June 2011: What are they doing now?
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Mine is on a serious Pokemon tangent. Ummm, well, obsession.
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Otherwise, we just went through talking about what he'd like to learn in the next year and he chose Colonial times (and specifically, how kids lived in Colonial times) and chemistry (although he didn't call it chemistry--I forget how he described it but it was spot-on).
He pulled the basket of costumes out today and played with two little friends for hours as Batman.
Oh, and he's making up jokes that make me proud.
He pulled the basket of costumes out today and played with two little friends for hours as Batman.
Oh, and he's making up jokes that make me proud.
Well... apparently DS is going to finish pre-algebra in the next couple weeks. He scored a 92 on the midterm and would've done much better if his handwriting was not so sloppy on some of the equations. He wants to take algebra next so he can do computer programming and jr. high chemistry in the fall. Algebra is a prerequisite for both. J will be taking a mini 'video game maker' class this month as is so excited.
We've been spending tons of time at the pool and swim club resumes next week- this week was break week due to Memorial day.
J is also reading up a storm, doing puzzles and Lego's.
So in summary 'school' via unschooling continues into the summer. I never thought my 10 yr old would be taking Algebra over the summer-because he wanted to!
We've been spending tons of time at the pool and swim club resumes next week- this week was break week due to Memorial day.
J is also reading up a storm, doing puzzles and Lego's.
So in summary 'school' via unschooling continues into the summer. I never thought my 10 yr old would be taking Algebra over the summer-because he wanted to!
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This morning, DD set out her study plan for upcoming finals. I'm impressed because I tended to do a last-minute cram for exams, so she's picked up some good study habits somewhere
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DS turned in his second-to-last high school assignment yesterday. His school is the "Charles Xavier Preschool for Gifted Youngsters". It was a plan for a preschool, based on child development theories he had studied in Family Studies - a real mixed bag of Vygotsky, Freud, Erikson et al. It was fascinating reading!
DS was awarded a scholarship for his first-choice university. It makes his decision for next year a little tougher. He wanted to take a gap year to travel, but the scholarship can't be deferred. We'll see what he decides to do. He also found out he was hired back as a counsellor at the music camp he worked at last summer and he's excited about returning there. He and his band have a CD release party planned for the end of the month, just before he leaves for camp. Out of the blue, he told me how happy he is right now. He's enjoying life, having fun with his friends, working on his music and earning enough money at jobs he likes (an art gallery and the upcoming music camp). It almost makes me wish I was 18 again, although I think he has a much better handle on things than I did when I was that age.
DS turned in his second-to-last high school assignment yesterday. His school is the "Charles Xavier Preschool for Gifted Youngsters". It was a plan for a preschool, based on child development theories he had studied in Family Studies - a real mixed bag of Vygotsky, Freud, Erikson et al. It was fascinating reading!
DS was awarded a scholarship for his first-choice university. It makes his decision for next year a little tougher. He wanted to take a gap year to travel, but the scholarship can't be deferred. We'll see what he decides to do. He also found out he was hired back as a counsellor at the music camp he worked at last summer and he's excited about returning there. He and his band have a CD release party planned for the end of the month, just before he leaves for camp. Out of the blue, he told me how happy he is right now. He's enjoying life, having fun with his friends, working on his music and earning enough money at jobs he likes (an art gallery and the upcoming music camp). It almost makes me wish I was 18 again, although I think he has a much better handle on things than I did when I was that age.
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I'm not sure what your son is planning on studying but if he's going into something like a science/tech field it's actually be a lot easier for him to travel while being a college student (it's obviously still possible in the humanities too but it's harder to get those ones). There are a lot of great scholarships out there to study abroad and some really great opportunities for things like internships too. Another trick is to minor in a foreign language and some universities offer scholarships to foreign language majors/minors.Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree
DS was awarded a scholarship for his first-choice university. It makes his decision for next year a little tougher. He wanted to take a gap year to travel, but the scholarship can't be deferred. We'll see what he decides to do. He also found out he was hired back as a counsellor at the music camp he worked at last summer and he's excited about returning there. He and his band have a CD release party planned for the end of the month, just before he leaves for camp. Out of the blue, he told me how happy he is right now. He's enjoying life, having fun with his friends, working on his music and earning enough money at jobs he likes (an art gallery and the upcoming music camp). It almost makes me wish I was 18 again, although I think he has a much better handle on things than I did when I was that age.
