Essential Oils

 

INFORMATION ON ESSENTIAL OILS

and how they may help ease anxiety in some individuals (this is not medical advice - use discretion)

A friend recently asked me if I knew anything about essential oils.

I only know a little, but I'm happy to share what I know.

I prepared the following information for a workshop on anxiety run by the Nelson Branch of Autism NZ some time ago.

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Pure Essential oils have therapeutic benefits. Perfume oils (inferior quality) can smell nice, but do not have the true therapeutic benefits. Perfume oils are often the result of further extraction after the pure essential oils have been taken from the plant – or can even be synthetic. The use of cheaper perfume oils, or cheap essential oils can be detrimental.

Look at “What Are Organic Essential Oils” http://www.aromatherapyforchristians.com/organic.html

and also “Essential Oil Usage – What Are Essential Oils” http://heritageessentialoils.com/usage.php

A Pure Essential Oil will always have the Latin name of the plant on the bottle, and will cost more than a perfume oil. Our research has lead us to mainly:

Dophin Clinic Oils http://www.dolphinclinic.co.nz/home

Available from Health 2000 shops, or

order online/over the telephone with Healthpost (based in Golden Bay) http://www.healthpost.co.nz

and 

 

Aromaflex Oils http://www.aromaflex.co.nz

Upper Trafalgar Street, Nelson or order online (Consultations available)

The following information is from the Aromaflex website.

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HOW OILS WORK

There are three ways oils enter the body:

• Direct application to the Skin
• Inhalation
• Prescribed Oral Use 
  

Direct Application and Massage  

Blends and Essential Oils can be applied directly onto the skin for therapeutic benefits. The chemistry of the individual oils is absorbed through the permeable layers of the skin into the blood stream. This happens because therapeutic grade oils are small enough to penetrate through the pores and hair follicles on the skin, thus enabling them to be absorbed by our largest organ, the skin. The level and intensity of absorption is different for every person depending on health, skin type and dilution i.e you would not put pure essential oils on an open wound.

When massaging an area of the body you increase the circulation to an area which increases absorption. The heat created helps to transport the oils faster. Therefore, applying body blends after your shower when the pores are open, is a good option. 

Hydrosols 'spray' oils onto the skin for absorption. Hydrosols are a much diluted form of essential oils and are great for wound care, facial sprays and gargling in the mouth for sore throats and infections of the teeth.

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Is it not necessary to do a great amount of research to benefit from the use of essential oils (unless you are a “research” person and you want to do the research!). A look at a couple of websites, or a consultation with an aromatherapist will give you a good idea of how oils may be able to help in the case of anxiety and ASD. The Nelson library has some good aromatherapy books. I recommend cross-referencing at least two or three sources when you are making a final decision on which oil to use.

Be aware there are warnings for the use of some oils (some should be avoided in pregnancy, some are phototoxic – do not apply and then expose to the sun - some are best not used for small children, some have high or low blood pressure warnings …) so if you are not being advised by a professional take care to read up a bit about the use of the particular oil you are choosing.

The Heritage Essential Oils website http://heritageessentialoils.com/ has information on each oil, and includes testimonials from people who have used them which is very helpful. I highly recommend the use of this website for information on the oils, and interesting advice from those who have used them.

For instance on the page for Vetiver oil I found the following testimonial:

8. Vetiver on my 11-year-old son's big toe and diluted on his spine and/or brain stem work great for my son to calm his anxiety. Potential has worked well to curb his hyperactivity - just a couple drops/day of that on the back of his neck. When I do too much of either oil it seems to cause the opposite effect. Lavender has the opposite effect on my son and Cedarwood didn't do anything. He has sever ASD and epilepsy. - Sarah

Most people will say “Lavender is supposed to help you relax and sleep ...” but one of my children finds it gives the opposite effect, and it was good read this lady's report above that it does the same for her child – we are trying Vetiver and Frankincense together, in almond oil, instead.

