The Art of Strewing {Review and Giveaway}

A few weeks ago while junkin' at a neighborhood garage sale, the Hubs came across a gently used guitar. He plunked down his $10 (It was marked at $15, but he's a picker, so he NEVER pays full price...but, I digress.), and headed home to show the kids. Not surprising, the new little treasure was passed from hand to hand as everyone clamored to strum a few "notes???". When Sweetie Pea took her turn, she picked at the strings and then casually mentioned how much easier the guitar would be to play if it came in a smaller package. (This post contains affiliate links. Please see the disclaimer below.*)

"The smaller version's called a ukulele." the Hubs said nonchalantly.

A ukulele.

Just a few minutes of string strumin' plus two little words....and SPARK! a fascination of the ukulele was born. At the time, we did not own a ukulele. We did not personally know anyone who played the ukulele. But, we did own a computer. The Hubs helped her download a ukulele app on our ipad and searched for a few youtube tutorials that she could watch.

She sat for days eagerly listening and learning.

And then came the eBay searches. She had been saving 40% of her allowance for months but did not have a clear vision of how to spend it. When she realized that she had more than enough to purchase a basic ukulele, she asked permission to make a "splurge" purchase with her savings. Not wanting to hamper her independent learning, we agreed.

We've been "privileged" to hear the "gentle" sounds of luau music wafting around the house ever since.

Quite accidentally, when the Hubs brought home that $10 garage sale find, he ignited a curiosity in our girl. A curiosity that grew into hours of independent, organic learning.

Quite accidentally, he STREWED.

Strewed?? What in the world does that mean?

Recently, I had the opportunity to read The Art of Strewing, by Aadel Bussinger, and learned that strewing, as she mentions in this fascinating little eBook, is...

"sowing or scattering things to spark the interest of our children." 

Quite simply, just as a farmer sows seeds hoping to grow all kinds of good things, a homeschool mom can sow seeds of learning in hopes of growing curiosity. It is an idea formulated by Sandra Dodd and embraced by the unschooling community.

I am not an unschooler. But, as an eclectic homeschooler, I find value in ALL schooling methods. I feel privileged to be able to take the "good" and leave the "bad" of all methods and toss them together to make a hodge-podge, a la carte-style education perfectly suited for each of my kiddos.

So, while I may not adopt all the tenants of unschooling, I DO try to weave organic learning into our school day. And that, apparently, is what strewing is all about!

Admittedly, it is easier said than done.

How DO you ignite and foster a curiosity...a passion...about something completely unfamiliar to you or your children? When and where do you start? What if your budget is limited and you can't purchase all the fun, fancy activity kits and new ukuleles that your child desires?

Enter The Art of Strewing.

What I liked about The Art of Strewing

Aadel's conversational style made me feel like I was sittin' in the coffee house with a homeschool veteran getting a one-on-one, Titus 2 tutorial about year-round gentle schooling. I was inspired. I was encouraged. I was shown how POSSIBLE it is to arouse learning without relying on a lesson plan or boxed curriculum.

As a girl who enjoys exhausting a topic and all of its angles, I appreciated all the many links that Aadel included. After reading her book and following all of the links to other well-written articles and online resources, I feel confident that I received a thorough introduction to strewing.

Although I did not know the "official" name for it, I had been dabbling in the art of strewing since the inception of our homeschooling. This practical guide reinforced how I already nurture curiosity in my kids and provided me with the tools and helpful hints to do it better!

The Nitty-Gritty of The Art of Strewing

• Retail value $2.15
• 44 pages
• share about the book on social media via Aadel's BUY NOW link and save 25%

For more information, be sure to visit Aadel Bussinger on FACEBOOK or Twitter.

Want to win a free copy?

Now's your chance to grab your very own copy of The Art of Strewing for FREE! Two lucky readers will win. Just follow the simple instructions from Rafflecopter. There are several chances to enter. Just click on the +sign for every entry you wish to make.

No purchase necessary to win. Must be 18 years old or older and have a US address to enter. Two winners will be randomly selected via Rafflecopter and announced Wednesday, July 31, 2013. The winners will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to respond.  If emails are not provided or the winners do not respond, the prize(s) will be forfeited and a new winner(s) will be randomly selected. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook.

***Mandatory Entry: To enter, be sure to leave a comment in the "comments" section of this post telling me why you would like to win The Art of Strewing. (Remember, simply leaving a comment does not ensure entry. You also have to click the +5 after you have commented.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**I was given a copy of The Art of Strewing in exchange for a thorough review.  All opinions expressed were true and completely my own.  I am not responsible if your experiences vary.