Classical Christian Unschooling

Okay, we all learn from mistakes..the recipes in the recipe link were great!! We devoured the cake, and it was 'Feingold Safe'. Was it 'my kid safe'??
No. We were outside forever getting that energy out, needless to say, i found my head (mind, whatever;) bouncing with them!!
I work nights..can't get to sleep!!

How was it? It was DELICIOUS!! ;)

So, safe to say, chocolate will be off the list too..but I did explain to them that leaves more room for fun fruit-flavored icing:)

Currently, everything is up in the air as far as curriculum goes. I'm sure many are asking, what is going on..;) we're getting there!! My kids have been using a lot of computer programs they enjoy, and learning from them as well!! Give me a week or so and I will introduce the rest. I am making a spelling list for my oldest, which will be linked with quite a few learning games..

So hold tight!!
Happy Unschooling!
:)

A Day in the Life of a Classical Unschooler

I have been reading a lot about the 'Feingold Diet'. It is an interesting diet that eliminates food coloring, many preservatives and for many who join: corn syrup! There are also certain fruits/veggies that can be a factor in allergies as well.

Although it is an interesting diet, and eliminating all would be great, we have chosen to begin with food coloring/preservatives (bad ones) and corn syrup. I am also 'choosing' foods that have a no-gluten 'sign' on them...but am 'not' making my own bread!! LOL..;) I figure a few steps at a time..not to get overwhelmed..and see if we can make it that far!

Did you know that corn syrup, when consumes, goes straight to fat??? I guess corn is a starch, and it's a sugar from corn..go figure;) But Canada uses sugar in their Cokes/Pepsi's.. (and all their foods)..whereas Europe uses sugar and beet sugar. Why is our country not making that change? Sugar is converted to energy when consumed, giving us a 'chance' to work it off. It's no wonder Americans are overweight, unlike other countries that use sugar. Corn is also a food that has more allergies. Sure, 100 years ago people had a few ears of corn now and then for dinner. No big deal!! But now corn is in 'everything', from your food, chocolate milk and even your cereal and snacks-for a person that is sensitive, that is an overload!! No wonder ADD has hit a high (in America;).

The results have been little, but it will take about 6 weeks to get it out of their system. It didn't help that the icecream man came around yesterday and I (without thinking) said, 'Sure, you can have one!!' :) I realized what I was doing when I was buying it, but I had already said yes :(
Think mommy, think!!!!

Today we are making a chocolate cake, from scratch, free of preservatives, artificial vanilla and food coloring :) I have added a new link: My favorite Recipes, so we can store them and keep track of the ones we like. The kids love to cook, so they're all for this!! Especially when I explained how the food works. 6 weeks..and then we'll slowly add it to their diet, and see what works..and what doesn't;)

Happy Unschooling!!
:)

A Day in the Life of a Classical Unschooler

Today the kids went to PE at the park, 9:30am. There must have been over 100 kids in varying age groups there today!! They have them divided up by grades, they really enjoy this! It's a great way to start the day, they meet every Tuesday. Gracie's class played 'kick ball' and 'duck duck goose'. Rachel is in the 2-3 class (they go by what grade they are 'supposed' to be in) and they played t-ball. After this, we went to the park. They had a great time! We didn't get back till around 12:00!
Rachel reads one story from her computer program a week, and since we had a long day i just said she could start the story tomorrow. She still has to finish it or do it on Saturday. Gracie has decided she wants to read the 'Biscuit' books for the summer. I explained to her that would be fine, but she would have to do some flashcards before each book, as she is not familiar with many of those words. She agreed, so we'll start that soon. They did a math sheet and went out to play with their friend.

We are also studying in history how people moved westward so I've already gotten the 'Little House in the Big Woods' Read-a-loud version and we're going to read that together before we go to sleep tonight. They watched the show, and really enjoy that so I am considering buying it.