Here is some information about both of these oils:

FRANKINCENSE

(not for use with small children)

Properties and Usage:
Expectorant, antitumoral, immunostimulant, and antidepressant.

Researchers today have discovered that frankincense is high in sesquiterpenes, which helps stimulate the limbic system of the brain (the center of emotions) as well as the hypothalamus, pineal and pituitary glands. The hypothalamus is the master gland of the human body, controlling the release of many hormones including thyroid and growth hormone. Frankincense is now being researched and used therapeutically in European hospitals and is being investigated for its ability to improve human growth hormone production.

The sesquiterpenes in Frankincense, enable it to go beyond the blood brain barrier. It increases the activity of leukocytes in defense of the body against infection.

Frankincense has helped with asthma, depression, and ulcers.  High in sesquiterpenes, it is stimulating and elevating to the mind and helps in overcoming stress and despair, as well as supporting the immune system.

Frankincense may also help with allergies, bites (insect and snake), anxiety, bronchitis, cancer, respiratory infections, diphtheria, skin issues, headaches, hemorrhaging, herpes, high blood pressure, inflammation, stress, tonsillitis, typhoid, and warts.

We have a small roller bottle (like a perfume bottle with a roller top) in which we have almond oil, plus 5 drops of Vetiver, and 5 drops of Frankincense. Our 6 year old asks for his oil when he is becoming anxious or angry (if he is able to remember), and I roll it onto the back of his neck. I do not overuse it as Frankincense is not advised for use with small children.

VETIVER

Properties and Uses
Vetiver essential oil is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties and is commonly used for painful joints. It is antiseptic, antispasmodic, a relaxant and circulatory stimulant.

Vetiver is used for ADHD, anxiety, joint aches and pains, depression (including after giving birth), insomnia, skin care such as for wrinkles, oily, aging and acne.

And another of our favourites, both for smell and therapeutic benefits:

MANDARIN

Properties and Usage
Mandarin is used as a digestive tonic, is anti-fungal and stimulates the gallbladder. It has a high limonene content, which has been studied for its ability to combat tumor growth in over 50 clinical studies.

Used for digestive issues, fluid retention, insomnia, anxiety, intestinal issues, skin (such as acne, oily, scars), stretch marks (especially when combined with another oil such as Jasmine, Lavender, Sandalwoods, or Frankincense). It is noted to help regulate metabolic processes and aid the secretion of bile breaking down fats.

Known as the children's remedy and is used to relieve tummy upset of babies and children. It is soothing and calming and sometimes referred to as the "happy oil."

We have made up a small bottle of almond oil with mandarin essential oil added to it. When someone is a bit anxious, upset, tummy achey or has an unspecified concern (very common with one of our children), I rub their tummy and/or back with this oil. The combination of the rub (for the children who like to be touched), the attention, the calm quiet moment, and the oil works very nicely.

Another of our children chose the Aromaflex “Uplifting and Soothing” synergy (mix) which contains orange, geranium and ylang ylang. We bought a small 5ml bottle - $13.00 - to see if it worked.

We used a small roller bottle ¾ full of almond oil, and then 10 drops of the “Uplifting and Soothing” synergy into the bottle. This has proved very successful in calming this child down when anxiety creeps or leaps up. One of the greatest successes has been in the supermarket – this was a very good test for the oil, and it worked.

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It is important that the person likes the smell of the oils! Many of our children and both Mum and Dad are intolerant of synthetic smells – perfume, air freshner etc but high quality essential oils are totally different, and tolerated by almost all of us.

If the smell is not acceptable you can try putting the oils onto the soles of the feet (diluted with a carrier oil, with the exception of lavender which can be put onto the skin neat) in which case they are not so easy for the wearer to smell (depending on how sensitive/hyper-sensitive their “smeller” is!).

