Sylvia Toyama

I'm trying who said/wrote the statement (and I'm paraphrasing here)
that a teenager who wants to/is read can learn in about 18 months,
what takes 12 yrs to teach in schools. Holt? Gatto? Frank Smith?
Someone else entirely? I'm pretty sure I've seen it cited here and
other places, but cannot remember who/where it's written.

Anyone else know?

email me privately if you do, please -- I'm on digest here and putting
together a reply to a friend who's worried about his non-reading 12yo.

Thanks!

Sylvia

Sandra Dodd

-=-I'm trying who said/wrote the statement (and I'm paraphrasing here)
that a teenager who wants to/is read can learn in about 18 months,
what takes 12 yrs to teach in schools. -=-



I've written that I remember Holt having said, but I don't know
where. Every few years I've asked, as you did, where it came from.



It wasn't just about reading, though. It was that EVERYthing they
teach in public school can be learned by a teen in 18 months. And
think about it... high school or college students who come here from
countries with a completely different system of writing and a
different culture can be academically "up to speed" in a year or two.



If someone moves to an English-speaking country from Spain or Italy
and learns English well enough to take college courses, that's not as
impressive as someone who comes from China or Japan or India and has
to learn a whole new system of writing (well, college-prepped kids
from India probably could read English, at least, if not write
cursively, and increasingly kids from China are learning English).
But my point is that even someone who comes from a different culture
who has to learn to read our writing and to write it down, to spell
passably, and to write legibly, learns it within a year or two.



How much more easily could a native English speaker who has no
culture shock to overcome (knows how to use the bathroom plumbing and
to order in a restaurant already; knows how to buy food at the store
already) pick up all the details of how to write mathematical
notation and to punctuate? And enough history and geography to
follow the news is EASY to pick up if you're from that culture, but
those from other cultures do pretty well at it too.



Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lyla Wolfenstein

i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course non-didactic) fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) - who are past playdough and park days for the most part....

i'd like to host something at my house, especially during the rainy winter. here are my ideas so far (some from other people)- would love any others - tried and true or just brainstormed!

- cookie invention: give the kids (and adults!) the basic ingredient info for what needs to be in a cookie, and then a bunch of items to choose from for creating their own flavors/mix-ins....and let them go at it. we can bake one of each person's cookie in my limited oven space, and everyone can take the rest of their dough home for baking later...

- gingerbread/candy house creation - maybe during the holidays we can all go see the AMAZING candy houses on display at pioneer place (at least that's where they were a few years ago - i will look into it) and then host our own...

- duct tape inventions (maybe - my son got really frustrated trying to make a duct tape wallet recently, so not sure he would go for that)

- "take it apart" - everyone brings an appliance or something to take apart/dismantel, in their own way/for their own reasons.

- paper airplanes

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sylvia Toyama

How much more easily could a native English speaker who has no culture
shock to overcome (knows how to use the bathroom plumbing and to order
in a restaurant already; knows how to buy food at the store already)
pick up all the details of how to write mathematical notation and to
punctuate? And enough history and geography to follow the news is
EASY to pick up if you're from that culture, but those from other
cultures do pretty well at it too.

****

Thanks, Sandra. I also thought Holt, but can't figure out where to
find it. No biggie. I realize he was talking about all learning, not
just reading. My friend is particularly concerned about the reading
(and now math) aspect of things.

I realized recently that I was giving this person advice that wasn't
true to me, because I was making allowance for his academic fears.
Instead, I offered him the same advice I'd offer anyone asking about
unschooling -- forget the academics and live full lives with your
kids. Everything is connected and it all counts. Besides, all the
academics in the world won't help his kids live 'happy and functional
lives' (his stated goal) if their entire structure is built on head
games (currently it is). Quit worrying about how to school them, and
focus on how to live with them. I recommended Rue's books and a
couple of others and left it at that.

I thought I remembered my question as one that was regularly asked,
with no answer. The lack of an answer was a good reminder that
empirical evidence someday isn't the point -- full, happy lives today
is the point of it all.

Sylvia

Nancy Wooton

On Sep 12, 2008, at 9:32 AM, Sandra Dodd wrote:

> -=-I'm trying who said/wrote the statement (and I'm paraphrasing here)
> that a teenager who wants to/is read can learn in about 18 months,
> what takes 12 yrs to teach in schools. -=-
>
>
>
> I've written that I remember Holt having said, but I don't know
> where. Every few years I've asked, as you did, where it came from.
>
>
>
> It wasn't just about reading, though. It was that EVERYthing they
> teach in public school can be learned by a teen in 18 months. And
> think about it... high school or college students who come here from
> countries with a completely different system of writing and a
> different culture can be academically "up to speed" in a year or two.


