Learn In Freedom

New blog

2005-03-01T13:00:00.002-08:00

I am ending this blog as there have been some spyware issues on blogger. You can view my new blog here... bellablue

This will showcase arts & crafty stuff I'm working on but will also have personal commentary and lots about the kids too. What I love about the new site is the photo album feature... way cool!

Reading

2005-02-24T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well, Ella completely floored me this afternoon. We got a new book, borrowed from Memere, and after reading her a story from it we came upon another story with super basic sentences, typed pretty big on the page. She started sounding out the words and READ THEM!!!!!!!! So being the skeptic that I am I pulled out this ancient "phonics" type book I have that has *no pictures* and I asked her if she could tell me the words. She did really well! She actually was able to sound out quite a few... like CAN, I'M, MAD, SAD, WIN, etc etc. It'll be so fun when she can read to Tula (and to Mama and Papa!)

Girls day out

2005-02-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

I woke this morning with a bit of a dark cloud around me... its my fault for staying up too late watching stupid TV, "My Super Sweet 16", MTV's ridiculous show about ultra-rich (and spoiled) girls having the "ultimate" sweet 16. I couldn't help myself... its like watching a train wreck. You don't want to look but can't help it!

Anyway, back to the dark cloud. I got mad at Ella for throwing about 35 books in a huge pile on the floor for the UMPTEENTH time. I felt bad and decided I needed to turn things around. So, after talking to Amanda I decided I needed to go buy these ultra-cool wooden booster seats instead of the $200 Stokke chairs I really wanted. So I called up my mom and asked if she wanted some company... "Yes". So, we went to Memere's for the day. It ended up being great!

We went out to eat, the four girls. We stuffed ourselves silly and then went shopping briefly. Got the goods, as Ella would say, and then went back to Memere's. She played with the girls while I ran to the art store to stock up on painting paper which we had run out of. I also got some clay, tracing paper for my sewing patterns and a rad car air freshener. Oh, and a way-cool "Emily" magnet.

At 4 we headed home. In attempt to keep the girls awake I broke into "Old MacDonald had a ____________ (fill in the blank)" and we were all laughing hysterically when Old MacDonald had a "boss" with a "GET ME MILK!" here and a "PLAY WITH ME" there, etc etc. (Ella's idea).

It ended up being a fabulous day... now lets hope those sweet girls fall asleep EARLY so Papa and I can reconnect and watch a new Netflix movie! They are BOTH exhausted and acting it!

Like father, like...

2005-02-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

Daughter?!?!?! Here's the pair preparing to shave. Notice the lovely turquoise "plastic" tiles in the background. Will they ever be demolished?

Help!

2005-02-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

Its amazing what one can do when relieved of their parenting duties for a few hours! My house, which has been making me CRAZY with its clutter and messiness for MONTHS now is finally looking EXACTLY the way I want it - clean & simple. My sweet cousin is on school vacation and has come over to play with the girls for 3-5 hours the past two days. I can't begin to tell you how amazing this has been. I've been able to tackle clutter that has been lying here since we moved in. You can actually see the office floor now! And the bedroom doesn't have clothes thrown all over eveything! The livingroom, dininroom & kitchen have never looked so clean!

And thank you to the genius who invented light-therapy! I've been sitting in front of an Apollo GoLite P1 for a week now and I'm actually able to make it through the day HAPPY and calm! And I'm sleeping MUCH more soundly! I even see a transformation in the girls - perhaps its my improved disposition?

Anyway... things are looking up and after seeing a tree full of about 40 robins today, I can only hope that SPRING is right around the corner!!!!! YAY!

New Look

2005-02-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

I scored some fabulous fabric today at a local liquidation store and I'm psyched to start making some summer clothes for the kiddos and maybe their dollies as well. I need to get that sewing table from my dad so I can have a permanant place for my machine. I've found its much too disruptive to pull it out on the diningroom table when we actually have family meals there every night.

Well, the clock ticks, the kids are in bed and Dave is waiting downstairs... I think its time to go conquer HALO! Yeeha!

Winter BLAH

2005-02-12T05:27:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling like a blog failure these days. Amanda, sweet friend, you have inspired to me to get busy with it. See Amanda's blog here... http://soulemama.blogspot.com/

I don't know if its the winter blues or stress from living in a half-done house but I feel only motivated to clean and keep my environment neat and organized these days... a HUGE feat with two small children and a teenager who like to tear it up, play ball in the house, leave food everywhere, etc. I'm tired. Oh so tired.