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 Hopefully you have found something interesting in this article.  I'd just like to add that if I were to choose my favourite five oils to start a collection I would have to say

1.  Lavender

2.  Tea tree

3.  Chamomile

4.  Frankincense

5.  Sandalwood

READY to START learning?

Funny how you can be talking to someone and it suddenly dawns - "this person isn't on the same page as me."

They're not even in the same book.

Or the same library.

Same town.

Same planet ...

Well, anyway, my recent discussions with the MOE lady proved this (and I promise I will stop ranting about it soon, when its out of my system).

She wasn't on the "Natural Learning" page.  Because I don't think the MOE have one.  Apparently they do.  But maybe she hadn't read the book with that page in.

SO - getting to the point ...

Some time back our then 5 year old was working alongside a friend who had come to help us.

They were putting out spoons for lunch and Mr 5 was counting them:

"One, two, three ... we need three more to make six."   

This was not an unusual thing for him to say, so I took no notice as I was doing my thing with the lunch.

But our friend (ex-teacher, ex-homeschooling mother) looked at me and said:

"I think he's ready to start learning!"

For a second I was puzzled.

Then I realised that she probably meant  "He has exhibited signs of intelligence and now we must buy him some workbooks and sit him down for a period every day and get him to work through the books and advance in an orderly fashion."

So I said:

"Hm," raised my eyebrows in appreciation and smiled.  Our friend is very servant-hearted and I'm not being nasty toward her.

Just made me realise, once again, that not everybody can see how this works. 

I just shared this with a friend the other day when she asked about unschooling:


 " Everything you are doing with your little ones just continues on, forever and ever. They keep learning things they're interested in and because they don't have "learn now" times and "don't bother me with anything LEARNING or SCHOOLY now" times then they learn ALL THE TIME. It's is precious and breathtaking sometimes. Our 6 year old was bouncing on the trampoline one evening and he said to Daddy "What's the real name for a bluebird?" Daddy was puzzled, but I knew what he meant. I said "Do you mean the Latin name?" "Yes' said bouncing 6 year old. So I looked it up and told him.

  Truly Truly Truly, everything you are doing, and not doing, with your children when they are younger can continue as they get older ... there is no "magic age" where "learning" starts, and there is no "magic age" where you need to STOP all the good fun things and start 'boring' school things."

Then I was sharing with another friend yesterday about this concept, and she said 

"I wonder if people are worried that if they just continue on as they are doing, and don't start any formal "learning" type programme, they will end up with 18 years olds who are still doing what 3 year olds do?"

I wonder?

About Natural Education and Jigsaw Puzzles in the Brain

Regular readers will be aware that the Ministry of Education and I had dealings a few weeks back.

During those dealings the lady from the Min asked me:  

I have looked back at the applications on file for your older children and I can see that you have made some changes in your approach to home schooling over the years to the point where you have adopted the planned approach for Joseph. I am very interested in how home educators make these decisions and changes over time and  I would like to hear more about this. I know that many home educators do change their approach over the years from the time of applications and it would be useful for my learning to hear more about this aspect. 

She also asked, at one point, how we would know if Joseph will be learning as he should be.

 

This is some of what I said to her:

 

How we will know he is progressing as he should be across the learning areas:

 

I really have trouble with the “as he should be” part of this because in my experience of many different learning/teaching styles, and many different children I am confident that putting an expectation on a child of what should be achieved at a certain stage is unhealthy.

 

I am sure you agree that nobody puts constraints on a baby as to when they crawl, stand, speak etc – however I also understand that if a baby was not walking by 2 years old, then something may be a amiss.

 

When I look at our older children I am given more and more confidence that despite the age at which they learned to read, multiply, speak a foreign language, research, debate, memorise etc – then the learning happened over their younger years – and most importantly that the learning happened WHEN THEY WERE READY TO RECEIVE the learning, and therefore it is remembered.

