Friday, April 27, 2007

Feels like summer!

Oh, it's just been so beautiful out... who can do school? Thursday we went to gymnastics, so there's a class. ;) Before gymnastics, I was on a cleaning binge to purge the house of all evidence of the previous days illness. (How can the house get SO incredibly messy just because I spend one day on the couch?) After class, I really meant to have Cam do some work but it was just gorgeous outside and somehow we all ended up in the backyard playing basketball. Greyson was getting really into pushing around the little plastic lawnmower around the backyard. He would get so frustrated when it would get stuck somewhere and he couldn't figure out how to get it through a space that was too small, lol. Evil Mommy had to snap a picture. Unfortunately, it's on my phone and I haven't figured out how to get it from there to here yet. I guess I could email it or something? Anyway, it was adorable watching him try to figure it all out. LOVE how those little one year old brains work. Yes, I called him a one year old... 9 days to go until his birthday. Can you believe it? I can't.

Friday I had more good intentions, but we all know where those lead - to the park! It was preschool park day and our friend B5 was celebrating becoming B6! We had hot dogs and goldfish crackers and vegan apple spice cupcakes. And we played ALL day long. We were there from noon until almost 5pm. At one point the kids were playing the funniest game under a tree. L4(girl) was the Mommy, Cassia was the baby, and Cameron, B6(boy), J4(boy), and T6(boy) were the intruders breaking into the house, lol. Where do they come up with this? No one had any idea what the intruders were intending to do but the game was basically an excuse for everyone to run and chase each other while Cassia pretended she was a baby. Silly kids. This game eventually broke off into the girls playing house under the play structure and the boys playing super heroes/ guns/ chase-attack-and-kill-each-other. You know, the usual. When it was time to go, B6 (I feel like I should start calling him Vitamin Boy now, lol) had to remind Cameron to not "hug me so hard my head comes off!" I had to laugh. That's exactly what he does.

School books? Who needs them. A day with unschoolers (4 families of them!) is much more fun. Which reminds me...

L4's oldest brother A16 is going to France in the fall for his "senior year." The poor boy, a lifelong unschooler, stopped by only to be bombarded by questions from all us newbies about what his experience has been like. We were especially interested in what it was like to go from no structure to community college classes. He was confident and honest and told us that it was no sweat at all. He's had to ask a few instructors to not write the percentage grade on his paper because he could tell it was affecting the way he looked at his work. He would start looking at the numbers instead of the knowledge (good lesson there, methinks!). But other than that and having to wear shoes everyday, it wasn't a hard transition at all because he simply wanted to learn and wanted to do what needed to be done to learn it. Case closed. Peer pressure had no meaning for him. I asked him what it was like interacting with kids who were so much older and he said that it was simply a non-issue. He never gave it a thought! I wonder what the other kids thought of him, lol. He did say that the one thing he is looking forward to both in France and at a University when he returns, is being around people who actually care about their education and are interested in what they are learning. He said the apathy in community college was, well, pathetic. Can you imagine a 14 year old noticing that about 19 year olds? Coolio is all I can say to that. Way to go, A!

2 comments:

Meesh said...

I love hearing unschooling stories. It boosts my confidence tremendously. I can't tell you how often I silently worry about our lack of structure. That said, I love our lifestyle and everyone is learning.


I'm trying to remember your comment to me so I can respond- but I read it 10 minutes ago and it seems to have left my brain. I'm using my phone to post this- there's a button at the bottom this time so I can actually do it. hmmmm I wonder why you get to have your baseline at 40? I have no family history or anything. it wasn't awful- just uncomfy. and the results came came back NEG!!! Yipee!!! ok well Liv finally fell asleep so I can move to the real computer now and see what I forgot.

OMG I can't believe Greyson will be 1!!!!

G said...

I'm sorry we missed the park day - sounds like it was loads of fun! I too love unschooling stories - makes me really wonder if all the work I do getting work ready for CO is really necessary....

I can't believe it's only 9 days until Greyson's big birthday! And 23 days until my little guy is SIX. Where does it all go?