It's been awhile since we've seen the thread with this title, and I though perhaps starting fresh might encourage people to share again. With school starting in the States right now, I find it a bit anticlimactic living the unschooling life, and my school-upbringing just needs something like this to respond to all those "first day of school" pictures.
So, good or bad, fun or frustrating (let's hear it all!) please join me and share what your USers did......
This ended up being a long post......
Well, *today* just started, so I'll tell you about *yesterday*.
The day started with some videos, as usual. It was dd1's day to pick, and dd2 (nearly 6yo) kindasorta watched but really leafed through her stacks of animal books (and one book about New Jersey-- she picked that one out 
). The first inkling of this up/down day began after videos. DD1 (7.5yo) was low energy and grumpy, dd2 full of ideas.
We walked down to our friends' house. They weren't there, but we picked tomatillos in their greenhouse (phew!) and had a grumpy walk back.
DD1 was simply in a stubbornly grouchy mood today. So, we spent time on the couch reading about horse breeds together and planning her Farm. Every activity she began just fizzled. Later, I finished reading the last chapters (5 of them) from "The Familiars", a mediocre but enjoyable book. Then she grumped that I didn't immediately start over again. Phew.
DD2 was just in her element all day yesterday. (Thankfully I just had one grump yesterday!) You just can't believe her when she comes up and whines "there's nothing to do" because she just got finished sorting her plastic Scleich-style animal collection into species and habitat on the lids of plastic bins (the ones she dumped the toys out from). Really, she was just taking a breath before diving in to her next project. Which she did.
In addition to her games and projects, she husked the *entire* bag of tomatillos ("fairy eggs", apparently) then rolled out the tortilla dough all by herself (in her undies!). When we were done, I sent her outside with a cloth to dust all the flour off her skin (she is still 5, so of course the flour was head-to-toe) which she did by spreading dirt all over body 
.
I've been trying to ignore chores for big enough stretches to give them uninterrupted chunks of time with me doing *their* thing. Chores are endless, apparently.....)
DD1 did get some inspiration to get out their tools from Christmas, and we set up the vise on the porch and they both sawed some branches to bits. (She was practicing to build a duck pen for next year. For her Farm.) DD2 took her hammer off to smash some dirt clods. (New house--way too much dirt! You might ask if there is such a thing, and now I would answer definitively YES!)
DD1 came back in to read some more (deflated and tired again-- wondering at this point if she's just not feeling well) and dd2 said "there's nothing to do".
Don't believe her. Not for a minute!
My 11 yo had a usual sort of day, yesterday. Lots of online gaming. A few math problems cropped up, figuring out how long until he'd have enough energy (which accrues over time) to go on a mission. He also worked on minecraft. He played online with his out of state cousins (using voice chat since they can't read and he doesn't type well, either). He is becoming more willing to do his own typing and I overhear him spelling things out to his cousins. The online gaming has been helpful for him being motivated to write and he is progressing with that, like he did with learning to read. He seemed on the cusp of mastering reading for years and then he just seemed to stop asking me what things said overnight. So I know spelling and writing are percolating in his brain. He tends to not want to show effort or demonstrate knowledge until he is confident in it, a perfectionism issue, I think.
I spent a bunch of time on the computer trying to set up some real life action and we've arranged to meet a bunch of area homeschoolers next week. Real life friendships are our biggest challenge. Last school year was pretty dry so I'm hoping this year is better and that we can find people to get together with regularly.
We also watched the Hunger Games DVD as a family. We discussed how it was different than the book and some of the techniques the movie makers used to give the viewers the information they would need to understand parts of the books. We noticed how they changed some things so they could write out characters and simplify the story for the movie. We noticed how the movie really lacked the sense of time passing that the book had. The movie seemed to just span a week's time rather than months.
I read to ds every night before bed. So we finished off the day with a couple of chapters from our current book.