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I figure we've either done something very wrong (he'll be a cellar-dwelling "failure to launch" type long after DH and I have retired) or something very right (he likes living with us and being part of the family and he's being pragmatic about financing his education with the money we've saved for him, scholarships etc., and using "extra" cash to travel for fun).
I am going to continue to encourage him to study abroad, but I think I'll have better luck with DD. She's already hoping to go to Greece next summer with a friend, and she's talking about west coast universities.
He's a funny kid. His plans to travel are mostly to visit with friends who live overseas and re-connect with them. He likes the idea of traveling for a bit for fun, but wants to stay at home for school. I've encouraged him to study at a school away from home, either in a different city, across the country or internationally, but he plans on staying put. When I was his age, I was eager to leave home for university. In fact, I was almost 2 years younger than he is, thanks to skipping and a later birthday. I was the middle kid in a big family though, and craved a chance to get some independence and create my own identity and living space. I found attending university away from home was a great place to take those first steps into independent adult life because of all of the support available, like residences with meal plans, student services, counseling, medical services, peer support groups and so on.Originally Posted by physmom
I'm not sure what your son is planning on studying but if he's going into something like a science/tech field it's actually be a lot easier for him to travel while being a college student (it's obviously still possible in the humanities too but it's harder to get those ones). There are a lot of great scholarships out there to study abroad and some really great opportunities for things like internships too. Another trick is to minor in a foreign language and some universities offer scholarships to foreign language majors/minors.
I figure we've either done something very wrong (he'll be a cellar-dwelling "failure to launch" type long after DH and I have retired) or something very right (he likes living with us and being part of the family and he's being pragmatic about financing his education with the money we've saved for him, scholarships etc., and using "extra" cash to travel for fun).
I am going to continue to encourage him to study abroad, but I think I'll have better luck with DD. She's already hoping to go to Greece next summer with a friend, and she's talking about west coast universities.
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I was definitely the one who wanted to leave the nest ASAP and I'm also the most traveled (not so surprising) but my sisters have also done their fair share of traveling/learning independence etc they just had to do it on their own schedule. My older sister, for instance, didn't actually do college until her mid-twenties but the extra time allowed for her to be emotionally at the right spot for studying. She's very smart but just needed more time to find out who she wanted to be and what she wanted to do with her life. Definitely still encourage him to consider studying abroad, though, I think it's a very valuable experience.
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I wouldn't worry about it too much. My sisters and I were all very, very different when it came to wanting to get away from home and we're all pretty well-adjusted adults now.Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree
He's a funny kid. His plans to travel are mostly to visit with friends who live overseas and re-connect with them. He likes the idea of traveling for a bit for fun, but wants to stay at home for school. I've encouraged him to study at a school away from home, either in a different city, across the country or internationally, but he plans on staying put. When I was his age, I was eager to leave home for university. In fact, I was almost 2 years younger than he is, thanks to skipping and a later birthday. I was the middle kid in a big family though, and craved a chance to get some independence and create my own identity and living space. I found attending university away from home was a great place to take those first steps into independent adult life because of all of the support available, like residences with meal plans, student services, counseling, medical services, peer support groups and so on.
I figure we've either done something very wrong (he'll be a cellar-dwelling "failure to launch" type long after DH and I have retired) or something very right (he likes living with us and being part of the family and he's being pragmatic about financing his education with the money we've saved for him, scholarships etc., and using "extra" cash to travel for fun).
I am going to continue to encourage him to study abroad, but I think I'll have better luck with DD. She's already hoping to go to Greece next summer with a friend, and she's talking about west coast universities.
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DS (3y4m) recently started writing, kind of out of the blue. He wrote his own name the other day without us having worked on it at all, though he's recognized it for ages, and has since been writing it everywhere. He does those cute Es with a million arms--I remember DD doing this too. He can write most other letters as well and is drawing recognizable people and monsters and bunnies and so on. He spends a lot of time with dry-erase letter books, totally of his own volition. He's been asking to play DD's games and is trying valiantly to learn Uno. I took out Bananagrams for him the other day because we was asking to play that, too, and we worked some on sounding out. He's close, but not quite there. I remember DD being close but not there for months, maybe even years, so who knows.
