Unschool Support Sept 08 - Page 3

[caspian's mama]

schools are prisons

You took the best years of my life
And made it so I couldn't decide
Unable to respond
To the beautiful world
That goes on and on
And on and on

And those 13 years in prison
Didn't teach me how to love
They say they had their reasons
All coming from above
You can't forget the seasons
Inside your factory
There's one thing they can't teach you
That's how to feel free
And stand alone
In a beautiful world
We have to respond

[CHORUS]
Schools are prisons
Forgot the seasons
Schools are prisons
What are the reasons for this waste of the spring?
Oh where to begin?
Outside, or within


(been postin this kinda stuff on my local board lately. thought i'd share the love with you guys, though i know i'm preachin to the choir. )

[caspian's mama]

i'm really frustrated. there are a few families here that we've really bonded with over the last year or so. no one's exactly casi's age but the spread is nice and they all get along pretty great. i was at a "playdate" (for lack of a better word) a couple weeks ago and 2 friends were taking about this science class for homeschoolers they wanted to sign their "big boys" up for. normally i don't believe in shelling out money for someone else to "teach" my kid but i knew he'd get a huge kick out of learning about astronomy or volcanoes with his buddies, so i asked them to elaborate.

right off the bat their concern was that casi might be too young. i was thinking "huh? our kids can play fine together but have to be separated for 'learning'?" i kinda let it go but it hurt me a lot. just now one of them posted a blurb about it on our local board, saying that it was for "6-9YOs". it really makes me sad. these are my (and his) very good friends. what the hell is it about "education" that makes people suddenly freak out and get all exclusionary?

i was leaning towards staying here permanently precisely because of this group i've gathered around us. now i'm thinking i should move to pdx or somewhere more liberal because i'm afraid he's just going to get shunned more and more often the older he gets and the more noticeably "unschooly" we become.


wtf. i can handle not having "parenting" friends IRL because i can easily come here and get re-enlightened any time i'm low. but i'm really starting to think my kid's going to be lacking for friends in a very short while. everyone around here is either super frickin structured or so far in the boonies it takes a quarter tank of gas to do any "visiting". i've been planning to move back to the only "city" we have in the state but a big part of it was to be closer to these folks. this winter's really going to suck if he's the only homeschooled kid over the age of 4 whose week isn't planned out in advance and filled with "scholastics". (blecch.)

sorry, i don't even know what i'm looking for (except maybe a sweet, high paying job doing nights and weekends in pdx, haha). i just needed to spit all that out because it was tasting pretty bad keeping it inside.

[4evermom]

There is such a big difference between 5 and 6 you know . Not.

But here is a cool site with tons of fun science (and other) activities. http://www.education.com/activity/all-grades/
You can have your own science "classes" for free! And looking at these activities by grade, I guess ds is doing science at a 5th grade level, lol. But reading at a 1st grade level.

I run into the same sort of thing, everyone busy with classes. The classes themselves seem like they are probably lame. Plus, they are expensive. I can do better at home but all the other kids are still too busy to play.

[Mama Coltrane]

Hi everyone!
I am new to this unschooling part of MDC.
I have two boys- Coltrane is 5 and Emmett is 3.
We are unschooly, have been from day one, just didn't realize it until the last year or so!!
I am part of a homeschool playgroup around these parts, but having a hard time finding other unschooly types.
I am glad that this area is set up on MDC , because sometimes I have to be reminded how cool it is to let your kid grow and learn naturally. Coltrane is very inquisitive and fun and knows exactly what he needs. I just need to listen.
Anyway, I live in rural NH, on the VT border. I am also a doula and acupuncturist and dabble a little in both. I have two births this month, both homebirths.
My hubby is a teacher (!!) at a private school that specializes a lot in music and art. He plays guitar and sings and such.... and he is CUTE!
Coltrane is so sensitive, a real old soul. He loves books, computers, space, science stuff, etc. Today he wanted to know about magnetism.
Emmett is my tough guy. He is all boy, very funny, very outspoken and very sweet. He loves all things cars, garfield, etc. He wants to be a pink princess for Halloween! He is a joy.

Cool. I need to remember to come here for some comraderie.
Nice to meet you all.
- Kerri

[skyblufig]

Subbing! : Happy September everyone.

[4evermom]

Kerri and Jen.

Ds said something that amused me the other day. He was giving me instructions on painting a rainbow. He told me strictly to not paint ultra violet or any of those other invisible colors!

