Finding Delight {5 Days of Teaching Creatively}

I used to have this picture in my head of delight-directed learning that may have been slightly unrealistic. A kid that gets up in the morning and can't wait to get going on his research projects; a kid so eager to learn anything and everything that he asks for documentaries on DVD and reads the encyclopedia for fun.  I wondered who these families were that could be successful in giving their children a well-rounded education simply by following the child's interests wherever it led.  Because let's face it - if I'd followed my children's interests, we'd study nothing but video games, sports stats, and comic book superheros. And it would take a far more creative soul than I to build a decent amount of coursework from those interests.

At least the kids' interests provide interesting subjects for their artwork!
(These are miniature Stanley Cups, by the way)

And here in Realsville, we have to do things that aren't always delightful. But still need to be done. I shudder to think what conditions we'd live in if I did "delight-directed housework" or if we practiced "delight-directed bill payment".

There must be a way to take delight in learning, making it an enjoyable experience; and establish discipline in doing the difficult, the mundane, but necessary aspects of life.  It's a balancing act, and perhaps one of learning priorities and having right attitudes as well.  So what does delight-directed teaching mean for me? Here are a few things I've learned (and am still learning):

~Delight yourself in the LORD; and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) I have found the sciences so much more captivating when I am learning and teaching from the viewpoint of discovering the amazing handiwork and creativity of God.  Taking delight in God leads to taking delight in what he has created.

~When I am finding delight, it's more likely that my kids will too.  Not always, but when I am genuinely captivated or enthusiastic about a subject, it can spark something in my students. Sometimes it sparks some extra interest on their part, and sometimes they recognize it as a sign that I am a nerd. And I'm okay with that.

I LOVE history and geography! Neither are the favorite subject for my kids, but they can't help but be interested in something that I am so excited about.
They might not readily admit it, but they really like geography - I can tell!

~Embrace nerdy tendencies.  Because it seems to me that nerds are usually people who are interested and knowledgeable about a topic that is unusual. Why is it considered nerdy to collect and study stamps, but not nerdy to analyze and memorize sports stats? I wish we could follow our interests without worrying about whether the people around us would think our interests were "cool".  When I was in school, I really liked Shakespeare but I instinctively knew it would not be "cool" to my peers, and it stifled that interest.  That's one of the reasons we chose to homeschool - so that our kids would be free to be interested in whatever it was that they found interesting.

Art.  Clearly Art is very interesting!

~Be flexible enough to take the rabbit trails that delight leads us down. When I was a student, I mostly disliked science.  Chemistry was confusing and abstract, biology was horrifying because it involved dissections, and few aspects of science really captured my attention.  I remember being fascinated by optics in sixth grade, but it was just a short unit and I don't recall anything else we studied that year. The next time I learned anything about optics was in 11th grade Physics class. Now as a home educator, I may decide that this year we are studying Biology and just start through the textbook with my kids.  But, when I see that they are especially interested in birds or in sharks, I need to adjust course and spend more time there.  And if that means we don't get the chapter on amphibians done, so be it.

We took more time on this astronomy project than I thought,
because all three kids were working together and seemed to be
enjoying it!

Kennady is STILL making these Matisse inspired cut-outs.
This was never in the "lesson plan" - it just happened that we read the book
about Matisse, saw the art idea on Pinterest, and she ran with it.

~Look for the ways to teach the less fun stuff that work with what they do like. For example, Kennady doesn't like math, but she does like stories and computer games.  So we've made Life of Fred her main math curriculum and are supplementing it with online resources like Target the Question and computer games that provide direct math drills like Math Rider.

~Field trips and food make everything more fun and interesting!

Field trip to the C & O Canal.

Oreos and the phases of the moon - winning combination!

How do you find delight in your school days? Please leave a comment, and if you don't already follow my blog, I would love for you to do that too.  And head back to the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog to find out more about the 5 Days of Teaching Creatively Blog Hop! Today we are all sharing about Delight-Directed Learning.  Follow the links below to see what others have to say.

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