 

It’s safe to say that I don’t notice every success and sign of progress that my children make as they can be naturally very gradual and smooth.  The progress does not need to be noticed/noted  for it to continue – the children move ahead very naturally in their own ways, enjoying the feeling of getting better at something or gaining some new skill.

 

Of course, big milestones like riding a bike by himself, or learning all the words to a poem and reciting it, or completing a whole colouring picture by himself, or following along with a story and knowing where all “his” words are and reading them out loud, bringing me the results of his workshop project – these things ARE noticed by me, and I celebrate them appropriately with him according to his mood (whether he needs a smile, a tickle, a high-five, a whoop or great bursts of clapping).

 

You mentioned you were interested in why families might change their learning style over the years.  Here are my thoughts.

 

Above I mentioned the fact that a child will remember things if they are learned during a time a child was interested in a subject – this is the crux of natural learning, and I believe it is why many families go from a more structured learning style (wherein the parent feels more “in control” of the learning, feeling more that they can achieve a successful result because everything is laid out in a specific order to ensure the main points are covered) to a more natural (unschooling/delight directed learning) style.    

 

Natural learning can, on the face of it, seem rather messy, chaotic or perplexing from those looking from the outside, but the depth of learning and the excitement and enjoyment the children have results in much learning being absorbed and subsequently turned over and over in their minds later.  

 

As an example the other day before I could get out of bed I had four little boys in with me.   The baby was playing quietly, Joseph was on and off the bed playing with cars, our 8 and 10 year olds were cozy under the blankets.  Our 8 year old asked me about Winston Churchill and the bad guy that he couldn’t remember the name of.  Then they both listened very intently as I told them about Hitler, and the state that Germany was in after WWI, and Jewish people, concentration camps, gypsies, gas chambers, Corrie Ten Boom, Churchill etc etc.   If I had an expectation that everything I said would be remembered, then I would perhaps become exasperated that some of it was forgotten.  However, I see life learning as a  large number of “jigsaw puzzles” in a child’s mind.  Every time the children hear some new information they might taken in a bit of it – or all of it depending on their interest and their ability to take it in and relate it to other information they know – they gain a piece (or pieces) of one or some of the puzzles.  Next time the subject comes around they may already have many pieces of that puzzle and they will gain some more and start to see the picture more clearly.

 

 

 

An example of that was when I was speaking about Churchill I mentioned the BBC Documentary “Wartime Farm” that the children enjoyed, and I said about Churchill keeping the hope of English people live, that they needed to believe they could win the war.  The children remembered the bits in that documentary where the folks did without things and endured hardship.

 

 

 

Therefore, if I could see into their minds, and I could view their “jigsaw puzzles” I might see that the “WW2” puzzle had more pieces in it since our talk about concentration camps, and their “Winston Churchill” puzzle had more pieces in relation to making noteworthy speeches, and their “Hitler and commanding officers” puzzle had a few more pieces in relation to cyanide pills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mid Autumn

There are so many seasons.  Not just summer and winter.  Not even just summer, autumn, winter and spring.   There's early summer, mid summer, late summer, early autumn, mid autumn, late autumn ... you get the drift.

And right now, we're in mid autumn on this half of the globe.

It's a beautiful BEAUTIFUL time of the year.  We're enjoying it to the fullest.

A Rare Gem

In today's world full of OSH, great whopping handrails, soft-fall landscaping, playgrounds being pulled apart and thrown away because the owners can't keep up with the regs etc etc etc rant rant rant ...

...  well, we had an amazing time at a local privately-owned garden that is open to the public.

It's somewhere we've driven past a million times, on the way to appointments, jobs that needed to be done before everyone got over-tired, visits or the like - but today, we stopped and played.

Far, far better than any playground - we will be returning for sure.

 

Keeping a Stash of Potentially Useful things

The other day I bought some 2nd hand, wide, rainbow elastic.  I don't have a project for it yet, but the children have already played quite a few games with it.   I'll put it into our storeroom soon, and one day we'll need it  I'm sure.

