SandraDodd : (to learn to be good dolls? "Don't get up and be alive when we're all asleep."
SandyZ9072 :
LOL
SandraDodd :
Twoodnfl, TC Scouts, Welcome to the chat on the Ideal Unschooling Moment.
KBaker614 :
Scary thought, Sandra..
SandraDodd :
I have lots of scary thoughts. I'll try to keep them to myself.
Kjoncyk :
thanx.....does anyone know the hs laws for iowa...or how i can find them out? tried the hem (home education) lib[rary]
Felicitas :
No, Sandra, they use the discarded Calvert School curriculum on them , and are they hard graders!
Margmom :
Shobie LOVES to play king. He's been making crowns out of paper (I cut them out) and wanted to see pictures of real crowns (encyclopedia) so it would look authentic.
SandraDodd :
Kjoncyk, have you looked back through the regional folders at HEM and HOMESCHOOL?
KERRIAROSE :
kjoncyk, call the state dept of education, they helped me (← bad advice in 1996; bad advice in 2021)
KBaker614 :
Did you try posting in the Regional Folders?
Kjoncyk :
kerrri how do i do that
SandraDodd :
Kjoncyk, in HEM's resources folder there are state associations. Get a phone number from someone in one of those and call and ask. Most associations have copies of the regulations.
KERRIAROSE :
kjoncyk, look it up in the phone book and call them, tell them you are thinking of hs and need to have a copy of the laws concerning education
READMOM :
TC Scouts....are you into the Boy Scouts?
Kjoncyk :
sandra tried that no listing for iowa
SandyZ9072 :
I wish I could stay. I love hearing the great stuff all of you are doing. Have to go. Bye.
SandraDodd :
I was at the zoo in Indianapolis or somewhere (I wonder where I was...
TC Scouts :
Girl Scouts and Homeschool 3 daughters.
READMOM :
Boy Scouts has been great for my kids ED through merit badges.
KBaker614 :
They are so graceful under the water, aren't they? I saw them in Florida
SandraDodd :
I had no idea. I became overwhelmed with the excitement of it and said "THEY FLY THROUGH THE WATER LIKE BIRDS!" and a little girl near me said sweetly, so as not to hurt my feelings, "They ARE birds."
SandraDodd :
Oh yeah!
SandraDodd :
I knew that.
Felicitas :
LOL
KBaker614 :
LOL, Sandra.
KBaker614 :
Well, got to run...have fun staying on topic
READMOM :
Got to go thanks for the encouragement earlier.
Felicitas :
Being in San Diego, we frequently have school at the zoo!
Kjoncyk :
how do i get to the regional folders?
KBaker614 :
Great zoo in San Diego!
KBaker614 :
Bye!
Felicitas :
Click your heels three times...
Felicitas :
Oops, that will only get you to the midwest folders...
Kjoncyk :
LOL felicitas
SandraDodd :
Kjoncyk, use keyword HEM or HOMESCHOOL. Go to "list topics" or something and scroll down until you see your area.
SandraDodd :
One of them lists Kansas under "South Central" or some such odd designation. Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico all together with a few other states.
DACunefare :
Hi all, have I missed a lot of wonderful moments?
Kjoncyk :
thanx everybody for your help......sorry to interupt!
SandraDodd :
Felicitas, I love Wizard of Oz...
Felicitas :
That doesn't surprise me, Sandra.
SandraDodd :
DACunefare, Welcome to the chat on the Ideal Unschooling Moment.
Margmom :
Last night Shobie and I were talking when everyone else was asleep...
He said, "You are the BEST Mommy in the world," then he paused for a while and said, "Well, maybe you aren't the BEST Mommy, but I love you a REALLY lot!!!"
KERRIAROSE :
what are the age limits for cub scouts?
Twoodnfl :
I think around 11 yo for cub scouts or maybe 12
NDSchultz :
My 7 yr old unschooled son explained to me in detail how to figure out 12 X 12.I never have mentioned multiplication to him.
Felicitas :
LOL, Margmom
Margmom :
Later I was the best again, so it was OK.
SandraDodd :
I have an unschooling moment sent by RaisenNSun.
