**July unschooling Support!** - Page 7

[oldermamato5]

Hey mama's
Headed to the county fair this afternoon hoping to beat the crowds and let the kids ride some rides and play some games. Get there and find out that the midway doesn't open till 5pm!!
Sooooo we come back home and will go again tonite when the main man gets home from work. Dang it,I was soo hoping to have a nice uncrowded time.

Have a great day mama's.

[cottonwood]

Originally Posted by mama in the forest

My three year old loved to use himself as his canvas

Now that I don't mind. I forgot to say we have poster paints and water-based face paints too -- my two-year-old loves decorating her body. The only thing that gives me pause about it is when they start wearing off and the stain looks like bruises... ack. Luckily the stuff wears off pretty quick. I implied too that I don't let the older kids have pens, which isn't true, they can do it if the baby isn't around and I just have to be really eagle-eyed to see they're put away. Recently my two boys, 8 and 10, drew "tattoos" on themselves. They worked really hard on them, I was impressed! It was also interesting to see the designs they each chose -- my older boy drew fantasy creatures, my younger boy (who is the really mathematical one) drew geometric shapes.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by Joan

The colleges around here all have child care centers on campus. That might be something to look into rather than putting your ds in school. Federal financial aid can be used for childcare while you're in class (or at least it used to be, you 'd have to check on that.) so that could be another option for you.

true, that. the only problem i see with that is the same problem we have at my gym. the childcare room is filled with my ds, and.....babies. tons of babies and toddlers. it drives him batsh**t .

i'm not worried if i end up having to have him in school for a year or two. it's not "regular" public school-- gasp! i would never!

this is Asheville, though...i've heard it called the SanFran of the East. pretty crunchy. we have lots of charters and magnets. this one school is all field trips and multi age and lots of outdoors and lots of standing up, moving around, and stuff like that. no sitting and answering questions and listening to lectures. EEK! i wouldn't jump on the grades and homework bandwagon, either.

but like i said, that may or may not happen, and it's not in the near future, so i'm not worried about it. yet.

but thanks for the suggestions! hopefully by then, a homeschool (more Un) will open up (there's been talk) and i don't have to worry about it at all!

pamela

[Maiasaura]

silly me, i meant homeschool Co-op!! LOL that must have sounded really weird...:

pamela

[majikfaerie]

yeah, I just today met a woman in my neighbourhood who has a daughter a year younger than mine, and she wants to try to start a kind of unschooling co-op. something that will work like a playgroup, and something like having 'tribal days' as she put it.
basically, we'll have a set day or 2 each week, where we meet somewhere and live. in a somewhat more involved way than a boring old playgroup or play date. (not that they are boring). We might go on field trips, or have projects, but mostly just being together; let the kids follow their interests, and the mamas will cook together, do projects together. it also means that mamas who need to take an hour or so out for WAH projects can do so there, and still have their kids around, but without having to be fully present for them.

am I being coherent? I feel like I'm coming down with something brain. not. working. must. get. sleep. cant. get. off... inter... net... groan........

[MamaAllNatural]

Thank you Fourlittlebirds! I feel so much better after reading your post.

Originally Posted by mama in the forest

My three year old loved to use himself as his canvas in addition to the walls.

I can relate! My 6 yo dd still does this sometimes.


WRT co-ops, that sounds so cool. I keep thinking it would be so nice to have something like that. Or even just a system of a few parents doing an exchange. Like every Thursday all the kids go to Jane's house. The next Thursday they all go to Jan's, etc. I notice though, as Unschoolers, most of us are pretty resistant to routines and commitments! That I could get on board with and I'm still trying to work something like that out if I can.

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by MamaAllNatural

I notice though, as Unschoolers, most of us are pretty resistant to routines and commitments! .

I can relate to this! In the spring, a mama approached me about doing an unschooling camp-type thing this summer. She thought that the families could each host a day at their house, then another day of the week we'd go to a park, and another day there would be a field trip. I know this would be something that many people would jump at, and she's a lovely woman, but there was still something about it that made me feel immediately resistant. Fortunately for me, ds2 was the only one of my kids who fell into the desired age range and he's not at all a "joiner" at this point, so that was that.

I think there's something about the craziness of not having a schedule that appeals to me--I like not knowing what we're going to be doing--I even sort of like scrambling when we decide to do something last minute.

Yesterday, we'd planned to work on some projects here at home, but my sis called and wanted to go to the shore, so we threw a picnic dinner together and went to the beach for the day/evening. I like being able to do that--I also hate cancelling on people, so not making a commitment to begin with cuts down on that. I have noticed that my kids like to sign up for short-term things. A 3 day class, for instance, or a one day seminar. We are big fans of "pay as you go" set ups, as you can probably imagine!

[MamaAllNatural]

Originally Posted by Joan

I think there's something about the craziness of not having a schedule that appeals to me--I like not knowing what we're going to be doing--I even sort of like scrambling when we decide to do something last minute.

I think probably one of the biggest reasons (or appeals) to Unschool is the freedom. Freedom to just spend your days as you please. It's so funny too...I swear, I have not seen a Homeschool activity that starts before 11 or 12. And even then most people show up late! :

We are big fans of "pay as you go" set ups, as you can probably imagine!

Yes! We love "sessions" that go just four weeks at a time and also "drop ins" where you can come every week if you have it together enough to do that or you can just come once every other month. Love it.

[mama in the forest]

I think probably one of the biggest reasons (or appeals) to Unschool is the freedom. Freedom to just spend your days as you please.

Oh yeah... I had enough of schedules before I had kids!