[majikfaerie]

thats so funny, 4ever

dd was on the front page of the local newspaper today! we're so proud. (theres a pic on my blog)

[BedHead]

Originally Posted by majikfaerie

thats so funny, 4ever

dd was on the front page of the local newspaper today! we're so proud. (theres a pic on my blog)

That's such a cute picture! Your dd is a beautiful child. Glad she's feeling better - that fall sounds scary!

I hope the collarbone is healing well too, granolapunk!

The job hunting didn't happen because dd's friend couldn't come, and apparently it is IMPOSSIBLE to job hunt alone when you're a 14 year old girl. We went to stay overnight with my parents and went to church with them Sunday morning - something we've not been doing ourselves lately. I'm finding organized religion tedious, and no one wants to come with me anyway. I've always been Lutheran, and the kids were raised that way, but I don't know what I am lately. My parents really push the religion on us all and the kids go when we're there just so my mom quits bugging them I think.

[4evermom]

It is impossible to job hunt alone when you are a 14 yo girl.

Awesome being on the first page, Littletree! And a beautiful photo further done the blog page.

I got ds to try on his roller skates to see if they still fit. He had gotten discouraged about skating last time he tried (a year ago) because he couldn't keep up with the other kids so he took them off and just ran around. The skates still fit and, not having anyone to compare himself to or keep up with, he's decided he is pretty good for a beginner. Just one more reason why being in a "class of his own" is good for him. I rolled out a length of carpet in the living room for him to practice on (so his wheels don't go as fast as on the hardwood). Of course, he's lying down playing with toy vehicles on it, at the moment, lol. He is also showing me how strong his legs are by doing leg lifts.

[RosesArePurple]

Originally Posted by caspian's mama

happy not having to buy poor quality, overpriced, shiny, plastic, back-to-school CRAP month!

Hey!! I'm looking forward to the 75 to 90% off sale on the back-to-school CRAP so I can get some paper and markers and maybe scissors (kids like to try to cut things that aren't paper )!

I'm glad I can afford to wait until waaay after school starts to buy some of that CRAP! OK, so I just want paper and markers. Not the shiny plastic CRAP. But it won't be overpriced at 75 to 90% off!! (Right now it's 30% off at my Target.)

[RosesArePurple]

Originally Posted by Mom2Adam

Hi!

I am certain about unschooling...but struggle with the "lameness" I sometimes feel as my other homeschooling friends cart their children off to art classes/dance classes/soccer/drama etc....(these kids are 4-6 yrs old) -

That's not in our budget...nor in our energy allowance . We do martial arts twice a week (which is very important to DS) and soccer in Spring and we are involved with a lapbooking club...and that is plenty for us right now!

Traci

Ha! I have a 5yo and we are taking NO classes of any kind. I offered up swimming classes in the summer and he thought he wanted to, then turned them down. Cool by me. He's only 5! I'm not even looking at all the HS classes available around the metro area. He's only 5! And it would be his choice to take any of them anyway.

But, I know how you feel. It's like you aren't a good parent to your kid unless he's up to his eyeballs in classes and stuff.

So good for you! And if you DS is loving martial arts, then good for him!!

As far as cheap, well, there's diggin in the dirt outside!

[RosesArePurple]

Well, we had an exciting week! We spent the first part vacationing in Asheville. I love Asheville. I haven't been in 6 years. I know I belong there. We have a Subaru Forester and they were EVERYWHERE! We ate, walked, went to a park, a nature center, watched TV in the hotel room.

Then, then, we went to Live and Learn!!!!! : We got back last night. It was my first unschooling conference. It was awesome!

[dillonandmarasmom]

Hi everyone!
Wow, 3 pages and only the first week....loads of reading. Hope all the injuries are healing well

We are doing our usual day to day stuff...wake-up at the crack of dawn, jump into a craft or playing store :yawning:...talk about what we'll do today...over and over. Lately, both kids have been very into building things. Right now they are int he back yard under their new structure (DS and DH built yesterday from leftover wood and a couple of sheets). It reminds me of a hut. They've pulled their little round table in their along with DS's tools. I am *not* allowed.
Last week I took the kids to FairyTale Town. It's a great littleplace about 30 minutes away with slides and climbing structures built based on various fairytales. They recently added astage and were having a little show. The performers were teenagers, and the show was about forest fairies. It was somewhat Shakespearean. The kids loved it. Much to my surprise, DS threw caution to the wind and joined the players on stage to learn some new dance moves and have a duel with one of them! I was grinning from ear to ear, of course! My baby is growing up...:. DD tried out the dancing portion, but soon felt overwhelmed and joined me on the lawn to watch her brother. I have to say, it was a very proud mama moment.

