coming soon!

I’ve wanted to write more post about our unschooling lifestyle, but just haven’t made the time for it lately.  So I decided to write a few words and phrases that came to mind as our unschooling life continues to unfold.  Maybe it will be inspiration for further post down the road.

Unschooling for me, in this present moment is:

Letting go

Living in the moment

Loving life as it comes

Not trying to MAKE things happen

Getting into the flow

Letting go of doctrine

Letting go of old beliefs

Believing in the Magic of Life

Allowing myself and my kids to be WHO we are

Allowing myself and my kids to express what is within us (even when it’s uncomfortable for me)

Allowing Life to Unfold as it Unfolds

Letting go of Knowing

Living in the Question

Asking Questions

Being then Doing

Playing More, working Less

Questioning my thoughts, my agendas, my way of looking at things

Seeing from a broader prospective

Letting go of Judgment

Embracing Peace not problems

Embracing Gentleness

Realizing there are NO Problems, only situations

Trusting that life is always as it should be in this moment.

There are probably a thousand other ways I could express our always unfolding unschooling life.  Words really don’t do it justice.

I just learned about Artist Trading Cards and how to make them.  In short, it is a 2 1/2 in. by 3 in card you can either cut yourself or buy precut in a craft store.  You design your art on the card using any medium you wish and then trade them with others.  It’s as simple as that.

Wiki How has a great step by step guide to show you how to do this here:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Artist-Trading-Cards

What I love about this is that we don’t try to be perfect or get anything “right”.  We just have fun and let the creative juices flow.  It’s nice because it is just a small sampling of the art that you like to produce.  The size alone makes it a reasonable activity to do in just a few minutes.

Here are a few of the ones we’ve done.  Cameron likes using colored pens and I like using watercolor paint.  Jessica will use whatever is available.

We’ll be going to the We Shine Unschooling conference in New York in a few days and have packed up our ATC’s to trade with new friends.  If you trade, be sure to write your name and email or website on the back!  Have fun!

Cameron’s ATC Cards (He LOVES Minecraft, so that’s what his pictures are about)

       

My ATC Cards:

                      

Jessica’s ATC’s:

  

Watch this video and I’m sure you will be inspired to reflect again on the reasons why you are homeschooling your kids.

Although I do homeschool my kids, I feel compelled to get involved with this movement. Why? Because the kids that are in school and being pushed and pulled in a million different directions will be adult members of our society very soon.

Even though I am pretty sure my kids will not go back to the public school system, I know that they will also be adult members of society in the near future. We will all be working together to solve problems in our world.

For this reason, I see that the problems facing public education are also my concerns and not just concerns for public school parents and administrators. Just because I have chosen the path of homeschooling does not mean that I can hide my head in the sand and think that public education does not affect me, my family and the world. Kids in public school systems will be the adults of tomorrow and I would like to hope that they have something to bring to the table. I would hope that they are being given the tools to make our world a better place.

This country is raising a lot of kids that don’t know how to think critically. They have learned to shove a lot of information into their heads, in a short amount of time, and then mind dump that information onto meaningless tests. Where is the true learning in this scenario?

They are not learning to problem solve or apply what they have “learned” in real world situations. They are not being allowed to be “whole” human beings. They are not being given a moment in the day to discover what they are interested in. They are not given time to absorb what they’ve learned, explore the material and apply it in everyday life.

This epidemic seems to be taking hold at dangerously young ages. I see parents scurrying around trying to get their three year olds in prestigious, very structured preschool programs. I actually heard a mom say, “They MUST get into a good preschool or they won’t be prepared for the rigors of kindergarten.” WHAT????

My twenty-four year old daughter works in one of these preschools. She comes home very frustrated that her two year olds are REQUIRED to learn sign language and sit for thirty and forty minutes at a time to HEAR NOT EXLORE concepts about colors, shapes and numbers. They are told “NO” a lot. They are given very little time to explore their world and discover concepts on their own or with guidance and participation from their relaxed teachers. They are given report cards for God’s sake! As a preschool teacher, my daughter is experiencing frustrated and stressed out two year olds.

Kids are being motivated by fear. They are terrified that if they don’t push their way through AP courses and lots and lots of extra-curriculars they will be failures in life.

I know an eleven year old girl that is taking five AP classes and never gets to come out and play anymore because her “future” is at stake. She didn’t want all the AP courses, but her parents insisted and she of course complied.  What choice does she have?

The other day she looked longingly at my boys outside playing at 4 p.m.  With a gazillion books in her hand, she marched dutifully in to study instead of enjoying the beautiful fall afternoon with her friends.  She had already completed her seven hour government imposed curricula at school but she wasn’t finished yet.  No time for play.  She has college to worry about. An eleven year old child.

Children do not come up with this ideology on their own. Children don’t come out of the womb being fearful about their futures.

Administrators and parents are caught up in an epidemic of scaring the living daylights out of our kids. Have we gotten so fearful about our own futures that we project that onto our kids? Are we raising kids that will be so afraid they don’t “know” the answer and therefore give up finding solutions? Are we raising kids to be so stressed out and frustrated and depressed that they crack at the age of thirty or heaven forbid, younger?

