This article is primarily about strewing as it pertains to homeschooling. However, you’ll also find definitions for the words strew, strewing, strewed, and strewn.
Strewing is a word that is common in the homeschooling world. Strewing is a parenting or educational strategy used to spark children’s curiosity so that they want to learn or engage in an activity.
- Watch the video about strewing.
- Listen to our podcast episode about strewing.
- Read the definitions of strew, strewing, strewed, and strewn.
- Learn why homeschool parents strew.
- Discover ideas for strewing & homeschooling.
Note: The podcast episode and video are different, but they are both helpful.
Strewing Definition & Strew Meaning
Let’s dive into the definitions for variations of the word strew, and then we’ll explain more about the meaning of strewing as it relates to homeschooling.
Before we go into more detail, let’s define strewing. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, strew is a verb that means “to spread by scattering.” In other words, strewing is the act of spreading or scattering items about.
By the way, if you’re wondering if strewings is a word, it’s not. Strewings is not a word that can be found in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary or many other dictionaries.
Video: Strewing Defined
In this video, you’ll learn how strewing is defined. In addition, you’ll discover how this concept can be applied to homeschooling, parenting, and education.
Define Strewn
Strewn is the past tense of the word strew. Strewn means that something has already been spread or scattered about.
If you want to use the word strew in the past tense, you might tell your child, “It frustrates me when you leave your laundry strewn about your bedroom.”
Strewed Definition
Strewed is another way of using the word strew when referring to the past.
You might say, “The children strewed their toys about the house.”
What Strewing Means to Homeschoolers: Podcast Episode
Listen to this HomeSchool ThinkTank Parenting Podcast episode about strewing. You’ll get a good idea of what strewing is all about and how to implement it in your home.
What Is Strewing for Homeschool & Unschooling?
In the homeschooling world, strewing refers to setting things out for your children to discover.
As a parent who utilizes the technique of strewing, your goal is to spark curiosity and engage your child in educational and thought-provoking activities.
Strewing: Who Uses This Parenting Strategy?
While the term strewing is a strategy that unschoolers often refer to, it is a strategy that every parent and educator can use.
In addition, strewing isn’t just for little kids. Parents of teens can strew things about the house to engage older kids with various activities and educational items.
Why Strew?
A homeschooling parent strews primarily to help further their children’s education by harnessing children’s natural curiosity. When strewing, parents leave items with educational value in their children’s environment.
Strewing is also a fantastic way to foster a natural learning environment and further a child’s interests. You can intentionally strew items related to curriculum or educational topics you want to help your child learn about.
In addition to strewing for educational purposes, parents sometimes strew to remind their children to use forgotten toys and items. While your children may have access to games, books, blocks, and toys, they’ll likely forget about many of them. When you leave forgotten items strewn about, your children will probably use them again.
Finally, as a parent, you can have some quiet time or get things done while your kids entertain themselves with items you have strewn about the house.
10 Strewing Homeschool Ideas
Strew educational items to complement a unit study, homeschool curriculum, field trips, or new books your children are reading. Below are a variety of strewing ideas to use in your homeschool.
- Raid the game closet and bring an old board game to life by leaving it on the coffee table.
- Leave math manipulatives in an open basket for your kids to discover.
- Save nature items and various bits of packaging you would normally throw away and add them to your craft supplies. Encourage your child to be creative by setting the new craft materials out with your standard art supplies.
- Further encourage your child’s creativity by leaving blank pieces of paper, art journals, musical instruments, and other interesting items in your living room.
- Start a puzzle and leave it on the kitchen table.
- Set toys out that your kids usually don’t play with simultaneously. Perhaps blocks, animal figures, and a wooden train set.
- Sensory seekers will enjoy items like kinetic sand, educational learning balls, and marble maze mats.
- For older kids and teens, leave science kits and directions for science experiments on the kitchen counter.
- Strew hands-on activities like puppets, fort supplies, and brain teasers.
- Rotate various books, crossword puzzles, educational magazines, and fun workbooks about your home each week.
When strewing, you are simply putting items in front of your children for them to discover in their own time. If your kids aren’t interested the first time you try strewing, put out different things next time. Eventually, your strewing efforts will pay off, and you will help your children develop a natural love of learning.
Strew Pronunciation
If you’re unsure how to say “strew,” you’re not alone. Strew is a very old word. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, strew has Proto-Germanic roots. Strew has the double O sound like the word spoon. Click here and listen to the pronunciation of the word strew.
Strewn Synonyms
Here are some other words you can use instead of strew or strewn. It might be fun to teach your kids the meaning of the word strew and then see how many other words they can come up with that have a similar meaning.
Here’s a quick list of synonyms for the word strewn.
- Scattered
- Distributed
- Spread
- Disseminated
- Dispersed
- Strewn
2018-2024+. HomeSchool ThinkTank, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
2018-2024+. HomeSchool ThinkTank, LLC. All Rights Reserved.