Re: Teaching Ourselves (was Re: experts)
Amy McCormick
Message: 13
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 16:29:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Wife2Vegman <wifetovegman2002@...>
Subject: Teaching Ourselves (was Re: experts)
<<This is very interesting to me...
I hope others would be willing to share ways they are
educating themselves while unschooling their children,
and possibly how pursuing their own interests have
sparked similar interests in their kids.
Susan in VA>>
Hi Susan.
Funny that you ask this because just tonight I was thinking that I owed my daughter a debt of gratitude for leading me to a book I am reading. She received a loom (toy) for her 5th birthday. We also have read the story Rumplestiltskin (sp) a million times. After the gift (from a friend) she and I discussed and lightly researched spinning thread, warp and weft, etc., which got me interested in antique textiles. As I am also interested in women's history and feminism I looked in our library for something to do with women and textiles in history. I found the book "Women's Work," about "Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times." I'm only just beginning it, but already I am fascinated and eager to read on.
The author notes that the transition from the paleolithic age (chipped stone tools) to neolithic (smooth stone tools) coincided with the birth of agriculture and postulates that this transition came about due to grinding grain (thus smoothing the stones), which was "women's work." Interesting. The author quotes previous work that mentions the criteria that determine whether a society relies upon women as the chief providers of certain types of labor (and proceeds to list them) - thought provoking- and she also discusses that the products of women were generally perishable (food, textiles, pottery making, child-rearing, etc.) and so difficult to study. I know much of this from previous study, but to have it articulated at this point in my life is helpful to me in order to grasp ideas and formulate my own ideas and questions.
One funny thing (and the first thing) that pops in my head that was the opposite (adult doings' leading to child learning) was when my husband had to work on our septic system. My daughter became "afraid" of the toilet because it was making burbling noises, and when we asked if she wanted to know more, she got a kind of field trip on the toilet, the plumbing/pipes in the basement, culminating in showing her the location of the leach field and actual tank. She wanted to see all the pipes from the bathtub, kitchen sink, etc. after that. She can tell you a pretty good "how it works" about plumbing and septic, all because she wanted to know what Daddy was doing.
Anyway, just thought I'd share. :) Also wanted to mention I love the letterboxing/geocaching threads; I had never heard of this and can't wait until some of this snow is gone to begin!
Amy
Unschooling in St. Albans, VT
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 16:29:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Wife2Vegman <wifetovegman2002@...>
Subject: Teaching Ourselves (was Re: experts)
<<This is very interesting to me...
I hope others would be willing to share ways they are
educating themselves while unschooling their children,
and possibly how pursuing their own interests have
sparked similar interests in their kids.
Susan in VA>>
Hi Susan.
Funny that you ask this because just tonight I was thinking that I owed my daughter a debt of gratitude for leading me to a book I am reading. She received a loom (toy) for her 5th birthday. We also have read the story Rumplestiltskin (sp) a million times. After the gift (from a friend) she and I discussed and lightly researched spinning thread, warp and weft, etc., which got me interested in antique textiles. As I am also interested in women's history and feminism I looked in our library for something to do with women and textiles in history. I found the book "Women's Work," about "Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times." I'm only just beginning it, but already I am fascinated and eager to read on.
The author notes that the transition from the paleolithic age (chipped stone tools) to neolithic (smooth stone tools) coincided with the birth of agriculture and postulates that this transition came about due to grinding grain (thus smoothing the stones), which was "women's work." Interesting. The author quotes previous work that mentions the criteria that determine whether a society relies upon women as the chief providers of certain types of labor (and proceeds to list them) - thought provoking- and she also discusses that the products of women were generally perishable (food, textiles, pottery making, child-rearing, etc.) and so difficult to study. I know much of this from previous study, but to have it articulated at this point in my life is helpful to me in order to grasp ideas and formulate my own ideas and questions.