Years ago someone gave me a roll of thick clear plastic.  I didn't know what I would use it for immediately,  but some time later I had a Great Idea.   My Great Idea was very successful and everyone enjoyed it for a while.

Last week I was tidying our library (two of the adjustable shelves had fallen over from the weight of the books, so it was time for a tidy up and a clean out) and I found an very old school atlas that I'd bought very cheaply from a sale somewhere, for some reason.   (I know it was very old because I used the same edition when I was in school).

So, with the old atlas in my hand, and the roll of thick clear plastic I embarked on The New Great Idea.


The ingredients you will need for The New Great Idea are:

-   one clean table

-   one old atlas, or any interesting book, posters, maps etc   The first time I did this idea I use an old Bible.

-  a roll of thick clear plastic, or a thick clear plastic tablecloth

And there you are.  Easy as that.  Our 6 year old was helping me with the sticky tape and the scissors.  As soon as I had finished he said "Now, where do we live on this map?"

I was so pleased!  I hadn't been talking to him about it as I was doing it - he knew they were maps, he knew which ones were New Zealand, and he wanted to know where we lived!  

This afternoon as was tidying in the kitchen, the children started a game of calling out places in the world and seeing if the other could find them.

Our 10 year old ran to get the magnifying glass, and world map off the lounge wall, and said "I LOVE geography".  

I hadn't said a word!  I just set it up, and off they went.  Yay for natural education!!

And yay for keeping a stash of potentially useful things!!!

Application for Exemption from a Registered School

Due to rather a lot of interest in our recent escapades with the Ministry of Education, I thought I'd post a copy of our exemption application.  

I was in two minds when I did this - I really didn't want to give TOO MUCH information out of the concern that the MOE will start to expect it from everyone if too many people do this.

But on the other hand, this was the first application I had done like this.  The previous five have been a bit different.  But not much.

As it turned out - I had not given TOO MUCH information.  The MOE had more questions for me (see my last blog post).

Anyhoo - here it be.   And if anyone wants to use it as a model for their own application please feel free if you can do so honestly knowing that you are going to use the same approach as us.

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What and how we intend to teach – our philosophy/approach.

We use what we have come to call a Natural Learning approach. It is child-led/delight directed learning taking elements from the following sources:

• Charlotte Mason education
• Montessori
• Pikler
• Waldorf/Steiner
• Thomas Jefferson Education
• Democratic schools
• Free/liberal schools
• Enki Education
• Reggio Emilia
• NZ Government curriculum
• Christian Schools

Researching each of the above areas, we have developed and use our own “spiral curriculum” – so called as it is planned monthly, and we revisit the whole curriculum each year, recapping what we have learned previously and then going deeper and deeper into various topics as the children show interest.

Each month in our Spiral Curriculum has seasonal activities and discussions on many and various topics. As soon as Joseph’s interest in sparked in an area we delve further into that area. If he doesn’t seem ready for the information, or not interested we know that going further into the subject may spoil his enjoyment for that subject later, so we either wait until that topic comes up again the next year – or talk about it if Joseph brings the subject up himself (he may have been spending time considering what we have been talking about) – or more usually we would talk about that particular topic again if it comes up again naturally. An example of which: some time ago when we had been discussing letterboxes – construction, use etc. The children became extremely interested in letterboxes when we started actually spotting quirky or handcrafted letterboxes locally – some time after the original discussion took place. One of the younger children was going through a “posting things” stage, and so the others made a “letterbox” for that younger child, and made “letters” for the child to post, and then collect in a bag and deliver to family members.

Using this system of learning Joseph will naturally go deeper into subjects each time they come up, and remember what he has learned from the previous discussions/projects.