Just as it felt like spring was in the air (I know, it was WAY too early to even have hope) we got hit with a HUGE storm that had to arrive right in the midst of a family stomach flu. So I had to drag my weak ass out to shovel so my sweet husband could lay in bed and recover, as he was the latest victim. Well, the snow was almost 2 feet high and HEAVY and I thought I would never make it back inside.

And then I have all these worries in the back of my mind... I need to get those EBAY packages out PRONTO! What bills are due? Which ones take priority? Will we ever get the kids room done? Will we ever have our crown mold, baseboard, entertainment center, hallway, office, bathrooms, DONE?

And then Tula is in her toddler hitting, biting, kicking phase. And, oh, how she loves to attack her big sister who loves to get in her face. Ella is bored to tears and enjoys ripping into EBAY boxes, tearing all the stuff we haven't unpacked OUT onto the attic floor, etc. And then there is Doc who is in his teenage aloof apathetic phase. Oh, how I remember that well! Oh how I miss being able to go in my room and shut out the world for awhile. However, I feel jipped! How come we never had AIM?! (as in AOL Instant Messenger). Oh, how my life would have been different!

I look forward to spring. We will build a playground in the backyard and have a sand box! YAY!!! We can finally put those cool Magic Cabin sand toys to good use!

Sledding Fun - a photo essay

2005-01-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

After a fun night of sledding we had to go back for more! I'll let the pictures do the talking...
First is Ella on our way...

Next is Doc on the Snow Jack he got from Uncle Bill for XMAS...

Dave & Doc wipe out!

Ella tries out the tube...

Tula & Papa

Doc!

My birthday girl!!!

2004-12-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Ella is 5 today! I remember the night she was born. It was a warm December evening (warm enough for sweaters outside) and right before she was born a great wind arrived and departed shortly after she was born! She was born at home in a tub of warm water (with Dave holding me) and she did not make a peep. She just laid on my chest looking grumpy. I was the happiest mother in the world at that very moment!

Here she is opening her gifts! A very happy girl, indeed!

Mindful Parenting

2004-11-27T05:55:00.000-08:00

I'm reading this incredible book right now... "Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting" by Myla & Jon Kabat-Zinn. Right now I'm in the descriptive part of mindfulness, and I quote... "Mindfulness means moment-to-moment non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over time as best we can. In the process we become more in touch with life as it is unfolding."

Being more mindful is something I have been striving for for awhile and this book is exactly what I needed for some solid information. I know some things are not working for us. For example - imposing "external" consequences for behavior that may push "my" buttons. An example of a previous button-pusher - one of the kids would completely unravel a roll of toilet paper. I used to feel a lot of anger about this and would "take something" (like TV) from my child as a "consequence". Well. In the scheme of things, what is so bad about unravelling a roll of toilet paper? A roll costs $1.00. Is $1.00 really worth "punishing" the kids for being curious? Maybe they want to explore what its like to unroll the stuff! Why do we see that curiosity as being "bad"? I now let the kids unravel all the toiletpaper they want. My main focus now with the kids is to teach them to have compassion for others and to treat people with kindness & generosity. This does not come overnight!! I imagine its something I will be striving for their whole young lives.

I don't want to be the kind of parent who yells (unless I'm yelling at them to get out of the road when a car is quickly approaching). I want to love and honor my children so they can grow up feeling whole and loved and respected.

I just read "Karma Kids: Answering Everyday Parenting Questions With Buddhist Wisdom" by Greg Holden, another wonderful book. The basic premise is to "focus" attention on your kids, encourage respect for living things & become a better listener. His seven precepts for household behaviour are...

1.Do not kill any living creature (yes, that includes insects!)
2.Do not steal
3.Do not lie
4.Clean up before you move on
5.Do not hit
6.No name-calling
7.Be generous

He talks about accepting your kids (and YOURSELF) as being who they (you) are at any given moment. A big mistake they make does not define who they are for life. An F on their report card does not last "forever". And an "F" doesn't always (or usually) measure their amount of knowledge, but often reflects what may be going on for them at home, or with peers or maybe they are just bored in class.

Anyway, if we learn to accept our own faults I imagine it will be much easier to accept the perceived faults of our children.

