harrisjen41@...

We have had the flu..not pretty with 14 people in the house.  So my Christmas/New Year thanks are late.


My thanks to Sandra for helping me with my words and my thinking.  It truly has changed my life.  Each day I practice more and more and see the improvement in me and my family.  Also, I have completely changed my old "homeschool" room into a game room.  I let the children take charge.  We now have a ping pong table, books, game closet, and several buckets of toys. The children also picked some toys and books to place in their room.  They also wanted an activity table in the living room.  We only lack a t.v. for the Wii in the game room.  They are still using the living room t.v. until we save the money up.  Probably when we get our income tax return we will be able to get one.  I love seeing the change in our family to an Unschooling family. 


I have learned to relax and getting rid of the homeschool room let me do that.  It was like a "doom room"  screaming to do school.  Not one person asked about the change.  I wanted to share some of the things we are into... Right now my oldest is in college, her choices are limited.  She told me today she missed the freedom of choice, but it was a goal she set and she would work thru the "credit necessary" classes.  My oldest son wanted to work more, start karate back (after earning his black belt last year...he was burned out and stopped), has been studying for his ACT and working on an application for a plant job. My 10 year old daughter is so passionate about numbers...she is sitting beside me and working out problems that she is making up from a workbook she found. One daughter is hooked on Criminals Minds, which I join in and make a snack.  By the way, my youngest son is named after the actor/character Dr.Reid.  In real life his name is Matthew and his character is Dr. Reid...my son's name is Matthew Reid.  Yep, I am a huge fan.  So we enjoy time together and snuggle on the coach...oh, and she is 15 so it is never to late to start.  My 13 year daughter is into clothing right now and is becoming an excellent dog groomer and trainer.  My 9 year son is becoming a Lego Star Wars master and a Just Dance pro. My 7 year old is amazed by words...we were pulling up to Wal-Mart and she asked why Pharmacy had the F sound if it started with a PH.  While parking I told her it was like phone and I really didn't know why it was that way.  She thought for a minute and come to the conclusion that it looked right and that pharmacy and phone would look funny with f's.  That was fine with me too.  My 3 year old is a princess everyday. My 4 year nephew eats, is a superhero, and loves to do chores.   My 5 year old loves babies, barbies, and spending time with momma.  My 2 and 1 son's are into anything and everything that makes them happy; which makes mom happy. Me, what am I into....learning to cook new meals.  I set a goal to learn a new recipe a week for a year..52 recipes. 


We still have things to work out and into and time will get us there.  I love that about unschooling. 


On a personal note...


I know I am new to Unschooling  from the deschooling process and I wanted to show everyone that if you will follow the process these experienced parents have here and really take it and apply it...learning will be in your and your children's life.  Sandra thank you for everything you have done to fine tune me.  Your writing, talks and blogs are so appreciated by me and my children.  I am sorry in advance for future problems from our Unschooling family because I/we need you to finish our path.  (I have keep up and know you said something about getting tired of helping new Unschoolers) So I wanted to let you know you have helped change my family forever. 


Late Christmas blessing....Late Happy New Year


Love Jen


Sandra Dodd

-=-My 7 year old is amazed by words...we were pulling up to Wal-Mart and she asked why Pharmacy had the F sound if it started with a PH.  While parking I told her it was like phone and I really didn't know why it was that way.  She thought for a minute and come to the conclusion that it looked right and that pharmacy and phone would look funny with f's.  That was fine with me too.-=-

Because they’re from Greek.
The next thing to think of (gradually, no hurry) is WHY we have words from Greek (and classical Greek, not modern Greek) for telephones and pharmacies.  

http://sandradodd.com/etymology

One day someone made a statement in which “decipher” was misspelled.

(from the link above):

  Reading is a code that needs to be decifered.

I/Sandra responded:

Yes. 
And only the reader can decipher it. 

Does spelling matter? Would word history help?

Cipher is from the Arabic word for zero, and has been in English for a long, long time. "To cipher," meaning to do arithmetic, is a word even my grandfather used, who was born in 1898 and lived in Texas. But why a "ph" and not an "f"? Because it came through Greek. Some Greek mathematician discovered the idea from Arabic, wrote it down in Greek, and it came to other European languages from that. "Ph" words in English are always from Greek.

To decipher something (like reading) means to figure out the patterns.

A parent cannot decipher words for a child. Only the child can decipher written language. You can help! You can help LOTS of ways. One way would be to gain an interest in the words you use yourself, and stop once in a while to examine one, its history, why it means what it means.


Sandra

Sandra Dodd

-=- My 4 year nephew eats, is a superhero, and loves to do chores.-=-

There is an advantage to NOT using the word “chore.”
Alex Polikowsky uses it, but I wish she wouldn’t.  They have a dairy farm and her daughter likes to help her dad with chores, but the word means hard, monotonous work that people have to do.  What her daughter does is check on cows, move cows in or out or to another pasture.   

http://sandradodd.com/chores/

He might LOVE to help with laundry, dishes, bed, floors, getting the mail, feeding pets, picking up toys!  He might not like cleaning toilets or the refrigerator.  Calling things what they are has advantages.

I wrote this on the facebook group, and there’s some follow-up over there (though anyone who’s happy here and doesn’t want to go there shouldn’t; it’s not that great).

Naming things specifically rather than by categories can be helpful in lots of ways.