I recall hearing the story thus:

A group of middle- to high school students at an alternative, unschool-
ish school -- Sudbury Valley, or maybe the English equivalent? --
asked the staff to teach them math. They wanted to have the same
education as the other schools. The staff said fine, but you must
agree to do what we say -- no whining at homework, quizzes, tests.
The students agreed. It took a very short time -- I recall it as six
months -- to teach all the kids all the math they would have learned
in 12 years of school.

I *think* I heard this story, rather than read it, at a conference. I
do not recall which conference, whether a homeschool one or another (I
attended a L'Abri conference in the mid '80's, where I was introduced
to the idea of homeschooling, by speakers, by a book called "For the
Children's Sake," and by a homeschooled boy who carried on a polite,
intelligent discussion with my dh about the night sky. We had not had
any children yet, and the idea of being able to homeschool them helped
sway us in the direction of parenthood. I also attended a Rutherford
Conference. Boy, have I come a long way!)

It's also possible it was featured in the book, "Family Matters: Why
Homeschooling Makes Sense," by David Guterson. I know the story is
familiar to me from *way* back in my awareness of homeschooling, and
that was one of the few books my local library stocked at the time.

I wish my nearly-50 y.o. brain was a bit sharper on the recall, but I
have an excuse today -- I'm taking some pain and muscle-relaxant drugs
to help my very stiff and sore back; Wednesday, I took a very hard
fall off my new horse ;-)

Nancy



Beth Fleming

Pokemon/TCG day, board games, special film series (like Harry Potter), craft day (my kids have loved carving soap ...Ivory is the best!), stamping (they made their own stamps the other night with an artist friend of ours....and loved it!), how to build a campfire in the winter, birding, chess tournament.
All for now!  I'm sure I'll think of more later.....
Peace,
Beth
 Unschooling Mom to Frances (11), Will (9), Catherine (4), and Grace (2)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com



----- Original Message ----
From: Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 1:08:41 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids


i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course non-didactic) fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) - who are past playdough and park days for the most part....

i'd like to host something at my house, especially during the rainy winter. here are my ideas so far (some from other people)- would love any others - tried and true or just brainstormed!

- cookie invention: give the kids (and adults!) the basic ingredient info for what needs to be in a cookie, and then a bunch of items to choose from for creating their own flavors/mix- ins....and let them go at it. we can bake one of each person's cookie in my limited oven space, and everyone can take the rest of their dough home for baking later...

- gingerbread/ candy house creation - maybe during the holidays we can all go see the AMAZING candy houses on display at pioneer place (at least that's where they were a few years ago - i will look into it) and then host our own...

- duct tape inventions (maybe - my son got really frustrated trying to make a duct tape wallet recently, so not sure he would go for that)

- "take it apart" - everyone brings an appliance or something to take apart/dismantel, in their own way/for their own reasons.

- paper airplanes

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lyla Wolfenstein

thanks - love the soap carving idea... oh, and candle making! i just thought of that...

----- Original Message -----
From: Beth Fleming
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 11:34 AM
Subject: [SPAM]Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids


Pokemon/TCG day, board games, special film series (like Harry Potter), craft day (my kids have loved carving soap ...Ivory is the best!), stamping (they made their own stamps the other night with an artist friend of ours....and loved it!), how to build a campfire in the winter, birding, chess tournament.
All for now! I'm sure I'll think of more later.....
Peace,
Beth
Unschooling Mom to Frances (11), Will (9), Catherine (4), and Grace (2)
www.6uvus.blogspot.com

----- Original Message ----
From: Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 1:08:41 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids

i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course non-didactic) fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) - who are past playdough and park days for the most part....

i'd like to host something at my house, especially during the rainy winter. here are my ideas so far (some from other people)- would love any others - tried and true or just brainstormed!

- cookie invention: give the kids (and adults!) the basic ingredient info for what needs to be in a cookie, and then a bunch of items to choose from for creating their own flavors/mix- ins....and let them go at it. we can bake one of each person's cookie in my limited oven space, and everyone can take the rest of their dough home for baking later...

- gingerbread/ candy house creation - maybe during the holidays we can all go see the AMAZING candy houses on display at pioneer place (at least that's where they were a few years ago - i will look into it) and then host our own...

- duct tape inventions (maybe - my son got really frustrated trying to make a duct tape wallet recently, so not sure he would go for that)

- "take it apart" - everyone brings an appliance or something to take apart/dismantel, in their own way/for their own reasons.

- paper airplanes

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Margaret

My kids are younger than yours, but here are some things I remember
enjoying from when I was a child or things that I enjoy now.


Your cookie idea reminded me how much fun it is to make your own
custom calzones and mini-pizzas.

