Interest-led learning - holiday style!

One of the (many) things I love about homeschooling is that we can take the State-mandated "curriculum" and twist it around to suit ourselves. Love maths? Lots of opportunity to delve deeper into the "thinking mathematically". Love english? Get stuck right into  writing narratives or expressing yourself through the spoken word (aka: drama).

Did I mention we are going on HOLIDAYS? We are! Just two short weeks until we board the Diamond Princess to sail off into the sunset and into Asia. So, I do what any self-respecting homeschool mum would do - I tailor just about all our learning around our trip (because I'm excited!!).

Mapping skills - Mapping the World By Heart

Using Google maps

We watched a great documentary about Qin Shi Huang - China's first emperor and the guy who got all those Terracotta Soldiers and the Great Wall (not self-centred at all!!!).

Research skills

Calculating (or daydreaming?)

Constructing time lines (to scale!)

Measurement, representing historical events

Ancient China timeline

Reading up on Japanese history

Origami folding

Following instructions

Working together

Turtles holding up the world!

Even a trip to the dentist is educational!!

We are also looking at foreign currency exchange - there is a world of resources out there on consumer maths and being an informed consumer - this is just one from ABC TV's Behind the News (great videos on huge range of current topics):

We are also trying to squeeze in some language practice time learning Mandarin!

Lots of wonderful learning opportunities and I haven't had to pay for any of it :-) It all comes from the internet (lapbooks) or the library!

Oh, and I need to add in what a wonderful day we had "not going back to school" and meeting up with homeschoolers from the South Coast to northern Sydney - a nice chance to catch up with Helena from Respect. Love. Learning again:

It surely is a wonderful life - full of wonder, joy, learning, love and we're going on holidays!!!