First thing this morning my daughter recorded her observations from the interpretative hike we took at a nature park. The topic was medicinal and edible plants and was very interesting for the entire family. Then we played several rounds of the Wildcraft! board game together and browsed through some medicinal herbs books looking for an easy to make sore throat pop recipe to make in the days to come for when such a soothing treat is needed during cold & flu season.
After the herbal learning we tore off a chain on the vacation countdown chain, watched a documentary on Netflix about the secrets of Disney World and worked on my daughter's packing list for our trip this month. She put together a list of family, friends, and pen pals to send postcards to during our trip and then checked the weather report for Orlando. Together we read a website about the hidden Mickeys found around the parks and made up the marinade for huli huli chicken to be served as part of dinner for our Lilo & Stitch movie night tomorrow.
The rest of the morning was spent baking cake pops and making handmade decorations and a card for my husband's birthday dinner tonight. My daughter also spent some time on Dreambox and made a movie with the webcam.
Right now my daughter is reading from an American Girl Kaya book for her AG book club while I'm taking a peek on MDC while planning a tentative trip on the Cherokee Heritage Trail during the month of November. We took a trip to Henricus Historical Park last month and my daughter has become very interested in Native Americans and herbal medicines. The fact that Kaya is the AG her book club is focused on this month was a lovely coincidence as are the many upcoming learning opportunities on the topic in our local area.
Shortly we'll be getting ready for our first hula and Hawaiian culture class that my daughter & I are taking together and then will come home for cake pops.
Today was one of those days that would make other homeschoolers give us the stink-eye. It was pretty much a computer-fest. DS is working on a big project on Minecraft; he's making a map based on some horror game called Slender, which I think is pretty much atrocious. (He's never played it himself, btw, he's just heard about it from other kids and seen a trailer for it.) He did take a kind of extended break to talk to me about it. I didn't really understand how he could enjoy that kind of thing. I hate horror as a genre, and especially this game, the premise being that if you look at this ghost, or whatever it is, directly, it will immediately attack/kill you. I talked about how I found this to be a potentially subtly damaging message, to not face your fears as they would automatically destroy you. Ick. He got my point. But he countered that activating the startle reflex often provokes laughter when you realize that it was not real, or there was nothing to be afraid of. His argument was that it can be fun and can actually teach you to laugh at your fears and not take yourself so seriously. I got nothin'. I still don't agree, but it was a valid perspective and a solid rebuttal. The boy has some serious debate skills.
Ummmm.... DS watched season 3 of "ALF" from the library 
which in turn sent him on a search for old "Charlie Chaplin" movies. He is of course reading and working with LEGO'S. We are slowly staring back to school around here. Next week his online class starts with CTY and he will be taking Web Programming and Web Design.
We are slowly moving away from unschooling to something more formal but we never seem to quite get there.
Dd9 got up at 9, had some breakfast, and headed to the community market with her violin. She found a couple of homeschooled friends, and the three of them took the chance to present the thank-you gift we had prepared to their art teacher, who did an incredible series of workshops with them last year. She busked with her violin for 25 minutes, socialized at the market, did another 25 minute set, and then went shopping with her $42 of proceeds. And socialized with all the market stall-keepers. Spent about $8, went to the bank to deposit the rest. Went to the equipment giveaway at the public school and picked up a tiny desk for dd13.
Then we went grocery shopping, and after that to the bike repair guy's shop to pick up her mountain bike which had needed a new derailleur arm. It wasn't quite done, so we watched him work for half an hour. Chatted away. Dd played with his dog for a while.
Then we went home and put the groceries away. Ate lunch. Looked at some photos that we were asked to load onto a digital photo frame for an elderly neighbour. Loaded the photos.
Dropped off the photo frame with the neighbour, and then headed to the airport to pick up my sister. On the 90-minute drive there we listened to a RadioLab podcast about lucid dreaming, then switched over to music. Listened to Holst's "The Planets." Got through Mars and Venus.
Picked my sister up. Talked about all sorts of things on the way home. We only see her a couple of times a year, so dd really enjoyed updating her about her life.
