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MicheleB
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While poring over the archives - a favorite activity while the girls do their piano and violin practice  - I came across a reference to a "strewing basket" used during independent reading. Was this a chance phrase, or is there more to it? It sounded very interesting...
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CrunchyMom
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I'm not Jen, but "strewing" is a term that unschoolers use a lot for when they sort of leave things around for their kids to find and read without assigning the reading. Its sort of like stealth-schooling 
I know that I will check out a bunch of books from the library on a particular topic and store them together in a basket, making them irresistible to my children 
This is what I imagine Jen referring to with that phrase. 
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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MicheleB
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ahhhhhhh - thanks!
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JennGM
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Here's the thread.
Jen is so good at labeling things. I do the same as Lindsay. We do "themes" according to seasons of the year, current events, extra reading according to areas we're studying. Nothing formal, just an armload of books from the library and our bookshelves that I've culled.
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guitarnan
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You can strew art supplies, too...or outdoor activities (bubbles, sidewalk chalk, painting with water, jumpropes etc.).
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Chris V
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CrunchyMom wrote:
Its sort of like stealth-schooling
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Yes. It totally is!
I use strewing *a lot*. It's probably the single most effective "tool" that I have in encouraging my girls to take a look at materials, books, new magazines, - and just as Nancy mentioned, you can strew art supplies, paint, play-doh, legos, outdoor activities, etc.
I don't always make use of a basket to do this - in fact, I rarely use a basket for items that I want the girls to take notice of. At the end of everyday I do a clean-up of our nook, take note of what they've worked on, I leave any ongoing projects alone (for example, my girls have been really big into making their own paper dolls), so I'll leave those things lying about), but if I want to work on something in particular, I will get it out and place it on the table in the room. This sort of sets our tone for the morning/day.
Lunch time is often read-aloud time, but as of late, the babies haven't left me the wiggle room I need to read aloud to the others, so rather than bag the idea altogether, I'll strew the books on the lunch table for the girls to pick up themselves (often my 7 year old will then read the story aloud to the 5, and 3 year old, which is exactly what I want her to do - without asking her to do it - the first time I ask, is fine. The second time, there might be a grumble. The third time, it has now become a chore. I don't want this. I want her to want to do it, to enjoy it.)
Strewing is wonderfully effective! But you can't do it and get disappointed when the kids don't take the bait. As with most things, they'll do it when they're ready/feel like it.
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pumpkinmom
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I love this concept, but my boys refuse stuff like this. They would completely ignore my strewings! They have in the past. Sometimes it may be something they just can't resist, but they "figure it out" after a little time and ignore it even though they have interest. Why?? 
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JennGM
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Here's the never fail way in my house. Clean up and reorganize an area, and my boys "rediscover" or "find" things.
It's inevitable. Any place I clean up has to be examined (and destroyed) quickly.
They are like cats. 
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MaryM
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JennGM wrote:
| They are like cats. |
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CrunchyMom
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JennGM wrote:
Here's the never fail way in my house. Clean up and reorganize an area, and my boys "rediscover" or "find" things.
It's inevitable. Any place I clean up has to be examined (and destroyed) quickly.
They are like cats. |
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I never thought to compare them to cats before, but it seems accurate.
pumpkinmom wrote:
| I love this concept, but my boys refuse stuff like this. They would completely ignore my strewings! They have in the past. Sometimes it may be something they just can't resist, but they "figure it out" after a little time and ignore it even though they have interest. Why?? |
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What are they doing instead?
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Lindsay
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Angel
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pumpkinmom wrote:
| I love this concept, but my boys refuse stuff like this. They would completely ignore my strewings! They have in the past. Sometimes it may be something they just can't resist, but they "figure it out" after a little time and ignore it even though they have interest. Why?? |
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Hmmm. If I make it seem like it's something I want my kids to do, then no one will do them. Maybe this is your problem, too?
I have to make things seem very careless. My kids totally ignore anything in a basket or a stack. If it's carelessly left on the couch where my 15 year old sits, he will read it, though... it doesn't matter what it is. He would read the phone book if it was sitting on the couch. He also reads stuff if it's left out carelessly on the kitchen table. But he doesn't so much pick up kits or things that need *doing* if I leave them out.