DACunefare :
Seems the best moments are when a kid bursts out of their room yelling "Hey Mom, guess What?"
Twoodnfl :
SandraDodd :
I agree, DAC. OH! I have a good one.
SandraDodd :
The other day, driving in the rain to a birthday party.
Felicitas :
Also, I've got to go now -- riding lesson at 3
SandraDodd :
Riding what?
SandraDodd :
(just joking)
Felicitas :
Stegosauruses.
SandraDodd :
So... from the back of the van Kirby says, "Mom, how old do you have to be to get plastic surgery?" SandraDodd : I asked if he meant to get it without your parents permission. SandraDodd : He said, well, just how old? SandraDodd : So I told him if it was cosmetic they would want to wait until the person had stopped growing, KERRIAROSE : did someone answer my question about cub scouts while i was reading my mail? SandraDodd : and if it were a facial deformity in a young child... SandraDodd : You can scroll up, KERRIAROSE, and see what you missed. There's a scroll bar on the side (I think) SandraDodd : they might want to fix it right away especially if it kept the kid from breathing or seeing or SandraDodd : speaking right, or if they thought other kids would be mean to that child SandraDodd : WHY? I asked.. SandraDodd : And the other kid said, "When they give you a new nose, is it plastic or something, or does it have SandraDodd : skin?" SandraDodd : So they're asking me tons of plastic surgery questions, and I'm answering, but they're SandraDodd : not telling me why. SandraDodd : Finally I asked where they heard about plastic surgery. SandraDodd : They named some talk show. They said at the end of some talk show they had passed by it had said, KERRIAROSE : thanks twoodnfl, too SandraDodd : "Do you have a child begging for plastic surgery? If so, call our producer..." SandraDodd : Aha! So I figure they just wanted to know what it was so they would know whether they should be SandraDodd : begging for it too! Margmom :LOL SandraDodd : Still, it was something they wouldn't have asked about if they hadn't heard that mention, and Twoodnfl :well I need to go get ready for homemaking meeting tonight, bye SandraDodd : from now on when/if something about reconstructive surgery comes along they'll have something to SandraDodd : tie it to, mentally. SandraDodd : Twoodnfl, thanks for being here. SandraDodd : Mamaskunk, IRoberge, Welcome to the chat on the Ideal Unschooling Moment. DACunefare :Our neighbor knew Melissa was taking rubbings of tree bark, so she let us know her big maple was going to be chopped down and she should get a rubbing soon. SandraDodd : Sometimes it's hard not to tell them everything I know and haul out books and diagrams just because they ask a cool question. DACunefare : While Melissa was taking the rubbing we learned the history of all the trees on the block.
DACunefare : Betty had been there longer than most of the trees.
DACunefare : Later we went and counted the rings on the stump and dated her life by the tree. SandraDodd : DAC, that's neat! I know the history of lots of the trees in our neighborhood. DACunefare : Later Melissa came to me and said, "Mom, that tree was older than Oma (Grandma) even." SandraDodd : Nobody cares, though. Margmom : Shobie just asked "Mommy, do your legs have funny bones?" SandraDodd : I have three "baby" trees (taller than I am, but babies) which replace our two firs which died of DACunefare : It was neat. We found out when each house had gone up, and who all had lived here over the years too. SandraDodd : a wasting fir disease within two years of one another. SandraDodd : Margmom, did you tell him that's what the doctor's pinging with that rubber hammer? Margmom : yes.. SandraDodd : Each tree has a story, and I tell my own kids, at least. SandraDodd : I hate those rubber hammers! DACunefare : And why I keep finding weird stuff when we dig.Margmom :
Well.. I really want to stay and hear the rest, but we have 2 extra kids here and they all are hungry, so I have to go.DACunefare :
A great unplanned lesson on the balance of nature came about when we found two tomato hornworms in the garden with parasitic wasp eggs on them.SandraDodd :
I love/hate tomato worms. They are the neatest and grossest bugs I have ever seen. I never saw any with eggs on, though.DACunefare : It was weird watching them curl up and die slowly.
