Homeschooling : Project Based Learning (PBL)
What is project-based homeschooling? It’s the same educational values applied to learning at home. It’s about combining personal interests with long-term, deep, complex learning. It is a way of learning centred on making, doing, sharing, collaborating, and acquiring real skills.
- Lori Pickert, Project-Based Homeschooling
Our homeschool Journey has been adventurous. We have tried just about every interesting version out there! Yet, we seem to always come back to PBL. It has been a natural way for my children to focus and learn through integrating what they are doing for fun and to take control of their interests. The fact that it encourages kids to follow their interests and teaches you to support that, really has inspired us all.
Lori Pickert ‘s book is a great way to get on your feet. Gain the confidence to guide their learning with projects of interest.
My Son (11) is manic for Lego - this has ENDLESS possibilities.
My Daughter (9) is a designer, fashion, toy, game and interior. ENDLESS projects here.
My Youngest son (6), is going to be a Cryptozoologist. We have read countless book, created fantastical maps, made Books, and studied folklore and history.
We don’t use PBL exclusively, but just as her book suggests, it has helped my children become self-directed learners, and they can lead their own Projects, which has been a wonderful way to glide into more of a “un-schooling” lifestyle.
We made AT3N, our homeschooling App to help me record and track this eclectic way of learning we have forged for our family.
How do I use it? As they work on their projects, I track the “Course” it may be classified under (sometimes several) and then make notes and take photos of the progress made during that session, along with the time they spent working on it. THIS really shows the children how far they have come, what they have accomplished, and I feel great that they are “ticking” the boxes required.
(NOT a sponsored post! I just LOVE the book!)