Ren Allen

"My daughter is almost 13. I pulled her out of PS 3
weeks into fifth grade. We never did baby talk. I
never rode around in the car with music blaring---we
chatted about what we saw driving down the rode and
she learned stuff from me."

It sounds like you did a lot of fun things, that's great. But there's
nothing wrong with driving around with music blaring either. We happen
to love music blaring.:)


" We have lived a
life of revering books and knowledge, and watch tv for
the fun of history, PBS specials, technology stuff,
etc. We don't watch the junk on all the other
channels."

Revering books above other things isn't necessarily helpful for
unschooling. Books and television and movies and "junk" and everything
in the whole world lead to learning.
By heaping judgement upon certain kinds of shows, it shuts doors for
our children. Why place that on them? Our children can freely explore
the world without judgement placed upon things that might fascinate
them. A lot of "junk" is great fodder for learning. By separating
shows into categories, it closes doors. It also teaches our children
to not be completely honest with us...if they're fascinated with
something you deem "junk", are they really willing to share that
fascination openly? Probably not.

I don't revere books or certain types of knowledge above others.
My oldest child has a very intense love for World of Warcraft right
now. That is his main activity from day to day. I'm glad he can freely
explore that without guilt.

There are many television shows I would have thought "junk" many years
ago, but we've had some amazing conversations because of viewing them
together...not to mention some heavy duty laughter!!

This topic always interests me, because I work in the fasion industry.
As a child, my interest in fashion and makeup was thwarted because of
ultra-religious parents. Now I find myself both an unschooling parent,
surrounded by unschoolers that either shun fashion or tolerate it (how
many unschoolers wear makeup, I think I should take a poll!!) and it
vastly amuses me that I now make money in the fasion industry.:)

I love the runway. I love makeup. I adore the art of film making, the
art of illusion. It's part of my passions. My folks did nothing to
encourage that interest, they actually discouraged it. But here I am
at 37 years old, pursuing my interests.
It would have been nice to be encouraged at a much younger age so I
didn't have to spend years feeling guilty about my passions. They're
just part of who I am.

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

Lesa McMahon-Lowe

Ren, when are you going to write a book? You always express yourself so
well. mwah.


Lesa M.
CASDFGHJKQERTIP
L.I.F.E. Academy

"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth."
-John F. Kennedy
-------Original Message-------

From: Ren Allen
Date: 03/31/06 07:39:00
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] "junk" television; was reply to disapproving
sister

"My daughter is almost 13. I pulled her out of PS 3
weeks into fifth grade. We never did baby talk. I
never rode around in the car with music blaring---we
chatted about what we saw driving down the rode and
she learned stuff from me."

It sounds like you did a lot of fun things, that's great. But there's
nothing wrong with driving around with music blaring either. We happen
to love music blaring.:)


" We have lived a
life of revering books and knowledge, and watch tv for
the fun of history, PBS specials, technology stuff,
etc. We don't watch the junk on all the other
channels."

Revering books above other things isn't necessarily helpful for
unschooling. Books and television and movies and "junk" and everything
in the whole world lead to learning.
By heaping judgement upon certain kinds of shows, it shuts doors for
our children. Why place that on them? Our children can freely explore
the world without judgement placed upon things that might fascinate
them. A lot of "junk" is great fodder for learning. By separating
shows into categories, it closes doors. It also teaches our children
to not be completely honest with us...if they're fascinated with
something you deem "junk", are they really willing to share that
fascination openly? Probably not.

I don't revere books or certain types of knowledge above others.
My oldest child has a very intense love for World of Warcraft right
now. That is his main activity from day to day. I'm glad he can freely
explore that without guilt.

There are many television shows I would have thought "junk" many years
ago, but we've had some amazing conversations because of viewing them
together...not to mention some heavy duty laughter!!

This topic always interests me, because I work in the fasion industry.
As a child, my interest in fashion and makeup was thwarted because of
ultra-religious parents. Now I find myself both an unschooling parent,
surrounded by unschoolers that either shun fashion or tolerate it (how
many unschoolers wear makeup, I think I should take a poll!!) and it
vastly amuses me that I now make money in the fasion industry.:)

I love the runway. I love makeup. I adore the art of film making, the
art of illusion. It's part of my passions. My folks did nothing to
encourage that interest, they actually discouraged it. But here I am
at 37 years old, pursuing my interests.
It would have been nice to be encouraged at a much younger age so I
didn't have to spend years feeling guilty about my passions. They're
just part of who I am.

