Love it!!!

"I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built upon the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think. Whereas, if the child is left to himself, he will think more and better, if less showily. Let him go and come freely, let him touch real things and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting indoors at a little round table, while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of coloured paper, or plant straw trees in bead flower-pots. Such teaching fills the mind with artificial associations that must be got rid of, before the child can develop independent ideas out of actual experience." -- Anne Sullivan

So very true.

A Video From Charlotte Iserbyt.

An interesting video from someone on the inside;) Government education is not benign. Government should not control 'education'. Why, as Americans, have we rolled over and allowed a group of 'experts' with something other than our children's well-being in mind, tell us what we need to learn and when? Their tactics are subtle and dangerous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyDtYy2I0M&feature=player_embedded

Ok, here is another video, though a bit dramatic, it gives a short history of compulsory government-run education. It has some good quotes, and you may find yourself dancing:)) I wonder why we haven't thought of this before. Why could we not set up our own schools, teaching how we would like...Tell me what is so wrong with that idea, and why we are so concerned about what the government wants us to do??? We are, in fact, raising children who cannot think for themselves. They are materialistic and selfish. They are incubated for hours on end in a building devoid of 'real life'. But that is just my take....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uexMYBkfCic&NR=1

A John Gatto Essay or Speech...not really sure which one:)

Here is a link to a speech or essay from John Gatto. winner of the New York State Teacher of the Year award. Very interesting and thought-provoking. I have a lot of thoughts on the current state of public education, but others have already explained it much better than I could at this moment. It is pretty long, but worth the read. Let me know what you think....

http://www.newciv.org/whole/schoolteacher.txt

A Much Needed Update...

So, it is time to update:) I have yet to figure out this picture deal on blogger. Anyway, life was puttering along nicely when I was struck low by a case of Mastitis. This caused a severe standstill, but we are slowly recovering. I wanted to share a few pictures. E is helping mommy re landscape the maple out front:)

Here A is holding a slug:) He loves playing in the dirt and helping mommy.

This one is of C helping scrape the dirt from a landscaping block.

Our yard is slowly but surely taking shape. Luckily, I have some of the best helpers around. This is a short update, but I gotta go to bed:)) Thanks for reading!

A Clear 'Definition' of Unschooling

http://www.naturalchild.com/guest/earl_stevens.html

If you cannot get to the page, let me know.

A Quote....

"What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge,
not knowledge in pursuit of the child."

- George Bernard Shaw

A Title Should Go Here:))

I thought I would update the blog to clear my mind.   Doing a sort of unschooling approach to learning takes some getting used to...I still struggle with how to keep records, but a plan is formulating....This relaxed form of 'education' has brought so much relief to my life.  I forgot how much fun learning can be, and the kids respond much better when they are allowed to play and explore.    

This is a queen's thrown built by C, complete with curly, sparkly things from a bouquet of flowers she had gotten when she was sick.

Before I forget, I want to share a cute quote from C.  I asked her what kind of things she was interested in or wanted to know about so I could get a book for her at the library.

Me: "So, what do you like to do?"

C: Quick response, "Math."

Me: "What do you think about?" Trying to get more results....

C: "You being pretty."

How cute is she!

Here is a picture of Daddy and E discussing the fascinating world of gears.  E LOVES to know how things work.  The book they are using is The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay.  It is full of pictures and descriptions on a wide array of machines.

Puzzle time!  My kids love puzzles.  I like this one because it is all kinds of magical, and you can rub the shadowy parts to reveal a secret.  For example, swords, kitties, or magical books:)  Sadly, we are missing a piece.

We got the kids some really cool wooden blocks from Toys r Us a while back..This is just something that E and I had built...Blocks can keep kids occupied for hours!!!  The round red block is to be rolled down the hill through the "gate" at the end.  We also got to look at cool bridges around the world via the Internet.

Here is another view of the block road thingy.
On Wednesday, I finally let the kids get out the play dough.  This makes my heart race because of the chaotic mess it can make.  I remind myself to let it dry then it can be vacuumed:)  They spent literally hours, maybe 3...playing with this stuff!  Of course, C loves to mix colors:)

Today, we are making a trip to the library.  I have not really gotten out of the house with all of the kids during the day.  I am trying to get used to getting out more because I think the kids need the 'world'.  

We are currently reading The Sugarbush Family by Miriam E. Mason.  It is about a family that makes a living by harvesting syrup from maple trees.  As a result, we are getting books from the library about maple syrup.  Also, on Saturday, we get to have pancakes with real maple syrup.  I would not normally spend so much money, but it is all in the name of learning:)

We have yet to leave the house, but the morning has been fun.  E decided she wanted to do a yoga video, and C slept late (That kids LOVES to sleep), A is carrying around a car and watching Wall-E on Roku.  Little E, my baby boy, is piddling around the living room with blocks.  I am thinking about exercising, but I would love to nap!  Anyway, we will see how the day goes....Thanks for reading.