Quote of the day: The very fact that we are a parent is continually asking us to find and express what is most nourishing, most loving, most wise and caring in ourselves, to be, as much as we can, our best selves. - Kabat-Zinn"

The Nutcracker Ballet

2004-11-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today Ella and I attended the Nutcracker Ballet in Portland. The costumes and dancing were fabulous. The commentary was not. The performance was "edited" for a school showing (we went with our homeschool group - the cost was only $3.50 a person). So, of course, someone decided it would be a more teachable moment if an adult got on stage and "explained" the story for the kids. She made lots of really dumb jokes and basically "talked down" to the audience, which was 95% kids. Luckily the beauty of the set, the costumes and the talent of the dancers made up for it but I would really like to take Ella to the actual performance. I would love for her to take in the magic of the story without having to be told what is going on in every scene.

So, while I sat there I realized I want to do some serious research into costume design. Ella is fascinated by costumes and her enthusiasm has sparked my own interest. Finding high quality costumes for children is nearly impossible so I am on a mission to make her some with beautiful and natural materials.

Ella was inspired by the dancing. The first thing she did when she got home was put on a tutu and dance around the house. Perhaps if the interest continues we will have to look into finding someone to teach her dance, as I know little about it. As for costumes, I have enough of a passion to pursue that with her.

As for tomorrow... we're hunting for our Nutcracker CD, which is packed away, so we can really get into the spirit!

Quote of the day: "No use to shout at them to pay attention. If the situations, the materials, the problems before the child do not interest him, his attention will slip off to what does interest him, and no amount of exhortation of threats will bring it back. --John Holt

Rant (may be offensive to some)

2004-11-18T19:00:00.000-08:00

When you have small children it seems like every time you go out in public your child is innundated with questions about school. "Do you go to school?", "Why aren't you in school?", "Oh, you must be in kindergarten!", etc etc. Well one such conversation happened last night between Ella and the couple sitting next to us in a restaurant. It went something like this...

Man: "Are you in school?"
Ella: "I'm not going to go to school. I'm being homeschooled."
Woman: "How will you have any friends?"
Ella: "I already have friends"
Woman: "Oh, you will WANT to go to school someday!"

Ella then looks at me to rescue her from the situation. Quite frankly I was steamed by this point. I explained to Ella that some people "just don't get it". The "How will they have any friends" remark is what most people want to know when you make the decision to homeschool, how will your child be socialized. Well, I seem to recall being told by teachers on several occassions "You are not here to socialize!"

Socialization is exactly the reason I WANT to homeschool my kids! What's so fabulous about socializing in school? The cliques? The age segregation? The "us against them" attitude (regarding parents and teachers) that is so prevelant today. What is so great about being in a class with 20 other kids your own age? Where in "real life" are you ever in a group of 20 other people your own age for 6 hours a day? I want my kids to get some "real life" socialization... playing with, working with, talking with people of all ages, from caring for infants to listening to stories of the elderly. Isn't that what life is (and should be) about?

As for friends... I think its fine to have one or two close friends and there are always aquaintences in one's life. A friend doesn't have to be your own age but it can be. We are "with" others when we attend family gatherings, have playdates with friends, go to museums, playgrounds, the beach, etc. We communicate with others pretty much everywhere we go! My kids are being socialized out in the real world - not in the "surreal" world called school.

End of rant.... for now! :)

Quote of the day: Grades are for meat and eggs, not children.

Nights like this

2004-11-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

Was it a full moon? Was it the mussels we all ate for dinner? What possessed us to have one of the BEST nights with the kids ever?!?! After dinner we somehow got into this hilarious game of chase all through the downstairs. Papa donned his scariest (and funniest) monster face and slithered all over the floor while the kids ran by him laughing hysterically. Even I was on the floor laughing! The neighbors undoubtedly heard screams of laughter coming from Ella who was, by far, having the most fun of all! Well, maybe that's a toss up between her and Papa! So the girls were twirled, flipped, tickled, wrestled, chased, etc until I thought they could not go on. Well, I was wrong!

Somehow we all ended up in basement. Papa started playing drums (he set up his kit this weekend) and Ella went wild dancing all over the basement. Tula found an old wire and used it played drums too. Ella decided it was Papa's turn to dance so she had a seat and started drumming out a rhythm Dave had taught her over the weekend. Dave did a hilarious dance that had us all laughing again!

We ended the evening with some quiet time on the livingroom floor watching Tom & Jerry. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all days could end like this?