DD has finished out the school year. It's been an emotional few weeks, I assume partly because she is leaving this school, though she doesn't say that herself. We've been struggling with a lot of emotional outbursts over very little (yesterday she was hysterical because the .59 yogurt we bought was moldy when we opened it--"It's not fair that you spent your money on that and now we have to throw it away"--???). She starts 4 weeks of drama camp next week. It's 9-5 every day and she will be one of the youngest kids there (it's 7-12), so we'll see!
This is a brag, but another mom from DD's class told me she was talking about the class with another mom who also teaches at the school and who tends to be highly competitive and focused on ranking the children. Apparently, the woman said, "Well, there's (DD), who is way out ahead and not even in the same category...then there's X, Y, and Z, who are more like the regular top of the class..." I wasn't there for this, so I suspect it was pretty sincere.
Congratulations! That's awesome. He sounds like a really neat kid.
DS (3y4m) recently started writing, kind of out of the blue. He wrote his own name the other day without us having worked on it at all, though he's recognized it for ages, and has since been writing it everywhere. He does those cute Es with a million arms--I remember DD doing this too. He can write most other letters as well and is drawing recognizable people and monsters and bunnies and so on. He spends a lot of time with dry-erase letter books, totally of his own volition. He's been asking to play DD's games and is trying valiantly to learn Uno. I took out Bananagrams for him the other day because we was asking to play that, too, and we worked some on sounding out. He's close, but not quite there. I remember DD being close but not there for months, maybe even years, so who knows.
DD has finished out the school year. It's been an emotional few weeks, I assume partly because she is leaving this school, though she doesn't say that herself. We've been struggling with a lot of emotional outbursts over very little (yesterday she was hysterical because the .59 yogurt we bought was moldy when we opened it--"It's not fair that you spent your money on that and now we have to throw it away"--???). She starts 4 weeks of drama camp next week. It's 9-5 every day and she will be one of the youngest kids there (it's 7-12), so we'll see!
This is a brag, but another mom from DD's class told me she was talking about the class with another mom who also teaches at the school and who tends to be highly competitive and focused on ranking the children. Apparently, the woman said, "Well, there's (DD), who is way out ahead and not even in the same category...then there's X, Y, and Z, who are more like the regular top of the class..." I wasn't there for this, so I suspect it was pretty sincere.
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Your dd sounds a little like mine. Drama camp/theatre group is the perfect place for mine, I hope yours enjoys it.
Thanks!!Originally Posted by loraxc
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Congratulations! That's awesome. He sounds like a really neat kid.
Your dd sounds a little like mine. Drama camp/theatre group is the perfect place for mine, I hope yours enjoys it.
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You didn't mean to be funny by putting these two sentences next to one another, without even a new paragraph, did you?
Forgive me. You know we know what it means to have free drama at home, every day...
I've got a braggy story as well, though it's somewhat worrisome, too. I was talking to one of the teacher at DS' once-weekly Montessori K class, who is also a lower el teacher at the school, and mentioned that we were considering entering DS early.
She said: "Well, intellectually he could do it, absolutely no question. But he still has a hard time entering into things. I wouldn't have him start school now." I was kinda thrown but then realized she was talking about first grade - "uh, we're talking about having him start first grade next year and starting K this fall - that's still early entrance for him you know?"
"Really? tell me his birthday again? You know there is a tendency for people to enter their kids into first grade at barely 5...and like I said he's ready intellectually, he is so very bright, I'd even say tending towards gifted, but socio-emotionally he's not there at all. He's just taking everything in and is overwhelmed by it. If he's got another year to develop, there's a lot that can happen."
So at least a two year gap between his intellectual and his socio-emotional development - not a big surprise to me, but I kinda had the impression that he had it together more when outside the home and was kinda hoping for him to save up the worst for us (I think he does actually, but he seems to present more asynchronous than I thought). I was hoping for a bit more Montessori enthusiasm from the teacher...
