Sunday 17 February 2013

Open your eyes and see! Don't just look!



As we sat in the Fish and chip shop , eating tea, in between dropping my eldest off at scout camp and my daughter off at scouts, my autistic son was studying the old prints of our market town on the wall. He pointed to the picture of the Parish Church with it's norman tower and we noted that it was built over 1000 years ago - quite mind blowing to think that centuries before I was confirmed there people were worshiping in the same building. My son explained how to recognise Norman Architecture  by the shape of the tower and arched windows and once again I realized how much we learn from things we take for granted in our day to day lives. As a result I have taken pictures of the church at Bardsea today with it's steeple and granite stone with the intention of researching its historical background. Our brains are like a computer which links together information we've already learned with the new things we experience and because they were of interest to us the information is retained.

Similarly having visited Donkey Rock in Broughton this week, with its example of Coniston Grits I realised just how much we have seen on our home education adventure. Limestone pavements at Birkrigg, Erratic boulders in scotland and the opportunity to view geological sites at Humphrey Head and Whitbarrow Scar. We even found fossils on our own beach down the road. Unschooling really is a wonderful way to retain a love of learning and makes you appreciate the fantastic things around us if we just open our eyes!

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