Quote of the day: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire" -Yeats

Felt Board

2004-11-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

We made a felt board today... Here it is! We used wool blend felt from JoAnn Fabrics and from an EBAY seller that sells Waldorf art supplies. We decided on a Christmas theme and Ella and I made a list of what to include. I then cut the items out to Ella's specifications. It was such a fun project that we are brainstorming new ideas for other themes. Our next one will be autumn.

Origami & imaginative play

2004-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today we turned off the TV early and Ella got into playing dolls. I sat at the diningroom table and started doing some origami. Ella's curiosity was piqued and she joined me and Tula (who was drawing in her highchair). Ella did her first origami folds and made a dog face and a cat face! She followed directions and needed little assistance to complete them. She and I were both really excited by the outcome! She then decided to make some puppets with the origami paper and some glue. She made the cat into a puppet and made a wizard puppet with a blue hat that had gold stars on it.

After Tula went down for a nap I read Ella the story "Children of the Stars" by Freddie Langeler. She was really taken with the star children and decided to create a makeshift costume that was very similar to the outfits the characters had. She donned some tights, a flower costume and a hat, she put me in her silk play skirt and a hat that matched hers and we carried around chinese lanterns and pretended we were the star children. We spread a blanket in the middle of the floor (which represented the clouds) and fished with yarn, then cooked the fish (plastic doll boots) in an overturned floor tom drum. The drum then became the angry moon who ordered the star children back to the sky as daylight was approaching.

When we grew tired of that game she went back to playing with the dolls and I sat and poured over some magazines looking for Christmas decorating and gift making ideas. Tula woke up and I spent some time with her (she's had a rough week of clinginess) and then did some cleaning before Dave came home. When he came home I cooked and he chased the girls throughout the whole downstairs (and they chased him!)

A day in the life...

2004-11-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

Today we awoke early, thanks to Tula, who had decided she had been sleeping long enough! We went down stairs and were able to spend some time with Papa before he had to leave for work. Seeing him in the morning is always a treat!

So anyway, we started the day with some cartoons on Noggin. Gotta love commercial-free kids TV! We wrapped it up with Tom & Jerry and then had some breakfast. By 9:30 we were getting ready to start the day. (I'm not a morning person!) Tula was obviosuly exhausted so I rocked her to sleep and then Ella and I put on a kid's CD "Ralph's World" & then Buckwheat Zydeco's "Choo Choo Bugaloo" and danced around the whole downstairs together. Dancing in the kitchen has turned ino a ritual for us - usually at dinner time. Its so much fun!

After our dance fest, we "cooked" up some strawberry tarts, rolls & muffins in her wooden play kitchen. I was the mama who handed her what she needed and she was the daughter who mixed ingredients and cooked the food.

We then worked on our LEGO castle. Its not one of those pre-made LEGO castles you can buy, it is being built from various sets from our own imagination. Ella decided to incorporate some Playmobile people as Harry Potter & his friends. The castle is where they go to escape the monsters and dragons.

At this point I needed to take care of some house stuff so she donned her fairy wings and created a fairy house with two chairs, a blanket & her dolls. Tula woke up and joined her. They played with that for an hour or son and then we had a late lunch.

Ella is now playing with her matchbox cars & parking garage & Tula's exploring every nook & cranny of the house (as usual). I'm off to clean the hallway before Doc comes home for the weekend! Au revoir!

Election Results

2004-11-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

We are very unhappy about the way the election went and are very worried about the next four years. While I am thrilled that John Kerry got more votes than Reagan and other past presidents is was not enough. My guess is that Bush won because he & his administration love to create a climate of "fear" in our country (fear of the enemy) and when people are scared, they don't think straight. Anyway, the following (reprint) sums up some reasons to look on the brighter side.

Subject: 17 Reasons Not to Slit Your Wrists...by Michael Moore

11/5/04

Dear Friends,

Ok, it sucks. Really sucks. But before you go and cash it all in, let's, in the words of Monty Python, 'always look on the bright side of life!' There IS some good news from Tuesday's election.

Here are 17 reasons not to slit your wrists:

1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.

2. Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

3. The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was young adults (Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that your parents are always wrong and you should never listen to them.

4. In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think the country is headed in the wrong direction (56%), think the war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and don't approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (52%). (Note to foreigners: Don't try to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)

5. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate. If the Democrats do their job, Bush won't be able to pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if the Democrats do their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch this one.

6. Michigan voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the birthplace of our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States. And the whole West Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've got most of the fresh water, all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens. We can dehydrate them or bury them in lava. And no more show tunes!