Ren
learninginfreedom.com






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Priscilla Sanstead

>>>>>>>Priscilla responds:

--- Ren Allen <starsuncloud@...> wrote:

> (Quoting Pris)"My daughter is almost 13. I pulled >
her out of PS 3
> weeks into fifth grade. We never did baby talk. I
> never rode around in the car with music blaring---we
> chatted about what we saw driving down the rode and
> she learned stuff from me."
>
> Ren---It sounds like you did a lot of fun things,
that's
> great. But there's
> nothing wrong with driving around with music blaring
> either. We happen
> to love music blaring.:)
>
>>>>>>(Pris)REPLY---I could have explained myself
better but I was trying to keep my first post short.
We have tons in common! Maybe it's just my perspective
of her being in Montessori/public/private school from
age 3 to start of 5th grade, and being actively
involved with all the children (not in HER classroom).
Music/radio yeah, we would do that a little. She just
had so many questions about things we drove
by---trains, bridges, construction, etc. She would
tell me to turn it down/off so she could ask me
something. I was just talking about people I have
KNOWN who had no interaction with their child in the
car, rode around just talking to their girlfriend and
telling their kids to be quiet (the rude way). We
(she) are really into Brit rock, worldbeat, and techno
stuff-KCRW-Santa Monica.>>>>>>>>>
>
> (quoting Pris)" We have lived a
> life of revering books and knowledge, and watch TV
> for
> the fun of history, PBS specials, technology stuff,
> etc. We don't watch the junk on all the other
> channels."
>
>>>>>Ren----Revering books above other things isn't
necessarily
> helpful for
> unschooling. Books and television and movies and
> "junk" and everything
> in the whole world lead to learning.
> By heaping judgment upon certain kinds of shows, it
> shuts doors for
> our children. Why place that on them? Our children
> can freely explore
> the world without judgment placed upon things that
> might fascinate
> them. A lot of "junk" is great fodder for learning.
> By separating
> shows into categories, it closes doors. It also
> teaches our children
> to not be completely honest with us...if they're
> fascinated with
> something you deem "junk", are they really willing
> to share that
> fascination openly? Probably not.
>
> I don't revere books or certain types of knowledge
> above others.
> My oldest child has a very intense love for World of
> War craft right
> now. That is his main activity from day to day. I'm
> glad he can freely
> explore that without guilt.

>>>>>>>>REPLY--W of Warcraft? We have that, but I
can't afford the on line fee. My dd has made an rpg
game (rpgmaker2003)that is just coming on line. She's
been living and breathing that for months. I think her
alpha testers are still working on
it.----www.errpg.com---- I think it's ready. Why
books? Early on she made it clear that she was a
no-fluff, no nonsense, non-fiction kind of little kid.
As a full-time volunteer I built and ran her new
charter school library when she was in gr 1 and 2 no
money, no books. I got donations and got super deals
at thrift shops because they know who I was buying
books for. I'm a little passionate about children's
literacy. We started unschooling after I pulled her
out at the start of the 5th gr. It seems I had been
unschooling her her all along. She made her own
judgments on what she thinks is junk a long time ago.

My other degree's in marketing. We've watched a little
of everything--our favorite thing now is to identify
the demographics of shows. She has never liked Barbie
or Disney. At 4 she asked me to come in her room and
take out all the books that are "not true stories".
She loved fables, though, from all over the world.
We've watched and talked about junky shows, too. She
is more of a culture critic (snob)than we are
(especially aout consumerism).>>>>>>>>
>
>>>>>> Ren---There are many television shows I would
have thought
> "junk" many years
> ago, but we've had some amazing conversations
> because of viewing them
> together...not to mention some heavy duty laughter!!
>
> This topic always interests me, because I work in
> the fasion industry.
> As a child, my interest in fashion and makeup was
> thwarted because of
> ultra-religious parents. Now I find myself both an
> unschooling parent,
> surrounded by unschoolers that either shun fashion
> or tolerate it (how
> many unschoolers wear makeup, I think I should take
> a poll!!) and it
> vastly amuses me that I now make money in the fasion
> industry.:)
>
> I love the runway. I love makeup. I adore the art of
> film making, the
> art of illusion. It's part of my passions. My folks
> did nothing to
> encourage that interest, they actually discouraged
> it. But here I am
> at 37 years old, pursuing my interests.
> It would have been nice to be encouraged at a much
> younger age so I
> didn't have to spend years feeling guilty about my
> passions. They're
> just part of who I am.
>


>>>>>>>(Pris)I guess I was lucky. My parents fed my
fashion interest to the extent they could with 4
girls. I wanted to go to NYC and model, but they made
me go to "State U". I did go on a college trip to NYC
with all my fashion merchandising buddies (I was in
Hs'ing and Interior Design). My daughter grew up
watching "Style" with Elsa Klensch on CNN. When she
was little it came on twice a day on the weekend. We'd
play "ladies on the runway " and play the Vivaldi
theme song. I'm much more into fashion than she is.
She is turned off by so many converstaions like, "Oh,
I used to shop at the Gap, but now all my clothes come
from the Limited II". We love Karl Lagerfeld, though.
My husband has his voice down perfectly.

My daughter is in charge of her education and is
planning her college majors-computers, psych,
religion, marketing, art---and will start with a
couple of classes this summer.
Thanks for you comments!