Got home about supper time. Practiced violin and viola. She and I have a viola duet we're going to perform tomorrow for her aunt and grandmother.
Just now we're going out for a celebratory dinner with aunt & grandmother at a Mexican place.
Miranda
I'll play! :)
DS1 is 8, DS2 is 20-months-old. So yesterday...
The three of us slept in a bit until almost 8. I try to get up by 7:30 to have some time doing my own thing before dh leaves for work at 8. So it kindof felt like we were starting behind, you know? Quick breakfasts, showers, nursing toddler, etc and then off to the library to pick out books and meet friends. We had lunch with them and then headed to our local science centre where there was a homeschooling session happening. DS1 did that; DS2 slept; I chatted with friends. After the session the kids just played a bit more before we grabbed the bus back home. We then had about an hour to relax and eat something before it was time to go out to DS1's first piano lesson (it was not a success). Back home, second dinner (hah!), ds1 played the wii and we all just generally hung out for a bit. Then DS1 and I finished reading the third Harry Potter book while dh gave ds2 a bath and got him to bed. Then bed for ds1, computer time for me, then bed for me too!
Today? Not a good day. I've been in a terrible mood and it's affecting everyone. It's a beautiful day outside but instead we are inside with me hiding on the computer and ds1 playing the wii (and getting pissed off with it; a sure sign he's had enough). Maybe when ds2 wakes up we will get out butts to a playground!
Today? Not a good day. I've been in a terrible mood and it's affecting everyone. It's a beautiful day outside but instead we are inside with me hiding on the computer and ds1 playing the wii (and getting pissed off with it; a sure sign he's had enough). Maybe when ds2 wakes up we will get out butts to a playground!
Do you have down days after awesome ones, too?
Tuesday we hit the park (gorgeous weather!) connecting with some "local" unschoolers for the first time. I had already met a couple of the moms at other places like open gym. The girls found other girls (girls!) their age to play with. From there we went to gymnastics lessons. Beautiful, wonderful, fantastic, glorious day.
Next day was a bear--total crank-fest. But it was gorgeous. So hard to get them outside to enjoy it, knowing that the rainy season will begin soon and we will be cocooned more or less for the next 5 months. I guess that's just my thing. I know that weather will come soon, and the girls are just living for the day--and today they wanted to be indoors (sigh!)
Do you have down days after awesome ones, too?
We do here too. Yesterday my daughter went to a trial session with a kid's rock climbing team, relished the experience, and wanted to join the team immediately. Hyped up, filled with great joy, and a far later than usual time to hit the bed and this morning did not go as planned--late wake-up, no desire to do "boring things", lots of talk about not being able to wait until next week for climbing team class again. A homeschool park day does not begin to compare to the thrill of climbing or tomorrow's second hula class after all. ;) We'll try to make it to park day again next week. Maybe.
We lie low after a busy day, too. I try to schedule things with a day in between for that reason and also so we don't get as bored/stir crazy from being home too many days in a row. It's looking like there will be enough interest in our area for a weekly parkday so we'll get out once a week for that. Hopefully ds will make some friends with the new kids and we'll have more options for people to do things with.
Today's plan is a dentist check-up and hopefully some yard work (Ds will probably not partake of that. Most likely he will plug back into the computer. He'll help if both dh and I are doing yardwork at the same time). We're trying to do family walks when the weather is nice so that's a plan, today, too.
We do that as well. I tend to lean toward reading or creative work myself during our down days, and the kids will often follow my lead if I tell them what I have planned for the day. DS was at the zoo yesterday and the park the day before. Today he is working on coming up with an rpg system with a time travel theme. He comes out of his room from time to time to bounce ideas off me or ask for spelling help as I'm writing a story for a game I'm running tonight. The little girls are building with Lincoln logs and watching the squirrels play outside.
