**July unschooling Support!** - Page 3

[mommabear]

Originally Posted by oldermamato5

dillonandmarasmom,I agree with majikfaerie about your shy guy. I would totally go with his ideas and feelings. I have a son (8),my youngest child,who is not really into groups or large crowds. I try very hard to accomodate him in situations where he feels uncomfortable. My oldest ds15 was painfully shy as a young boy. People made comments about it all the time. We allowed him to be who he was. He is still a quiet guy,but has awesome friends and is happy. That is what matters.

I absolutely agree. Ds was quite reserved until he was about 4, then at 5 he really became comfortable 'out there'. I tried to allow him the time he needed (he was also my velcro-baby), and when he was ready to venture forth he did. He still, though, needs to be not too far from me. I think giving your ds as much time as he needs is best -- he may never be a total extrovert, but respecting who he is will make *him* secure in who he is. It sounds like you are doing that already, but I know it's hard when you think he may be sufferring for it. Good luck mama!

[mommabear]

Krystal, I agree with what Ruth said. It must be hard to try and work something out with an ex. Does he share custody? (ie would he be responsible for their schooling at home too, or just you?) It sounds like you respect one another, so that will help with working out the details. I think the idea about unschooling, but keeping track in a 'schooly' way is a good bet. You might have to do that sort of thing anyway, depending on where you live, so he could just get a copy. I hope it works out; it sounds like life is getting better for you guys! Oh, and welcome!

[Krystal323]

thanks for the advice and the welcome yeah, we already have oak meadow's stuff, and my ex does share custody. we live like 20 minutes apart and he sees the kids several times a week. we do have a parenting agreement that says that i'm the primary teacher for their homeschooling, but it doesn't go into detail much beyond that. i *think* i just need to be more actively involved in the kids' daily activities and then write it all down for my ex. now that i'm able to finally get out of crisis-mode, i think i can do a much better job with their education, with a curriculum or otherwise... ACK! i'll be lurking, and hopefully things will unfold smoothly from here....

[UnschoolingAmerica]

Radical Unschooling and the Law of Attraction

Hi everyone!

I wanted to invite you all to join a new Radical Unschooling group that I recently started. The group has a focus on the Law Of Attraction in our Unschooling Lives. If this speaks to any of you, come and play with us!

Here is the link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/radicalunschooling/

~Peace & Love, Dayna

[2 in August]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

Can
you bottle some of whatever it is your DD has? It's noon here and my unschooler is still sleeping!!

I'm still wondering at what point I should get involved with her sleeping pattern. She likes to read until 1 or 2 AM and then sleep really, really late. Should I just let this go for the summer, or should I try to get her to bed earlier?

My dd is only 5 well almost 6 so I get her in bed between 8-9pm she falls asleep sometime between then and at the latest 10 (usually by 9 though). So she is up with the sun. Me? I'm a night owl like your dd. I stay up way too late to have 2 little ones waking me up at 7. When she gets older I will let her stay up later, but now she needs to get to bed early or she is cranky all day.


Krystal -- Welcome, I think you really can keep unschooling, just keep records in eduspeak to make it look official. There are online curriculums that are free that can give you a bit of a framework and something to say you are doing. Some that I found/heard of others using are... Ambleside Online or Child of the World Montessori Curriculum. Or you could do Five in a Row which is one book to buy and then the rest you can usually get at the library.

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I'm still wondering at what point I should get involved with her sleeping pattern. She likes to read until 1 or 2 AM and then sleep really, really late. Should I just let this go for the summer, or should I try to get her to bed earlier?

My older two stay up really late and then sleep in as well. I try not to plan anything too early in the a.m. If they have something to do early in the day, I'll remind them the night before and they usually make a point of not staying up too terribly late, but otherwise, their schedual works for them so I don't interfere. I've noticed that my 16 y/o is starting to slip back to his younger pattern lately, he's not staying up quite as late and is sleeping in only until 10 or so. Meanwhile, my 12 y/o is staying up until 3 and by the time she wakes, we must say, "Good afternoon" to her.

Their's is such a different schedule from schooled kids but it certainly seems to me that they're following their bodys' natural rhythms and I think that's important. It's all tied together in my mind. They eat when they're hungry, sleep when they're tired, learn what they're ready to learn...


Why are you feeling like you need to change your dd's sleep habits? And why for just the summer?

[majikfaerie]

I'm so not into "bedtimes". I really believe that my child should be free to go to sleep and wake up when her body wants to. And its working fine for us.

This morning, DD found a kind of Aloe in our garden (we just moved into this place with about 2 acres of manicured gardens and maybe 10 acres of rainforest, and a few acres of fruit trees, so we're discovering stuff all the time). she was so excited, and came running to show me the "Aloe Vera - just like in Tel Aviv!"