He is blowing us away with his understanding of technical things - mechanics mostly. he is asking more and more question about scinece and technology on which I have to draw a blank and refer him to DH (who teaches HS maths and physics). And he is turning into a kind older brother for DD, watching out for her and playing with her, making me proud.
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He also made me proud at swim class today, and when I asked him in the changing room afterwards whether he knew why, he said "Because I was afraid at first of getting into the deep end and then went and got in anyway?" He actually started crying about being afraid when I put on his swimsuit, screamed down the shower room in a panic and I had to get him and take him poolside in my clothes, cuddling him on my lap and then sitting by for the rest of the class while he sat down at the edge until he was calmed down sufficiently to start participating, getting rather wet myself... I suppose someone else would chalk this down as one of the more embarrassing moments of bringing up her child, but for me it was a victory for both of us.
Originally Posted by loraxc
We've been struggling with a lot of emotional outbursts over very little (yesterday she was hysterical because the .59 yogurt we bought was moldy when we opened it--"It's not fair that you spent your money on that and now we have to throw it away"--???). She starts 4 weeks of drama camp next week.
You didn't mean to be funny by putting these two sentences next to one another, without even a new paragraph, did you?
Forgive me. You know we know what it means to have free drama at home, every day...
I've got a braggy story as well, though it's somewhat worrisome, too. I was talking to one of the teacher at DS' once-weekly Montessori K class, who is also a lower el teacher at the school, and mentioned that we were considering entering DS early.
She said: "Well, intellectually he could do it, absolutely no question. But he still has a hard time entering into things. I wouldn't have him start school now." I was kinda thrown but then realized she was talking about first grade - "uh, we're talking about having him start first grade next year and starting K this fall - that's still early entrance for him you know?"
"Really? tell me his birthday again? You know there is a tendency for people to enter their kids into first grade at barely 5...and like I said he's ready intellectually, he is so very bright, I'd even say tending towards gifted, but socio-emotionally he's not there at all. He's just taking everything in and is overwhelmed by it. If he's got another year to develop, there's a lot that can happen."
So at least a two year gap between his intellectual and his socio-emotional development - not a big surprise to me, but I kinda had the impression that he had it together more when outside the home and was kinda hoping for him to save up the worst for us (I think he does actually, but he seems to present more asynchronous than I thought). I was hoping for a bit more Montessori enthusiasm from the teacher...
He is blowing us away with his understanding of technical things - mechanics mostly. he is asking more and more question about scinece and technology on which I have to draw a blank and refer him to DH (who teaches HS maths and physics). And he is turning into a kind older brother for DD, watching out for her and playing with her, making me proud.
He also made me proud at swim class today, and when I asked him in the changing room afterwards whether he knew why, he said "Because I was afraid at first of getting into the deep end and then went and got in anyway?" He actually started crying about being afraid when I put on his swimsuit, screamed down the shower room in a panic and I had to get him and take him poolside in my clothes, cuddling him on my lap and then sitting by for the rest of the class while he sat down at the edge until he was calmed down sufficiently to start participating, getting rather wet myself... I suppose someone else would chalk this down as one of the more embarrassing moments of bringing up her child, but for me it was a victory for both of us.
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DS (12) performed with the Youth Repertory Orchestra at NEC on June 4th as the winner of the 12 and under division of their annual concerto competition.Here is a recording of his playing:
We are very proud of him!
My other kids cannot wait for summer vacation to start... not much to report!
We are very proud of him!
My other kids cannot wait for summer vacation to start... not much to report!
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My 5 year old finished up K, and we just got his final report card. I was a little blown away by how positive it was-- I know my kid is brilliant but it's nice to hear it from his teacher.
He's in a big soccer camp this week where he's the youngest (since he started K early). The head coach told him he might get the camper of the week award.
Last week he had swim lessons where he made good progress. He's able to swim but is really scared of deep water and drowning.
And just cause I can't resist bragging on my other kids: my 8 yr. old is on a swim team and won his heat in backstroke last night! My 10 mo. old just started toddling everywhere. Watch out, world!
He's in a big soccer camp this week where he's the youngest (since he started K early). The head coach told him he might get the camper of the week award.
Last week he had swim lessons where he made good progress. He's able to swim but is really scared of deep water and drowning.
