Re: Limits/
Penn Acres
Meaningless chors.
Two years ago we took the girls who were then 6 years old to Fort Steele, BC. with an extended family who have always done "school at home" with a rigorous religious lifestyle. The other girls were 3 yrs. 11, 13, and 15. The program we chose and paid for was entitled something like "home life long ago" It was a two hour long program where the girls were split into two groups. They made muffins in the old kitchen of one of the tiny old museum houses and the other group "did" clothes washing-wringing -hanging on line with old rags and clothes-all very rigid and structured and obviously all very contrived. The lady who "acted" the part was dressed in turn of the century clothes and was very rigid and almost "unfriendly" towards the children. They offer various fieldtrip sessions for schools in the East Kootenays.I was amazed at the very formal and uninteresting way it was all presented but the girls were having fun with the other kids and were ok with it all. At one point one group wasnt quite ready to change places with the outside group so the lady instructed the girls to go on the lawn and pick the heads from the dandelions and put them into a large bushel basket. The two homeschoolers in the group rushed out when they were told and began pulling dandelion heads and putting them in. My ggd's picked a few and looked around and then walked over by the fence and began looking around. The mom (we were standing off at one side said , "they are supposed to be picking the dandelion blossoms" and I said I know but I guess they dont feel like it. One of her girls picked for a while and went over to an old fashoned swing-her mom came to her and just gestured for her to go back to the lawn. Later I had the opportunity to ask the "volunteer if the dandelions were for livestock on the place or if they made anything with them-she just smiled and said no, its just to keep them busy and out of trouble. Later I mentioned to the Mom that I found the whole program very phony and meaningless, and told her about the conversation about the dandelions and she said" well good I believe in keeping children busy all of the time. " It is all so bizzarre..
grace
where it snowed today and the hills were Not Nice going into town this morning.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Two years ago we took the girls who were then 6 years old to Fort Steele, BC. with an extended family who have always done "school at home" with a rigorous religious lifestyle. The other girls were 3 yrs. 11, 13, and 15. The program we chose and paid for was entitled something like "home life long ago" It was a two hour long program where the girls were split into two groups. They made muffins in the old kitchen of one of the tiny old museum houses and the other group "did" clothes washing-wringing -hanging on line with old rags and clothes-all very rigid and structured and obviously all very contrived. The lady who "acted" the part was dressed in turn of the century clothes and was very rigid and almost "unfriendly" towards the children. They offer various fieldtrip sessions for schools in the East Kootenays.I was amazed at the very formal and uninteresting way it was all presented but the girls were having fun with the other kids and were ok with it all. At one point one group wasnt quite ready to change places with the outside group so the lady instructed the girls to go on the lawn and pick the heads from the dandelions and put them into a large bushel basket. The two homeschoolers in the group rushed out when they were told and began pulling dandelion heads and putting them in. My ggd's picked a few and looked around and then walked over by the fence and began looking around. The mom (we were standing off at one side said , "they are supposed to be picking the dandelion blossoms" and I said I know but I guess they dont feel like it. One of her girls picked for a while and went over to an old fashoned swing-her mom came to her and just gestured for her to go back to the lawn. Later I had the opportunity to ask the "volunteer if the dandelions were for livestock on the place or if they made anything with them-she just smiled and said no, its just to keep them busy and out of trouble. Later I mentioned to the Mom that I found the whole program very phony and meaningless, and told her about the conversation about the dandelions and she said" well good I believe in keeping children busy all of the time. " It is all so bizzarre..
grace
where it snowed today and the hills were Not Nice going into town this morning.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]