Unschooling?

After reading the comments from my last post, I am not sure what we have been doing can really be considered "unshooling". But since it lacks texts, seat work and an overall plan envisioned by me it resembles what I conceive "unschooling" to be. Summer Fae, I guess, stated it best as "relaxed schooling". What ever the word, that's what we are continuing to do, at least until next week.

I know I don't have the "trust" (isn't that terrible?) to let the picklets take their education into their own hands. I really hate to admit that, it breaks my heart. The days would be filled with Pokemon, Yughio, casting spells, jumping on the trampoline and rough housing. Nothing, that I perceive as learning, would get done. Granted I do believe that there is logic and math in the Pokemon and Yughio games. Looking up spells on the computer, copying and pasting would be considered computer skills. Jumping on the trampoline is practicing gymnastics and rough housing could be considered PE. But, I fear my kids just won't learn the basics (math and spelling). They lack focus. Might be the way they are built, our parenting technique or sheer laziness. However it came about, they lack focus.

That being said, here is what we did on our "relaxed/eclectic/unschooling" day yesterday:

• We went on a nature walk: found a bird skull and downy feather

• the picklets looked at the "natural wonders" they found under the microscope: this is what a redish yellow leaf looks like under the scope
• Chip worked on the map he is making of our town
• Dill continued reading Harry Potter
• Chip started reading Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp
• Sweet checked her email and wrote in her blog
• practiced piano
• Dill and Sweet practiced the recorder
• went to the library, got books, played on computer (Neopets)
• jumped on the trampoline
• Dill and Chip practiced casting spells and looked for new wands that "called" to them
• daily chores
• worked on the Think! project
• Dill sketched an apple
• watched Vice Presidential debate
• Dill make campaign posters for his candidate
• talked about our lack of focus, behavior, attitude and steps to changing the parts that need to be changed

Sweet snapped this picture of corn roots

While walking through the park Gracie found a squirrel

© 2008 Wicked Pickles-Homefront Lines