Sunday, 10 February 2008
Photo Challenge 6- Cherish
In honor of the calendar's theme for the week.........
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
Simplifying
In a quiet contemplation I realized a couple things: I am over complicating.
What that means to me is complicated, go figure.
In my search to find homeschool community I subscribed and became active in 3 local groups and a couple yahoo threads. I did this to test the waters, but I don't easily let go of things even when they are not working out. They are not working out. I jumped right in to planning and organizing and yada yada. In all but one group I was made to feel silly or excluded because my kid is only 3. All but one. Tag alongs that age and younger are welcome, but I don't have older kids so she's not a tag along and therefore not welcome? Huh?
So why do I keep going at it? Why not only go and pour energy into the one group that has always welcomed us with open arms? Why face the anxiety whenever this issue rears its head? Just to test myself? Bah. Release.
So, hopefully without burning bridges, I unsubscribed and downsized my profile on all but one group. I think it's the right choice for us and somewhere down the line maybe we'll step back in. The whole tag along logic thing is just too much for me to handle. It doesn't make sense. It is not fair. It is not "unschooly" group dynamic and I think that is the root of the problem for us. I just don't think Lil'Bug should be stuck with preschooler type activities if she is ready for more challenging learning. She's 3, but has mad verbal skills and can keep up with the 5-6 year olds. In playgroups that is who she plays with. I have a problem with age segregation on many different levels. It just seems so random, especially at that age where children all have varying skills and abilities and a brain spurt can happen overnight. Especially when we are life long learners and learning from life. I just don't feel welcomed in a group that doesn't welcome my child. I don't like that aspect of our society that separates our children from the world (and us) and designates things based on age instead of abilities.
I also have over complicated, perhaps defensively, my search for friendship. Instead of really making new connections and fostering them, I opted for group activities and hosting events. I think February and March will be a time for us to make more one on one play dates and really get to know people personally. This means, perhaps, that I should tidy the house up a bit. :) Lil'Bug prompted this by saying she doesn't want to just play, she wants to play with friends.
Then, what seems like out of the blue, I was asked to sit on a board for a homeschool advocacy/lobby group. Wow. I did serve on 3 statewide boards in my previous career and worked with non profits and marched our state capitol, etc. That's why I was asked, I'm sure. I know how it works and how to play the game. The thing is, I also know how much time it takes and how much time it takes away from my family. It is why I resigned from all the other advocacy work I did. However, this is important work and longterm. So this week, I am careful considering how that would factor with the baby on the way.
What that means to me is complicated, go figure.
In my search to find homeschool community I subscribed and became active in 3 local groups and a couple yahoo threads. I did this to test the waters, but I don't easily let go of things even when they are not working out. They are not working out. I jumped right in to planning and organizing and yada yada. In all but one group I was made to feel silly or excluded because my kid is only 3. All but one. Tag alongs that age and younger are welcome, but I don't have older kids so she's not a tag along and therefore not welcome? Huh?
So why do I keep going at it? Why not only go and pour energy into the one group that has always welcomed us with open arms? Why face the anxiety whenever this issue rears its head? Just to test myself? Bah. Release.
So, hopefully without burning bridges, I unsubscribed and downsized my profile on all but one group. I think it's the right choice for us and somewhere down the line maybe we'll step back in. The whole tag along logic thing is just too much for me to handle. It doesn't make sense. It is not fair. It is not "unschooly" group dynamic and I think that is the root of the problem for us. I just don't think Lil'Bug should be stuck with preschooler type activities if she is ready for more challenging learning. She's 3, but has mad verbal skills and can keep up with the 5-6 year olds. In playgroups that is who she plays with. I have a problem with age segregation on many different levels. It just seems so random, especially at that age where children all have varying skills and abilities and a brain spurt can happen overnight. Especially when we are life long learners and learning from life. I just don't feel welcomed in a group that doesn't welcome my child. I don't like that aspect of our society that separates our children from the world (and us) and designates things based on age instead of abilities.
I also have over complicated, perhaps defensively, my search for friendship. Instead of really making new connections and fostering them, I opted for group activities and hosting events. I think February and March will be a time for us to make more one on one play dates and really get to know people personally. This means, perhaps, that I should tidy the house up a bit. :) Lil'Bug prompted this by saying she doesn't want to just play, she wants to play with friends.
Then, what seems like out of the blue, I was asked to sit on a board for a homeschool advocacy/lobby group. Wow. I did serve on 3 statewide boards in my previous career and worked with non profits and marched our state capitol, etc. That's why I was asked, I'm sure. I know how it works and how to play the game. The thing is, I also know how much time it takes and how much time it takes away from my family. It is why I resigned from all the other advocacy work I did. However, this is important work and longterm. So this week, I am careful considering how that would factor with the baby on the way.
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
Friday, 8 February 2008
I missed it
I missed the Cloth Diaper Crowd's "garage sale". I am really bummed. I meant to go, I put it on my calendar, then the day came and went. Stupid calendar.