We had a jam-packed day. DS (4.5) and I went to the farmer's market to buy fruits and veggies. The farms from which we bought are in an area that we visited just a month ago. Then DS played with dogs in the dog park. Then we rushed home, and he watched how cement was being poured for the foundation of the new house on our street while I was making sandwiches. We rushed to the beach. While in the car, we discussed where the earth ends. I said that it does not end because it's round. He said that it does end where the atmosphere ends. We met with the shoreline clean-up crew to clean up the beach. He kept asking why we were doing this and I explained that it is nice to live in a clean environment and to keep it clean. We found all sorts of stuff and within 20 minutes had gathered nearly 7 kilo's of garbage! While cleaning we found out what is not biodegradable. We played around on the beach and he asked where the water comes from that flows into the ocean in little rivulets. After the beach, we ventured to the dance center for their open house. We watched a flamenco and a jazz class being held, and he asked why the dancers looked so beautiful. At home, he showed his beloved neighbour how you can let the drum of a small speaker move by placing the wires on a battery. We talked some more about the day while having dinner and then we watched some youtube video's about how chocolate is made and produced.
Tulameen, thanks for sharing and a big welcome to our little corner of MDC
DD, 9, went to a babysitter who is also a homeschooler. She got to feed chickens (which she enjoyed), garden a bit and lay in the gorgeous autumn sun on a hamock. I picked her up around lunch, and still had a bit of work to do at the library, so I brought her there. She coloured, and picked out 2 books. At home we canned tomatoes. She also watched 13 going on 30 from netflix. We do love netflix.
Hmm... We've had a pretty low key day. My eight year old downloaded a Minecraft mod and mucked on the computer about trying to get it working properly, read a graphic novel, worked on a new story, got groceries with me, and had an appointment to get his eyes checked (still no glasses, unlike me- yay!). Now we're back home and he's building stuff with Lego Digital Designer-- and in a few minutes we're going to pick up a couple of friends for a First Lego League meeting. It's sunny and I'm wishing we were outside... maybe I can persuade the boys to have their meeting in the backyard ;)
Last night my 7.5yo said she wanted to have chores. She wanted to tidy the art table, sort laundry, vacuum and mop. She said "I talked with this boy at the fair who said he had chores *every morning*!!!!
Was that boy's named "Tom", perchance?
Lots of art going on here. DS is using graph paper to make 3-D art drawings 
Oh I want to 'play'
DD is 5 and DS is a wee 2 year old : )
We woke up this morning and were lazy and puttered around eating Panda Puffs and chatting. DD decided she wanted to color a wooden dog bone tag for one of our dogs crates *the largest and yet youngest of our 3 dogs) and so she did, nice and bright pink for our big boy : ) DS painted along with her until he was bored, and went off to play trains. Rest of morning was spent using the light-bright and working on Lego Monster house DH got with the kids over the weekend. We went outside for awhile and found rocks for our nature table and than DH took us all to lunch!
Came home and lots of outside play. DD took a few of my old Green Parent/The Mother magazines and we made a seasons chart -- she snipped and glued pictures that reminded of her fall/winter etc and that was good fun. She helped me make omlettes, we read a bit of The Night Fairy, and LOADS of free play per usual.
Quiet day : )
My son (who is 6) is full of ideas and I have been letting that guide me. Over the past week, he has built a caveman "tool" from a rock and stick. He has an experiment in progress to grow mold. He wants to build a bird feeder and maybe a bird house, so he has been writing down instructions using "hieroglyphics" which are really pictures of what he wants to do. He has been making things with polymer clay and baking it. Drawing lots and writing a "book" about bees. Holycow. Such a busy week and all these are totally self directed! It is really fun to see unschooling work even though I am not an unschooling mama (I am actively teaching him to reading/writing/basic math).
My daughter (4) who is reciveing no formal instruction from me has been making crowns, one after another, all sorts of sizes, colors. She goes through obsessive stages and right now it is crowns. She also paints quiet a bit. Yesterday, she asked if she could write a "cook book" and I said sure. She made a book and then she asked me how to spell certain words and she wrote them. She has picked up her letters. So fun!
Follow Mothering