When we use our Spiral Curriculum it takes place during the time of day we call “Cozy Time” where there are songs (including action songs), discussions, fingerplays, art lessons, short reading sessions (for example reading a portion of a health/manners/geography type book – often Rod & Staff Publishers), language lessons, games etc – whatever suits the age and interests of the children. Joseph has been raised in this environment and it is natural to him. We have a large number of games and activities that we have developed into a booklet and we take ideas from that.

Joseph participates as he is interested, but is always around, absorbing what the others are doing.

Much of our learning is oral, but often spills over into games the children invent. As an example, whilst watching a favourite BBC documentary series “Wartime Farm” the children made a wartime shop where MANY experiences were discussed and agreements/disagreements were involved.

The most effective and appropriate time for Joseph to learn is when he’s interested, and he is encouraged and respected when he has questions, which he often has i.e., during a rain storm he may ask about rain, clouds etc. We will either just discuss things, or look in books.

This is a sample from our Spiral Curriculum, which, as mentioned, is based on what we consider to be the “best” of many educational styles.

MARCH

Early Autumn

Character Quality: Boldness vs Fearfulness

Fun Studies:

• drying flowers
• deciduous trees
• how to sincerely congratulate someone
• seas and oceans
• harvesting and saving/storage of food
• light and heavy
• sea life
• migration
• stacking blocks to make an arch
• architecture
• gorse/flax
• plastics
• re-writing a newspaper article
• send cards to people we know
• reciting – focus on not fidgeting

(these studies may be oral, books, videos, hands-on activities, but always done in a very natural way, not forced and Joseph is free to come and go as his interest leads).

Games: name items, child repeats then goes and touches them (i.e., chair, cushion, door)

Draw five dots then join them to be head, hands, feet

Memory – items on a tray, take one away

Sort buttons

Play with precious things in the box

Make tents

Beanbag toss

Write story – write a piece, fold paper and pass it on to another to continue– two characters/this day they were/but suddenly/it was just as well that/the end.

This list of subjects and games is a springboard for me to use for the month. We are never restricted by this list though, and will often delve into another subject (perhaps from something we have seen/heard, learned in a book etc) when interest comes up.

If, one year, we don’t get round to studying a particular topic, then it will be covered the next year.

Any of the above subjects may be “studied” by talking about them, or in a hands-on way – writing, drawing, making something, playing with things etc which really cements the learning in Joseph’s mind. I keep in mind the topics for the month, and “strew the path” (to quote Sandra Dodd) with resources (library books, our own books, science equipment, art and craft supplies etc) and activities (trips out, games, building projects etc) pertinent to those topics.

For example: Flower drying – I will keep in mind that this topic will be looked at in March. When we are having a walk around the paddock I might pick a few flowers and briefly discuss them with Joseph – the name of the plant – whether it is a weed (a plant growing in the wrong place) or something we have planted; we’ll discuss the colour, the pattern of the petals, maybe we’ll take a flower apart. When we get home we’ll put various flowers carefully between two pieces of cartridge paper, with paper towels to protect the pages, in a heavy book. We’ll write on the calendar when we can open the pages to look at them again, discussing time, weeks, days at the same time.

Another learning tool we enjoy is a “Current Subjects” poster which I change every few weeks – it is kept on our fridge, so we see it every time we sit at the kitchen table. It is a strong visual resource spotlighting an artist and their style of art; a person from history; a hymn; a poem; a piece of scripture; an animal. We discuss these posters as a family and Joseph is very much part of the discussion, and absorbs much of the information.

The current poster we have features

1. Artist: Albrecht Durer. This has already invoked discussions on Germany, the sound of a “u” when the amlaut is over it (like the oo sound in “food”), in the quote from the artist we have the word “youngsters” – would Albrecht Durer really have used that word in the mid 1500’s? and many more things)

2. Historic Person: King Charles the II. We have discussed the fashion at the time of this King, where this King was in time compared to Cromwell, was this around the time of the classic literature “Children Of The New Forest” (which we have read, and will re-read next winter), we discussed the King’s nickname – The Merry Monarch, and other things.

