Schuyler

"I guess it just boils down to the fact that I don't think we're doing
enough and I'm not exactly sure what it is that we need to do."

I know she's left the list, but the ideas are still valid.

This is probably more at the root of the problem than anything about needing a curriuculum or helping a 14 year old get into University or whatever else was being stated. Sometimes it is appropriate, or natural after a major upheaval of moving or a new baby or a change of job or whatever to idle. But the idle can go on too long. I get trapped there, sometimes. We move a lot. Or, at least, almost as much as David moved as a child (his dad changed job locations every 3 years, so 3 years in Malaysia, 3 years in Japan, 3 years in the Philipines, 3 years in Oman, etc...). And we do big travel a lot. And after that there is a time of settling in, settling down, get used to the house again, or adjusting to the change in time zones. And you get used to these easy, lackadasical days. Or I do. It takes a change, a movement against inertia to find engaging things to do. And to offer them forward.

I suppose the OP was not able to think beyond curriculum as a means for moving against the lack of swirling ideas in their daily lives, but there are so many ways to step up your activities. Big trips out to new places is one thing. Yesterday we went to Great Yarmouth, a seaside town where we'd never been, David Copperfield is set in Great Yarmouth. We went with friends and did all the seaside things. Linnaea rode a donkey and we played slot machines and claw machines and looked askance and genitalia lollipops and had a lunch of chips and gravy and mushy peas or toad in the hole or steak and kidney pudding with jelly and trifle for dessert. We paid £1.50 per child for 6 slides down the inflatible slide, but, fortunately, it was run by a disinterested and very tanned woman who didn't care if they were on there for ages. We flake 99 ice cream cones and found the hotel where Dickens stayed while writing David Copperfield and bought toys and cotton candy.
There were lots of conversations and lots of play.

I find those days easy to come up with, the harder thing can be making being at home engaging and new. Today Simon went to a friend's and I had a serious headache. But I really wanted to connect with Linnaea. So, at my asking, she happily came upstairs and lay with me and told me stories whileI lay with a sock filled with rice and lavendar and heated in the microwave resting over my eyes. As the pain abated and I could move I came downstairs and found gentle things that I could do that Linnaea might like to do with me. I invited Linnaea, who was watching a show on television and said she'd come and play when the show ended. I played Mario Kart alone and then with David, but two player made my head spin and he played with Linnaea. And then we played cards and then we played a game like Rush Hour (http://www.mathsisfun.net/javagames/RushHour.htm, an on-line version), but where you topple blocks over to create a run for a little figure to move on, it's
called Tipover. And then we made dinner, nori rolls and then the cats caught a Red Legged Grouse who David and Linnaea tried to rescue, but it just couldn't survive the plucking at their paws. Tomorrow we'll have to go and get bells for them to wear. Again, there were lots of conversations and lots of play.

While all those things happened with me, on her own Linnaea also redesigned a Barbie, she went over to her friend's for a little bit, she threw all the snapits firecrackers that she got yesterday from the joke shop in Great Yarmouth, she played with cats and gave her new stuffed animal, Nommer, a bath and then put her in the washing machine on the spin cycle setting to wring out her soaking body.

Coming to the list and justifying why you aren't unschooling and asking for curriculum information isn't going to end up with a response nearly as helpful as coming to this list and saying I don't know what to do to make my days swirl with ideas. I feel like things are bogging down and I want to spice them up. Here are the obstacles that I don't know how to overcome. Can people help me to brainstorm?

Speaking of, Simon is spending a lot of time watching youtube vidoes, a lot of which are laugh out loud funny (we just learned the insult Spoony Bard from one). Are there any videos anyone can suggest that I could offer to him? I like having stuff to share.

Schuyler
www.waynforth.blogspot.com

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

Beth Fleming

 
There's a Weird Al Youtube that's a parody of Bye, Bye Miss American Pie that tells the sage of Star Wars....my kids watched it at a friend's house where it was acted out by little lego figures, but we can't seem to find it here.  The video of Weird Al singing it is also very funny! (picture Emperor Palpatine on piano in the desert, back up singers, etc....it's hysterical)  Maybe Simon would like it if he's a Star Wars fan.
Peace,
Beth in MA



----- Original Message ----
From: Schuyler <s.waynforth@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, August 2, 2008 2:50:08 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] swirlin' up the place was Crisis of Faith




"I guess it just boils down to the fact that I don't think we're doing
enough and I'm not exactly sure what it is that we need to do."