I remember making wontons and egg rolls with my family (5 kids) and
that was fun. Very yummy! Donuts are another fun thing to make,
while you are deep frying. I think you could do plain donuts first
and then the wontons and eggrolls... I think you would get strange
flavors in the donuts if you did it in the other order, but it might
be fun to experiment with that as well.

Candy making: Homemade caramel is amazing.... but that might not be a
group activity. I remember making chocolates in chocolate molds a
child. Caramels dipped in chocolates... combined w/nuts... lots of
options and it might work well for a group.

Projects with wood, nails & glue.



I'm going to have to try soap carving! What tools do you use to carve the soap?



On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 10:08 AM, Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@...> wrote:
> i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course non-didactic)
> fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) - who are past playdough
> and park days for the most part....
>
> i'd like to host something at my house, especially during the rainy winter.
> here are my ideas so far (some from other people)- would love any others -
> tried and true or just brainstormed!
>
> - cookie invention: give the kids (and adults!) the basic ingredient info
> for what needs to be in a cookie, and then a bunch of items to choose from
> for creating their own flavors/mix-ins....and let them go at it. we can bake
> one of each person's cookie in my limited oven space, and everyone can take
> the rest of their dough home for baking later...
>
> - gingerbread/candy house creation - maybe during the holidays we can all go
> see the AMAZING candy houses on display at pioneer place (at least that's
> where they were a few years ago - i will look into it) and then host our
> own...
>
> - duct tape inventions (maybe - my son got really frustrated trying to make
> a duct tape wallet recently, so not sure he would go for that)
>
> - "take it apart" - everyone brings an appliance or something to take
> apart/dismantel, in their own way/for their own reasons.
>
> - paper airplanes
>

k

I just saw this on RUN. *http://tinyurl.com/4alxge* Someone's profile
picture was a carved orange. Gorgeous thing.**

~Katherine



On 9/12/08, Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@...> wrote:
>
> i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course
> non-didactic) fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) - who are
> past playdough and park days for the most part....
>
> i'd like to host something at my house, especially during the rainy winter.
> here are my ideas so far (some from other people)- would love any others -
> tried and true or just brainstormed!
>
> - cookie invention: give the kids (and adults!) the basic ingredient info
> for what needs to be in a cookie, and then a bunch of items to choose from
> for creating their own flavors/mix-ins....and let them go at it. we can bake
> one of each person's cookie in my limited oven space, and everyone can take
> the rest of their dough home for baking later...
>
> - gingerbread/candy house creation - maybe during the holidays we can all
> go see the AMAZING candy houses on display at pioneer place (at least that's
> where they were a few years ago - i will look into it) and then host our
> own...
>
> - duct tape inventions (maybe - my son got really frustrated trying to make
> a duct tape wallet recently, so not sure he would go for that)
>
> - "take it apart" - everyone brings an appliance or something to take
> apart/dismantel, in their own way/for their own reasons.
>
> - paper airplanes
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lyla Wolfenstein

oh - great idea - my son won't eat any of those things - except DONUTS! AND we just bought a deep fryer... thanks!


----- Original Message -----
From: Margaret
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 11:44 AM
Subject: [SPAM]Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids


My kids are younger than yours, but here are some things I remember
enjoying from when I was a child or things that I enjoy now.

Your cookie idea reminded me how much fun it is to make your own
custom calzones and mini-pizzas.

I remember making wontons and egg rolls with my family (5 kids) and
that was fun. Very yummy! Donuts are another fun thing to make,
while you are deep frying. I think you could do plain donuts first
and then the wontons and eggrolls... I think you would get strange
flavors in the donuts if you did it in the other order, but it might
be fun to experiment with that as well.

Candy making: Homemade caramel is amazing.... but that might not be a
group activity. I remember making chocolates in chocolate molds a
child. Caramels dipped in chocolates... combined w/nuts... lots of
options and it might work well for a group.

Projects with wood, nails & glue.
.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

k

Making root beer from sarsaparilla.