SandraDodd : I spoke at an intro-to-homeschooling meeting a week ago in Tijeras, a little town in the mountains near here. DACunefare : The wasps were too small to see when they hatched though, but we know they're there protecting the tomatoes. SandraDodd : They asked me to bring some stuff to put on the table in front of me and we'd each just describe what we do and show the stuff we brought.
SandraDodd : Some moms used a curriculum and showed their schedule planners, and some showed posters of studies from other countries, or their favorite books (Saxon, Hirsh, stuff like that). SandraDodd : It was weird. SandraDodd : When it came my turn I broke into comedy. SandraDodd : I didn't expect to, but the tone of the whole thing had been so, so... *schoolish.* SandraDodd : LADerrick, Today's topic is ideal unschooling experiences. SandraDodd : Welcome LADerrick : HI! SandraDodd : I said "I knew these other people would bring books, so I brought other stuff. SandraDodd : I had two expensive things, and I told them they were expensive and told them they were worth it, and told the where they could get them. SandraDodd : One was the world map that's in triangles. Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome style map thing SandraDodd : (Oh so technical today!) SandraDodd : The other was pattern blocks.
LADerrick : today's experience: our annual not back to school swim/picnic with over 200 families SandraDodd : BUSH62 Welcome to the chat on the Ideal Unschooling Moment. BUSH62 : hello SandraDodd : and I showed a BrainQuest card stack and said this was our gambling game and the way I tested to see SandraDodd : what the kids didn't know at all yet, and I showed three board games I'd bought for $1.95 each, used.
DACunefare : Oh shoot, crashes and screams brb LADerrick : what was this, Sandra? SandraDodd : An intro thing for homeschoolers, LAD.Last Tuesday night in a nearby town. SandraDodd : It was fun, but odd, and I was doing an unschooling special, about learning things where you least expect to, and being flexible enough to trust that your kids' questions might lead places you would not have thought to go yourself. I described the pattern blocks not as a math aid, but as a catalyst for leisurely discussions.
LADerrick : and did they respond?
SandraDodd : I todl them of researching Snakes and Ladders in a couple of games books we have, and learning about SandraDodd : Hinduism. SandraDodd : They laughed when I was funny, and looked stunned the rest of the time, so I suppose so.
LADerrick : LOL
SandraDodd : They want me to come back every month, though. They want me to move out there. SandraDodd : I wouldn't mind. SandraDodd : Too bad it costs MONEY. SandraDodd : A good friend of mine whose daughter is five, about to turn six, is putting her in kindergarten this SandraDodd : year so she (mom) can go back to college.
DACunefare : We ended up doing a months long study of life in our small local lake after Melissa wanted to know DACunefare : what happens to the fish in the winter.
SandraDodd : I feel really weird about it. She's an only child and will probably do fine in school, but it's one SandraDodd : of those things which makes me look over my shoulder, for whatever personal reason...
KERRIAROSE : i have asked many people about the fish in winter too when i was young and no one had any answers
SandraDodd : The mom "was a homeschooler" when the kid wasn't legally required to go to school and now the kid's in school.
SandraDodd : BHobbs5387, Welcome ...
DACunefare : They go deep, and their metabolism slows down. They don't eat much and so the algae that doesn't die
SandraDodd : I'm not sure why that bothers me, but it does. It's a personal problem, but I can't find the key...
DACunefare : is enough. We found all sorts of organisms moving around under the Microscope in near freezing water.
LADerrick :
I've run across an awful lot of folks who "homeschool" for kindergarten then put kids in school
SandraDodd : Do they put them in first grade, or on into kindergarten "again"?
DACunefare : So she backed out when it came time to be legal?
KERRIAROSE : i have will have to remember that this winter. right now we are growing tadpoles
LADerrick : most I've known in first grade
DACunefare : Wow. I can't imagine doing that.
LADerrick : it's called schooling, Sandra. It's one thing to play with your little one, another to think about actually being responsible for her education
SandraDodd : I don't think she backed out, I think she just got the big urge to go back to school.
KERRIAROSE : DAC doing what? raising tadpoles or something else?
LADerrick : oh, I see.
SandraDodd : BOOKTJ, Welcome to the chat on the Ideal Unschooling
Moment.
