Thinking of taking a trip on a rabbit trail?  Here's our experience.....

Tommie is reading "Little Pear," a chapter book about a little boy in China.  After reading a chapter yesterday, about canaries, I suggested he look up and write 4 facts about them for his lapbook.  In doing so, he located 2 encyclopedias and looked up The Canary Islands and the Islands of Azores and read them to me.  One thing led to another in discussion, about volcano's and geography and more.  While this wasn't on my "agenda"...and I admit, at first I tried to rush him along...I mean...hey, he had spelling words to write!...It occured to me that this was child-led learning at it's best.  I felt privilidged at that moment to be homeschooling...and not squash his passion for learning something on his own...in his own timing...and glad he had the opportunity to dive into something, without a time-frame or peers calling it stupid....or a teacher, saying "not now", because she means it or simply doesn't know the answer and doesn't want to.  Okay, so this must be how unschoolers feel, everyday.

Canary Information (just incase you wondered!)

*yes, canaries originated on the Canary Islands

*Canary Islands, located off of Spain

*cousin to the goldfinch

* eat thistle, are actually greenish up close, are 4-5 inches long

*NOTE TO SELF....STREW ENCYCLOPEDIAS!