~Katherine



On 9/12/08, Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@...> wrote:
>
> thanks - love the soap carving idea... oh, and candle making! i just
> thought of that...
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Beth Fleming
> To: [email protected] <AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 11:34 AM
> Subject: [SPAM]Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older
> kids
>
> Pokemon/TCG day, board games, special film series (like Harry Potter),
> craft day (my kids have loved carving soap ...Ivory is the best!), stamping
> (they made their own stamps the other night with an artist friend of
> ours....and loved it!), how to build a campfire in the winter, birding,
> chess tournament.
> All for now! I'm sure I'll think of more later.....
> Peace,
> Beth
> Unschooling Mom to Frances (11), Will (9), Catherine (4), and Grace (2)
> www.6uvus.blogspot.com
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@... <lylaw%40comcast.net>>
> To: [email protected] <AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 1:08:41 PM
> Subject: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids
>
> i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course non-didactic)
> fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) - who are past playdough
> and park days for the most part....
>
> i'd like to host something at my house, especially during the rainy winter.
> here are my ideas so far (some from other people)- would love any others -
> tried and true or just brainstormed!
>
> - cookie invention: give the kids (and adults!) the basic ingredient info
> for what needs to be in a cookie, and then a bunch of items to choose from
> for creating their own flavors/mix- ins....and let them go at it. we can
> bake one of each person's cookie in my limited oven space, and everyone can
> take the rest of their dough home for baking later...
>
> - gingerbread/ candy house creation - maybe during the holidays we can all
> go see the AMAZING candy houses on display at pioneer place (at least that's
> where they were a few years ago - i will look into it) and then host our
> own...
>
> - duct tape inventions (maybe - my son got really frustrated trying to make
> a duct tape wallet recently, so not sure he would go for that)
>
> - "take it apart" - everyone brings an appliance or something to take
> apart/dismantel, in their own way/for their own reasons.
>
> - paper airplanes
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Pamela Sorooshian

You could make cardboard box ovens and bake bread in them. (These are
charcoal, not solar, and really easy to be successful.)
Or you could make solar ovens out of pringles chips containers and
cook hot dogs in them.

Soda bottle rockets are always a HUGE hit.

Bead stringing - sounds like a young children activity, but my
experience is that if you put out lots of variety of small beads, the
teens will really enjoy making their own patterns, stringing them into
necklaces - boys, too. I was reminded of this because I just saw an
article about David Beckham (you know, British soccer player married
to a spice girl - now plays for LA Galaxy) wearing beads that are
supposed to improve his sex life <G>.

> thanks - love the soap carving idea... oh, and candle making! i
> just thought of that...

Soap carving is pretty hard - and quite a mess, so plan ahead. In
fact, try it yourself first to get a feeling for what to expect. Maybe
certain kinds of soap work better than others. Consider what carving
tools you'll have for people to use, too.

A fun candlemaking activity is to dip water balloons. Fill them with a
little water - maybe half a cup or a little more. Dip them into the
melted wax, let cool for a few seconds, dip again, cool, dip again.
Just dip the bottom (water filled) of the balloon about an inch or two
into the wax. After you've got a nice thick layer of wax on the
balloon, let it cool thoroughly and then pop the balloon. It makes a
lovely candle holder - put one of your regular dipped candles into it
or buy a box full of votive or just tea candles to drop in. You can
dip the edges in warm water and smooth them with your fingers.

We have done a lot of candle making, over the years, and this is a
real favorite.

To do regular dipped candles, everybody stand in line and take turns -
first dip into the melted wax, then into a bucket of water. Then walk
around to the end of the line and by the time they get back to the
beginning, it is time to dip again. Dipping into the water after they
dip into the wax helps prevent them from dripping wax all over the
place. Remind them to dip straight down and straight up and let it
drip just a bit back into the melted wax.

The results are best if they just dip in and out - don't hold it in
the wax.

You can use paraffin wax - if you add at least a bit of beeswax
(expensive) it is very nice. You also need to add some stearic acid to
make the candles burn really well. You can buy colored wax cubes to
make the color - people always say you can add shaved crayons, but
that doesn't give a nice uniform color, it is grainy.

Another fun thing to do is buy up a bunch of different kinds of
containers at thrift stores and pour wax into them. Tie a little flat
washer to the wicking to weigh it down and keep it centered at the
bottom of the container and tie the top around a pencil that sits
across the top of the container, to keep the wicking upright. After
you've poured and it has cooled down enough to hold it by the pencil/
wick, you can dip the entire container just like dipping a candle, so
that when it burns, it burns down the inside of the container and
leaves the wax on the outside. You can use different colors - the
candle light will shine through the exterior wax - really pretty.

Also you can dip a little and then press flower petals or leaves or
other flatish things into the wax and then dip a little over them.

-pam

Beth Fleming

 
We've never used anything too sharp, although I'm sure there are tools made just for this purpose.  We've had great luck with the wooden "orange sticks" for manicures.  Easy to grip and use, even for little ones.  I suppose you could use other small tools, but we just happened to have some orange sticks and they worked great!  (P.S.  Soap makes a great holiday gift, and it's so fun for the kids to carve!)  Here's the Ivory web site http://www.ivory.com/PureFun_IvoryProjects_SoapCarvingTips.htm
(and they mention something to catch the soap...we used big plastic serving trays and they worked well my two youngers had fun cleaning off the trays and turning everything into bubbles when they were finished!)
Have fun!
Beth



----- Original Message ----
From: Margaret <margaretz@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 2:44:05 PM
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids


My kids are younger than yours, but here are some things I remember
enjoying from when I was a child or things that I enjoy now.

