May Unschoolers Support - Page 2

[carolm22117]

Volunteer work!!
Thats a GREAT idea! Thanks!!!

[mama in the forest]

I cannot believe it's May! Wow. I'm almost 31!

Awww, you young thing. You're just a babe still. I'll turn 42 in June! My daughter will be 19 this May.

I'm so glad to see so many unschooling mamas!!! Welcome to everyone!

Today was very warm & windy here too. We planted some seeds inside today for transplantation later. Mostly herbs as we'll plant the vegetable seeds directly outside. Some that we planted inside last week are beginning to come up. Their tiny little stems are so cute! The kids are so excited to see them coming up. It's like magic.

My 7 year old daughter told me that she's made friends with a particular bee. We have apple trees in the front yard so right now there are hundreds of thousands of bees drinking their fill of the apple blossoms.......anyway my daughter told me this long story of how she has come to know one of the bees and it follows her around. Apparently it likes her very much. All I could think about was how fortunate she is and how beautiful it was that she could occupy her thoughts with something like this. She is truly free. :

[Mom_of_a_ton]

I'm mom to 7 unschooled kids 11y, 10y, 8y, 7y, 6y, 4y, 2y,and am pregnant with #8! We live way up north in BC, Canada in a very, very small town with a lot of like minded people (yay!).
We've just got back from May Day celebration which was lots of fun, dancing, talking with friends, eating lots of food! I'll be posting more!

Unschool mom of 7 great kids!: : :

Visit my blog:http://wondersoflearning.blogspot.com/

[dillonandmarasmom]

subbing...we're on day 2 of our double birthday bash hangover...
sleeping late (8:30 yesterday!), eating leftovers, hanging around...
ds and dh just went to buy concrete for our new front fence after a loooong lesson in using the level: . ds does not waver when learning something tool-related!
dd's asleep on my lap after falling asleep in the bike trailer. she's had a fever on and off...yuck. poor kid.
got my new mothering today and was totally absorbed in the beautiful story about mom/son tree-climbing ...this could be me in 15 years!
happy living and learning in may, everyone!

[Mamma Mia]

Joining in this month

I find that unschooling is near impossible for me right now with my depression at an all time low. I wonder if scheduling time would be best to help me be motivated to do things like leave the house and wake up at a normal time.

Today's "lessons" take the form of making words with alphabet cookies. And Willy Wonka. I kind of suck lately. I wish I were able to be as cool as my ideas.

[2 in August]

Hi! I'm new too (wasn't in last month's thread).

I'm Jen, I unschool Alison who's 5. We've also got Ian who will be 9mo on Friday. We started hsing last year for preschool with unit studies. We had fun, but then I got pg and we started getting more and more unstructured. Now we've been unschooling for over a year.

Until this week we were really busy with story time, a play group, etc. But both of those are done so we are adjusting to being home more. Today was rainy most of the day so we stayed home and did nothing.

I have a couple projects in mind. I'd like to start some seeds. Our yard is mostly shady so we just do pots on the deck. Dd has already planted an apple seed she saved from her apple. I'm not sure if it will grow, but she'll find out. We also have a sweet potato end growing on our counter and an avocado seed hanging out in water. It hasn't started to sprout yet.

I also want to try a pond water experiment I read about. http://www.kidsgardening.com/Dig/dig...pe=Art&ID=1032 It sounds like fun and we have lots of different places we could get samples from.

Anyway, baby is getting tired but I'm glad to have found you all and will be interested to see what you all are doing.

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

Ugh. I had to explain our schooling style to a CPS worker this morning. NOT fun. Somebody called because DD2 wasn't in school, but I showed her the paperwork from the school district and she seemed satisfied. I still feel violated though.

Yikes! Glad it went ok but it's horrible to know someone is watching you and reported you.

We had a poor night's sleep but got a couple more hours in, after getting up at 5AM, before going to see if our morning playdate was rained out. No one was there so we grocery shopped and checked back. People were there the second time and ds had fun chasing squirrels and birds with his new friends. We puttered around on computers a bit when we got home and then had another nap.

[yaM yaM]

Earth Angel ~ it's so cool that you and Jaya connected and that she turned you onto The Work! I've contributed some energy toward the book with Jaya. I love that she is consolidating the community experiences of The Work with children. There is so much in The Work that is to share with and nurture ourselves as parents and our children!

I practice The Work every day, almost constantly. It is alive in me, as Katie calls it. The questions are always just there, asking ~
"Is it true?" Is it true?"
There's the noticing of more thoughts, beliefs.
"Are you sure?"
"How do you/would you live your life out of that belief?, self? How do you react when you think that thought?"
"Who would you be without that thought, dear self? Who are you - right here, right now - without that thought?"



I find myself just being very quite and yielding to my children ~ and find them to be ancient masters at this thing called life. There is a silent and ecstatic gratitude in being within their presence.

[UnschoolnMa]

Originally Posted by momazon4

I hear you!!! I just turned 32 and I'm not sure where the years went...Happy birthday!!!

