My Head Is Going to Explode

So I’m in the middle of writing all these reviews—actually, reflections is a much better word—about Donna Simmons’s audio downloads, plus I’ve got other posts in my head springing from points addressed in earlier posts and comments this week, and each paragraph wants to blossom out into its own entire post, because there is So Much to Talk About. I realized I’ve had a lot of this discussion on a simmer for the past six months or more, but what with the move and all, I haven’t had time to dive into it.

Time, time, time, it always comes down to that.

Anyway, while I’m working on my reflections and whatnot (see, I don’t even have time to find sensible words), I thought I’d throw out a question for discussion. What’s your preference (or your children’s preference, and the answer may differ by child):

• total-immersion learning, where you dive deep into one subject and sort of live and breathe it through different media & activities for a good long chunk of time (methods like Waldorf, unit studies, rabbit trailing come to mind, as well as the natural tendencies of life in many unschooling households)

• slow-and-steady progression through particular books, in several subjects simultaneously (a la Charlotte Mason, classical ed, most school programs, etc)

or (as we do here)

• a combination of the two, shifting methods over time according to seasons, life changes, or kids’ needs?

Tawk amongst yaselves.