Your cookie idea reminded me how much fun it is to make your own
custom calzones and mini-pizzas.

I remember making wontons and egg rolls with my family (5 kids) and
that was fun. Very yummy! Donuts are another fun thing to make,
while you are deep frying. I think you could do plain donuts first
and then the wontons and eggrolls... I think you would get strange
flavors in the donuts if you did it in the other order, but it might
be fun to experiment with that as well.

Candy making: Homemade caramel is amazing.... but that might not be a
group activity. I remember making chocolates in chocolate molds a
child. Caramels dipped in chocolates.. . combined w/nuts... lots of
options and it might work well for a group.

Projects with wood, nails & glue.

I'm going to have to try soap carving! What tools do you use to carve the soap?

On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 10:08 AM, Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@comcast. net> wrote:
> i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course non-didactic)
> fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) - who are past playdough
> and park days for the most part....
>
> i'd like to host something at my house, especially during the rainy winter.
> here are my ideas so far (some from other people)- would love any others -
> tried and true or just brainstormed!
>
> - cookie invention: give the kids (and adults!) the basic ingredient info
> for what needs to be in a cookie, and then a bunch of items to choose from
> for creating their own flavors/mix- ins.....and let them go at it. we can bake
> one of each person's cookie in my limited oven space, and everyone can take
> the rest of their dough home for baking later...
>
> - gingerbread/ candy house creation - maybe during the holidays we can all go
> see the AMAZING candy houses on display at pioneer place (at least that's
> where they were a few years ago - i will look into it) and then host our
> own...
>
> - duct tape inventions (maybe - my son got really frustrated trying to make
> a duct tape wallet recently, so not sure he would go for that)
>
> - "take it apart" - everyone brings an appliance or something to take
> apart/dismantel, in their own way/for their own reasons.
>
> - paper airplanes
>





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Margaret

Another thought - I remember helping with Modular Oragami at "Math
Day" (an event for HS and junior high students) when I was in college
and we did modular oragami. The one we did used just one shape which
I *think* is the sonobe variation that they talk about at this site:
http://www.origamee.net/ You fold the the paper into units and then
fit them together to make something else. You can take apart the big
thing and make something else. Great for a group!

This site also looked cool.
http://hektor.umcs.lublin.pl/~mikosmul/origami/

This is supposed to be a very good book: Unit Origami:
Multidimensional Transformations (Paperback) by Tomoko Fuse.



On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 10:08 AM, Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@...> wrote:
> i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course non-didactic)
> fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) - who are past playdough
> and park days for the most part....
>
> i'd like to host something at my house, especially during the rainy winter.
> here are my ideas so far (some from other people)- would love any others -
> tried and true or just brainstormed!
>
> - cookie invention: give the kids (and adults!) the basic ingredient info
> for what needs to be in a cookie, and then a bunch of items to choose from
> for creating their own flavors/mix-ins....and let them go at it. we can bake
> one of each person's cookie in my limited oven space, and everyone can take
> the rest of their dough home for baking later...
>
> - gingerbread/candy house creation - maybe during the holidays we can all go
> see the AMAZING candy houses on display at pioneer place (at least that's
> where they were a few years ago - i will look into it) and then host our
> own...
>
> - duct tape inventions (maybe - my son got really frustrated trying to make
> a duct tape wallet recently, so not sure he would go for that)
>
> - "take it apart" - everyone brings an appliance or something to take
> apart/dismantel, in their own way/for their own reasons.
>
> - paper airplanes
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>

graberamy

> i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course
non-didactic) fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) -
who are past playdough and park days for the most part....>>>

Pizza parties (make your own)

game days: twister, board games, video games

card swaps (pokemon, etc.)

movie day

dance parties

tye dyes

Painting. Give the kids a canvas and let them go paint...set out some
cool still lives.

Making individual pies, cobblers (in those little tins)

Decorate reusable shopping bags

Pottery/painting, beading, scrapbooking

My kids still love tracing paper and tracing stuff!

amy g
iowa (long, cold winters)

k

Bowling/Putt-putting
Park/Hiking
Art Making (Painting) (Drawing) (Origami)
Building-Construction (Legos & Duplos) (Robots)
Campfires/Fireworks/Fire Safety
Chasing & Collecting Bugs & Butterflies
Yard Games
Hide & Seek
----------Horseshoes
----------Croquet
----------Badminton
----------Bean Bags
----------Hopscotch
----------Scavenger Hunt
----------Tic Tac Toss/Tic Tac Toe
----------Jump Rope (trick site: http://www.skookum.org/jumpropes/tricks.htm
)
Swimming/Water Balloons/Water Shooters/Other Water Play
Canoeing
Horseback Riding
Dancing/Fight Choreography/Karate/Making Bolsters for Play Fighting
Cooking/S'mores/Barbecuing/Roasting/Baking
Entertaining/Roleplaying/Acting/Storytelling
Movies and popcorn &/or Slumber Party
Bow and Arrow Making/Shoots