And just cause I can't resist bragging on my other kids: my 8 yr. old is on a swim team and won his heat in backstroke last night! My 10 mo. old just started toddling everywhere. Watch out, world!
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Every night for the last few weeks I have goaded DD into bed at night with promises of spelling words. She can read (from hearing me spell out loud) nearly 100 words this way. Words like puppy, water, bubble, bike, teeth, and cupcake. That is not even counting any of the simple CVC words she can sound out in her head. This is one of those things she makes look really easy so I have no idea how atypical this is. So, this may be just a regular ole proud mom brag. But, she is also intuiting the spelling of larger new words. Today she read the word, "wheel" off of a sign, and that is not one we ever went over aurally. (Since discovering this new outlet she has been off books and coincidently her eye turn has become almost nonexistent again.)
I really get a kick out of her playing with friends on the playground, which is a new development. She speaks with such concern to them and is overly explanatory. She is demonstrative to say the least. She gets along swimmingly with three and four year olds, because they don't seem to mind her ramblings. The five year olds think she is weird. She is just too talkative, and not in the way that she is actually conversing with someone. And, she is in that phase where she won't play with babies (her age or younger.)
She is sweet, though. I dropped off my sister at her work, and DN got a little upset. DD was so quick to offer "It's ok [cousin], you can borrow my mommy." And, then she had to check as if that might not be ok with me. "Is it ok if [cousin] borrows you, Mommy?" It melted my heart. Speaking of tender moments, I missed my weekly phone call from DH overseas and DD must have sensed/understood this. She gave me a hug and said "It's ok Mommy, I will talk to you."
As she is using more and more expressions, she has come to me with what she thinks are errors in the English language.
"Your alarm is going on, not off!"
"The sun is in, not out!"
She also has a hard time with double negatives. "There is nothing you can't try" drives her crazy. "I can try everything!" she screams.
And, she is using so many mathy words in her conversation. "I will tell you one half of the story…" "Daddy is my second favorite…"
She consistently remembers almost everything she hears. One recent example was when the word bacteria came up in an adult conversation. DD casually mentioned "Oh, I had bacteria in my ear when I had an ear infection." Yeah, that was over six months ago, and I am sure I only mentioned that to her once, if that!
She is still in love with presidents, geography, leaves, and rocks, but all I can think about right now is seeing DH in a few week! Oh, and, she will be three in a few weeks, too!
I really get a kick out of her playing with friends on the playground, which is a new development. She speaks with such concern to them and is overly explanatory. She is demonstrative to say the least. She gets along swimmingly with three and four year olds, because they don't seem to mind her ramblings. The five year olds think she is weird. She is just too talkative, and not in the way that she is actually conversing with someone. And, she is in that phase where she won't play with babies (her age or younger.)
She is sweet, though. I dropped off my sister at her work, and DN got a little upset. DD was so quick to offer "It's ok [cousin], you can borrow my mommy." And, then she had to check as if that might not be ok with me. "Is it ok if [cousin] borrows you, Mommy?" It melted my heart. Speaking of tender moments, I missed my weekly phone call from DH overseas and DD must have sensed/understood this. She gave me a hug and said "It's ok Mommy, I will talk to you."
As she is using more and more expressions, she has come to me with what she thinks are errors in the English language.
"Your alarm is going on, not off!"
"The sun is in, not out!"
She also has a hard time with double negatives. "There is nothing you can't try" drives her crazy. "I can try everything!" she screams.
And, she is using so many mathy words in her conversation. "I will tell you one half of the story…" "Daddy is my second favorite…"
She consistently remembers almost everything she hears. One recent example was when the word bacteria came up in an adult conversation. DD casually mentioned "Oh, I had bacteria in my ear when I had an ear infection." Yeah, that was over six months ago, and I am sure I only mentioned that to her once, if that!
She is still in love with presidents, geography, leaves, and rocks, but all I can think about right now is seeing DH in a few week! Oh, and, she will be three in a few weeks, too!
DD has been saying "mamama", "papapapa" and "nonono" in the appropriate context for two months now or so, but it didn't seem like really talking to me. Yesterday though, DH maintained in the face of my disbelief that while I happened to be away for the day, DD said "cat" to the cat (which in our native language is a two-syllable word with three consonants). So this morning the cat comes in and I start calling her by name, and DD says "cat". I repeat it in surprise, and DD repeats it, clearly, just to show me up! So here we go...between DS and her, soon we will not be able to get a word in...