On closer inspection, I decided its not Aloe Vera, but another kind, and we got online to search for it. DD was so interested in all the different kinds of Aloe, until the google search got us to a page of a hosiery company that has a line of stockings made with Aloe Vera "for silky legs", and DD was even more interested in the pics of mostly-naked women in stockings

[mommabear]

Well, ds and I just finished learning all about the history of logging in the Cowichan area of Vancouver Island and it's not even 9:00 yet . Ds was watching a show on logging (Mighty Machines) and so we discussed the different types of logging, conservation, healthy forest practices, the pine beetle, etc. I did a search for bc logging history and found a neat sight for Cowichan. There is a loggers' lingo section, and so now ds is using a toy steam engine from Starbucks that has coffee for coal (it was a gift ): "Mom, I'm pulling my locie (locomotive) to make you some mud (coffee). Do you want some tar (bad coffee)?" Too funny! He also liked the picture of the flipped locie, and the history of the evolution of logging from horse and oxen to locomotive to truck. Of course he pointed out that if they had monster trucks back then they could have winched that locie right out of the river!

[UnschoolnMa]

Originally Posted by Joan

My older two stay up really late and then sleep in as well. I try not to plan anything too early in the a.m. If they have something to do early in the day, I'll remind them the night before and they usually make a point of not staying up too terribly late, but otherwise, their schedual works for them so I don't interfere. I've noticed that my 16 y/o is starting to slip back to his younger pattern lately, he's not staying up quite as late and is sleeping in only until 10 or so. Meanwhile, my 12 y/o is staying up until 3 and by the time she wakes, we must say, "Good afternoon" to her.

This sounds so familiar, right down to the ages of the kids! My kids stay up pretty darn late. Ds (16 in a matter of days) goes to bed sometimes around 4 am even. It just depends. Dd lately (13.5) has been staying up until around 2 am or better. Recently on a camping trip Dd and her best friend just about watched the sunrise, hit the sack, and then got up about 3.5 hours later. Oy! :

Like Joan I try not to interfere too much because sleep is such an individual thing. I can't say that I have never worried about them not getting enough sleep, but I try to be respectful. I mention anything we have going on in the morning the next day, but often we just have no real reason that we can't sleep in. Sometimes it will show in Dd's attitude if she hasn't had enough sleep. When that happens I try to only mention it to her as nicely as I can. Ds is hoping to go to work in a few weeks. I am sure his sleep schedule will change quite a bit to work with his new schedule.

[majikfaerie]

Originally Posted by mommabear

Of course he pointed out that if they had monster trucks back then they could have winched that locie right out of the river!

Oh! I just love this image! I conjured up all kinds of historic situations that might have been different had they had Monster Trucks back then.
Like, imagine what would have happened to the Jews in Egypt, had they had monster trucks
Or if the tribespeople of Europe had Monster trucks when... hang on! I've worked out the secret of Stonehenge and they Pyramids!!!! they DID have monster trucks :

[2 in August]

Well, after thinking we weren't going to fireworks last night, and poor dd starting to cry herself to sleep, I talked to dh about it. I went into dd's room, told her to put some clothes on and we left dh home with a sleeping baby and we went. It was so fun just the 2 of us.

Tomorrow we are going to meet some friends at a motorcycle stunt show at the summer celebration. If it doesn't rain.

[UnschoolnMa]

My kids have been at the Grandparents house for a couple of days. It will be so good to have them home tomorrow! I have missed them so much. They went to a big carnival I hear, and some other fun things I suspect. Dd got a whole bunch of clothes from an older cousin type person, and she is thrilled. It's like an entire closet full of stuff just for her. I think she plans to share with her best friend too. It was nice for Dh and I to go off and do a few things alone though. We went to a fireworks show and a concert just the two of us.

We are gearing up for Ds's birthday next weekend. The big 1-6 this year. It goes so crazy fast.

"Mom, I'm pulling my locie (locomotive) to make you some mud (coffee). Do you want some tar (bad coffee)?"

How cool is that!? You get your own coffee express.

[dillonandmarasmom]

DD finally crashed out for the night...at 11:15! Yikes...I hope she isn't starting something new. I am tired.
Thanks for all the replies regarding DS' shy/reserved ways. He seems to be trying to work around it. Tonight he asked DH if he could hang out in the childcare room while DH shopped at the grocery store. Cool...but I guess the courtesy clerk in there wasn't much of a kid person...she popped in a movie and busied herself. DS told me he didn't have any fun since he felt like he couldn't play with any of the toys once she put the movie on ...: . We sat him down and told him if he wants to try it again, we would definitely go in with him and make sure he got to check out *everything*!

All that and still working with the Legos for hours everyday...

[mama in the forest]

So great to hear from everyone! Lots of wonderful summer things going on!

My kids & I are making the final preparations for a renaissance faire I'm vending at. They are helping with everything....we put together our tent and decorated it, and we've got some landscaping to do because it's just dirt we're sitting in, rather than grass. My kids were covered from head to toe in 15 minutes of just standing by the tent. We're going to find something woody & soft to buy to cover the dirt. They helped me organize & set everything up, and choose prices. We had long talks about all those financial aspects of business.

Everyone's so excited - the faire begins tomorrow, & they're getting in on all the business aspects this year. My oldest daughter is always a great help, but the next two are helping this year too. (9 & 7) They will help make change & be a part of the transactions when someone wants to buy something. I'm hoping this will occupy my 9 year old son who tends to be the one getting into trouble at the faire! He's at that age where he can be extremely mature and sensible one minute, then crying like a newborn babe the next! Or....is that just men in general?