SandraDodd : Welcome back, Mamaskunk.
DACunefare : Keeping a kid out and then sending them for first grade.
SandraDodd : I think perfect unschooling moments sometimes last an hour, and only families who have flexible SandraDodd : habits and schedules can take advantage of them.
LADerrick : what is she doing in college?
KERRIAROSE : oops. i sent my daughter to k and 1st grade but have since come to my senses
DACunefare : I don't know, the early years are such fun when they discover things, I hate to send them off and miss them.
SandraDodd : Construction sites, accidents, water damage to houses
or sidewalks or...
The after-effects of windstorms.
The way snow piles up on wire fences and pine needles
Mamaskunk : Do you guys mind me jumping in? How do you unschool with a child that needs rigid schedule
DACunefare : Floods. Yeah.
SandraDodd : Mamaskunk, what are the symptoms of this need?
SandraDodd : Looking around in nature I don't believe anything needs a rigid schedule.
SandraDodd : When people talk about having something as "a conversation piece" it's the same sort of thing that would create an educational experience.
Mamaskunk : If too much freedom, he drops off into a dream land. Kinda ADD if you believe in it. I don't, but really can't function w'out routine
SandraDodd : Mamaskunk, what you're calling "dream land" might be him thinking about something more important than whatever it was you were trying to get him to concentrate on.
KERRIAROSE : my child does that too, go into la-la land if she is not focused on something she is interested in not a bit
SandraDodd : How long can you, yourselves really focus and concentrate on something in which you have no SandraDodd : interest whatsoever?
LADerrick : So you get up at the same time every day, have meals at the same time, same day every week is
KERRIAROSE : not a bit
SandraDodd : Sometimes one of the kids will come and want to tell me some story in detail, but I don't know
LADerrick : library day, one day for park day, etc.
Mamaskunk : He's not really always to be concetrating. He could be just playing but he floats off.
DACunefare : Yes! I have a tin full of buttons inherited from my mil [mil=mother-in-law]. History in your hand, there are very old horn
SandraDodd : the characters they're talking about and I cannot possibly listen to the story. I find that I'm just floating off.
DACunefare : and wood and shell buttons, 19th century metal ones.
We've talked about tons of history while playing with the buttons.
SandraDodd : These same two kids you're saying can't focus--
can they play video games or computer games?
Can they play with Lego or action figures?
Can they sit and look at a Where's Waldo book for
more than five minutes?
Can they watch a whole movie without having to run
outside and dig in the sand?
Mamaskunk : Not always. He likes them okay, but finds them very frusting and will need to move on.
SandraDodd : I'm that way too. It nearly kills me to sit here for a two hour chat. In fact I never have sat
KERRIAROSE : up until last year, my daughter couldnt do any of those things you listed sandra but she can now
SandraDodd : the whole time. I get up and get food, or let the dog out,
LADerrick : how old, Mama?
SandraDodd : or whatever, because I HAVE to move, and I zone out.
Mamaskunk : Although he will watch a movie. No TV so this does intrigue him
SandraDodd : Do you mean you don't allow TV?
Mamaskunk : Yes, and he is 6
SandraDodd : If a kid is able to concentrate on something of his own choosing but is unable to concentrate on something foisted onto him by someone else, unschooling can be perfect.
SandraDodd : Hello, Helen.
HomeEdMag : Hi!
SandraDodd : I think if you're expecting a six-year-old to have an attention span of more than about ten minutes, you're being unreasonable.
HomeEdMag : Mark's been busy online today - he might bump me; if
so I'll bounce back in here
DACunefare : A lot can be done in ten minutes.
BOOKTJ : That's what I've found with my son.(8) If it's
something he thought of to do or look into,
HomeEdMag : Ten minutes seems long for a six year old...
KERRIAROSE : short micro lessons
SandraDodd : I don't like for people to tell me exactly what to
do and how, but if I get to choose it I can
SandraDodd : stick with a project for days.
SandraDodd : He might just be that way.
BOOKTJ : he can spend hours. If it's my idea it usually
doesn't hold his attention too long. So we
BOOKTJ : unschool totally.