The key is that it has to look (for all my kids) as if I didn't put it down on purpose. So the best way to get them to do anything is (as Jenn noted) to try to clean up and organize. Because then stuff is strewn all over the place and it's perfectly obvious that I *don't* want them to get into it!
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CrunchyMom
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That's very true. Also I get things that I am "saving" and put it up on a shelf where they aren't supposed to get it, the suspense KILLS them. If I hand it to them the moment in comes to the house in the box, it isn't always quite the same.
THOUGH, getting something in a box IS exciting. Maybe if you mailed stuff to your house and put your kids names on them
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JennGM
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A child's reaction can also reflect their age. After 6, a child likes to make their own discoveries. So if some books or puzzle is "discovered" by the child, they are more likely to embrace them.
Lindsay, you just made me laugh out loud!
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Chris V
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I think a child's receptiveness to strewing material is also influenced by how material is presented, in general, within your "homeschool". If you've always sat down to "do school" and required your children to complete certain studies, tasks, books, etc. they may be less enthusiasitic about your attempts to get them interested in something else - always suspecting that you're right behind them to ask them about what they've learned, or yet, make it another required activity or subject.
I've always been super-unschooly within our home - my girls don't "suspect" anything because there isn't anything suspicious going on. It's just life - the way they've always known it.
That sounds critical - but I assure you that I absolutely don't mean it in any critical way at all! We all do home-learning differently and there's no one-size fits all, and there surely isn't a right and a wrong with your approach - you know what best suits your family and your ideals. However, if you change the way you do things within your home-environment-learning, there will always be a period of time when your children are adjusting to the way Mom now does things. So, that's not to say that it'll never work within your home - give it some time (if you so choose) and see how behaviors and attitudes change.
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Mackfam
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I suppose everyone probably "strews" differently. I've always liked the term strewing, although instead of strewing I probably think of it more in Charlotte Mason terms - "putting the child in the way." Strewing isn't the primary vehicle for inviting learning in our home, but I do find it fits so well with Charlotte Mason's idea of Masterly Inactivity and it has always been a rich part of our home education, providing a way for me to invite: going further, digging into, exploring, and springboarding even further from there. Strewing sometimes begets more strewing.
I usually leave a group of books or objects about based on passions or interests the child or children communicate to me (although I do sometimes stretch outside of their communicated interests) and I do think of it as an extension of my role and a valuable part of putting the child in the way of objects and ideas that may deepen or nourish an understanding of some interest as well as possibly inspiring a new interest!
I tend to recognize the potential in a group of books and things I set out, but I tend to set it out quietly, and I will remove it quietly if there doesn't seem to be interest in exploring it. I like to alleviate pressure to do anything with the basket of items, and I try to resist communicating my ideas about the group because I have had instances of the kids taking off with something in a totally different direction and I like being surprised like that. I do sometimes invite the kids to investigate a basket of things...but mostly, I just set it out and leave it, removing it when it isn't visited. Like others have noted, rearranging bookshelves is one SURE WAY to have a child find a new book interest here!!
I like using a basket to collect groups of things I might want to "put in their way" and often find that a basket is a simple and effective way to contain a "group", but I don't always use baskets - sometimes I just stack something on a table so they'll see it.
My kids don't ever resist items which have been left out for them. They almost always investigate; what I can't guarantee is what will stick - what they'll really dig into and start reading/investigating, and what they will give a cursory glance to and decide they aren't really interested in. (I once set out a knot making book with rope for knots and thought it was sure to be a hit and it just wasn't.  So...I quietly removed it, set it aside and have been saving it for another time to set out again.)
Because we keep our learning and living spaces fairly ordered, the kids always notice when there is a new basket or stack set out and they are naturally curious. I set things out all over, even taking a cue from Mr. Gilbreth by setting things out in the bathroom at times. (One of the most inspiring things I ever saw in a movie was in Cheaper By the Dozen when Mr. Gilbreth set up the morse code chart in the bathroom because he knew the kids would have to look at it there!!! Isn't that fabulous?? Strewing par excellance!)