I am subbing so I don't lose out on what you all are doing this time around...

[caspian's mama]

ooooh.... discounted scotch tape.... :

sometimes i wonder if he's eating it, we go through it SO fast.

[onyxravnos]

Hi! subbing.
mama to one toddler boy planing a waldorf / unschooling life together.

[majikfaerie]

we had a little talk about our home-ed life - lately dp has been saying we should put dd in school every time we go through a rough patch. though he's 100% pro-unschooling, and has read illich and gatto and believes schools are terrible places, he thinks we aren't providin enough stimulation for dd all the time, so we should either have another child or put her in school.
so i looked into it. if we *would* put dd in school, it wouldn't be the local PS, it would be the local steiner... which costs close to $5000/ year. now, we're not millionaires, but dp earns well, and we could afford that school without making too many sacrifices. soooo, I talked to dp about it, and suggested we put some money aside (maybe something like $3000 for a year, considering what we're saving on not going to school) and spend it on things dd would be interested in. things like having a babysitter take her out occasionally, board games, science sets, more books, etc.

so i started it all off with taking dd out to buy some fun stuff - we got legos (she never had any before), a monopoly board, some fairy memory cards, paints, stickers, etc. feels good
so far, we haven't spent much money at all on anything; i always had the theory that children don't need toys, they can just play with whatever, and since we were travelling so much, she didn't have a chance to own many toys. really, she has now accumulated one very small box of toys, and that's it.
honestly, my dd is 5 and she never had any legos yet! shame on me.

[4evermom]

5 is a great age to get legos! DS was 4 1/4 when dh pulled his old ones out and he needed a little help with them.

I've used the reasoning that we'd be spending a lot on school to help me be ok with buying ds things (money is tight and I tend to be frugal). Even if he were in public school (vs private at $11,000), we'd spend quite a bit on more than we do on presentable clothes, supplies, and all the darn fund raisers. Not to mention the birthday parties he'd probably be invited to, lol! So we have a science museum membership. Ds has an allowance for toys. We'll probably get a subscription to www.brainpop.com. It has lots of short educational videos that ds really enjoyed on the free trial. It strikes the right balance of humor with interesting info. Related subjects pop up on the side menu so you can wander from one related thing to another and wind up in a completely different subject area. Just his style.

[caspian's mama]

Originally Posted by 4evermom

We'll probably get a subscription to www.brainpop.com. It has lots of short educational videos that ds really enjoyed on the free trial. It strikes the right balance of humor with interesting info. Related subjects pop up on the side menu so you can wander from one related thing to another and wind up in a completely different subject area. Just his style.

[my bolding]

is it closed, though, meaning you can't access the rest of the internet (or a bunch of crappy ads)? c's dad left him alone on youtube a few times before i freaked out. heaven knows what he could find there.

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by caspian's mama

[my bolding]

is it closed, though, meaning you can't access the rest of the internet (or a bunch of crappy ads)? c's dad left him alone on youtube a few times before i freaked out. heaven knows what he could find there.

Yes, the side menu is for related topics on the same site. There is a brainpop jr as well, but we never got around to checking it out when we did the free trial. Ds basically checked out the more science oriented areas of brainpop. Some of the subjects he came across were heavy (war, AIDS, etc) but I felt they were all handled in an age appropriate way for my ds (who was an old 6 at the time and is prone to anxiety so I minimize his exposure to some topics though he loves shooting games and is quite familiar with war concepts).

[Ruthla]

I'm not sure we're really "unschooling" this year, as DD1 is a very organized person and wants to do some more "traditional schoolish" things and is kind of taking DD2 along for the ride. But it's completely child-led (teen led?) so I guess it's still unschooling.

The other day, I sat with DD1 going through the math textbook while she took notes (completely her choice!) and DD2 listened to our lesson while crocheting. She didn't do any problems or write anything down, but she did ask questions and want things clarified if she didn't understand what I'd said (primarily because she wasnt' looking at the textbook!) so I know she was paying attention.

Currently they're doing a history project. I'd gone through the history textbook DD1 got from the district (when we were still considering putting her in private school- she has all the texts her classmates are using) and we both determined it was a boring book and a waste of time to read. However, the beginning of each chapter has a timeline, and I suggested copying the information over into one large timeline that we put on a wall.

Now the two girls are working on it- each year is a separate piece of paper (with an illustration of something interesting from that year) and when they're done we'll assemble them on a wall in order. We may or may not learn about the specific events in more detail as they draw pictures of them.