3. Our hymn is “Will your Anchor Hold” which we sing every so often, allowing the words to be memorized naturally.

4. Poem: We have chosen a very long poem - a favourite of our older boys – “Saddle To Rags” written in the 1700’s presumably, discussing a highwayman intent on robbing an old man, but the tables are turned. I read this through often and Joseph absorbs it naturally as he loves the rhythm, the rhymes and the mental imagery. He often asks me to recite it at other times, and so I retell as much as I can remember – he often prompts me in the places I have forgotten.

5. Our piece of scripture is Proverbs 12:15. We use the King James Version for memorisation as the language is rich and there are many benefits for Joseph growing up hearing this language being used.

6. The animal we are currently studying is the “Streaked Tenric” - a favourite due to his cool hairstyle, and colour. From discussing the Tenric we learn about Madagascar, we try to pronounce the Latin name (Hemicentetes semispinosus) and we talk about habitat and other interesting points.

(In relation to Latin we often learn the Latin and Greek roots of words, and I have made a card game where we learn fun Latin names of animals (i.e., Gorilla = Gorilla Gorilla) – Joseph absorbs and remembers these extremely easily.)

Literacy is covered in the many hours we spend reading together. Our reading aloud sessions as a family cover such classics as Henty, Ballantyne, Laura Ingalls Wilder etc, and then we have one-on-one reading sessions too with just Daddy and Joseph, or Mummy and Joseph, or his big sister and Joseph.

Joseph takes over reading more and more as his enjoyment and confidence increases. His favourite books currently are Dr Seuss, and entwined in the reading are many discussions including those on grammar, punctuation, fantasy, artistic style etc. Joseph learns and retains all this information very naturally in our style of education.

Health and Physical Education – we have many discussions about healthy lifestyle choices – Joseph is very aware of making healthy decisions in relation to food, drink and enjoyable, healthy, respectful pastimes. These things are learned from many discussions, from topics coming up naturally, or from a story that I might invent about a child who did not make good decisions – which is always enjoyed! We live on over 2 acres and Joseph runs, trampolines, climbs trees and generally has a lovely life.

Maths – we have always used Math-U-See, and the concepts learned in the early years are covered very naturally in everyday life currently. When Joseph is ready he will start Math-U-See bookwork. In the meantime he is learning to add, multiply, divide, subtract, looking at telling the time, making charts, graphing, learning shapes and colours – all through natural life.

Languages – Joseph could count to 20 in German from an early age simply because we were learning German, and would sing songs and he absorbed what was interesting to him. He is extremely verbal and has a large vocabulary. This is built on naturally from many discussions where Joseph is respected and listened to.

When Joseph produces some paperwork we keep this in his schoolwork box, which will eventually be turned into a notebook style of record (a ring binder). I am constantly monitoring his progress in our discussions, and looking at his readiness for various tasks and learning skills.

Joseph’s sister is very keen on photography, and we have thousands of photographic records of our activities.

Some Of The Resources I Intend To Use/Am Using

As previously mentioned we use Math-U-See

The Internet – supervised use to look up things of interest and watch programmes

The local libraries – borrowing books

Parks – walks, games, meeting friends

Beaches – walks, games

Over 1,000 books in our personal library – fiction and non-fiction

Daddy’s workshop tools – supervised use of tools and being around/learning the names and function of various machines

Mummy’s art and craft supplies – free use of various art supplies, making things alone or designing them and having Mummy make them

Cameras – taking photos and videos and enjoying them again later

Toys – construction toys like Duplo, Lego, Magna Tiles, wooden blocks, train sets, dress-up clothes, Playmobil, small cars, puzzles, logic games etc

Sewing machine and relevant equipment (the children use a hand-cranked Singer machine)

Musical instruments – guitars, piano, ukulele, tin whistles, chromaharp

Moutere Hills Community Centre – we have been involved in an art group, the recent book stall, and hope to become more involved this year in various events and happenings at the Centre.