SandraDodd : And the daydreaming could be the best part of his
day. Don't take it personally just because you're
Mamaskunk : I agree. I think it just gets to me the spacing out.
He's a good kid and loves to read
SandraDodd : not in there and it wasn't "assigned."
SandraDodd : HEY! Assign daydreaming and he'll be a big successs!
Mamaskunk : science books. will wit forever.
SandraDodd : BOOKTJ, Welcome to the chat on the Ideal Unschooling
Moment.
DACunefare : Yeah. Precise instructions without room for
creativity just leave me cold.
LADerrick : But Mama, the spacing out is thinking. Maybe he's a
big thinker
DACunefare : Mama, someday he may tell you what's goiing on when
he spaces out. You just may be amazed. I was.
SandraDodd : Mamaskunk, I think you should provide him with a huge
array of art supplies, toys like Lego with which
Mamaskunk : Ouch that hurst. I guess I still want to control
everything in his life. And his getting
Mamaskunk : beyond this. Independent thinker.
SandraDodd : he can build and goof, and things he can play with
which will LOOK (to you) like he's being productive
SandraDodd : but which can actually be a screen for his preferred
zone-out state!
KERRIAROSE : give my daughter art supplies and she will be
absorbed all day
SandraDodd : My kids ask their best questions after they've been
playing with pattern blocks or Lego or drawing.
SandraDodd : They draw and color almost every day, and they'll sit
(especially Marty the philosopher) and after
DACunefare : I recommend Legos and a huge supply of paper as
daydreamer essentials. :-)
SandraDodd : half an hour ask a question which has nothing to do
with anything we've discussed or done for days or
SandraDodd : weeks.
Mamaskunk : He hates those things. Legos, puzzles .... But loves
maps, globes, Models....
SandraDodd : He's rearranging his mind during those times.
SandraDodd : Does he hate Lego and puzzles, or does he hate being
asked to do them on someone else's terms?
DACunefare : Well then, stock up. Maps, cool! How about
puzzle maps?
SandraDodd : New Lego kids with instructions are cool, but a sack
of used Lego from a thrift store or garage
BOOKTJ : My son does that too. He comes out of the blue with
amazing thoughts on something we discus
DACunefare : Sorry missed the hates puzzles part...
SandraDodd : sale can be just as cool and they can't "do it wrong"
Mamaskunk : I'm not sure, but at sometime don't you think he
needs to go beyond his confort zone.
Mamaskunk : We do.
BOOKTJ : discussed days or weeks ago. He's been tossing it
8/13/96 3:36:25 PM Opening “ideal homeschooling moment#3” for recording.
about in his mind I guess and when
SandraDodd : We do what?
SandraDodd : Go beyond our comfort zones?
BOOKTJ : it's done he comes out with it.
SandraDodd : Who in your history are you quoting?
LADerrick : Well, his comfort zone is bound to expand as he
matures.
SandraDodd : People who feel loved and accepted will learn things.
Mamaskunk : Yes, we have to respond to sitiuations we are not
comfortable with. If I left it to him he would never talk. That's just the way he is
SandraDodd : They can learn from sticks and dirt and trees and the
wind blowing, or they can learn from fancy
Mamaskunk :
SandraDodd : Dorling Kindersley CD's but they will not cease to
learn unless they're scared or discouraged or sick
SandyZ9072 : Made it back!
SandraDodd : or...
LADerrick : but you said he would write?
DACunefare : Mama, I am personally willing to bet that if you
tested that, actually didn't ask him to say anything longer than you could stand it, he'd start coming
around with things he just has to say.
SandraDodd : Why do you need him to talk, Mamaskunk? Are you
pressuring him to go against his personality?
KLMmom : What are we talking about?
SandraDodd : To talk when he'd prefer not to, to fake activity and
interest when he'd rather daydream?
DACunefare :
SandraDodd : LKMmom, Welcome to the chat on the Ideal Unschooling
Moment.
KLMmom : Huh?
SandraDodd : I agree with DACunefare.
SandraDodd : KLMmom, SandraDodd : LKMmom, Welcome to the chat on
the Ideal Unschooling Moment.