[Maiasaura]

the other day my ds had purple spots all over himself....i had to keep doing doubletakes cause i thought something was wrong with him i just don't have problems with kids drawing on themselves...or me...way back in my wild days, i passed out drunk on a couch and woke up to find "MOM" in a heart with an arrow through it, on my arm, in indelible marker

today it was dinosaurs. ds is on a renewed dinosaur thing. he had kind of slacked on that from 4ish to now (6.5yo) but all of a sudden it's huge again. only this time it's playing with those 88 cent plastic ones.

and we did clay today, too. my friend harvested clay from the Earth somewhere around here, and it's messy bigtime, but fun.

oh, today was experiment day, i guess...we also did slime. anyone ever make that? we didn't get it liquidy enough, i guess, but ds discovered that it's more silly-putty-like than slime-like, and put it in Easter eggs, where it sort of solidified into an egg shape. it was really cool. he wants to sell them to his friends. we might do more next week and try to get it the right texture.

i'm going house hunting soon

pamela

[MamaAllNatural]

So, today was our big toy downsizing day and the kids have been *great* about it! I think, of the things I wanted to get rid of, there was only one thing each that they disagreed with and kept. I was pleasantly surprised about how cool they were with it all. What a relief! I think it was good for all of us...and the house. I'm also getting ideas for how to simplify in other ways too. They love drawing pictures but they'll go through dozens of papers a day and then they end up all over the house and under tables and making a big mess. So, I'm thinking spiral bound sketch pads and they just don't tear the pages out. Hopefully I will keep getting ideas like this that work for all of us.

[UnschoolnMa]

I am such a strange mix when it comes to planning and schedules. I like a flexible balance I guess. I can't handle being rushed, but I do love impromptu fun things. I dislike needing to wake up really early (fortunately so do the kids!) and I don't much care for a constant schedule. We are so strange.

Today finds Dd leaving for a weekend camping trip with her friend and friend's family. They are going to the lake and will be back on Sunday afternoon. She really debated over going...wondering if she'd get homesick or if her and dear friend would get on each other's nerves before Sunday. We spent some time talking about it and she decided she'd regret it if she skipped out so off she went! I just looked downstairs and on the loveseat is her beach towel! Ooops...

So tonight Dh, Ds, and I are home. Ds is trying out Guitar Hero Rocks the 80's or something like that. We are laughing at the terrible cover of "Holy Diver" : . Dinner is FYO tonight (Fix Your Own) and then we've got a movie I think.

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by mercyn

oh, today was experiment day, i guess...we also did slime. anyone ever make that? ...i'm going house hunting soon

pamela

What kind of slime did you make? We've liked the borax and white glue slime as well as the simple cornstarch and water stuff. The mudpies book is well-used around here!

I go (virtual) house hunting all the time. Are you making a big move or looking locally?

Originally Posted by MamaAllNatural

They love drawing pictures but they'll go through dozens of papers a day and then they end up all over the house and under tables and making a big mess.

This happens at our house too. Good luck with the spiral books--my kids prefer loose paper, so I hear you on the piles around the house!

I finished HP7 and ds1 has started it. Dd and I have been having secret discussions so as as not to reveal anything to ds. My sister will join in once she's finished, and my niece has just started reading (she's up to book 3 now) so we're bound to have some interesting debates there. Dd is very into the fan fiction sites for HP and has done a bit of writing herself, so right now she's all about HP.

We're going swimming today if the weather holds out.

Ds1 and I have been working on a renassiance shirt for him to wear to the faire -- he's saved up for boots and a hat and anxiously awaiting their arrival in the mail. And our tickets came, so everyone is excited about that.

Ds2 is working on "reading" and "spelling" through the Webkins program. He's forever asking me, "Mom! What does _ _ _ _ spell?" And I'm really bad at doing it that way--I have to see the word, or at least spell it in the air with my finger. He had a sleepover with his cousins on Friday night and my older two had the house to themselves because dh and I went to a Steve Miller concert. He was...okay...but the Doobie Brothers opened and they were PHENOMENAL!

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by Joan

What kind of slime did you make? We've liked the borax and white glue slime as well as the simple cornstarch and water stuff...
I go (virtual) house hunting all the time. Are you making a big move or looking locally?...I finished HP7 and ds1 has started it...Ds1 and I have been working on a renassiance shirt for him to wear to the faire

we made the borax and glue kind. i don't know of any other kind. is the other easier? slimier? any different at all?
i'm looking locally for the house. i LOVE asheville.
NO SPOILERS for HP!!! please!!! i won't be able to read it for like 6 weeks. i have it on hold at the library.
i have a renaissance shirt that was my ex-dh's when we got married. i'm willing to part with it. i paid $80 new and it was worn once. it's sat in the closet for 7 years or so. my dh was very tall and skinny. 6' or so, 150lb soaking wet. wore a 30 pant and could squeeze into a 29. the shirt was largeish on him (surprise). lemme know. $40 sound good? plus shipping? it's plain unbleached muslin with a placket opening, with i think a leather thong to close the opening. regularish shirt collar, big billowy sleeves that close at the wrist, if i remember correctly.

pamela

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by mercyn

we made the borax and glue kind. i don't know of any other kind. is the other easier? slimier? any different at all?

It's an example of a non-Newtonian fluid.

Mix 1 cup of cornstarch with 1/2 cup of water. Once it's mixed, play with it--if you hold it gently in your hand, it acts like a liquid. If you slap it or squeeze it, it acts like a solid.


Thanks for the offer of the shirt--but we're about halfway through making this one. Sounds similar to the one you have, but ds wanted ruffles on the collar and cuffs. I really like making these costumes--I just wish these kids didn't grow so fast! lol.

[SagMom]

I started a new thread for this month:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...16#post8784816