Come aboard the dinosaur train
Its no news that my homeschooling style tends to lean on the eclectic side of the fence. I’ve been pretty eclectic my whole life. I’m a night owl, I have difficulty following a schedule or ritual of any kind, and I’m a fan of conventional and unconventional methods, depending on the subject. When it comes to homeschooling, DD is so curious about life, that I tend to want to follow her lead, let her learning be child-led. However, I still enjoying encorporating curriculum into what she’s currently interested in. I love the concept of unschooling, I just feel like this is what’s best for us at this time in our life. I let her her lead for the most part and I just try and supplement with anything that happens to be part of our day. This is what I love about homeschooling, something a lot of parents either take for granted or just don’t realize – everything can be learning. From going to the library, to watching a tv show, to grabbing a kids meal at a fast food restaurant.
I went through a period where I felt tv was evil, and I still believe part of it is (commercialism, marketing to children, sexism), but there is also still plenty on tv that we can learn from, learn about. Not to mention the awesome ideas for crafts we can do, places we can go, etc. Utilizing all media types really is beneficial, if you ask me.
That said, there is a new cartoon that comes on PBS in the morning called The Dinosaur Train and I just adore it! 
They teach the names of dinosaurs, what they eat, where they live, even what period they lived in. It’s totally educationally and leads to many discussions about dinosaurs and whey they aren’t around anymore, which leads to even bigger discussions. Darn, I think my dino-preference is showing, lol. Dinosaurs were totally my favorite thing in elementary school and I just think they really open the doors in a child’s mind to science. Did I mention dd told me the other day she wants to be a paleontologist when she grows up?
And this, dd just happened to get in a happy meal, I think from Burger King with her grandma. She picked up two, one for little DD too. It’s from the Dangerous Book for Boys and has tiny molds to make fossils with!
I think I’m going to have to go this book, even though I loathe the “for girls” and “for boys” title. I think it gives my daughters the impression that only boys should like dinosaurs and fossils and technical things whereas girls should like glitter and sparkles and crafts. Am I the only one that feels this way? Either way, we had a blast making fossils and even found some of our dinosaur figures and made fossils out of their plates, tails, and faces. They looked really cool!
Oh, I almost forgot! If you’re into dinosaurs, definitely check Dinosaur Pop out. I’ve already downloaded Stegosaurus, Party, Pterondon, and one other about a velociraptor that I can’t remember the name of right now, lol. I love this review of the music:
Paul Legrady has, under the moniker Dinosaur Pop, crafted a terrific concept album centered entirely about those extinct creatures so many kiddos love to wear on their pajamas and play with in the bathtub.
Imagine if The Decemberists took a break from writing about stillborn children and prostitute mothers and focused their efforts on a Jurassic rock opera. You might end up with something as lovely as the dino-ballad “Pterodactyl Baby”.
It’s on Itunes, definitely check it out!