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lyla Wolfenstein

thanks, i appreciate this exhaustive list - i am looking for activities we can do *at home* - and unfortunately, we don't have many bugs and butterflies, horses, or fire pits, or putt putt golf courses (although thats my son's favorite activity!) here in my backyard/living room!

specifically, we are having trouble finding common ground amongst the kids in our group of unschooling friends - so the open ended, "just go play" type stuff doesn't always work great, and thus i am looking for some itneresting projects to use as bonding/exploring springboards..


----- Original Message -----
From: k
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 2:38 PM
Subject: [SPAM]Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids


Bowling/Putt-putting
Park/Hiking
Art Making (Painting) (Drawing) (Origami)
Building-Construction (Legos & Duplos) (Robots)
Campfires/Fireworks/Fire Safety
Chasing & Collecting Bugs & Butterflies
Yard Games
Hide & Seek
----------Horseshoes
----------Croquet
----------Badminton
----------Bean Bags
----------Hopscotch
----------Scavenger Hunt
----------Tic Tac Toss/Tic Tac Toe
----------Jump Rope (trick site: http://www.skookum.org/jumpropes/tricks.htm
)
Swimming/Water Balloons/Water Shooters/Other Water Play
Canoeing
Horseback Riding
Dancing/Fight Choreography/Karate/Making Bolsters for Play Fighting
Cooking/S'mores/Barbecuing/Roasting/Baking
Entertaining/Roleplaying/Acting/Storytelling
Movies and popcorn &/or Slumber Party
Bow and Arrow Making/Shoots

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lyla Wolfenstein

those look really cool! thanks!

----- Original Message -----
From: Margaret
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 12:49 PM
Subject: [SPAM]Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids


Another thought - I remember helping with Modular Oragami at "Math
Day" (an event for HS and junior high students) when I was in college
and we did modular oragami. The one we did used just one shape which
I *think* is the sonobe variation that they talk about at this site:
http://www.origamee.net/ You fold the the paper into units and then
fit them together to make something else. You can take apart the big
thing and make something else. Great for a group!

This site also looked cool.
http://hektor.umcs.lublin.pl/~mikosmul/origami/

This is supposed to be a very good book: Unit Origami:
Multidimensional Transformations (Paperback) by Tomoko Fuse.

On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 10:08 AM, Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@...> wrote:
> i am looking for input/creative ideas for casual (of course non-didactic)
> fun activities for 5-11 year olds (but mostly 8-11) - who are past playdough
> and park days for the most part....
>
> i'd like to host something at my house, especially during the rainy winter.
> here are my ideas so far (some from other people)- would love any others -
> tried and true or just brainstormed!
>
> - cookie invention: give the kids (and adults!) the basic ingredient info
> for what needs to be in a cookie, and then a bunch of items to choose from
> for creating their own flavors/mix-ins....and let them go at it. we can bake
> one of each person's cookie in my limited oven space, and everyone can take
> the rest of their dough home for baking later...
>
> - gingerbread/candy house creation - maybe during the holidays we can all go
> see the AMAZING candy houses on display at pioneer place (at least that's
> where they were a few years ago - i will look into it) and then host our
> own...
>
> - duct tape inventions (maybe - my son got really frustrated trying to make
> a duct tape wallet recently, so not sure he would go for that)
>
> - "take it apart" - everyone brings an appliance or something to take
> apart/dismantel, in their own way/for their own reasons.
>
> - paper airplanes
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lyla Wolfenstein

wow - thanks so much for all these ideas! now i need to get cracking on supplies and planning

i found a "how to make a duct tape bullwhip" site that i think will be a HUGE hit with our 8-11 year old boys (most of the kids fit in this group!)

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/05/29/how-to-make-a-duck-tape-bullwhip/
>
if anyone is interested!

----- Original Message -----
From: Pamela Sorooshian
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 12:03 PM
Subject: [SPAM]Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids


You could make cardboard box ovens and bake bread in them. (These are
charcoal, not solar, and really easy to be successful.)
Or you could make solar ovens out of pringles chips containers and
cook hot dogs in them.

Soda bottle rockets are always a HUGE hit.

Bead stringing - sounds like a young children activity, but my
experience is that if you put out lots of variety of small beads, the
teens will really enjoy making their own patterns, stringing them into
necklaces - boys, too. I was reminded of this because I just saw an
article about David Beckham (you know, British soccer player married
to a spice girl - now plays for LA Galaxy) wearing beads that are
supposed to improve his sex life <G>.