We are also in the process of planting a garden! Rachel has been studying seeds/flowers in her scholastic science class, (it's a fun course, all video-she 'loves' it!! plus, at the end, there is a quiz and she nearly always gets them all right :) ) and since spring is around the corner we're considering buying one of those cheap plastic containers with the lid, start them out inside and then set them outside. That should be fun!! We also have a planter that is see-through (we get to see the roots as they grow!! :) that will be fun!!

We have been meaning to study french, but have just been too side-tracked with various activities and such. The program they have on one of her Elementary Success seems like fun, and after you learn the vocabulary you can play games to 'test your knowledge'. That sounds like fun, as I'm not sure I want them getting into the 'grammar' of all this. I simply want them to learn some conversational skills, maybe read a little of the language, so when they're older and they start into a 'Real' course, they'll be that much further ahead!:)

This is the wrap for us!! I know, I used to show the curriculum and such..there was a time I felt like I had to 'prove myself'..but now since a lot of what we do is on the computer anyways, what is there to show?? I still save this site, though. This is where I post my videos, and this site has links to my photo album. So, with this in mind, here is a video of Colette going down the slide at 'Common Ground Park', a 'huge' park in our area!! The next video is all 3 on a see-saw.


Happy Unschooling!
stacey:)

A Day in the Life of a Classical Unschooler

I guess the biggest question to ask is: what is unschooling? There are so many different ways of explaining this concept. Some would say-we do not use 'any' form of schooling, and let the kids guide themselves. Others would just say they go against the norm, and avoid using 'textbooks' for teaching tools, but still guide their kids into 'learning through life'.
What are we?
I would say I am in the middle on this one. Why am I not posting as often? Well, for the most park it could be because I have nothing to post! We do not use workbooks/pre-made sheets...somedays we use the computer...how to record that info???
I apologize I've been off this long. It doesn't mean we haven't been learning, just in different ways!
Here to begin:
I read a GREAT book the other day!
The Myth of Ability, by John Mighton. The book inspired the curriculum they now use for math in Canada! I love his concept (he was a tutor) and am looking forward to using that for Rachel in math next year. Gracie will start traditional math around grade 3 or 4 also. I am hoping to use the same program.
The interesting part is how he taught the math. He taught math to kids that were supposed to be in grade 7, but were in grade 3...and got them up to grade level in like..a year!!! When he grew with his reputation, a third grade teacher asked him to help teach his class the same thing he'd been teaching these grade 7 kids, he did-and it worked! He gave them the grade 7 test in fractions, and they passed!! Every one!!!
This isn't an advanced curriculum, but instead of moving quickly ahead, as most curriculums do (as I was told this by the writers) they review one or two grades behind so the kids won't forget the concepts.

Here are some pictures of what has been going on!!

They built a new park in Lakleand

Common Ground Park

Colette 'loves' the swing

Colette, Gracie going down the slide

Colette

Rachel got her hair cut

This is Gracie and Colette playing, "Hungry Hippos."

We have a thick curtain..so not much light comes in the house...:( it's a little dark. I bought this at a garage sale for $1, Colette 'loves' it!!

Here we are at our new park, "Common Ground Park" in Lakeland

Our Park:) Isn't it great!! anyways, more photos on my facebook:)

A Day in the Life of a Classical Unschooler

Wow, I think we're getting this unschooling thing down:) We do school once in a while, but then take days off too from 'traditional' unschooling and the kids just learn from daily activities. Next year we're going to buy a lot more hands-on math stuff, and I'll make a few printables and that is all. They enjoy their reading with 'McGuffey' so we're staying there.

Will post pictures of books we read. Will probably read a few today, I have a few history books I enjoy. They have a lot of fun doing webkinz games with daddy where they learn a little on spending and such. next year i plan to buy 'fractions' tangibles and such, so they'll have fun with that. I'm probably going to stick to my original thought-traditional begins in grade 6. I'm letting too many people get to me, you know? The people that have 'no' homeschool/unschool experience telling me they need traditional work...lol..the ignorance of this world! Too many people have proven that point wrong!!
That's my update!! Sorry it's been s long since I posted.
Stacey:)

A Day in the Life of a Classical Unschooler

Oh, so much I forgot from last post!:)

Above and below are two great books!! In two books, they explain clearly why so many kids are 'wrongly diagnosed' of having ADHD these days and othe behavioral problems. These kids are not ADHD, they are not learning disabled. The behavior problems they display..are all the result of the school system that is simply too lazy/ignorant to see that they are just as/more intelligent then their peers.