Really, what I wanted to do was see what was what. They have these fancy, just like disposables but you wash them, all in ones. Also, there are variations in between that and folded cloth squares. I just wanted to see and then maybe get some cheap diapers too. But, alas, I missed it.
Well, 4 more months to check it out!
Really, what I wanted to do was see what was what. They have these fancy, just like disposables but you wash them, all in ones. Also, there are variations in between that and folded cloth squares. I just wanted to see and then maybe get some cheap diapers too. But, alas, I missed it.
Well, 4 more months to check it out!
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
Every Last Darn Thing in The Universe is a Unit Study
Everything has a bit of everything in it. Every discipline is interlinked with every other in some way. Like the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. Maybe sometimes you have to stretch it, but not really.
Yes, my MA is Interdisciplanary Studies so I am a big fan of this idea.
Here goes a brief (very brief) explanation.....
Learning about a historical event/era:
History
Math- dates, statistics, maps
Science- depends on the event and could be chemistry, medical science, political science, psychology, agriculture, ect.
Reading- most documentation is in written form
Literature- related works
Start from the other end, a literary work:
The work itself, reading.
History- context of the author AND history of the era discussed/set
Science- again, depends on the selection. For example, a book set in the revolutionary war era could include all the previously mentioned sciences
Math- approach varies. With poetry, rhyme and meter. Economics and distribution if the book is a best seller. Statistics, maps, etc.
You could add architecture to just about anything. Or dinosaurs. Lil'Bug likes to add dinosaurs. :) And art. And physical activity. And theatre. And music. Oh and cooking! Do you get the idea?
So, this concept allows me to explore many things from many approaches. A couple months ago I read on a classical homeschooler's blog (scoured for hours to remember which one and provide a link, sorry!) that she couldn't figure out how to add science to her young boys' studies which is heavy on language and arts. I raised my eyebrows in wonderment when she came up with nature studies, drawings of wildlife, to satisfy this? That's a great idea, but so limiting! I mean, if you live and breathe you are walking science! If you eat. If you move. If you do anything at all, science is everything!
But so is math and history and architecture and and and.....
I am constantly seeing connections between disciplines, new ones everyday. My thesis involved art, architecture, history, politics, writing, psychology, sociology, city planning, anthropology, chemistry, math, maps, music, criminal justice, etc. That is why I had to go Interdisciplinary- my idea was to complex to limit, though ultimately I had to focus on three major ones to satisfy the committee. Thesis topic? One, solitary house on the National Register or Historic Places, the restoration of, the history of, and the people who lived in it.
So why limit learning? Why not embrace the complexity? Why not find that bit of passion that your kid has by exploring all angles of a thing, or at least more than one? I don't mean, create a formal unit study- instead just think about this concept when you start asking questions. Use those questions to fuel discussions.
Here are some links to make it interesting:
Strange maps. History, sociology, cartography, and art.
The science of cooking. Math, chemistry, etc
The history of food
Yes, my MA is Interdisciplanary Studies so I am a big fan of this idea.
Here goes a brief (very brief) explanation.....
Learning about a historical event/era:
History
Math- dates, statistics, maps
Science- depends on the event and could be chemistry, medical science, political science, psychology, agriculture, ect.
Reading- most documentation is in written form
Literature- related works
Start from the other end, a literary work:
The work itself, reading.
History- context of the author AND history of the era discussed/set
Science- again, depends on the selection. For example, a book set in the revolutionary war era could include all the previously mentioned sciences
Math- approach varies. With poetry, rhyme and meter. Economics and distribution if the book is a best seller. Statistics, maps, etc.
You could add architecture to just about anything. Or dinosaurs. Lil'Bug likes to add dinosaurs. :) And art. And physical activity. And theatre. And music. Oh and cooking! Do you get the idea?
So, this concept allows me to explore many things from many approaches. A couple months ago I read on a classical homeschooler's blog (scoured for hours to remember which one and provide a link, sorry!) that she couldn't figure out how to add science to her young boys' studies which is heavy on language and arts. I raised my eyebrows in wonderment when she came up with nature studies, drawings of wildlife, to satisfy this? That's a great idea, but so limiting! I mean, if you live and breathe you are walking science! If you eat. If you move. If you do anything at all, science is everything!
But so is math and history and architecture and and and.....
I am constantly seeing connections between disciplines, new ones everyday. My thesis involved art, architecture, history, politics, writing, psychology, sociology, city planning, anthropology, chemistry, math, maps, music, criminal justice, etc. That is why I had to go Interdisciplinary- my idea was to complex to limit, though ultimately I had to focus on three major ones to satisfy the committee. Thesis topic? One, solitary house on the National Register or Historic Places, the restoration of, the history of, and the people who lived in it.
So why limit learning? Why not embrace the complexity? Why not find that bit of passion that your kid has by exploring all angles of a thing, or at least more than one? I don't mean, create a formal unit study- instead just think about this concept when you start asking questions. Use those questions to fuel discussions.
Here are some links to make it interesting:
Strange maps. History, sociology, cartography, and art.
The science of cooking. Math, chemistry, etc
The history of food
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
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