[email protected]

> So, how's unschooling going?
>
Just when I was starting to have doubts, after being around nieces and
nephews and such, Nathan (almost 5) said to me at breakfast two weeks ago
"Mommy, that sign says AAAAA-LLLLL-SSSS." (Al's Charhouse)

We've spent a lot of time in dirt and mud recently, trying to get a garden
in. Dirt and a flotilla of trucks on the driveway. Wheelbarrow rides. Worm
catching, seed scattering, hay strewing (and feeding to hobby horses). Two
weeks of rain, flooded back yard, dead baby opossum on the deck. MUD on the
driveway. Rolling and luxuriating in the mud. My daughter (almost 4) got
stuck in her pjs the day it started raining - she had to check to make sure
it turned into mud. Stripped down in the rain and made it back inside
without a whimper. Slathered mud all over the steps and the kitchen walls
and went back to watching Sesame Street. The seeds are sprouting, much
excitement. More rain, spent time in Grandma's basement during a tornado
warning, got a cold, read lots of books.

We've also been weaving a baby blanket for a friend. We set up the new to us
loom, learned how to live with it, wound a warp, tangled up a whole mess of
cotton yarn, sleyed the reed and threaded the heddles, wound bobbins for the
boat shuttles, measured out the progress, made a color spreadsheet of the
template and started weaving away. The kids love being woken in the morning
to the sound of the loom, the soothing wood and metal. They love shooting
the shuttle across and beating it in. Unfortunately, they love to retie the
treadles, which can really mess up the pattern, but I've learned to check it.
Nathan has asked for a big boy blanket because he's turning 5 and no longer
chews on his blankie. I need to learn to double weave.

All this has brought life sciences, math, literature and great pleasure to
our lives. Thanks for getting a new thread going, cluelessness is tiresome.

Elizabeth


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

Olga

We spent the whole morning at the beach. My gf whose daughter is in
preschool got to play hooky and us and our combined group of 5 kids
went. It was a beautiful day with a calm ocean! We talked about the
tide and what makes the waves. Keiran, 4 is getting more and more
comfortable and just laying in the waves and my 2yo let me take him
out swimming. I can already see such a difference between our kids.
Keiran is still innocent, trying to kiss her dd and she was
going "yuck". It was funny, Keiran hugs and kisses everyone with
NO "romantic" intent but she is already picking out boyfriends at
school. She also uses terms like "scaredy cat". I took time to
explain that one to her! Funny, because her mom would just say
thats not nice, but I really wanted her to understand that comment.
Different parenting equals different kids, the real communication
makes such a big difference :)

I kept thinking how lucky we were that this was our life, not a day
off, not hooky. My gf was laughing saying her daughter got ready
with no arguement this morning to go have a day off. What she
probably does not realize is that while her daughter still has some
level of fun in school, she is already balking at going and all they
do is play all day. She will most likely be in for some trouble when
real school starts. Now me, I will be pleasantly collecting shells
with the boys :)


Olga :)
..who needs a pool..I have the whole ocean :)


--- In [email protected], ejcrewe@a... wrote:
>
> > So, how's unschooling going?
> >
> Just when I was starting to have doubts, after being around nieces
and
> nephews and such, Nathan (almost 5) said to me at breakfast two
weeks ago
> "Mommy, that sign says AAAAA-LLLLL-SSSS." (Al's Charhouse)
>
> We've spent a lot of time in dirt and mud recently, trying to get a
garden
> in. Dirt and a flotilla of trucks on the driveway. Wheelbarrow
rides. Worm
> catching, seed scattering, hay strewing (and feeding to hobby
horses). Two
> weeks of rain, flooded back yard, dead baby opossum on the deck.
MUD on the
> driveway. Rolling and luxuriating in the mud. My daughter (almost
4) got
> stuck in her pjs the day it started raining - she had to check to
make sure
> it turned into mud. Stripped down in the rain and made it back
inside
> without a whimper. Slathered mud all over the steps and the
kitchen walls
> and went back to watching Sesame Street. The seeds are sprouting,
much
> excitement. More rain, spent time in Grandma's basement during a
tornado
> warning, got a cold, read lots of books.
>
> We've also been weaving a baby blanket for a friend. We set up the
new to us
> loom, learned how to live with it, wound a warp, tangled up a whole
mess of
> cotton yarn, sleyed the reed and threaded the heddles, wound
bobbins for the
> boat shuttles, measured out the progress, made a color spreadsheet
of the
> template and started weaving away. The kids love being woken in
the morning
> to the sound of the loom, the soothing wood and metal. They love
shooting
> the shuttle across and beating it in. Unfortunately, they love to
retie the
> treadles, which can really mess up the pattern, but I've learned to
check it.
> Nathan has asked for a big boy blanket because he's turning 5 and
no longer
> chews on his blankie. I need to learn to double weave.
>
> All this has brought life sciences, math, literature and great
pleasure to
> our lives. Thanks for getting a new thread going, cluelessness is
tiresome.
>
> Elizabeth
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]