A few weeks ago my children and I were privileged to take a tour of a local farm. Almost always when you sign up to take a tour, you’re required to pay a field trip fee. Then you’re usually restricted what you can do on the tour, either because the group is too large for more personal attention, or because the place that’s giving the tour limits how hands-on they want the tour to be.
Our tour was different because it was given by one of our own. Another homeschooling family in our group offered to take interested families on a tour of their 30 + acre farm. The kids could pet the chickens to their hearts delight; they roamed the property – running well ahead of the adults- without being herded back and being told to “stay with the group.” They could all try on a beekeepers suit if they liked and pick their own pumpkin to bring home. There was even a huge zip line that ran from a tree at the top of a hill down to tree at the bottom.
And this family shared their experiences, talents and way of living out of a generous and giving spirit. I even found out that the parents are excellent archers and are offering a free two hour archery class on their property in the next few weeks.
This is interest-led learning at its best. Or should I say interest-led sharing. It’s taking your own gifts and talents and sharing them freely with others. That’s how we can form a community of learners, both children and adults. By networking with other homeschooling and interest-led learning families, we can provide opportunities to our children (and often each other, too) that we couldn’t do on our own.
How can we best work together to share all our diverse talents and skills?
1) Create a survey to pass out to the other homeschooling families in your area. (Those who have signed up for my newsletter will receive a free sample copy of a survey). Ask other families to share what their talents and skills are – and not just the adults either. Other children in the group can lead workshops and classes, too.
2) Work together to think up places and spaces you could meet. Perhaps one family has a large backyard or property where you can hold outdoor events. Maybe a family member has their own company or knows someone who does and would be willing to let you use that space free of charge for workshops. The church I attend has its own gymnasium where we can hold weekly gym classes free of charge.
3) Create a talent swap. Have each family list what types of things they would like to learn. These can be things as general as knitting and playing the piano to learning more about the Great Depression and hula dancing. When you collect all the lists, post them in a general location. Creating a Yahoo Group is perfect for this. Then each of the families in the network can see if they have the skills or knowledge to pass along to someone who requested it on the list. You could even create a credit system where for each hour of time you donate to others, you receive one free hour of someone else’s time, too. That way everyone is encouraged to share what they know.
The amazing thing about having people who are passionate about their topic or skill teaching it is that it automatically makes it more interesting for people. I’ve walked into a workshop I wasn’t that crazy about in the beginning but the passion and excitement of the presenter made me more excited about the topic, too. When we share our passions with others, we introduce them to new and interesting topics and ideas they may never have considered otherwise.
There are groups and organizations out there doing amazing things to help others share their gifts and talents with others free of charge. Look for a future post where I’ll share some of these organizations and the ways we can look to them for inspiration for creating our own group of passion-led learners.
Photo Credit: tao_zhyn
Sign up to receive my newsletter and receive a free copy of my e-book: A Thrift Store Curriculum. You’ll also receive bonuses, tips and ideas not shared on the website PLUS notice whenever I post a new article to the site, too.