7. Once again we are reminded that the buckeye is a nut, and not just any old nut -- a poisonous nut. A great nation was felled by a poisonous nut. May Ohio State pay dearly this Saturday when it faces Michigan.

8. 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years, America will no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't such a long time! If you're ten years old and reading this, your golden years will be truly golden and you will be well cared for in your old age.

9. Gays, thanks to the ballot measures passed on Tuesday, cannot get married in 11 new states. Thank God. Just think of all those wedding gifts we won't have to buy now.

10. Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress, including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always good to have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the job our candidates can't.

11. The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink up!

12. Admit it: We like the Bush twins and we don't want them to go away.

13. At the state legislative level, Democrats picked up a net of at least 3 chambers in Tuesday's elections. Of the 98 partisan-controlled state legislative chambers (house/assembly and senate), Democrats went into the 2004 elections in control of 44 chambers, Republicans controlled 53 chambers, and 1 chamber was tied. After Tuesday, Democrats now control 47 chambers, Republicans control 49 chambers, 1 chamber is tied and 1 chamber (Montana House) is still undecided.

14. Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater moment than the one he's having this week. It's all downhill for him from here on out -- and, more significantly, he's just not going to want to do all the hard work that will be expected of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th grade -- you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat the
next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more time at the ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he? He's already proved his point, avenged his father and kicked our ass.

15. Should Bush decide to show up to work and take this country down a very dark road, it is also just as likely that either of the following two scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't ever need to pander to the Christian conservatives again to get elected, someone may whisper in his ear that he should spend these last four years building "a legacy" so that history will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push for too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become so cocky and arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit a blunder of such major proportions that even his own party will have to remove him from office.

16. There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports analogies are coming!!!

17. Finally and most importantly, over 55 million Americans voted for the candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's more than the total number of voters who voted for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore. Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan. If the media are looking for a trend it should be this -- that so many Americans were, for the first time since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has always been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news is that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal. In fact, that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream media, the ones who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report the real truth about November 2, 2004. In fact, it's better that they don't. We'll need the element of surprise in 2008.

Feeling better? I hope so. As my friend Mort wrote me yesterday, "My Romanian grandfather used to say to me, 'Remember, Morton, this is such a wonderful country -- it doesn't even need a president!'"

But it needs us. Rest up, I'll write you again tomorrow.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com

Halloween

2004-11-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Halloween! We didn't carve our pumpkins until the afternoon. Then the girls got into their costumes. Ella wore a vintage, handmade Strawberry Shortcake costume, Tula wore her Oilily snowsuit which is red wool with bobbles and a green hat. She was a strawberry. Memere & Grampie came and passed out candy as they haven't had more than a few trick-or-treaters in the past several years. Memere was dressed as a witch and sat in our front window scaring the neighborhood kids! Ella scored with the candy and Dave and I just enjoyed getting a glimpse into all of our neighbor's goregous homes! My goal for next year is to do more decorating but with handmade decorations. The coolest decorations we saw were at this English Tudor home a few blocks from us. The woman had made these crosses with raw lumber (for the body) and had created ghosts from sheets onto them. It was so eery and I loved that they were not store-bought.

Happy Birthday Doc!!!!!

2004-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the birthday boy! Fourteen!!!! (And yes, the picture is supposed to be upside down... he took it himself!)

Sick girl

2004-10-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Its been a long couple of days... Ella's been sick with a mysterious illness. It started with a fever (she is prone to high fevers after traumatic events - I thought it might be the move) but now it seems like it could be a migraine or something. She has pounding temples and is exhausted. She will get a few short bursts of energy (she usually has lots of energy) but then collapses in a heap on the couch. She says her temples feel like they are being pounded by hammers. I am really hoping she will be better soon. There is a lot I would like to do with her before Halloween.

I have pulled some stuff out for our nature table. We have a box of Kathe Kruse autumn children, some candles and a silk. I would also like to take some strolls through the neighborhood to look for any other treasures Ella & Tula might want to add - pinecones, leaves, acorns - any sign of fall we can find. I would personally love to stumble upon some chestnuts! Then we need to carve our pumpkin and roast the seeds! We need to bake a cake for Doc's birthday. So much to do in the next couple of weeks!

Unschooling Resources

2004-10-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Want more info on unschooling? Here is a list of some of the best resources...