Educational Goals

We would like to see Joseph continue to love learning as much as he does. To be able to read fluently, choose high-quality literature along with more easily read books, to be able to speak and write effectively, communicating his thoughts and beliefs easily and well. If we can keep him blossoming and growing, allow his personality to develop, his character traits to strengthen, provide and equip him with things to allow intelligent growth, give him time and space to think, philosophise and theorise then we shall be happy. When Joseph does not know the answer to something, we are confident that he will know WHERE to go, to find the answer.

Our Vision

We would like for Joseph will be literate, competent with basic maths/English skills (or advanced skills if his nature is so inclined) be thoughtful, kind, considerate of others, have a wide general knowledge, a high degree of competent independent life skills, be responsible towards his family/community/country/world, be respectful, have covered so much educational material during his early years that he can be sure of his likes and dislikes which will lead him into a profession of his choosing where he can find contentment.

Special Project or Topic Plan

Please see the information above in relation to our “Current Subjects” poster. The plan for learning is that I will compile information on topics that I know Joseph and the other children will be interested in. I am completely confident that whatever I expect the educational outcome to be the children will far exceed this with our discussions and subsequent rabbit trails and interests sparked from one point. As previously described, I will use resources including the internet, our own books, our art/craft supplies, technological tools we have (Daddy’s workshop, Mummy’s sewing machine, digital SLR camera, computers, printer, tablets) or anything else that fits the need.

Our educational and learning moments are from wake up to sleep time. There is not a time when Joseph is switched off. We have lived this lifestyle for so long, and Joseph has been born into this, and so it is completely natural to him.

TOPIC PLAN

It is not unusual for us at any time, on any day, to play a game involving the world map. Joseph will be given a pointer to use (a stick) and be asked to point out New Zealand. Then we will ask him to show us Australia, then New Zealand. Next I will point out Japan, and subsequently ask him to show me Australia, Japan and New Zealand … gradually new countries are added in as he becomes confident and familiar. It is our expectation that Joseph will eventually have a thorough knowledge of the world’s geography, peoples, history, and learn many geographical terms (ocean, lake, pond, isle, island, reef, headland, cove, river etc etc.) Learning in this way is easy and fun and Joseph asks for more and more! Next time we are discussing say, marsupials, and mention Australia, Joseph will remember where Australia was on the world map. And next time we are drawing maps of imaginary places, Joseph will remember the difference between a peninsula and a bay.

Natural Learning is joyful and exciting, enabling Joseph to put “puzzle pieces” together naturally, at his own pace – making discoveries, “joining the dots” and making learning “his own”. Whether it be technology, geography, social studies, the natural world, art, physics, logic, languages – whatever the “subject”, natural learning is truly as natural as breathing for Joseph.

We have a weekly schedule (copy attached) that shows mealtimes, playtimes, jobs, quiet times – EVERY single one of these activities is an educational time and a learning time when it includes discussions, sharing, exploring things, and Joseph feels very free to ask questions and provide his thoughts.

Joseph’s Dad is a joiner with many years experience who loves his family and spends all his spare time with the family – working on the house or the property, or on various things the children want built, or helping them learn how to use his fully equipped workshop. We are blessed to have a Daddy like this. Daddy is gifted in science, electronics, logic, mathematics, technology and physics areas.

Joseph’s Mum is an experienced home educator with a passion for Natural Education. She is an artist and craftsperson, writer and researcher. She is completely committed to her family. Her areas of interest are the arts, communications and encouraging others.

Joseph’s siblings are his team where he feels secure and loved, and learns many lessons including sharing, communication, working together, teaching them and learning from them.

Joseph will enjoy his first term at gymnastics when the classes start up soon at the local Community Centre – we are waiting for the schedule to be organised so we can register for this. The family have attended the same church for the last 10 years, and Joseph is well-known by everyone when he attends.