DACunefare : I have seen it in my own house. My oldest is hugely
reserved. I used to push him with questions at
SandraDodd : Sorry... fumble fingered temporarily
Mamaskunk : No, just to be courteous and have enough respect for
other to respond to them
KLMmom : What's that?
DACunefare : dinner, even just "Do anything interesting today?"
SandraDodd : welcome to Home Education Magazine's Tuesday
unschooling chat.
SandraDodd : Today's topic is ideal unschooling experiences.
DACunefare : I quit. He started talking.
KLMmom : Thanks
HomeEdMag : Is it a lack of respect or shyness, Mama?
LADerrick : Mama, do you mean "hello" or do you mean answer
questions?
DACunefare : Mama, do you mean like saying hi to people who say
Hello to him? Or answering questions from strangers
SandraDodd : Mamaskunk, are you familiar with a book called
_Frames of Mind_ by Howard Gardner? I think you
Mamaskunk : Well, that is what I am trying to determine. Either
way shy or not There are times you must
SandraDodd : would feel better if you read some in there. You
don't have to read the whole book to get his drift.
Mamaskunk : speak. like saying hello
SandraDodd : It might be that your son is just young and you're
expecting more than you should of a six-year-old.
KERRIAROSE : i have lots of things to say but dont know how to
express it verbally , maybe he is the same
KERRIAROSE : way
SandraDodd : It might be that his talents to not lie in verbal
exchanges.
DACunefare : Maybe he's destined to be an engineer, and greet
people by mumbling at his shoes.
HomeEdMag : LOL, DAC
SandraDodd : If I had a tone deaf kid and beat myself up (and her)
because she wouldn't sing, I'd be making things
SandraDodd : worse.
LADerrick : Mama, will he write?
SandraDodd : I had an adult friend who was an artsy, feminine kind
of guy. For years his dad made him play with a
Mamaskunk : No I haven't but I will. Thanks. I hope I don't
sound cruel. But I am so different than he is. He does write some. but it is a real chore
so we've layed it down for now.
SandraDodd : basketball in front of their house for 45 minutes a
day. What torture!!!
SandraDodd : I didn't turn him into a manly ball player either, it
only made him resent his dad.
SandraDodd : Homes4kids, Today's topic is ideal unschooling
experiences.
DACunefare : No you don't sound cruel. You sound like you're
trying hard to understand your kid. :-)
SandraDodd : Anything that's a chore should be laid down, in my
opinion. With enough ideas and things in his head
he'll want to write, when he's older and it's easier
to operate a pencil, or he can type.
Mamaskunk : Thanks Da I'll stop crying now
SandraDodd : With all this daydreaming he's got to be building up
a big store of ideas, and if not verbal ideas,
maybe engineering/math/project stuff.
BOOKTJ : When I find it especially hard to understand my kid's
behavior I have taken some time out and just sort of let him be himself and watched. It usually helps me come up with the right way to deal with him. Kids change so often as they grow and learn you can't treat them the same way.
SandraDodd : Maybe he's mapping the world in his head. You said
he likes maps. My husband has always really LOVED maps.
Mamaskunk : Definitely. He is really a science buff
SandraDodd : My best suggestion is to get some good kid-science
stuff and read it to him while he's drawing or
playing with something, and don't make him draw what
you want him to or play with what you want him to,
but let it be flexible.
SandraDodd : If he loses interest, just put a bookmark in and try
again later.
SandraDodd : That was MY hardest thing to learn, was to drop
something when the kids lost interest.
DACunefare : Magnifying glasses and magnets and old appliances to
rip apart.
SandraDodd : He might decide in a year or two that he LOVES lego,
so don't label him as "hates-Lego-kid" without checking back.
Mamaskunk : Sandra What do you think about his time management.
He gets upset if there is a routine change
DACunefare : Mine too. I used to plow grimly ahead. They'd leave.
I'd figure it was me. When I quit worrying they'd come back.
SandraDodd : Whenever my kids say "I don't like corn" I say
correct it subtly, by "You might someday," or if I'm
the one turning down their unfavorite foods for them,
I'll say, "Kirby doesn't like spinach yet."
SandraDodd : It gives them the idea that they will change.