I know she's left the list, but the ideas are still valid.

This is probably more at the root of the problem than anything about needing a curriuculum or helping a 14 year old get into University or whatever else was being stated. Sometimes it is appropriate, or natural after a major upheaval of moving or a new baby or a change of job or whatever to idle. But the idle can go on too long. I get trapped there, sometimes. We move a lot. Or, at least, almost as much as David moved as a child (his dad changed job locations every 3 years, so 3 years in Malaysia, 3 years in Japan, 3 years in the Philipines, 3 years in Oman, etc...). And we do big travel a lot. And after that there is a time of settling in, settling down, get used to the house again, or adjusting to the change in time zones. And you get used to these easy, lackadasical days. Or I do. It takes a change, a movement against inertia to find engaging things to do. And to offer them forward.

I suppose the OP was not able to think beyond curriculum as a means for moving against the lack of swirling ideas in their daily lives, but there are so many ways to step up your activities. Big trips out to new places is one thing. Yesterday we went to Great Yarmouth, a seaside town where we'd never been, David Copperfield is set in Great Yarmouth. We went with friends and did all the seaside things. Linnaea rode a donkey and we played slot machines and claw machines and looked askance and genitalia lollipops and had a lunch of chips and gravy and mushy peas or toad in the hole or steak and kidney pudding with jelly and trifle for dessert. We paid £1.50 per child for 6 slides down the inflatible slide, but, fortunately, it was run by a disinterested and very tanned woman who didn't care if they were on there for ages. We flake 99 ice cream cones and found the hotel where Dickens stayed while writing David Copperfield and bought toys and cotton candy.
There were lots of conversations and lots of play.

I find those days easy to come up with, the harder thing can be making being at home engaging and new. Today Simon went to a friend's and I had a serious headache. But I really wanted to connect with Linnaea. So, at my asking, she happily came upstairs and lay with me and told me stories whileI lay with a sock filled with rice and lavendar and heated in the microwave resting over my eyes. As the pain abated and I could move I came downstairs and found gentle things that I could do that Linnaea might like to do with me. I invited Linnaea, who was watching a show on television and said she'd come and play when the show ended. I played Mario Kart alone and then with David, but two player made my head spin and he played with Linnaea. And then we played cards and then we played a game like Rush Hour (http://www.mathsisf un.net/javagames /RushHour. htm, an on-line version), but where you topple blocks over to create a run for a little figure to move on, it's
called Tipover. And then we made dinner, nori rolls and then the cats caught a Red Legged Grouse who David and Linnaea tried to rescue, but it just couldn't survive the plucking at their paws. Tomorrow we'll have to go and get bells for them to wear. Again, there were lots of conversations and lots of play.

While all those things happened with me, on her own Linnaea also redesigned a Barbie, she went over to her friend's for a little bit, she threw all the snapits firecrackers that she got yesterday from the joke shop in Great Yarmouth, she played with cats and gave her new stuffed animal, Nommer, a bath and then put her in the washing machine on the spin cycle setting to wring out her soaking body.

Coming to the list and justifying why you aren't unschooling and asking for curriculum information isn't going to end up with a response nearly as helpful as coming to this list and saying I don't know what to do to make my days swirl with ideas. I feel like things are bogging down and I want to spice them up. Here are the obstacles that I don't know how to overcome. Can people help me to brainstorm?

Speaking of, Simon is spending a lot of time watching youtube vidoes, a lot of which are laugh out loud funny (we just learned the insult Spoony Bard from one). Are there any videos anyone can suggest that I could offer to him? I like having stuff to share.

Schuyler
www.waynforth. blogspot. com

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






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

J Geller

__,_._Are there any videos anyone can suggest that I could offer to him? I like having stuff to share.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.periodicvideos.com this link was posted on another list and it is too cool. I love the professor's hair and the guys in the lab is too funny. We started with Hydrogen because I figured they might show it burn. My 9 year old saw me watching and had to watch it twice. Then he wanted to move onto Helium. "That will be boring because it is inert", I warned. But they contrasted it to the Hydrogen blowing up!

Jae
--------------------------------,___

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

k

I don't know about you but we have been having a ball with Super Mario
youtubes.

~Katherine


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

Jenny C

> I don't know about you but we have been having a ball with Super Mario
> youtubes.


I was going to suggest the smosh videos because my kids find them great
fun. What initially led Chamille to them was one of their first videos
that was all Pokemon. They are quite popular on youtube.