Thanks so much! It's coming up here in a couple weeks or so. Happy belated day to you as well. :

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by Mamma Mia

I find that unschooling is near impossible for me right now with my depression at an all time low. <snip> I kind of suck lately. I wish I were able to be as cool as my ideas.

YOU DO NOT SUCK. You rock.

Besides taking care of your kids' basic needs, take care of yourself, take care of your health, take a walk every day that you possibly can (so good for you, good for depression, and such good learning oppurtunities too!) And just let the little things go for right now.

If you keep a journal (or blog) it is easier to keep track of the neat little things your kids do that show that they are learning and growing. So you don't feel like a failure in that regard.

I findthat getting out of the house by 10:00 (or 10:30) every day, even if just for a walk, keeps me feeling much better about myself and everything.

Hope you are feeling better soon!

[LionTigerBear]

Hi everybody!

Saying hi from the un-pre-school (pre-un-school?) side of things.

DH and I are currently sharing one car amongst us, so DH usually gets it. We are getting a second car later this month and that is exciting. But for now, we do a lot that is in walking distance. There are two thrift stores within walking distance, but I've only checked out one so far (we moved here recently.) There is a great children's section in the local library, also within walking distance. If I feel like a real workout I can hike to the local Walmart/grocery store/shopping plaza area. I did this over the weekend with DH, but doing it on my own, with one kid on the back and one in the stroller, is rough. (Can't let 2yo walk that route, too much traffic.) I think I'll work up to that this spring as I get in better walking/hiking shape. There is a playground within walking distance, too, of course. We go there quite often. And a couple other little stores. That's about it. So we get out and walk a LOT. Even in the rain. Just not when it's very cold.

Also, 2yo watches a bit of preschool TV. It's not my first choice, but I realize it's kind of a necessary evil for me right now. My son is very social and I think what would be ideal for him would be to be in a more communal setting with more cool people to interact with, but for now this occupies some of his time. We let him help us out a lot, too, of course.

Yesterday he went into the kitchen and started making me bread with butter on it. (One of his favorite treats.) He was spreading the butter so nicely, he's neve done that before. He used the heel of the bread. Now, I am always telling him "Mmm, the crust tastes good! Mommy likes it!" So he figures I would like the heel. . Then he finished by sprinkling sucanat (unrefined sugar) on it, just as I do for him. It was so thoughtful and sweet of him. He really is learning the things that matter (bonding with mom, interacting with others, basic food and life skills, etc.)

Speaking of interacting with others he is so social and loves to play with other kids. Funny how I kept him away from preschool, daycare, or any of that "socialization" yet he is more "socialized" than most of the kids he meets. He is caring, thoughtful, confident, relaxed. He nows how to share and take turns. :

He has also learned to count, which I was secetly worried about him learning since I haven't "taught" him. (I was kind of worried what others would say if he didn't learn . . . ) He loves to count his toes and other things. He loves to make shapes with his hands too. He makes these shapes and says "triangle . . . square . . . diamond . . . " and occasionally asks what a shape is he doesn't recognize (Me: "Elipse!") he was doing this the other day in bed and he said, "I love shapes."

It touched my heart!!!

Nice to see all of the other unschoolers! I can hardly wait until my boys are older and we can do other fun things like going to the art gallery, playing Boggle together, discussing things . . . I think in a lot of this I am living my dream childhood vicariously, because this is just so much more FUN than what I did! I was actually homeschooled but it was a very school-at-home mentality and my mom didn't like getting out of the house much. I am so excited to explore the world with my wonderful boys!

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by LionTigerBear

He has also learned to count, which I was secetly worried about him learning since I haven't "taught" him.

It's pretty cool, isn't it? I can't tell the number of times my kids have said or done something and I think, "How do they know THAT?" It's amazing what they pick up just from living.

I think in a lot of this I am living my dream childhood vicariously, because this is just so much more FUN than what I did!

Me too. I went to school, but I wish I had been an unschooler as a kid.

[carolm22117]

Originally Posted by Joan

It's pretty cool, isn't it? I can't tell the number of times my kids have said or done something and I think, "How do they know THAT?" It's amazing what they pick up just from living.

That is SO true. My boys are 18,15,and 14. I've more or less unschooled them (they do a 4 year stint in PS for which I will probably never forgive myself). We had them tested last year and they all tested at or above grade level in every subject. (Except for oldest whos spelling was sub-par due due his dyslexia).

The older they got, the more I let them go and they have done AMAZING things. I've cried, knashed my teeth and worried for sure I was ruining their lives sometimes. We'd bust out the textbooks and sit at the dining room table and have "lessons". That'd last about a week, we'd all hate it and eventually go back to living our lives. Having them tested last year was such a relief. DH is a former PS teacher and he and I have VERY different ideas on what education is.

Originally Posted by Joan

Me too. I went to school, but I wish I had been an unschooler as a kid.

You know, reading that quote and thinking about it abit just now, I kinda think that I did unschool myself despite being in PS. I mean I went to school K-12, but, honestly, I was never THERE mentally. I daydreamed my way through it, barely, barely did enough work to get passed along from grade to grade. It was outside of school where I really did my own thing, taught myself things, learned and thrived. What a big waste of time!

