June Flew By, A Visual Record of our Farm School

The number one request I get from readers is to explain, describe, somehow convey how we do school. We unschool. How can that possibly work?

It is all about relationship. Relationship and trust and respect are all at the core of how we learn and live. Everything after that comes freely. So we don't have school days. We don't set up hour blocks. We don't spend oodles of dollars on fancy packages of worksheets and books and we don't spend oodles of time talking about what learning systems and what packages work better than others. We can spend that time on the go.

We just do. We just go.

Just is such a tricky word, because things that are just something are never really that simple. I'm not just a mom and we don't just play.

My kids do chores with me, they explore their interests, they build things, they take apart things, they teach each other things, they observe, they paint, they play, they sing, they go! go! go!......

And randomly, always in context, they give us a window into all the things they are learning. Lily often gives tours of the farm and points out the various kinds of weeds and plants and their practical applications. We somehow got on the topic of linear mapping and Euclidean geometry and for days Lily pondered and puzzled out loud how 3 points could not form a triangle....that was incredibly amusing, until it frustrated her. Holly can put together ingredient combinations that are fantastic. She is five and taught herself how to play a trumpet and is now exploring scales. Isaac figured out the iTouch and has mastered five levels in Reading Raven (a K-2) reading program (he's 2 and nonverbal). These things just come along. We don't do table work. We don't drill facts. We walk, observe, cook, work create, and discuss together and in the world.

I could go on, but I think that a visual record will be the best introduction to our methods. Here is June:

5 Minute Easy Kid Lunch

This is the base of my easy kid lunch.

1 quart of meat broth. This one is chicken.
Add whatever scraps of unused frozen veggies are in the fridge. I had 1/4 a bag of broccoli, 1/4 bag of peas, and some carrots. Boil it up.
Add seasoning and salt.
Add whatever noodles are in the pantry. I like rice noodles.

If I add rice noodles, I'll call this ponyo noodles and add hard boiled eggs and ham slices.

If I add macaroni, I also melt some cheese into it

There are endless possibilities to use up odds and ends in the fridge and freezer. I have the kids help me pick out combinations and figure out what they think will taste good together. They chop, grate, and stir.

It still just takes 5-10 minutes from GO to table.

Sure it would be better to just make pizza bites or chicken goo nuggets, but yuck. Oh, I still sometimes whip out the pizza bites, don't get me wrong, but this is just so much better and encourages so many skills in the process. Good stuff, that.

And seriously, 5-10 minutes. Uses up scraps and leftovers. Nutritious. WIN!

Farm Update July 4, 2013

 

 

......and Isaac walked by himself and stood up without holding anything by himself.

This weekend, for those of you who cannot view the pictures:
Chad chopped down a dead ironwood tree. It fell on the chicken run. That was not intended. Then his chainsaw broke.

We had 300 bales of hay mowed and baled. Then it was a race to get it under cover before the storm hit. We failed. The above picture is our successful attempt to dry out the bales. Then we had to scramble to get those in before the next round of storms. Good gravy that was hard. You know, for Chad. It was actually pretty awesome to watch if you are standing in the shade with iced sweet tea. Just sayin'.

Then, THEN, we brought home a bottle calf! Susan is her name. She's a 1 month old red angus heifer. She is Lily's job.

Oh wait, there's more. Jessica and I cleaned out the garage. 

I got some peahens and named them Beyonce and Anastasia. Yes I did.

I made cream cheese stuffed peppers wrapped in cottage bacon and broiled. Twice.

I roasted a chicken.

Lily and I cleaned out the under cabinets in the kitchen and did all the dishes twice.

And Isaac walked and walked. We were all sitting around listing off all the hard work we each did, Chad, Mama, Lily, and Isaac......and Holly reminded us that she did not. She just played. Ha.

She actually said Ha!

Not actually true though. She played with Isaac, cleaned off the table, and helped with laundry. Silly wonderful girl.

Grandma and Grandpa got here yesterday and have been working hard too. Seriously awesome holiday so far.

So that is the update past shearing. We still have more to do. Tomorrow will be an epic laundry day. Yes, I know epic is an overused word, but y'all have not seen my laundry crisis. Seriously. Ha!

Happy 4th of July!

Recipe:
Peppers, split and cleaned out
Cream Cheese
Bacon (Cottage)

Stuff peppers with cream cheese.
Wrap with bacon.
Secure with toothpick
Broil until bacon is crispy

Surprise!

We've been busy this week, bringing in hay before it rains, re organizing the kitchen cabinets, and other stuff I will post about later. Farm work is hard.

Childhood is harder. Isaac is 2 and a half and has never had a day in therapy. He's dleayed in many gross and fine motor skills. Other families and children with similar delays are in daily or weekly Occupational, physical, and speech therapies. We've opted out for now.

Why? He makes progress on his own, on his own time. Many folks we talked to said their children blossomed when they took breaks or even quit therapy. That maybe therapies did less for the child than people thought, and more for the parents state of mind, the feeling like you have to be doing something.

We do something every day. It is called living. We play hard, we work hard, and we are very active and connected. I bought text books on the therapies and have no problem understanding them. I realize that this is not the case for many folks. I am not judging you or your choices. I could also see and justify to our specialists the many reasons we should keep doing what we are doing. We live rural. We'd have to drive 65 miles to the place to get private therapy. That much more time in the car could instead be spent playing outside, actually using the muscles we are trying to work. (I know there are government services that will come to our house, but the whole idea of that makes me upset and freaked out. I read too much sci-fi......, plus we are rural (limited services) and if we NEEDED that, there are better experts 65 miles away. I am willing to drive if it is necessary. In addition, we homeschool and if we get "in the system" they have to give us permission to homeschool. Not kidding.)

I created our own "therapy" gym in the living room. I did floor exercises with him. He gets to ride on a horse semi- regularly. Park day. Sunshine. Massage. Good nutrition.

Still, I could see over and over the pre-walking signs and skills. 2 months ago Isaac walked across the room to grandpa, turned around and then did it again!

Then he refused for the next month to stand or walk, even holding someone's hand. Slowing we got him to walk holding two hands, then last week he started doing it holding just one. He also insisted on walking like this all over the house. I was excited, but I also knew that we could be at this phase for a while, given his pattern of learning.

I was starting to doubt my plan. I was starting to think I have failed him. That maybe we should have him in orthotics and daily work at the child services facility 60 miles away. That all my theories about education and happiness and stress free play learning were bunk?

Then yesterday, he just walks into the room and yells, "MAMA!!" and claps his hands!

He spent all day walking the circle of our floor plan, walking back and forth outside on the flat bed trailer, and walking around the kitchen!

Of course he spent most of the night crying and refuses to even stand this morning. I am not sad. This is progress! This is fantastic progress. What we are doing is working. It is working not just for Isaac but for all of us. Just like with the hearing and ear surgery crisis, waiting, and working with longer acting natural options does work.

Happy works.