It’s another home-school day in the gamer’s household. For me, it means contacting my sons from where I am working and going over things when I get off or on days I don’t work. Needing to work has added more challenge to our home-school, but I don’t worry too much because they are well into high school curriculum and can pretty much take care of it themselves. Working outside the home hasn’t been the only recent challenge, though. Helping my sons find their passions and utilize it as growing young men (and very soon adults!) can be hard! Well, let me clarify. It’s not so hard for Sir A. But for Mr. M? He has his passions, but certain things get in the way. Like having Asperger’s and tibial torsion.
For those that don’t know, Asperger’s is a high functioning autism and tibial torsion means Mr. M’s lower legs do not grow straight. He is actually very fortunate as many with his condition can not walk or run, much less ride a bike. While he finds it uncomfortable, he can ride a bike. One thing he can’t really do well at is standing in place for more than a couple minutes. So, when your passion happens to be all things military, this presents a problem. But, perhaps the Home School Adventure Co. could help with that?
I have noticed Mr. M does like camping, fishing, and traveling to a certain extent, which is why I when was offered a free copy of WALKING WITH THE WAODANI STUDY from the Home School Adventure Co. I thought it might be right up his alley. Except, I’ve been having a very hard time getting Mr. M motivated to do anything all this school year! He is now eighteen and now understands his limits much better and it seems to have taken a toll on his enthusiasm. So while Sir A. and I found the unit study interesting, I really had a difficult time coaxing my eldest to care about it.
Still. I have a review to write and perhaps you don’t really care about the plight of Mr. M. But, frankly, your just going to have to deal with my writing about both! Perhaps others out there know my frustration and his pains. I know my son, and I know he would love to go on a mission like the one covered in the unit study. I also know that he’ll most likely have no problem doing it in the fall when he does not have his mind set on the curriculum already presented to him. Mr. M. Has a one track mind and it’s very difficult for him to switch tactics, making my being on the Homeschool Review Crew in the middle of his school year something he’s just not been very gung ho for. I still keep showing Mr. M the different opportunities, and as time goes by, he seems to showing more and more interest.
So! Walking with the Waodani, eh? What is this and why would I think teenagers would be interested in such a thing? For one, it involves a true and sincere story of another young man, a teenager himself, wanting to follow in the footsteps of some brave missionaries to Ecuador. Imagine being the parents of such a young man and having to make the decision on whether or not to allow him to go on such a journey? Ecuador is not well known for its safety to outsiders, especially from the Waodani, but their story and eventual acceptation of the Christian faith is an amazing testimony of love and forgiveness.
This unit study shares a fabulous and inspiring story that began in 1949 when the mission aviation base was established in the abandoned Shell Mera oil base. A group of missionaries reached out to the Waodoni in 1956, which ended in tragedy. But, this tragedy did not stop the spirit inspired hearts of the family members of those lost. It is their story that inspires the young man in this wonderful unit study to go to Ecuador himself, decades later.
Hungry for more??
So, how did our family use this unit study? With curriculum already in place and a son who isn’t very receptive to changing stuff up, it forced me to think of ways I could…sneak it in! First, we already have a required reading time, so I had them read it on their own time. We then used dinner time and other impromptu moments to just talk about what was read. I used the including worksheets and questions as the basis for our discussions and then allowed the conversation to flow naturally from there. Let’s just say grubs and spaghetti dinner wasn’t well liked by their father, but it did give us a very interesting and energetic meal time conversation and quite a bit of laughter!
One benefit of getting snippets of new curriculum such as this unit study is it helps me gauge what my boys might be interested for the summer or fall, and I can say that my boys would be quite happy to compete this study with all the different activities found within it. Even my eldest, reluctant, son easily participated in the conversations and because he does like to read, he got more out of it than I had originally anticipated . So, it goes to show you that introducing new things, no matter the age or challenges involved, can help open up a new world of opportunities you might have otherwise missed. Don’t give up if your child is in a difficult emotional spot or having to come to terms with things that might limit them. Be sure to apply this to yourself when it comes to your own challenges and limits.
MOVING ON…
I really do think you would be fascinated by the story of the Waodani in Ecuador. Interestingly enough, my youngest son found one thing that stuck out at him the most. The Waodani was known to be one of the most blood thirsty tribes in the world. So blood thirsty that when they began to seek a more peaceful life style, they ran into a problem. What to do as they got older! You see, they were usually killed and unable to experience being an older person! My son’s comment on this, and I believe it’s echoed in the study itself: It’s a good problem to have, don’t you think?
Sir A. watches one of the videos about the young man’s experiences on HomeSchoolAdventure YouTube channel
I’ve been trying to think of a witty conclusion to this post, but the funny thing about life? it sorta just keeps going even when you are ready for an off day. or week. Nah, I’m looking for a month, at least! Yes, being on the Homeschool Review Crew has been challenging, but it’s given me and my family such great opportunities to explore possibilities I would not otherwise have, such as getting a sneak peak at the study about the Waodani in Ecuador. Soon, you should be able to find it on Amazon, and I’ll be sure to update this post with that link when it is. This price is subject to change, but they anticipate Walking with Waodani to be $14.95 for the digital edition and $18.95 for the print edition. Also, to see more ways other families are using this study, check out other reviews here! Keep and eye out and I’ll be around.
Until next time, my pretties.
Kri's Kurious Korner 