Paula Sjogerman

On Aug 2, 2008, at 1:50 PM, Schuyler wrote:

> Speaking of, Simon is spending a lot of time watching youtube
> vidoes, a lot of which are laugh out loud funny (we just learned
> the insult Spoony Bard from one). Are there any videos anyone can
> suggest that I could offer to him? I like having stuff to share.


Have you seen "Charlie bit me?" I think you can look it up by that
phrase.

We've watched it quite a few times here.

Paula


Meghan

--- In [email protected], Schuyler <s.waynforth@...> wrote:
>
> Speaking of, Simon is spending a lot of time watching youtube vidoes,
a lot of which are laugh out loud funny (we just learned the insult
Spoony Bard from one). Are there any videos anyone can suggest that I
could offer to him? I like having stuff to share.
>
> Schuyler
> www.waynforth.blogspot.com
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>


These are two of my favs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDw4gk5pYl8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVKnF26qFFM


Meghan

Meghan

--- In [email protected], "Jenny C" <jenstarc4@...> wrote:
>
>
> > I don't know about you but we have been having a ball with Super
Mario
> > youtubes.
>
>
> I was going to suggest the smosh videos because my kids find them
great
> fun. What initially led Chamille to them was one of their first
videos
> that was all Pokemon. They are quite popular on youtube.
>


Oh yeah, I forgot about them! Tamzin loves them! I got her a Smosh T-
shirt for her birthday <g>.

Meghan

Bob Collier

--- In [email protected], Beth Fleming <momofwc@...> wrote:
>
>
> �
> There's a Weird Al Youtube that's a parody of Bye, Bye Miss American
Pie that tells the sage of Star Wars....my kids watched it at a
friend's house where it was acted out by little lego figures, but we
can't seem to find it here.� The video of Weird Al singing it is also
very funny! (picture Emperor Palpatine on piano in the desert, back up
singers, etc....it's hysterical)� Maybe�Simon would�like it if he's a
Star Wars fan.
> Peace,
> Beth in MA
>
>
>
>

Is this it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Es5HV529xI

Beth Fleming

 
Yes, thanks, that's the Weird Al music video...we're still searching for it accompanied by little lego guys....will let you know when we find it!
Peace,
BEth



----- Original Message ----
From: Bob Collier <bobcollier@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, August 3, 2008 7:45:40 AM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Re: swirlin' up the place was Crisis of Faith


--- In AlwaysLearning@ yahoogroups. com, Beth Fleming <momofwc@... > wrote:
>
>
> �
> There's a Weird Al Youtube that's a parody of Bye, Bye Miss American
Pie that tells the sage of Star Wars....my kids watched it at a
friend's house where it was acted out by little lego figures, but we
can't seem to find it here.� The video of Weird Al singing it is also
very funny! (picture Emperor Palpatine on piano in the desert, back up
singers, etc....it's hysterical)� Maybe�Simon would�like it if he's a
Star Wars fan.
> Peace,
> Beth in MA
>
>
>
>

Is this it?

http://www.youtube com/watch? v=1Es5HV529xI






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

Margaret

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbb5CYC6JTs

weird al star wars song (miss american pie melody) w/legos

On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 5:37 AM, Beth Fleming <momofwc@...> wrote:
>
>
> Yes, thanks, that's the Weird Al music video...we're still searching for it
> accompanied by little lego guys....will let you know when we find it!
> Peace,
> BEth

Ed Wendell

http://www.i-am-bored.com/

is another great video site. One day, a year or so ago, Ed (dear hubby) was messing around on the computer and typed "I am Bored" into Google - I laughed at him as I thought he was being silly - but it popped up with this fun site.


Lisa W.

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

Jill Parmer

On Aug 2, 2008, at 12:50 PM, Schuyler wrote:

> Speaking of, Simon is spending a lot of time watching youtube
> vidoes, a lot of which are laugh out loud funny (we just learned
> the insult Spoony Bard from one). Are there any videos anyone can
> suggest that I could offer to him? I like having stuff to share.

Have you all seen _Inventing Swear-Words_ ? It is a World of
Warcraft video and there are 4 parts. We've had so much fun watching
these and some of the phrases have become our private jokes.

Inventing Swear-Words http://ie.youtube.com/watch?
v=-5q3TG5yCG0&feature=related

#2 http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=GLrk4J6hK0M&feature=related

#3 http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=nUX3u-QtjY4&feature=related

#4 http://www.wegame.com/watch/Inventing_Swear_Words_4/

Have fun,
~Jill

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