mamacari78

Hello all.

I'm Cari, mother of 2 little girls, Leanah(6) and Navah(4). This is
our first official year of hsing, but as far as I'm concerned we
have been hsing since they came out of the womb!
I am curious to hear about how you other mom's go about your days. I
want to hear about how you "schedule" your day as unschooling moms.
Since this is our first year, we started off with a plan that was
obliterated in about three weeks. I tried doing the Charlotte Mason
type of thing, which I really like. After reading Moore's books I
realized Leanah is too young for all that sit-down work, even though
she loves reading, writing, and creating. I tried 5 in a Row, which
also exhausted me. The girls love 5 in a Row, but it takes so much
out of me to "put out" like that each day. What I dislike most about
it is that I feel like my girls are looking to me to entertain them
with school, ya know? I want them to be looking for interesting
things to learn/discuss, especially my six year old. My almost five
year old happily does whatever sis is doing most of the time...am I
freaking out about nothing? HELLLPPP!
Cari

simplemom3

> she loves reading, writing, and creating.

Then do just that.....help her get the books for reading, paper for
writing, and supplies (paint? clay? beads?) she needs for whatever
she wants to "create." Let her go to it...just be around to help if
she asks for it.


I want them to be looking for interesting
> things to learn/discuss, especially my six year old. My almost five
> year old happily does whatever sis is doing most of the time...am I
> freaking out about nothing?

Well -- in a nutshell, yes (am I freaking out over nothing?) :-)
Your girls (both of them) are still SO young...they could
literally 'just play' all day and it would be perfectly normal and
natural. If you take them places with you (shopping, appointments,
occasional museum, park, "fun" place) -- that's all they "need."
Quite honestly, I think 5 and 6 are too young to be looking
for "interesting" things to learn and discuss (no disrespect intended
to you with that comment). We, as parents, have all those schooly
voices inside of us (and outside of us!)telling us what our kids need
to LEARN.

The most difficult concept for me to "get" about unschooling is that
I had to let go of the idea that the kids had to be learning or doing
something "productive." You have to understand that, especially with
kids so young, PLAY is the most important thing...and play is
learning.

Welcome here...you will find much wisdom from these wonderful women.
Also, go to the files and links section and read the articles/info
regarding the philosophy of unschooling. Search the net on
unschooling...there's a ton o stuff out there.

Sharon

Deb

If having lots of books to read and crafty stuff available to create
with is what they like, go for it - max out your library card (BTW
our library allows an 'associate' card for 5 and 6 yr olds so each
girl could have her own card as well as you having one and make sure
DH has one so you can get huge stacks of books!) We have a low
cabinet that holds all craft type supplies readily accessible for DS
(and me and DH too). One thing we like is to buy big rolls of brown
paper and cover the kitchen table. We can do all sorts of 'projects'
without worrying about messes because it just rolls up and goes in
the trash. And we can use it to draw on as well - or rough out
grocery lists or explain the concept of place in numbers (ones,
tens, hundreds, etc) or invent monsters or whatever.

DS is 7 1/2 and his day is roughly:
get up somewhere between 7 and 9 am. Watch TV a bit as he wakes up
usually (often The Weather Channel). Play computer games or video
games with DH (the at home parent, I WOH fulltime). Eat somewhere in
there. Play more games of various sorts, build things with various
materials (legos, knex, etc), watch TV, etc. Eat again eventually.
Play more - which may or may not include going outside to play,
going to a friend's house (Friday afternoons are a standing playdate
with some homeschooling friends), running an errand or two, etc.
Dinner occurs when I get home from work. More TV, games, etc occurs
in the evening, with the quieter, more sedentary types occurring
closer to when I head to bed (since I am the only one with a wake up
time, I'm the only one with anything approaching a 'bedtime'), might
include a bath for one or several of us - I *love* hot bubble baths
(with a big thick novel) and my guys got me a lovely bathtub pillow
and some bubble bath and bath salts for Christmas so I've been
having LOTS of bubble baths lately. DS may choose a bath time as
well some evenings. Right now my boys are into "BrikWars" which is a
miniatures game with Lego bricks and Lego mini figures. It has a
whole set of rules and strategies and all. And you use Lego bricks
to make the buildings, redesign the buildings, etc. Last night, DH
made an armored personnel carrier to use in the game. Pretty cool!
That has been occupying a lot of their time lately. We've also had
lots of piratey stuff going on (probably influenced somewhat by
Spongebob). Cooking and housework happen in there as well. It looks
a lot like life in general - the way life looked at your house most
likely before your girls got to 'school age'.

--Deb