ChrisDerr : Hello
SandraDodd : I say "Marty can't read yet," never "MARTY CANNOT
READ"
SandraDodd : ChrisDerr, KWPNHorses, Today's topic is ideal
unschooling experiences.
LADerrick : Mama, when things are going to change, can you
usually tell him ahead of time and give him some part of it he can control?
SandraDodd : One of the saddest things I've seen since I came on
AOL was a family asking for help with getting
their children to do their work, because the dad had
promised the family a trip to California, but only if they all finished the year's curriculum.
DACunefare : Mama, then I'd try to keep meals and stuff on a
regular schedule. And regular days to go places.
SandyZ9072 : Mama, my oldest also did not like change at 6. Now at
14, 99 per cent of the time, he CAN!
DACunefare : Ick. Guess he didn't know that school teachers rarely
finish the books in a year.
SandraDodd : Mamaskunk, can you put him in charge of that
scheduling?
KERRIAROSE : i will sign off for now. thanks for an interesting
first time.
LADerrick : bye Kerri!
SandraDodd : KERRIAROSE, have fun in the forum too! Good folders
there, at HEM.
SandraDodd : JannS55255, Today's topic is ideal unschooling
experiences.
KERRIAROSE : thanks
SandraDodd : Welcome.
DACunefare : Patrick: "Mom, do buffaloes eat buffalo chips?"
SandraDodd : I need to start getting up earlier in the morning.
HomeEdMag : I have an ideal unschooling experience coming up in a
couple of weeks - driving to Alaska with 3 kids!
SandraDodd : Oh, yum.
JannS55255 : Unschooling?
SandraDodd : (I meant the buffalo chips "yum" not Alaska, but
whatever. )
DACunefare : "Or are they made of buffaloes?"
SandraDodd : Unschooling is unstructured homeschooling, Jann.
SandyZ9072 : Helen! That is quite a move!
Mamaskunk : Sorry, everyone I got disconnected. Thank you all for
your counsel. I will pray about it.
HomeEdMag : Yeah, Sandy - it sure is!
SandraDodd : Well, DAC... consider this: vegetable oil, peanut
oil, olive oil, baby oil.
DACunefare : I hope it's some help Mama.
Euclid26 : What is this room about?
LADerrick : I know you're looking forward to it, Helen, but that
many hours in the car with my two would be
enough to drive me insane
SandraDodd : Euclid26, Today's topic is ideal unschooling
experiences.
DACunefare : Homeschooling right now Euclid
SandraDodd : "Today" for our purposes ends in ten minutes.
SandyZ9072 : Sandra, I got up early today, it's not that great!!
JannS55255 : I'm afraid my kids would do each other in together
all day!
HomeEdMag : Oh, LAD we love going places in the car! Great
chance to talk about stuff!
Mamaskunk : It was, I will try not to be bull headed about it all
Euclid26 : Why is this room in the Adoption folder?
SandraDodd : They'd get used to it, Jann. You'd be surprised.
HomeEdMag : Mine are over that stage (mostly) - they're 10, 14,
and 16
DACunefare : Ah Laura, I was worried about driving around the
country with my 11 and the 4yos but it went great.
SandraDodd : The adoption forum has chats in here too, sometimes.
Euclid26 : IC
SandraDodd : There's a chat schedule "at the door" (the screen you
used to get in here)
DACunefare : Euclid, this room is shared by all the parenting
forums, at different times.
LADerrick : *I* love going places in the car. The kids love it
for about an hour
Mamaskunk : Well need to go. Papa Skunk would like to sign on.
God Bless
HomeEdMag : Bye Mama!
Euclid26 : My kids are 3 and 21 mos, so I still have time to
think about it
DACunefare : LOL... Oh, I picked up a great tape of Mormon pioneer
songs in Salt Lake City. The kids had it
SandraDodd : My kids are 10, 7 and 4 and I still think about it
all the time.
DACunefare : memorized within 200 miles.
SandraDodd : Does it have the pushcart song?
LADerrick : LOL Sandra. Mine get better all the time and for some
odd reason can spend all day on an airplane
Euclid26 : LOL, Sandra
SandraDodd : "OH some will push and some will pull..."