•Any book by John Holt
-Teach Your Own
-Learning All the Time
-How Children Learn
-How Children Fail
-Freedom & Beyond
-Instead of Education
-Never Too Late (and more)
•Back issues of Growing Without Schooling (now out of print)
•The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School & Get a Real Life & Education by Grace Llewellyn
•Guerrilla Learning by Grace Llewellyn
•Real Lives: Eleven Teenagers Who Don't Go to School by Grace Llewellyn
•Deschooling Our Lives by Matt Hern
•Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto (former NY State Teacher of the Year)
•The Unschooling Handbook: Using the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom by Mary Griffith
•Better Than School: One Family's Declaration of Independence by Nancy Wallace
•Child's Work: Taking Children's Choices Seriously by Nancy Wallace
•Live Free, Learn Free Magazine
•Life Learning Magazine
•Live & Learn Unschooling Conference (held annually)

Most of these books can be found at http://www.fun-books.com/

Giving kids freedom

2004-10-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about "freedom" lately and how it pertains to our children and to learning. Should kids be given freedom to live their lives the way they want to? Should kids be forced to abide by "rules"? Can a person really be forced or are they making a personal choice to "abide by the rules"? I have a child who doesn't like to be controlled and she is teaching me a lot about life and trust. Do I want to be a parent who enforces rules or a parent who teaches principles?

As a society, most parents place a lot of rules on our kids -
•You have a set bedtime
•No dessert until after supper
•You may only watch TV/ play videogames for this alloted time each day
•No candy!
•Clean your room!
•Do your homework
•You HAVE to wear a coat or you'll catch a cold!
•Don't climb around on that or you'll get hurt
•You have to kiss Uncle "X" goodbye
etc, etc.

What would happen if we let our kids go to bed when their bodies were tired?
What if we let them eat what they want, when they were hungry?
What if we trusted that they were learning something while watching TV/ playing videogames? What if we embraced this passion!?
What if we let them eat all the candy they wanted? Is that all they would eat?!
What if we let them keep their personal space the way they like it - messy or not?
What if we didn't force homework but let the responibilty lie on them (if they are schooled, that is)?
What if we let *them* figure out that they might feel cold when they don't wear a coat (and hand them one when they realize it?)
What if we "trust" in them while they are trying a new physical feat and be there to catch them when they fall instead of projecting on them that they will?
What if Uncle "X" is a creep?

Would all hell break loose? Or would we have less family turmoil and happier kids and parents? Who makes up these rules? Why should we live by them? Why do we want to be like everyone else? What if giving kids freedom to be themselves creates a truly unique and happy individual who never works a job they hate but always chooses to do what they love in life?

Perhaps if we trusted our kids to make good choices, choices that are right for them at any moment, and we taught (by example) living by principles, they would blossom into beautiful human beings. They already are beautiful human beings. I don't believe our society really respects kids as individuals. I think we need to. Kids are not inherently bad. They act out negative situtions in their lives - usually because they are being coerced or disrepected.

We don't, as a society, treat our kids the way we would treat a good friend (or even an aquaintance). We force them to say "Please, Thank You, Sorry" whether they mean it or not, instead of modeling thankfulness or remorse for hurting another. Imagine another adult "reminding" you for the umpteenth time to say "Thank You" when you may have forgotten (because lets face it, we all forget sometimes). How many times have you seen a child hurt another child and be forced to say "I'm sorry"? Did the child seem to say it with meaning? I can tell you from experience that it wasn't until I stopped "telling" Ella to say "sorry", that she actually started saying it and meaning it.

We need to give kids love and respect and understand that what they choose for themselves may not be what we would have chosen for them. THEY ARE THEIR OWN UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL AND ITS OUR JOB TO LOVE THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE!!!!!!

We're baaaackkk......

2004-10-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well, that was quick! Now if we only had email! I'll hopefully be getting hooked up with that tomorrow after I contact customer service! It feels so good to be back online!

Anyway, its been a crazy week of moving (thanks to all who helped!) and unpacking, settling, etc. We got our granite yesterday. Its gorgeous!! Pictures to come soon! Dave installed all of the crown in the kitchen (also gorgeous!) I feel so blessed to have my dream kitchen and I know I could never have had it had my husband done something else for a living!

So today we got cable, phone & internet. Ella and I watched a great show on the NASA channel about how astronauts eat, sleep, bathe, use the bathroom, play, etc in space. She was fascinated by the fact that they were "flying" (zero gravity). Later Ella helped Papa mow the lawn and Tula and I did some more unpacking.

