I have always been a fan of strewing.  I’m not sure where I ever learned about it.  Honestly, I'm sure many, many homes, including ours, used the art of strewing long before it was ever considered an “educational method” or a “system”.  But simply put strewing is strategically placing books and other items in places where unsuspecting children will find them in hopes that they will pick them up and read or use them.
     One of the things that I like to strew in my home is newspaper articles.  My boys would rather eat the newspaper than read it as an assignment.  Yes, I could “make” them read it each week - and as soon as they have graduated they will probably be thankful that they never have to read the paper again.  That’s how boring they think the paper is! 
     I certainly want them to know how to navigate their way around a newspaper but more importantly, I want them to understand that reading the newspaper can be a very enjoyable experience!  So, when I notice an article that I think might be interesting to them, I leave it where I know it will be found in hopes they will actually read it.  I am hoping that if this happens enough times during their school years, that when they are older and on their own they might actually WANT to read the paper every once in a while because their memories of reading it as a child were not forced or assigned, but discovered and enjoyed.
Here is a example of how I help them “discover” the newspaper in our home:
     The Washington Post Magazine recently had a whole issue on education.  It had some interesting articles that I wanted the older boys to read and I knew one of them in particular would catch their eye.  It was an article about students at a particular college who hold a humans vs. zombies nerf fight on campus every year.  The contests can last for days or even weeks – all while classes are being held and studying is being done (hmmm, not sure about that one!). But in light of recent school shootings (including in our state at Virginia Tech) not everyone is thrilled with the game being held on campus.  Some think that guys with guns (even play ones that are bright yellow, blue, and orange) walking around shooting each other is just not a good idea.
     I thought this would lead to a good discussion so one night I left the magazine open on the kitchen table.  Sure enough, Ryan began reading it while eating his breakfast the next morning.  He began to tell Joseph about it and Joseph bugged and bugged Ryan for the magazine so he could read it too.  I didn’t want to “push” a conversation on them and make my planting and strewing tactics obvious, so I just let them enjoy reading it and discuss it amongst themselves to see what would come of it.  Later that afternoon, Ryan came to me asking if I had read the article.  After he talked about how fun this game (and this college) sounded and relaying the exciting details of the story he asked me what I thought about the controversy.  Joseph of course heard us talking about this and joined the conversation too.  It turned into a great discussion about guns, freedoms, responsibility to others, all kinds of things.  Many opinions flew and that was exactly my goal.  I listened to their opinions and then shared my thoughts.  It gave me an opportunity to see what direction their thinking was going on this topic and why.
     Joseph has been carrying this magazine around sharing it with all his friends – mostly because they think it is such a cool idea.  For me, as a parent, it opened a door to a discussion that might not have been as enjoyable if it was just an “assigned” topic to study. 
     So, every Sunday I scour the paper looking for interesting articles to strew.  I have two articles waiting in the wings to strew as soon as I finish reading them myself.  They are: “Truth: Can you handle it?, Better yet: Do you know it when you see it?” (an article on the fact that there is a lot of information at our fingertips but it might not all be accurate) and “Somebody’s got to do the job.  But just what is it?” (an article on what the President of the United States actually does all day).
     Newspaper articles are perfect for strewing.  Don’t be afraid to strew articles written for adults (as long as they don’t have objectionable content of course).  My initial reaction is always: they won’t understand this or that wouldn’t be interesting to them – but both of those are wrong.  We don’t need to dumb it down.  Our older children are more than capable of discussing these current events and ideas.  Usually, they even find them very interesting. 
     My boys don’t always start a discussion on the articles they have read.  But, If I KNOW they have already read it I may try to start a conversation myself by picking up the article and saying something out loud like “huh, this sounds interesting”.  They almost always respond.  
Here are some newspaper strewing tips I have learned along the way:
- Make sure the article you want them to read is on the front page or open and fold the paper so that the article is on the front.
- Leave them where your kids read most: kitchen table, bathroom magazine rack, living room coffee table, etc. (my boys like to read while eating breakfast and lunch so I leave a lot of articles out on the table)
- Pre-read it yourself so you will be ready for a discussion when and if your kids are.
I strew other things in lots of other places and ways but I think this is long enough.  Maybe I will add more in another post.