Kids need time to think and explore and discover what brings them joy. They need time to focus and develop their strengths, find coping skills and learn to maneuver through their weaknesses. A five year old certainly has no business worrying about his college options. And if he IS worrying about that, he is picking up on a paradigm his parents have latched onto and his school has embraced. A five year old is not naturally worried about his future at all. Not unless he has been given a reason to worry by the adults around him.

I feel compelled to explore solutions to this fear based epidemic plaguing our school systems. I’m not sure what action I will take but I do know that change must take place. All parents want to think that the future holds something wonderful for their children. That is why I homeschool. I imagine it’s why there has been so much growth in the homeschool community in the last few years. The education system is broken and it not only effects the kids that attend these systems, it affects us all.

We as homeschool parents have discovered what works for our kids and our families.  We have a unique voice because we have had the courage and made the time to explore what excites our children. We have discovered how our children learn. We have stepped away from a system that for whatever reason was not working for our kids and discovered what does work. How can we help with this movement towards a better education system thus a better world for us all?

We can offer our unique voice.  We can become involved.  I have tended in the past to have a somewhat “us (homeschoolers) against them (the public school system)” mentality.  But upon closer examination of my own paradigms, I have realized that if I want a better world for my kids and future generations, I must come to the table with my ideas and promote a system in which ALL kids, not just homeschooled kids have the advantage of living meaningful lives.  I must drop this “us against them” mentality and join the forces wanting and demanding change.

The homeschool community has much to offer in this arena. How better to give than to give of our voice?  To share our experiences as educators. To share the successes our children are having. We as homeschooling parents have a say in the types of learners that are being spit out by a broken educational system.  That education system is producing the problem solvers of tomorrow.

If you would like to find out how you can become involved with the Race To Nowhere movement, please click the link.

Even small actions can make big differences. What kind of world do we want to create? As Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  We as homschoolers are “being” that change. United we can make a big difference not only in our children’s lives but in the world we are sending them into.

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.“ ~Clay P. Bedford

What does it mean to learn? How do we measure what and how much someone is learning? How do we learn and what are the best methods of teaching?

I have asked this of myself countless times since I started homeschooling. I have challenged myself to set aside everything I was ever taught about learning and come up with my own brand and definition of what learning truly is.

I’ll never forget my first day of homeschooling my two boys.  I had prepared well ahead and ordered all of the books I thought would constitute a great education for an elementary aged child.

I had a book for math, spelling, history, english/language arts, age appropriate literature, science books, work books. . . you get the idea.

I had gone to great pains to make our upstairs game room a bright, knowledge building resource.  Charts of every kind, maps, rulers, crayons, sissors and the like.

I was organized.  I was real organized.  There was a specified time for each subject.

Well, I’m sure you know where this is going.  It was a COMPLETE disaster.  We spent about six hours up there and by the end of it we were all crying.

I felt hopeless.  I felt like I couldn’t do it.  I felt like I just wasn’t cut out for this homeschooling stuff.

Right about that time, I crossed paths with a woman that had been homeschooling for a while. I told her my plight and that I didn’t easily give up on ANYTHING, but that I was very fearful that my kids would grow up to be dumb dumb’s if I homeschooled them.  I told her I just didn’t think I had it in me.

She laughed.  “Throw some legos in the floor, turn on some music and read a book to them while they play,” she said.

What????  You mean let them play?  That went against everything I was ever taught.

Learning was hard.  Learning was something you had to do first in order to do what you really wanted to do.  Learning was not fun.

Thus began the shift in my paradigm regarding learning.  Slowly, VERY slowly, I began to let go of the fear that I would be one of those careless moms that let their kids grow up to be just plain stupid.

This took more recalibrating in my own head than it did planning activities for the kids.

We would have a day where we would sit around talking and playing Legos. . .

then

I would freak and pull out the old school books and drill them for hours on reading and math skills.

You can guess which days were more successful.

Over a period of time, yes years, I finally started letting go of what I had learned about learning. I had been through the one size fits all public school system, you see, and had to overcome the doctrine of that mindset.

I was shocked and amazed to see how much my kids learned in regular old daily life, with no particular agenda.  I started asking them what they were interested in and we would pursue it with gusto.

They learned math at the grocery store and in the kitchen making their favorite cookies.

They learned reading sitting by a cozy fire, drinking hot chocolate while I read to them. Then they read to me.

We learned about science taking walks or better yet  “adventures” along the bayou that runs behind our house.

We learned history by visiting grandparents and talking about life.

My paradigm started shifting from:

LEARNING IS SOMETHING YOU MUST ENDURE

to

LIFE IS A SCHOOL

My kids learn so much simply by being who they are. The world has become our classroom and our creativity is revived and kicking. I have learned that we can build skills in everything, yes EVERYTHING we do in life.   We must remember to rely on our curiosity and not on some standards that someone else sets for us.

I trust my kids.  They have been learning since they were born and thankfully the love of learning is just growing stronger for them, as it is for me.

Each person has such unique gifts to give to the world and when encouraged, those gifts turn into tangible skills that can be used to build a well rounded beautiful life with plenty of time to stop and smell a rose. . .

That rose might just teach us something about life.