SandraDodd : Mettaphor, Today's topic is ideal unschooling
experiences.
LADerrick : but the car ...
Euclid26 : unschooling??
SandyZ9072 : LAD, the rest stop is ON the plane!!(G)
JannS55255 : Mine are 11, 8, 6 and 21 mos. the last three recently
adopted, we're still adjusting!
DACunefare : Yes, and one about "Oh, they think we live on carrots
down in Utah" which I am trying to figure out
why carrots.
HomeEdMag : Cars are mundane, planes are exciting!
SandraDodd : I can't afford to stay all day on an airplane! Wish
I could! Our budget has about a one-hour limit
Euclid26 : Wow, Jann, I'm really inspired
LADerrick : true, Sandy. It's an aversion to being strapped down
mostly
Euclid26 : I have thought of adopting
Mettaphor : Hi all
HomeEdMag : hi Metta!
Mettaphor : Euclid, we don't mark down for typos here :)
JannS55255 : It's been great, our 11 yr old has had to do alot of
growing up but she needed it!
Euclid26 : How hard was it adjusting to adopting an older child
DACunefare : Big adjustment from her, going from beong an only to
a big sis of 3.
LADerrick : Well, I have to go. Dh is feeling neglected.
Euclid26 : Are your 3 adoptive chidren from the same parents?
SandyZ9072 : Bye Laura!
JannS55255 : Yes, all girls 1/2 sisters! Oh and there is more! we
are now a transracial family!
SandraDodd : I was gone; sorry. Marty got hurt in the yard.
DACunefare : Our best moment on the trip was on the beach, talking
about what sand is.
SandraDodd : I didn't even recognize the voice, it's so rare that
he cries or screams.
SandraDodd : He's okay.
Mettaphor : Sandra, hope he's ok
DACunefare : Glad to hear it.
Euclid26 : THat is so cool, Jann
SandraDodd : This chat will edit down really small.
JannS55255 : Older children are a challenge but definitely worth
it. They have been through so much !
SandraDodd : MCBURN, you missed it!!!
MCBURN : Hi folks! I know I'm late!
DACunefare : Followed closely by the buffalo chips of course. We
went to one place they were passing them around to
show everyone what the pioneers used for fuel.
Mettaphor : DAC, did you take the kids by yourself?
MCBURN : I'd like a copy of the chat Dodd, if I can get one.
Can I?
SandraDodd : They make pretty good frisbees if you don't really plan to catch them. DACunefare : I had my sister with me on the way out. Coming back was just me. SandraDodd : MCBURN i fear it will be pitiful, but yes. DACunefare : Actually, we were told the kids would toss them over the wagons. They were careful to get REALLY dry ones Euclid26 : No one ever told me what unschooling is SandraDodd : I'll send you a file with a definition, Euclid. Euclid26 : thx JannS55255 : Euclid, I have to go but I'll try to e-mail you more on adopting if you want Euclid26 : I'd like that Jann DACunefare : Melissa was really grossed out. I had to watch Pat because he tastes everything. Mettaphor : Blech. MCBURN : LOL DAC JannS55255 : At least our experience, I don't want to change todays topic. bye!! SandraDodd : My kids would've been singing "Buffalo chips won't you come out tonight..." in a flash SandyZ9072 : Everything? Did he get a taste of the Chips!!? DACunefare : LOL! MCBURN : LOL SandraDodd : I need to quit and tour the premises. We have a visitor, and I want to make sure everyone's happy and not hungry. DACunefare : I don't think so, Melissa told him what it was just before she handed it to him. The guide kept saying chip so he thought it might be good. When he heard poop he decided maybe not though. SandraDodd : You're all welcome to hang out here as long as you want, or until another chat starts up. SandraDodd : Thanks for being here. SandyZ9072 : Bye Sandra. SandyZ9072 : DAC LOL!! MCBURN : Bye Dodd! SandraDodd : If anyone comes up with a really great unschooling moment, could someone cut and mail it to me? SandraDodd : Thanks. Mettaphor : Bye Sandra DACunefare : Bye Sandra.