> thanks - love the soap carving idea... oh, and candle making! i
> just thought of that...

Soap carving is pretty hard - and quite a mess, so plan ahead. In
fact, try it yourself first to get a feeling for what to expect. Maybe
certain kinds of soap work better than others. Consider what carving
tools you'll have for people to use, too.

A fun candlemaking activity is to dip water balloons. Fill them with a
little water - maybe half a cup or a little more. Dip them into the
melted wax, let cool for a few seconds, dip again, cool, dip again.
Just dip the bottom (water filled) of the balloon about an inch or two
into the wax. After you've got a nice thick layer of wax on the
balloon, let it cool thoroughly and then pop the balloon. It makes a
lovely candle holder - put one of your regular dipped candles into it
or buy a box full of votive or just tea candles to drop in. You can
dip the edges in warm water and smooth them with your fingers.

We have done a lot of candle making, over the years, and this is a
real favorite.

To do regular dipped candles, everybody stand in line and take turns -
first dip into the melted wax, then into a bucket of water. Then walk
around to the end of the line and by the time they get back to the
beginning, it is time to dip again. Dipping into the water after they
dip into the wax helps prevent them from dripping wax all over the
place. Remind them to dip straight down and straight up and let it
drip just a bit back into the melted wax.

The results are best if they just dip in and out - don't hold it in
the wax.

You can use paraffin wax - if you add at least a bit of beeswax
(expensive) it is very nice. You also need to add some stearic acid to
make the candles burn really well. You can buy colored wax cubes to
make the color - people always say you can add shaved crayons, but
that doesn't give a nice uniform color, it is grainy.

Another fun thing to do is buy up a bunch of different kinds of
containers at thrift stores and pour wax into them. Tie a little flat
washer to the wicking to weigh it down and keep it centered at the
bottom of the container and tie the top around a pencil that sits
across the top of the container, to keep the wicking upright. After
you've poured and it has cooled down enough to hold it by the pencil/
wick, you can dip the entire container just like dipping a candle, so
that when it burns, it burns down the inside of the container and
leaves the wax on the outside. You can use different colors - the
candle light will shine through the exterior wax - really pretty.

Also you can dip a little and then press flower petals or leaves or
other flatish things into the wax and then dip a little over them.

-pam




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-It took a very short time -- I recall it as six
months -- to teach all the kids all the math they would have learned
in 12 years of school.-=-



That's a good story and I don't doubt it, but it's not the same
story. It would be cool to collect all such evidence and have it as
a set! (I volunteer to wait for other people to deliver it all up.
<bwg>) If any of you do come by a quote along the way in the next
year or ten, please bring it here!

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Beth Fleming

 
Thanks to Deb Rossing, whose husband is the duck tape expert!, we've had fun making our own Pokemon Card holders.  Fun with a purpose!
BEth



----- Original Message ----
From: Lyla Wolfenstein <lylaw@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 5:56:11 PM
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids


wow - thanks so much for all these ideas! now i need to get cracking on supplies and planning

i found a "how to make a duct tape bullwhip" site that i think will be a HUGE hit with our 8-11 year old boys (most of the kids fit in this group!)

http://www.skiptomy lou.org/2008/ 05/29/how- to-make-a- duck-tape- bullwhip/
>
if anyone is interested!

----- Original Message -----
From: Pamela Sorooshian
To: AlwaysLearning@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 12:03 PM
Subject: [SPAM]Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids

You could make cardboard box ovens and bake bread in them. (These are
charcoal, not solar, and really easy to be successful.)
Or you could make solar ovens out of pringles chips containers and
cook hot dogs in them.

Soda bottle rockets are always a HUGE hit.

Bead stringing - sounds like a young children activity, but my
experience is that if you put out lots of variety of small beads, the
teens will really enjoy making their own patterns, stringing them into
necklaces - boys, too. I was reminded of this because I just saw an
article about David Beckham (you know, British soccer player married
to a spice girl - now plays for LA Galaxy) wearing beads that are
supposed to improve his sex life <G>.

> thanks - love the soap carving idea... oh, and candle making! i
> just thought of that...

Soap carving is pretty hard - and quite a mess, so plan ahead. In
fact, try it yourself first to get a feeling for what to expect. Maybe
certain kinds of soap work better than others. Consider what carving
tools you'll have for people to use, too.

A fun candlemaking activity is to dip water balloons. Fill them with a
little water - maybe half a cup or a little more. Dip them into the
melted wax, let cool for a few seconds, dip again, cool, dip again.
Just dip the bottom (water filled) of the balloon about an inch or two
into the wax. After you've got a nice thick layer of wax on the
balloon, let it cool thoroughly and then pop the balloon. It makes a
lovely candle holder - put one of your regular dipped candles into it
or buy a box full of votive or just tea candles to drop in. You can
dip the edges in warm water and smooth them with your fingers.