[umami_mommy]

i'm so glad i found this thread!

i sure could use some support... feeling overwhelmed with a new baby and getting our house ready to sell and i feel like i don't have enough time for DS who is just about 5.

how do all you mamas who unschool manage to just "go with it" when the moment presents itself. since i am usually nursing, doing dishes, doing laundry, going to the bathroom, etc when my son decides he wants to learn all about gastropods!

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by Joan

Why are you feeling like you need to change your dd's sleep habits? And why for just the summer?

Well, for one thing, I'm not getting any "me time" when she's up at least as late as I am.

She's also missing out on some stuff. Saturday around noon is when Shul lets out and, if she wants to socialize at all that day, she needs to be there before they let out. Otherwise she could walk around town all day looking for friends but not meet up with anybody who's actually at home.

It's difficult to plan meals when she wakes up after I've already eaten breakfast, and sometimes after I've eaten breakfast and lunch. Then, when I'm making dinner, she realizes she hasn't eaten all day and she's starting to turn into "monster child" from lack of food. Alternatively, she whines for food when I'm not in the kitchen, not preparing any meals, and expects me to stop everything to cook for her.

The reason things will be different after the summer is that DD1 will definitely be going to school, and DS might be going. Our whole family routine WILL be structured around the school day. If she wants to do stuff with me ,especially if it involves going somewhere, she'll need to be awake when school is in session. Plus there are homeschool activities she enjoys going to- and these are also schedualed during "school hours."

Quite honestly, I'm not sure I could handle being with DS all day. I'm having a hard time doing this over the summer, when he's not in camp. I'm not sure I can handle this noisy little chatterbox all year long without losing my sanity.

[SagMom]

Our fireworks here got cancelled because of the thunderstorms, BUT they've been rescheduled for tomorrow night, so we're looking forward to that. We just got a copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys which has some cool stuff in it and we've been trying things out, but frankly, we haven't found anything "dangerous" about it.

Dd is doing a car wash fund-raiser tomorrow, and it's supposed to get hot again, so I'm sure we'll be at the pool a lot.

Originally Posted by honeybeedreams

how do all you mamas who unschool manage to just "go with it" when the moment presents itself.

Well, I've never had that many little ones all at once--but when I had a baby in the house, my older kids learned a lot about...having a baby in the house. Then, when the baby was napping, or nursing or just hanging out in the sling, content, I'd have time to read to the older ones, or help them with whatever they wanted help with. I used to write myself a note ("look up gastropds" or "teach dd chess") so that when the baby was settled, I'd remember what the kids were asking about! Our house ran by triage--whoever needed me the most, got my attention. It gets easier as they get older though.

Originally Posted by Ruthla

Well, for one thing, I'm not getting any "me time" when she's up at least as late as I am.

Can you work your "me time" into some other part of the day? I don't think it's reasonable to expect that our kids will always go to bed before we do--sooner or later, they outgrow that, yk? Could you explain to her that you need some private time and agree to each do your own thing late at night? (This is the 12 yr old, right?) Is she upset when she misses out on stuff? What is she willing to do to change that? As far as meals go, again, if this is the 12 yr old, why can't she fix herself something when she's hungry?

I'd really be throwing the ball in her court at this point

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by Joan

(This is the 12 yr old, right?) Is she upset when she misses out on stuff? What is she willing to do to change that? As far as meals go, again, if this is the 12 yr old, why can't she fix herself something when she's hungry?

I'd really be throwing the ball in her court at this point

Actually, this is the 11yo- the 12.5yo is at sleep away camp. But it doesnt' make much difference- she IS old enough to prepare her own meals- it's just that, too often, she simply doesn't. This afternoon, after returning home from various errands and finding out she hadn't eaten yet, I asked her if I needed to start waking her up to feed her before going out for the day. She definitely didn't want that! Then I insisted that she make her own toast- which she discovered was a lot easier than she thought it would be.

I don't think she's yet realized that my mom could have taken her to the pool early this afternoon if DD had let Bubbie know that DD was home and awake. She wanted me to take her around 4, and by then I was simply too exhausted and sore for that to work. I could have taken them to the pool OR done my errands- I'm simply don't have the energy to do both.

[2 in August]

We made it to the motorcycle stunt show yesterday. We also saw a presentation by a Native American family about the ceremonial dances of their tribe and some common misconceptions about Native Americans. It was dollar ride day for the midway so I let dd ride the carousel (her fav thing). It was a fun afternoon.

Today we stayed home except for a quick trip to the store for fish food.

[UnschoolnMa]

Joan I am so glad your local fireworks show was back on! We loved ours. I read a bit about that Dangerous Book for Boys, and it sounds interesting.

The kids are home from the grandparent's house, and we are all just trying to chill for a bit. Dh heads out for work at 3 am and will be on the road until Saturday. Then Sunday we have Ds's 16th birthday party. We made pasta and salad tonight and are now trying to cool off.