Homeschooling and manual skills?

[Joel_BC]

I'm wondering what people involved with homeschooling feel about deliberately involving their kids in manual-skills projects, and shop work with tools? Personally, I'd observe that we live in an era of disappearing practical skills. Young people today are skilled with computers and miniature 'texting' devices. I'm talking about kids, generally, from public-school social environments.

But it seems to me very many of them wind up being very limited in the domains of useful life skills. There are huge areas of practical skills that people have been exposed to less and less. These are the sort of topics communicated about on the SS site (besides DIY stuff, it includes budgeting, cost saving, re-purposing, food raising and preserving, etc).

By the way, we have a new Tool Shed section on the SS site here.
http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=29
I'd like to see homeschooling parents who have opinions on this also posting about the topic in the Tool Shed.

 

[Wannabefree]

WHEN we homeschooled, I had my girls using tools and helping with the garden, cleaning fish etc. Now that eldest is married, and youngest is back to PS...she still has to help out around here and do those things, just not as much as we did in homeschool. I think it's important to teach the kids such life skills that they would never get anywhere else.

 

[me&thegals]

I'm not a homeschooler, but I believe children learning manual skills is an excellent idea. While playing Gameboy doesn't appear to have much practical application to Real Life, learning how to hammer, saw and drill always will.

 

[BarredBuff]

Very iportant, we young folk need to know how to do such things. Im planning on basing my Public School schedule around stuff I will actually use; greenhouse (wasnt eligible this year), carpentry, and I'd like to do a few others like electrical and plumbing. Mainly just to have the skills.

 

[Beekissed]

I think homeschooled children probably get a bigger dose of manual skills than do public school kids....at least, mine did. Of course, even when in public school I always made a point of teaching the boys about "man stuff"....who else is going to do this if not parents?

A child is never too young to learn tool safety, maintenance and use~just maybe not THEM using the tool until they are old enough to do so under supervision. I have adorable pics of my oldest "sharpening" his toy chainsaw right along side my Dad doing the same to his real chainsaw. This is the way the next generation will learn....while they are young, and with repeated exposure, to the basics of construction, small engine maitenance and repair, and the use of every day tools.

 

[DianeS]

I don't have any children to homeschool (yet), but it is in my plan. And when I do, building and home repair are skills I intend to teach. They are wonderful applications of math skills (angles, percentages, algebra, basic arithmetic, etc) where if you don't get the answer right you might get sprayed in the face or hit on the head! Much better than a penciled grade on a paper. And I want my children to know how to do these things when they are adults. Even if they themselves never build a deck or reshingle a roof, I want them to know and respect the work that it takes. They will be better employers for the knowledge, and are less likely to get scammed by someone who pretends a job they're hired to do needs something different than it does.

I was public-schooled, but my father involved me in many things he did around the house. Mostly because I was interested, my brother got less involved. At age 10 I helped him build a deck on the back of the house. And around age 14 I helped him reshingle the roof. Mostly holding the end of the tape measure, keeping wood from sliding while he drilled, things like that. But he TALKED while he built, and I learned a lot. Good lessons that I'm still using today, long after I've forgotten what explorer first sailed around the world.

 

[Joel_BC]

I don't have any children to homeschool (yet), but it is in my plan. And when I do, building and home repair are skills I intend to teach. They are wonderful applications of math skills (angles, percentages, algebra, basic arithmetic, etc)

Boy, I totally agree with this point. When I was in school, I didn't really see the practical application of, say, plane geometry. But, when you draw up plans for a building or an addition, it suddenly seems immensely useful. Working with tools, DIY, and so forth, brings you into a realm where theoretical skills, knowledge of such things as climate, and "all of that" comes together with the manual skills.

Mydad grew up on a poultry ranch, but didn't like it much - got away from that life and took up retailing. He started his family in a tract-home development in a sizable town, chose to own very few tools, and did not teach me much of what he'd learned as a boy. That was, I think, part of his rebellion!

So I had to pretty well learn on my own. I got a post-secondary education, developed skills with writing & editing. But I became a rebel myself and returned to country life. I worked hard to make up for lost time, learning carpentry & other construction skills, also gardening, tree culture, chicken keeping, firewood cutting, etc.

My perspective is based on knowing how important and valuable the farmy skills can be, plus knowing well how stupid one feels beginning to learn them at 24!

 

[BeccaJoVon]

Joel, thanks for directing me to this thread. I have to admit, my brain is on overload with these sites (TheEasyGarden, SufficientSelf, and BackYardHerds). There is so much information and I want to absorb all of it.

I was raised in a "working" family and my children have always "worked," too. My kids learn to use tools, build fences, drive the tractor, mow the yard, do some wiring, build things, paint things, etc. They all started young and progress as they grow. I think it is very important for kids to learn these skills along with a good, honest work ethic.

 

[lorihadams]

Yep, I have a son that is very physical and likes manual type projects. I love to do craft projects with them and plan on teaching both my children to sew. My husband loves to do woodworking and we usually involve the children when appropriate, mine are 6 and 4. My son loves to use his own tool box and work along side daddy. They have also driven uncle's and papa's tractors with assistance but not while doing any actual labor.

My kids fight over who gets to sweep and mop, who gets to use a hammer, who gets the screwdriver, etc. I know lots of kids nowadays that don't know how to do anything unless it involves a computer but my kids hopefully will learn both.

I think building and measuring things is a great way to help kids learn fractions, basic math, and geometry. I quilt and that involves tons of math and fractions and geometry. I want both my kids to know the basics of sewing so that they can repair their own clothing if needed. So many children now will throw away clothing if it gets a hole in it but my kids know to bring it to my sewing machine and I will sew it up. They have both helped me darn clothing before too and we make lots of toys and puppets for them out of felt which is easy to work with for little ones.

I want both of them to know how to change a tire, how to change the oil in a car, how to cook (another good way to teach measurement and fractions), basic carpentry skills (my son helped build the chicken coop 4 yrs ago when he was 2), and basically anything else that will help them take care of themselves.

 

[keljonma]

Our dd homeschools. The two oldest (girl 13 and boy 10) are able to cook, make jam, help around the house, make grocery lists as items run low, care for their animals, sew, quilt, knit, garden, fish (and clean them) and use small hand tools. They helped add insulation to their home last year and have rebuilt an ag fence and a built small shed, including laying the cement block foundation with adult supervision/help. The youngest, at not quite 4, is learning to hand sew and garden skills. DD is LMT and all the kids are also learning (as per their age) basic massage knowledge, including proper names for the muscles and bones. DD's philosophy is anything that needs to be on the property needs to be done by all the family (not just mom or dad), so most of their large projects are done as a family.

While not homeschooled, when I was growing up, my dad insisted if I wanted to drive the car, I first had to be able to change a tire, replace fuses and lights, do a tune-up, diagnosing problems, and make some minor body repairs, Of course, that was back in the day before all cars were computerized and made of plastic.