Priscilla










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Pampered Chef Michelle

On 3/31/06, Ren Allen <starsuncloud@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> It sounds like you did a lot of fun things, that's great. But there's
> nothing wrong with driving around with music blaring either. We happen
> to love music blaring.:)


Yes! Our kids have had a wonderful exposure to blaring music of many
genre! Classic rock, indie folk rock, jazz, classical, Celtic, etc.
They're lives are enriched not only by Mozart but by The Rolling Stones,
Silly Wizard, Nora Jones, and John, Paul, Ringo and George :)

Revering books above other things isn't necessarily helpful for
> unschooling. Books and television and movies and "junk" and everything
> in the whole world lead to learning.


I love to read. I read "serious books" You know intellectual stuff.
Classics. I love the well written word. Yet there are some days that I
pick up a cheap paperback novel or something really "silly" like a murder
mystery. I love Discovery Channel and History Channel and I will watch
C-SPAN. Yet I also am a total Star Trek junkie (yes; a Trekkie) and will
watch it anytime I can find it on. I love Stargate and Law and Order and
CSI (only the original one LOL!) And there are times when a Three Stooges
Marathon is just the ticket I need. My life is no less enriched by Larry
Curly and Moe than some nature program!





--
Michelle
Independent Kitchen Consultant #413652
The Pampered Chef
850-474-0817
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/michellelr
Catch our new wave of color!
Book a March show!


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[email protected]

In a message dated 3/31/2006 8:38:54 AM Eastern Standard Time,
starsuncloud@... writes:


> By separating
> shows into categories, it closes doors. It also teaches our children
> to not be completely honest with us...if they're fascinated with
> something you deem "junk", are they really willing to share that
> fascination openly? Probably not.
>

****You bet they wouldn't be and not only that, like you said here....

>>>That is his main activity from day to day. I'm glad he can freely
explore that without guilt.<<<

.....they probably would end up feeling guilty about it, or, either learn to
sneak around or just think they were stupid in your eyes for liking the things
they like. I felt like that many times as a kid, not fun. I don't ever want
my kids to feel that way.

Nancy




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

trektheory

--- In [email protected], "Pampered Chef Michelle"
<pamperedmichelle@...> wrote:
>
> On 3/31/06, Ren Allen <starsuncloud@...> wrote:

>
>
> Yes! Our kids have had a wonderful exposure to blaring music of
many
> genre!

We may LISTEN to various types of music, but I can't handle
blaring! Never have, and when subjected to it, end up with serious
ear pain. (A quirk that some of us seem to be born with.)


> I love Discovery Channel and History Channel and I will watch
> C-SPAN. Yet I also am a total Star Trek junkie (yes; a Trekkie)
and will
> watch it anytime I can find it on.

Trekkies!! Yeah!! I claim we raised our son in the one true faith --
Star Trek. ;-)

(Please, no one slam me -- I am NOT implying anything about ANY
religion!) I REALLY wish we had transporters and holodecks!

We also love to laugh -- and have really been enjoying Whose Line Is
It Anyway (a show that,when our son was younger, we watched when he
was asleep -- but he is older now, and when he has questions, we
explain.)

Linda

marsaili

"My daughter is almost 13. I pulled her out of PS 3
weeks into fifth grade. We never did baby talk. I
never rode around in the car with music blaring---we
chatted about what we saw driving down the rode and
she learned stuff from me."

Oh wow, we LOVE to do baby talk! The boys and I come up with all sorts of
goofey and fun ways to talk to the baby and get his attention. He gets
babas and binkys and does poo poos, he also hears things spoken
correctly---most of the time. The baby talk just makes things more silly
and fun! We always have music blaring, in the car, in the house. We chat
all the time too, and I spend a lot of time in the car turning the radio
down so we can talk as well. It's all about having fun.

" We have lived a
life of revering books and knowledge, and watch tv for
the fun of history, PBS specials, technology stuff,
etc. We don't watch the junk on all the other
channels."

I revere books and knowledge. I hope my kids do as well, but that is for
them to decide. We watch anything on TV that grabs our attention. We've
been watching shows about the whole Da Vinci code stuff and the Knights
Templar and the Priory of Scion. The TV is very often on the Food Network,
my boys love watching Alton Brown or George Duran. They even watch the
ladies of the food network sometimes, too! They love watching Extreme
Homes, I Want That!, Design on a Dime--all sorts of informational stuff. We
watch tons of Animal Planet, too! We've watched a lot of stuff lately on
Rome and the Roman Empire. I usually put it on and get engrossed in it and
one by one the kids end up joining me. We also have a blast watching The
Fairly Odd Parents, Sponge Bob, American Idol, Charmed various Anime shows
and a whole bunch of other "junk" and you know what usually happens? We
talk about what we've watched. Many times, we'll talk for a whole evening
about stuff we've watched, whether educational or not. It's about spending
time together and enjoying each other.

Leslie:-)

Mother to Jessica-17, Stephen-16, Jeremy-14, Sean-10, Jaret-7 and Seamus-5
months old






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