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DD seems to be entering her "why?" phase, though she asks at least as many "where?" questions. She also drew her first "person" - stick figure with eyes, nose, and mouth. She came to my 20 week ultrasound and spent most of the time trying to get DH to leave the room with her. She seemed to have the impression that the baby was going to come out and come home with us so - she was a bit disappointed. We were able to tell her that she is going to have a little sister though.
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Well, drama camp has involved some drama, with DD getting bullied a little. I think she is actually the youngest kid at the whole camp, and I feel a little bad about that. However, things seem to have improved. They are doing tons of dance, which is neat--she's done Zumba, capoeira, and African dance. She has three small parts in the play (they do a play and a musical, and most of the younger kids are in the musical).
DS is sounding out some three-letter words successfully, so that's cool. He gets them wrong a lot, too, but certainly he is getting them right more than chance.He is obsessively practicing writing for at least an hour a day (dry-erase books). It's one of his favorite things. He wrote DH a Father's Day Card ("Dada, I love you, from Name") with my help. I'm suddenly having a redux of the worries I had about DD in K, since he will likely have all K skills down in his 4s. However, his personality is so different that this probably won't matter that much. He IS reminding me a bit more of his sister lately, but that could just be because he's three.
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He's also been having some trouble with his reactive airway disease, which DD also had and has grown out of. Oh, and he's also petrified of the dark and has been sleeping with his light on all night and waking up with nightmares. So, I guess with all that, I'll cut him some slack.
The pediatrician asked him what he was going to be when he grew up. His response was, "Well, I AM very interested in eyeballs," which cracked us both up. Then he continued, "...so I want to be an eyeball doctor. Dada and I talked about it." "Oh, you want to be an ophthalmologist?" I asked. "YES! I want to be that."
DS is sounding out some three-letter words successfully, so that's cool. He gets them wrong a lot, too, but certainly he is getting them right more than chance.He is obsessively practicing writing for at least an hour a day (dry-erase books). It's one of his favorite things. He wrote DH a Father's Day Card ("Dada, I love you, from Name") with my help. I'm suddenly having a redux of the worries I had about DD in K, since he will likely have all K skills down in his 4s. However, his personality is so different that this probably won't matter that much. He IS reminding me a bit more of his sister lately, but that could just be because he's three.
The pediatrician asked him what he was going to be when he grew up. His response was, "Well, I AM very interested in eyeballs," which cracked us both up. Then he continued, "...so I want to be an eyeball doctor. Dada and I talked about it." "Oh, you want to be an ophthalmologist?" I asked. "YES! I want to be that."
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Not much new around the Moominfamily house these days; we're just winding up the academic year, tying up loose ends with the school, spending a lot more time outdoors.
Dd8 is continuing with her tea business. She's sold out her stock at the two community markets she's attended so far. She's experimenting with some new blends ... strawberry-rhubarb vanilla rooibos and huckleberry-white-peony-tea. And hoping for something nettle-ish too, as nettles are growing like crazy up the mountain pass from us. She's her usual curious, academically driven, social kid who is game for anything going.
Dd12 is busy with soccer games, practices and tournaments. She's had about ten games in the last 2.5 weeks! She is also doing very well as an entrepreneur. She is making old-fashioned hard candy in nine different mostly natural flavours. She's selling between $40-60 of candy at each four-hour market she attends, and the challenge is keeping up with the production end of things. She's learning so much from this! All the science of heat and sugar molecules, profit margins, weighing the costs of using gluten-free and organic ingredients, the customer relations, safe food handling, moisture content, storage vacuums, the banking system, laser infrared thermometers and so on.
