Other Typical Unschooling Moments

Mary J

I've been happily immersed in the Harry Potter books my seventy-something-year-old mother loaned me. They were recommended to her by my sister, who has an eight year old son. We all love them. Anyway, I came up for air after number three, and checked my email to discover several hundred messages from this group. ( See below.) I'd like to add my two cents to some recent discussions.

TV: My son is six and he watches what he wants. Even though the tv was on when he woke up yesterday, he walked right past it to ask me to take him to the park. We got dressed and spent most of the day, until the rain came, outside.

POOP: This fascinates my son. He knows which yards in the neighborhood are most likely to have dog poop, and always stops our walks to check it out. He recognizes rabbit poop, too, and it's easy to spot in the snow. Day before yesterday he found some in the field on last autumn's leaves. He's got a good eye. I googled "animal poop" and "animal scat" and got these two sites. Although I don't expect to step in any exotic poop anytime soon, you never know.

BBC - Cambridgeshire E-break - Spot the Poop Quiz - Test your animal poo knowledge
[SADLY GONE NOW]

Tracking and Trailing - Animal Scat

OUR DAILY SCHEDULE: We don't have one. The weather just changed for the better, three days ago, so we've been out a lot. Walks around the block, to the field, to the playground. Looking for bugs (he found something that looked like a small copper colored worm, but had lots of legs), chasing robins, observing which flowers are coming up. Walking to the tracks to see if any cars are parked on the siding. When we get lucky, a train goes by. I was saddened to see how much trash has been dumped since last year, and commented on it. Noticed the doves are back. They made a nest last year on the shelfing unit on our porch that my husband keeps his trusty rusty stuff on. Mother dove stares right through you, and acts like she's invisible. I can reach right out and grab her, but she totally ignores us.

Indoors, my son discovered that his computer games have demos on them, and enjoys playing around with them. He watches tv sometimes, but mostly has a few videos he watches over and over. Mostly Thomas, Blues Clues and Sesame Street. (We also like Steve better.) My grandson brought over a Zoobilee Zoo tape, and my son has watched that MANY times since it's been here. He plays with his Thomas trains every day. I bought Sweet Streets dollhouses so I could play with him when he plays trains, now he plays with the little people and houses too.


Visits from and to relatives.
Paint.
Lots of games, but he doesn't follow the rules. He just plays with the pieces how he wants.
Notebooks and markers.

We read "a really great book", usually several, before bed each night. We listen to classical music to help us doze off. I recently found a book on tape of one of his favorites, Franklin. I thought he was going to pop when he heard it was read by Franklin himself. So we listen to that before the music, after the books.

I probably forgot half of what I wanted to comment on.

Night before last, we were going for one last walk, and looked up at the stars. I was about to say that I'd like to go to the observatory, when he sighed and said, "I can't fly." I said I couldn't either. He said, "Sorry, pal."

Mary J
March 27, 2003




Other typical unschooling days