They simply are right-brained..and they learn differently!

This information needs to be brought to schools attention. So many kids are being told that they are lazy, that they aren't reading at grade level...yet 3 sessions, or so, with a tutor that can explain things the way they think and 'miraculously' they jump one or two grade levels!!

These kids have given up. They have gotten to the point to think that they are 'broken', but they know how to get attention: negative attention. So they get it that way. After all, the teachers think they're 'losers' or 'stupid' anyways...why even try?

For school 'not' to teach these kids the way they are supposed to be taught..is discrimintation!! There should be lawsuits.

Why are they like this? Why the explosion in right-brained thinking?

Look at all those 'educational toys', those 'black and white mobiles' that hang in babies cribs..they all bring attention to the 'right side of the brain'. They wake it up. Television, video games, do the same. So when kids go to school, they literally 'think' with the right side of the brain. The left side? That is how schools teach, catering to kids that think on those terms. The right-brained kids need to learn 'through the right side', and when they are older the brain will eventually develop where it can transfer this information back and forth.

Anyways, it's a good book, but sad. So many kids out there..angry because the school has pronounced them as 'stupid' 'lazy' or 'losers'...when in actuality the school and its teachers were just too lazy to bother with trying to teach them differently. Just think of how their peers treat them, after all the teachers see them as 'stupid' (whether they say it or not, the other kids in class will see it as well).

It's a sad state..no wonder our schools are so terrible. They demean kids, who may even be gifted, into thinking they are 'slow',etc., only because they learn differently. I'm only glad my kids aren't going through this...

Below is a book on 'Panda's' that we read. It was interesting, and the kids enjoy it!
Watch pandas on live-cam at the San Diego Zoo:

www.sandiegozoo.org, and follow it through to 'panda cam', where you can see other animals as well!
Here is a book we read on butterflies

Here is a book we read on frogs

Below is another story Colette enjoyed about some ducklings

The book below was kind of wordy, she wasn't as impressed.

All three enjoyed the book below that I read them. It was cute.

Another science book

A book worth buying!! Colette 'loved' this book. so cute.

We're waiting on their reading books in the mail. They have 'freebies' online, but I figure a break wouldn't hurt.

Happy unschooling!

:)

A Day in the Life of a Classical Unschooler

Finally starting the year 2009!!

:)

Sorry for the late start.. it's been a busy time getting things started. Getting used to all the changes..trying to figure out how to get them all 'squeezed' into place.

This is Colette and Gracie after lunch. Colette likes her chance to play outside. She has decided on late naps this year;) of course she has a 'quiete-time' earlier in the day where she watches a movie..and of course we're hoping she'll fall asleep!;)

Rachel is reviewing 'borrowing'. We found she has forgotten this, and needs the review. Next year we plan to switch to a computer-based program for math, (she decided she'd rather do math on the computer) so once she learns this she'll be ready for it!

We're still on the same history text. We are now 'leaving' the music portion, but I am trying to find a CD with all the patriotic songs recorded. If anyone can place me in the right direction, (one for kids, not the 'opera-type' singers..we can't take them seriously!) I would appreciate it!

Thanx:)

Sorry for the bad picture... Colette is enjoying being read to now, too. She enjoys books with big pictures, and as little words as possible;)
She loves them most when they are about animals!

We read about leopards in one of our books. I think Gracie colored this.
They're both not that big on coloring...we ended up not coloring the rest of the animals...

This is Gracie's math sheet

This is Rachel's

Gracie's..we don't do story problems until around grade 6. If Rachel chooses the computer program for math, however, she may get stuck with a few...

I know there are more pic's...but this is all I have for now!! Will try and stay more updated.

Happy Unschooling!!
:)