Football

All children find interests and passions that they really love and they learn as they immerse themselves in that passion. My son Thomas's passion right now is football. It may not sound like a very "educational" thing to let him spend a lot of time on. Here are some ways he has learned and taught himself through football.

He used scrap wood and cut it himself and then screwed on brackets to make his own football tee. He had to measure and divide fractions in the process.

He has read a very in depth book about football over several times. I think he may have it memorized. He has also read several other books about football.

He saved up his money doing extra chores for me to buy a football board game. He counted his money (mostly coins) almost everyday. The game involves adding three numbers and comparing them to your opponents. He played several times a day for a while.

He drew a football player using a tutorial he found online.

He programmed his robot to receive a a pass and then make a touchdown and then made the robot a football helmet out of Legos.

He made a football field on Minecraft.

He made a football field on the cutout back of an old cereal box, each 5-yard line measuring an inch and a half.

He made a football field out of Legos.

He wrote a football book which included complicated plays drawn out with x's and o's.

He made a football and a couple of football players out of Perler beads (those little beads you melt together with an iron).

He sewed his own football out of felt.

He helped organize a playgroup so he could get other kids together to play football with him.

He made a football field out of Magnatiles.

Child's "play" is more than just fun, although it must be that. Play is the mode children use to understand their world and learn more about it. I love watching this process and getting to be a part of it when I am invited to do so.