One funny thing (and the first thing) that pops in my head that was the opposite (adult doings' leading to child learning) was when my husband had to work on our septic system. My daughter became "afraid" of the toilet because it was making burbling noises, and when we asked if she wanted to know more, she got a kind of field trip on the toilet, the plumbing/pipes in the basement, culminating in showing her the location of the leach field and actual tank. She wanted to see all the pipes from the bathtub, kitchen sink, etc. after that. She can tell you a pretty good "how it works" about plumbing and septic, all because she wanted to know what Daddy was doing.
Anyway, just thought I'd share. :) Also wanted to mention I love the letterboxing/geocaching threads; I had never heard of this and can't wait until some of this snow is gone to begin!
Amy
Unschooling in St. Albans, VT
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
J. Stauffer
<<<<<I discussed and lightly researched spinning thread, warp and weft,>>>>
I am trying to figure out how to use a drop spindle. A friend and I took
our kids to a wool market. Lots of vendors were there with wool, beautiful
spinning wheels, etc. I fell in love with the textiles these people were
making right there as we watched. I got a spindle and some fiber.....but so
far I have a rather glopulous glop on my hands.
Julie S.---who has been reading way to much Dr. Seuss lately
I am trying to figure out how to use a drop spindle. A friend and I took
our kids to a wool market. Lots of vendors were there with wool, beautiful
spinning wheels, etc. I fell in love with the textiles these people were
making right there as we watched. I got a spindle and some fiber.....but so
far I have a rather glopulous glop on my hands.
Julie S.---who has been reading way to much Dr. Seuss lately
----- Original Message -----
From: "Amy McCormick" <cottagevt@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2004 8:34 PM
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Re: Teaching Ourselves (was Re: experts)
> Message: 13
> Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 16:29:25 -0800 (PST)
> From: Wife2Vegman <wifetovegman2002@...>
> Subject: Teaching Ourselves (was Re: experts)
>
> <<This is very interesting to me...
>
> I hope others would be willing to share ways they are
> educating themselves while unschooling their children,
> and possibly how pursuing their own interests have
> sparked similar interests in their kids.
>
> Susan in VA>>
>
>
>
> Hi Susan.
>
> Funny that you ask this because just tonight I was thinking that I owed my
daughter a debt of gratitude for leading me to a book I am reading. She
received a loom (toy) for her 5th birthday. We also have read the story
Rumplestiltskin (sp) a million times. After the gift (from a friend) she
and etc., which got me interested in antique textiles. As I am also
interested in women's history and feminism I looked in our library for
something to do with women and textiles in history. I found the book
"Women's Work," about "Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times." I'm only
just beginning it, but already I am fascinated and eager to read on.
>
> The author notes that the transition from the paleolithic age (chipped
stone tools) to neolithic (smooth stone tools) coincided with the birth of
agriculture and postulates that this transition came about due to grinding
grain (thus smoothing the stones), which was "women's work." Interesting.
The author quotes previous work that mentions the criteria that determine
whether a society relies upon women as the chief providers of certain types
of labor (and proceeds to list them) - thought provoking- and she also
discusses that the products of women were generally perishable (food,
textiles, pottery making, child-rearing, etc.) and so difficult to study. I
know much of this from previous study, but to have it articulated at this
point in my life is helpful to me in order to grasp ideas and formulate my
own ideas and questions.
>
> One funny thing (and the first thing) that pops in my head that was the
opposite (adult doings' leading to child learning) was when my husband had
to work on our septic system. My daughter became "afraid" of the toilet
because it was making burbling noises, and when we asked if she wanted to
know more, she got a kind of field trip on the toilet, the plumbing/pipes in
the basement, culminating in showing her the location of the leach field and
actual tank. She wanted to see all the pipes from the bathtub, kitchen
sink, etc. after that. She can tell you a pretty good "how it works" about
plumbing and septic, all because she wanted to know what Daddy was doing.
>
> Anyway, just thought I'd share. :) Also wanted to mention I love the
letterboxing/geocaching threads; I had never heard of this and can't wait
until some of this snow is gone to begin!
>
> Amy
> Unschooling in St. Albans, VT
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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