In a discussion about food, Nicole Rod wrote "Since reading this thread, I've stopped generalizing. I don't say junk food or even treats. Now I call things exactly what they are. Candy, Soda, chocolate, chips, etc. Thank you "

It works to call things bugs, rocks, planets, trees and birds instead of "science." It helps with deschooling. And "science" is not a bird. Certain kinds of studies of birds might be scientific. But to call all those things "science" is about school science.

It helps to call things ancient Egypt, and the Spanish Inquisition, the Ming Dynasty, early Icelanders, pre-Columbian [pick a tribe] or Stone Age remains instead of "history."

Same with geography. Same with literature. Someone can't really "like music." Not ALL music, though in school someone might readily pick "music" as a favorite subject, as uncles grandmothers and strangers at the store ask "what's your favorite subject?" But someone might LOVE 40's Swing, or Renaissance vocal music or J-Pop. 

Be specific!

_____
(end of quote from January 7, https://www.facebook.com/groups/303347574750/permalink/10152718366094751/ )

Sandra

jen harris

Yes, I agree.  I saw the post and have been reading about being more specific with wording.  Chores are harsher sounding...I have never thought about that.  I will start on that tomorrow and be more specific when he ask (yes, he does ask) to do his "chores" ............well, how could I direct him?  Maybe say, what would you like to help me with?  After he ask.  What is your thoughts to change this pattern?  Anybody got any suggestions.  Thank you, Sandra for pointing this out. 

Also, thanks on the words idea.  Next time she says something I will make sure I am brushed up on it. 

Thanks Jen 


On Saturday, January 10, 2015 12:06 AM, "Sandra Dodd Sandra@... [AlwaysLearning]" <[email protected]> wrote:


 
-=- My 4 year nephew eats, is a superhero, and loves to do chores.-=-

There is an advantage to NOT using the word “chore.”
Alex Polikowsky uses it, but I wish she wouldn’t.  They have a dairy farm and her daughter likes to help her dad with chores, but the word means hard, monotonous work that people have to do.  What her daughter does is check on cows, move cows in or out or to another pasture.   

http://sandradodd.com/chores/

He might LOVE to help with laundry, dishes, bed, floors, getting the mail, feeding pets, picking up toys!  He might not like cleaning toilets or the refrigerator.  Calling things what they are has advantages.

I wrote this on the facebook group, and there’s some follow-up over there (though anyone who’s happy here and doesn’t want to go there shouldn’t; it’s not that great).

Naming things specifically rather than by categories can be helpful in lots of ways.
In a discussion about food, Nicole Rod wrote "Since reading this thread, I've stopped generalizing. I don't say junk food or even treats. Now I call things exactly what they are. Candy, Soda, chocolate, chips, etc. Thank you "
It works to call things bugs, rocks, planets, trees and birds instead of "science." It helps with deschooling. And "science" is not a bird. Certain kinds of studies of birds might be scientific. But to call all those things "science" is about school science.
It helps to call things ancient Egypt, and the Spanish Inquisition, the Ming Dynasty, early Icelanders, pre-Columbian [pick a tribe] or Stone Age remains instead of "history."
Same with geography. Same with literature. Someone can't really "like music." Not ALL music, though in school someone might readily pick "music" as a favorite subject, as uncles grandmothers and strangers at the store ask "what's your favorite subject?" But someone might LOVE 40's Swing, or Renaissance vocal music or J-Pop. 
Be specific!
_____
(end of quote from January 7, https://www.facebook.com/groups/303347574750/permalink/10152718366094751/ )

Sandra


Sandra Dodd

-=-I will start on that tomorrow and be more specific when he ask (yes, he does ask) to do his “chores”-=-

Let him use the word if he wants to, but you don’t need to use it.  He’ll maybe gradually not use it, or not so much.

If he wants to help, find something for him to do!  :-)  Call it what it is, though.  Find the dirty towels, or water plants, or sweep the porch. :-)

Sandra

BRIAN POLIKOWSKY

<<<<<<<<<There is an advantage to NOT using the word “chore.”
Alex Polikowsky uses it, but I wish she wouldn’t.  They have a dairy farm and her daughter likes to help her dad with chores, but the word means hard, monotonous work that people have to do.  What her daughter does is check on cows, move cows in or out or to another pasture.   >>>>>>>>>>


I don't have to use it here.  :)

Chores for us in the farm are certain things we do everyday like Feeding the animals and milking.  It does not have a bad connotation to us. It does not have a negative connotation for Gigi . She loves to go do chores. For her it means going to do things with the cows and baby calves that she loves.
It is because my husband calls chores :)
In our home I never call washing dishes chores .

I can write here what my kids are doing in the farm instead of using chores :)

I grew up in Brazil and I don't think there was ever a word used in my home that meant "chores". In my home we never had any chores assigned.  We did not do much . We had maids for cooking and cleaning. My mom did a lot of cleaning and some cooking too.

As we grew up  we started  doing more and more because we wanted . I remember making eggs and toast when I was  little and helping clean the bathroom or do laundry.
More and more we did things and we all grew up able to clean our homes and cook. But we were not only not made to do them we had maids that did them for us most of the time or at least 5-6 days a week.


 
Alex Polikowsky
 
 
 


On Saturday, January 10, 2015 12:02 AM, "Sandra Dodd Sandra@... [AlwaysLearning]" <[email protected]> wrote:


 
-=-I will start on that tomorrow and be more specific when he ask (yes, he does ask) to do his “chores”-=-

Let him use the word if he wants to, but you don’t need to use it.  He’ll maybe gradually not use it, or not so much.

If he wants to help, find something for him to do!  :-)  Call it what it is, though.  Find the dirty towels, or water plants, or sweep the porch. :-)

Sandra