All of you mamas with little ones, please try not to worry! You're doing a great job!!!

[Mamma Mia]

Originally Posted by LionTigerBear

YOU DO NOT SUCK. You rock.

Besides taking care of your kids' basic needs, take care of yourself, take care of your health, take a walk every day that you possibly can (so good for you, good for depression, and such good learning oppurtunities too!) And just let the little things go for right now.

If you keep a journal (or blog) it is easier to keep track of the neat little things your kids do that show that they are learning and growing. So you don't feel like a failure in that regard.

I findthat getting out of the house by 10:00 (or 10:30) every day, even if just for a walk, keeps me feeling much better about myself and everything.

Hope you are feeling better soon!

Thank you. I think I really needed to hear some encouragement. I think a journal is a really good idea. I got up early to work out today, and that often gets my energy level going for the day, so hopefully we can make it into a pattern.

I'm off to think of fun things for a rainy day.

[sunshinegal]

I really find unschooling so healing for myself and my family. Without limits we are able to branch out to wherever we feel we need to flow. Schooling broke life down into these pieces and I always felt if you didn't get one piece you were a doomed failure. But life just isn't like that. There isn't anyone checking off boxes keeping track of things that we've "accomplished" and allowing us to move onto the next. There is no set space or time.

To whose standards??? The government's? The society's?

All I know is that living freely has helped us as a family bond in ways I never thought possible. It has also helped me let go of the need to control and let life develop on it's own. (Well, most of the time )

BTW- Thanks to all who posted about Byron Katie! This is just what I needed to do some dirty personal growth stuff right now. You know, her process is something DH and I tended to go through when discussing things, but it was so easy to just get caught up in the emotional aspects and forget where we were going. Now we have this concrete pattern of questioning to work with. Just awesome!

Ds and my 2 yo dd are painting, wonderful messy fingerpaints. Later we will be off to volunteer at the library and hang out with some friends at our homeschool group. Then after dinner, ds has a Superhero Club meeting at the library and my oldest dd will meet up with the Knit Wit club to show off her newly finished scarf to all the ladies.

Does life get any better?

Stacey

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

Our sun flower seeds have sprouted....dc are so very excited to see that....our cilantro and lavender are still germinating....I'm trying to find interesting thigs to do with ds..he's 13 and does not want to do anything....but stay in his room all day...he was hanging out on the computer all day and now he's moved to his room on the play station or X-box....i'm getting concerned about him not venturing out of the house..should i be worried? Ds 30months this month....love to get out the playdough all by himself and make birds and birthday cake.....he recently figured out how to make little balls and throw them across the table.....eeeeeeeeee....i love it!!! I really do....the pool is finaly open....lets jump in.

[mommabear]

Originally Posted by sunshinegal

I really find unschooling so healing for myself and my family. Without limits we are able to branch out to wherever we feel we need to flow. Schooling broke life down into these pieces and I always felt if you didn't get one piece you were a doomed failure. But life just isn't like that. There isn't anyone checking off boxes keeping track of things that we've "accomplished" and allowing us to move onto the next. There is no set space or time.

You said it!



Mamma Mia, I'm sorry you are going thru a tough time. Sometimes I find that if I just let go of my expectations for myself things somehow flow better, and I don't feel as down on myself. I second the suggestion to keep a journal -- it can provide some objectivity, and you will see how much you really are doing. Take care mama.



This morning, for some reason, I started talking to ds in (very basic) French. I am by no means fluent, but here in Canada we take it in school. Dh was actually in French Immersion. Anyway, we have done a little German and a little French word play (not formal 'teaching'), but today ds informed me he "wants to do French Immersion homeschool." We'll have to see about that! Although I love the idea of learning *with* him!

Have a great day everyone!

[genifer]

Sunshinegal. that is how its been for us too. Its been so good for us as a family and as individuals.

And Gen (mamabear).... My name is Gen too (incase you couldnt tell from my username ). Is your name short for something?

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by Mamma Mia

Joining in this month

I find that unschooling is near impossible for me right now with my depression at an all time low. I wonder if scheduling time would be best to help me be motivated to do things like leave the house and wake up at a normal time.

Today's "lessons" take the form of making words with alphabet cookies. And Willy Wonka. I kind of suck lately. I wish I were able to be as cool as my ideas.

You do not suck! I'm sorry I don't remember what age your kids are. When my dd was 7 I was dx with cancer and I literally had no energy for months. I just took advantage of the times I was feeling better to do whatever fun stuff I could manage. She is 17 now and no permanent scars. Your kids will be ok too. I was lucky to have support around me with dh and neighborhood friends, I hope you have reached out for support locally.

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

Ugh. I had to explain our schooling style to a CPS worker this morning. NOT fun. Somebody called because DD2 wasn't in school, but I showed her the paperwork from the school district and she seemed satisfied. I still feel violated though.

I can imagine how violating that must feel like.