I find it very interesting based in reading your responses how different children respond so differently to presentation when it comes to putting them in the way of a group of things. My kids are VERY visual so a neatly packaged basket with things like: Lewis and Clark maps, magazines, books, linen papers in various sizes, nice color pencils, compass, DVD documentaries on the Lewis and Clark expedition...is going to yield something for us...and it's almost always different for each child. So this is probably an area requiring a little experimentation and trial and error in working with the children's personalities in your own home.
I also tend to "strew" groups of links with my older children - I email a little collection of website links to them and let them investigate. This has proven fruitful a number of times. I don't ask them to do anything with the links - I just wait and let them tell me what they found. Sometimes I hear nothing back - other times it really inspires different avenues of learning on something.
I think strewing can be pretty individual...but this is how it tends to look and live itself out in our home.
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JennGM
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Mackfam wrote:
| I suppose everyone probably "strews" differently. I've always liked the term strewing, although instead of strewing I probably think of it more in Charlotte Mason terms - "putting the child in the way." Strewing isn't the primary vehicle for inviting learning in our home, but I do find it fits so well with Charlotte Mason's idea of Masterly Inactivity and it has always been a rich part of our home education, providing a way for me to invite: going further, digging into, exploring, and springboarding even further from there. Strewing sometimes begets more strewing. |
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I was thinking the same thing -- this totally fits with CM during these times. We don't make the connection for them, just give them the feast to choose and enjoy.
Quote:
| Because we keep our learning and living spaces fairly ordered, the kids always notice when there is a new basket or stack set out and they are naturally curious. I set things out all over, even taking a cue from Mr. Gilbreth by setting things out in the bathroom at times. (One of the most inspiring things I ever saw in a movie was in Cheaper By the Dozen when Mr. Gilbreth set up the morse code chart in the bathroom because he knew the kids would have to look at it there!!! Isn't that fabulous?? Strewing par excellence!) |
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Our family has taken cues from Mr. Gilbreth. The bathroom is a key area to drop a few items.
I'm glad you posted, Jen, and described. I long for more organized spaces...right now I'm just working a square foot area at time. Baby steps. Eat the elephant one bite at a time.....
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seeker
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JennGM wrote:
| I long for more organized spaces...right now I'm just working a square foot area at time. Baby steps. Eat the elephant one bite at a time..... |
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Really trying to do that around here as well! This thread reminds me of a blog post I read just the other day on the Playful Learning blog: Invitations to Engage, Discover, and Learn. I love the idea to quietly set the "bait" and see what the child discovers!
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guitarnan
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Even in a clean-but-untidy home, strewing works...guess how I know?! 
P. S. If you are new to strewing, consider waiting until Advent to begin. This time of preparation lends itself to mystery, special activities, spiritual reflection and wonderful stories/picture books...all excellent strewing material.
If you can't resist, try fall craft materials, autumn stories and parables...very seasonally appropriate, and lots of fun!
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CrunchyMom
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seeker wrote:
JennGM wrote:
| I long for more organized spaces...right now I'm just working a square foot area at time. Baby steps. Eat the elephant one bite at a time..... |
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Really trying to do that around here as well! This thread reminds me of a blog post I read just the other day on the Playful Learning blog: Invitations to Engage, Discover, and Learn. I love the idea to quietly set the "bait" and see what the child discovers! |
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This looks SO appealing--to me!
BUT
Part of me looks at that and KNOWS that in my home with FOUR boys 8 and under, those neat little set-ups will be DESTROYED in under an hour.
Don't get me wrong. Its a great idea. But I have to keep it real for myself and KNOW that things don't look that pretty when they are being used. AND, if I leave these things to be discovered without me, they WILL be abused, strewn (and not in a good way) and possibly eaten.
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Lindsay
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Chris V
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Oh , yes Nancy! Strewing is wonderful for seasonal material! ... Already pulling out my thinking cap for all things orange, yellow, and pumpkin-spice. It's finally time for our kitchen table autumn bowl  !
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Topic: JenMack - "strewing basket?"
