Part of unschooling is definitely letting go of notions about what kind of learning is "important." I've read a lot on the topic of video games and TV lately, and how they not only do not rot your brain, but they are also learning tools. Very effective ones, even. Some kids are learning to read by playing games, and some of the more interactive games are teaching kids problem solving, character/plot/world building, even math skills. The games that can be played online give kids an opportunity to be social with peers from all over the world. These games are much more complex than people give them credit for. For those not in the know (like ME) these games can seem like they are junk food for the brain. On closer inspection, you can really see how difficult some of them are. They are also giving kids an opportunity to connect with their peers and getting them ready for life in the 21st century. They will be more ready for it than I am!
Rowan isn't into the games so much right now, but I have noticed that she is learning by watching TV. We watch Futurama on DVD a lot around here. (Some of the episodes are sexier than others, we switch to the next one in that case.) I have been sitting with her and asking her questions about what is going on. By doing this, I've learned that she is following some really complex plots. I'm not sure I would have known what was going on at that age. One thing that I think is really cute and impressive is that now she is really into stuff like space monsters, mutants, robots, aliens, spaceships, etc. She is all the time drawing robots. These are the basics of a lot of science fiction story lines. When she gets older she may be more into stuff like Star Trek or Star Wars because of this early exposure to Futurama, and that could lead to really complex science fiction novels and video games. A love of science fiction can lead to a love of science, even a profession in science. I'm not saying that it will definitely, but it's just as possible as anything else.
It's really important to examine those things that I've thought in the past were just garbage and completely un-educational. So she likes Barbies. I thought before that they were teaching her how women are supposed to look (even though Barbie has a completely impossible shape), that they were making her into a material person, etc. Then I remembered. Hey, I used to play with Barbies for hours at a time. What was I doing while I was playing with them? I wasn't getting up every five minutes to go ask my mom to buy me some more. I was creating very complex plots and stories. And really, I sort of wish I could get over how weird I'd feel if I tried to play with them again. These days I cannot come up with a simple storyline, at all. Maybe if I tried to play with dolls again, I would!
She's also very into coloring right now. She does do drawings, some of them still resembling baby scribbles, but she is mostly working out of coloring books. She's actually getting really good and will color for an hour or longer some days. If a character on the page has a striped shirt, she's coloring all the stripes. It's also interesting to see how changing one color on the page can make the entire picture seem like it has a different story, give it a whole new perspective. Looking over her finished product is always very fun, because I can tell that she perceived the picture very differently than I did on first glance.
My girl is learning while watching TV and coloring, there is no doubt. She likes to turn on Buddy Holly and dance. She tries to yodel like Patsy Montana. She says, "Hey listen to this, I wrote this song." She's altogether very bright and creative, and I'm glad that I am no longer focusing on the negative aspects of her interests.
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