We have done a lot of candle making, over the years, and this is a
real favorite.

To do regular dipped candles, everybody stand in line and take turns -
first dip into the melted wax, then into a bucket of water. Then walk
around to the end of the line and by the time they get back to the
beginning, it is time to dip again. Dipping into the water after they
dip into the wax helps prevent them from dripping wax all over the
place. Remind them to dip straight down and straight up and let it
drip just a bit back into the melted wax.

The results are best if they just dip in and out - don't hold it in
the wax.

You can use paraffin wax - if you add at least a bit of beeswax
(expensive) it is very nice. You also need to add some stearic acid to
make the candles burn really well. You can buy colored wax cubes to
make the color - people always say you can add shaved crayons, but
that doesn't give a nice uniform color, it is grainy.

Another fun thing to do is buy up a bunch of different kinds of
containers at thrift stores and pour wax into them. Tie a little flat
washer to the wicking to weigh it down and keep it centered at the
bottom of the container and tie the top around a pencil that sits
across the top of the container, to keep the wicking upright. After
you've poured and it has cooled down enough to hold it by the pencil/
wick, you can dip the entire container just like dipping a candle, so
that when it burns, it burns down the inside of the container and
leaves the wax on the outside. You can use different colors - the
candle light will shine through the exterior wax - really pretty.

Also you can dip a little and then press flower petals or leaves or
other flatish things into the wax and then dip a little over them.

-pam

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lyla Wolfenstein

oh yeah, i also found a duct tape case for a ds, with slots for ds games. my son wants to make that now!


----- Original Message -----
From: Beth Fleming
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 3:18 PM
Subject: [SPAM]Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids




Thanks to Deb Rossing, whose husband is the duck tape expert!, we've had fun making our own Pokemon Card holders. Fun with a purpose!
BEth

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

Flat wooden toothpicks and miniature marshmallows. Sculptures. If
you do it in the winter, build a fire before so it can be down to
coals, and if there are sculptures people don't want to keep (or if
later you have a dried up one you're willing to sacrifice), set it in
the fireplace and see what happens. Very fun.

It would *kind* of work in an oven (but it would be different) and a
small one would work really well (and yet differently) in a microwave.

Sandra

Sandra Dodd

-=-specifically, we are having trouble finding common ground amongst
the kids in our group of unschooling friends - so the open ended,
"just go play" type stuff doesn't always work great, and thus i am
looking for some itneresting projects to use as bonding/exploring
springboards..-=-

Maybe you could have two or three little workstations, with different
projects set up for kids to mess with if they wanted to, rather than
one big project everyone's expected to get in on.

Maybe some of them would want to play Apples to Apples while others
were doing something with paper and glue in another room.

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lyla Wolfenstein

oh yeah cool! we did the marshmallows and toothpicks once, but i love the fire addition!
----- Original Message -----
From: Sandra Dodd
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 3:33 PM
Subject: [SPAM]Re: [AlwaysLearning] ideas for group activites for older kids


Flat wooden toothpicks and miniature marshmallows. Sculptures. If
you do it in the winter, build a fire before so it can be down to
coals, and if there are sculptures people don't want to keep (or if
later you have a dried up one you're willing to sacrifice), set it in
the fireplace and see what happens. Very fun.

It would *kind* of work in an oven (but it would be different) and a
small one would work really well (and yet differently) in a microwave.

Sandra




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lyla Wolfenstein

yeah that might work too. of course we would never expect or require everyone to get in on the project, it would just be something to gather around for those interested. and those who came would be those who were interested, at least in checking it out.




Maybe you could have two or three little workstations, with different
projects set up for kids to mess with if they wanted to, rather than
one big project everyone's expected to get in on.

Maybe some of them would want to play Apples to Apples while others
were doing something with paper and glue in another room.


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[email protected]

Having the kids design a putt putt course for the backyard could be super
huge fun. Supply lots of cardboard boxes and tubes and "stuff" :)




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

-----Original Message-----
From: DACunefare@...

Having the kids design a putt putt course for the backyard could be
super
huge fun. Supply lots of cardboard boxes and tubes and "stuff" :)

-==-=-

A few years ago, I was at a used sports store. I got a really good deal
on an almost new crochet set and a brand-new, never-out-of-the-box
badmitton set. Haven't ever used either! <G>

Maybe I should bring them out when it cools off here this fall. <g>

Both, new, are still pretty cheap entertainment!

~Kelly

Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://www.LiveandLearnConference.org