Ds14 is really pushing himself to improve his sight-reading on viola. He needs to be able to sight-read his way through stuff like Brahms quintets and Tchaikowsky symphonies easily at a first pass, and he's not really quite there yet -- he still really needs to be able to have one or two rehearsals where he takes advantage of auditory clues and such in order to make sense of the complexities. So he's doing lots of sight-reading work and getting input from his viola teacher (who lives 8 hours away) via Skype. Skype lessons are a very poor tool for general music instruction at this level, but for monitoring the correctness of notes and rhythms in sight-reading they work reasonably well. He's also furthering his piano/keyboard skills by printing out popular music scores and reading through them. He's not a pianist by training, but is developing very impressive keyboard proficiency. He's hoping to work on skills relevent to video game score composition. Certainly he's got the right background and musical ear for this sort of pursuit.
Dd17 has moved away! She's across the country on a university campus training with the National Youth Orchestra for the summer. Six to eight hours a day of rehearsals, virtually seven days a week (they have half a day off every two weeks). Plus individual practicing for hours a day! She's in her element, just loving the environment. Here's her "musician profile" on their website, if anyone is interested. Once they finish their tour in mid-August she'll be home for a week or two, then moving on to Montréal. I'm beyond excited for her, she's so happy and energized to finally be getting the lessons, ensemble experience and independence she's been craving.
Miranda
Infinity is such fun for kids! My 8-year-old has recently returned to the concept of infinity with a meta-cognitive spin. She's interested in why our brains have such difficulty conceptualizing infinity ... what is it about the architecture of consciousness that makes inifinity such a problematic concept for us. She loves "annoying her brain" with tricks like "imagine all the whole numbers, all the way out to infinity, and then double them all, and try to make your brain understand why you can't actually double infinity." She comes up with these thought experiments, and enjoys the "Wow! Freaky!" feeling she gets from them.Originally Posted by RiverTam
DS2 (age 6) is thinking about infinity, apparently. He told me this morning that there are infinite number of odd numbers AND an infinite number of even numbers, because you can just keep skip counting FOREVER.
Not much new around the Moominfamily house these days; we're just winding up the academic year, tying up loose ends with the school, spending a lot more time outdoors.
Dd8 is continuing with her tea business. She's sold out her stock at the two community markets she's attended so far. She's experimenting with some new blends ... strawberry-rhubarb vanilla rooibos and huckleberry-white-peony-tea. And hoping for something nettle-ish too, as nettles are growing like crazy up the mountain pass from us. She's her usual curious, academically driven, social kid who is game for anything going.
Dd12 is busy with soccer games, practices and tournaments. She's had about ten games in the last 2.5 weeks! She is also doing very well as an entrepreneur. She is making old-fashioned hard candy in nine different mostly natural flavours. She's selling between $40-60 of candy at each four-hour market she attends, and the challenge is keeping up with the production end of things. She's learning so much from this! All the science of heat and sugar molecules, profit margins, weighing the costs of using gluten-free and organic ingredients, the customer relations, safe food handling, moisture content, storage vacuums, the banking system, laser infrared thermometers and so on.
Ds14 is really pushing himself to improve his sight-reading on viola. He needs to be able to sight-read his way through stuff like Brahms quintets and Tchaikowsky symphonies easily at a first pass, and he's not really quite there yet -- he still really needs to be able to have one or two rehearsals where he takes advantage of auditory clues and such in order to make sense of the complexities. So he's doing lots of sight-reading work and getting input from his viola teacher (who lives 8 hours away) via Skype. Skype lessons are a very poor tool for general music instruction at this level, but for monitoring the correctness of notes and rhythms in sight-reading they work reasonably well. He's also furthering his piano/keyboard skills by printing out popular music scores and reading through them. He's not a pianist by training, but is developing very impressive keyboard proficiency. He's hoping to work on skills relevent to video game score composition. Certainly he's got the right background and musical ear for this sort of pursuit.
Dd17 has moved away! She's across the country on a university campus training with the National Youth Orchestra for the summer. Six to eight hours a day of rehearsals, virtually seven days a week (they have half a day off every two weeks). Plus individual practicing for hours a day! She's in her element, just loving the environment. Here's her "musician profile" on their website, if anyone is interested. Once they finish their tour in mid-August she'll be home for a week or two, then moving on to Montréal. I'm beyond excited for her, she's so happy and energized to finally be getting the lessons, ensemble experience and independence she's been craving.
Miranda
moominmamma, I love your kids' tea and candy business. I hope I can encourage my kids to do something like this when they are bigger.
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DD5 is obsessed with Basher Books.
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