We're now getting ready to take a bath. I better go before Tula starts throwing my favorite unschooling books in the tub like she did a couple of weeks ago!

And we're off!

2004-10-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

See you in a few weeks when we, once again, have internet access!!

Two more days!

2004-10-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Only two more days until we move! We spent the day at the house getting some things wrapped up before Saturday. Dave installed the face frames & drawers in the kitchen as well as the pendant lights. Its looking great! I unpacked a bunch of kitchen stuff and got it put away so our move should go smoothly at least where "eating" is concerned!! Granite will be in on Monday.

The kids played & Ella helped drill & install hardware & helped me organize a couple of drawers. Her & Tula played dolls and colored for awhile. Then Tula napped for a couple hours. When she woke up we went back home and visited with Memere and her new dog, Norton.

I'm off to pack. I cannot wait to get my bookshelf in so I have some books to read to the kids again! They've been packed for a couple of weeks, some for a couple of years! I feel like we've been living in limbo for months now! I'm anxious to feel settled.

Common Ground Country Fair

2004-10-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

The weather was PERFECT for this years 2004 Common Ground Country Fair . Dave, Doc, Ella, Tula & I went this year - our first outing as a family in months! We got there at noon, parked and went to explore.

We got quite the education within the first few minutes of being there! We needed to use the bathroom and were waiting in line to use a porta-potty when a truck pulls up and two guys pump the potty out, throw a bucket of chemicals into it, scrub it all down and replenish the toiletries in about 3 minutes flat! So THAT'S how they do it!!!! It was very fascinating to the kids and us both!

So then we were off to meet friends in the kids area. We found them and decided to go check out the sheep herding. There were a couple of Border Collies herding those sheep all over the place to the command of the farmer. The fun part was when they had about 5 kids herd the sheep!! The sheep were running in all different directions while the kids chased them throughout the pen. It was great! Once the sheep were all herded into their pen we decided to get some food.

There were lots of choices for food this year but, WOW, the prices were insane! The food was generally organic. There was Indian & Chinese cuisine, Pie Cones, whole wheat fried dough, organic icecream, wraps, organic burgers, organic drinks, and much more! I settled on some Chinese dumplings (shared with Ella and Tula), Dave had some chowder (that he devoured) and Doc nibbled on the fried dough and a smoothie.

Next we visited the Social Action tents - LOTS of political booths this year - none on education or birthing that I could find. I was disappointed. In the past Midwives of Maine & several alternative schools and homeschool organizations had booths set up.

We ended the day with the Children's Parade... Ella was a beansprout, Tula a blueberry. By this point the kids were exhausted and we hadn't even gotten to the animals yet! We never did!

What we've been up to...

2004-10-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

It has been a BUSY fall this year! We are almost done with downstairs renovations on our home and will be moving in this weekend. Its been a stressful month (or should I say 8 months!?) with all of the preparations for moving and the extensive work we've had to do on our house, but we've still made time for fun!

The girls and I have been to 4 seal releases this summer, my favorite being a release of 16 harbor seal pups last week! The girls (and I) had so much fun! We went early and Ella & Tula played in the water, Ella swung seaweed around her head like a lasso, climbed the rocks, looked for seaglass, etc. We talked about the seals and how when we move I will dig out our book about "Andre", the seal, to read to them. One of the seals wasn't too sure about going "back home" so he lingered on the shore for about a half hour before finally swimming away to freedom. For more info visit, Marine Animal Lifeline's Pupdate

Our unschooling adventures continue...

2004-10-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hello. Welcome to our "Learn in Freedom" page! Here I will be discussing and documenting the education of ourselves and our children. We have a son, 13, who is public schooled by choice, a 4 year old daughter and a 1 year old daughter, both unschooled since birth. We are deschooling our lives and headed down the path of unschooling. Unschooling is defined as life learning (learning while living). Unschoolers pursue their own interests. They are free to learn what they want, when they want, how they want. There is no curriculum; unschooling is not "school-at-home".

Deschooling is a LONG process that we are working on every day. We are trying to let go of old thought patterns regarding the way we raise our children. We want them to be truly autonomous. This is not an easy task in today's society. It is not just about "school", its about parenting in general. Its about living by principles rather than "rules". Its about giving our kids freedom to live their lives. I trust that if given the freedom to do so, the kids will lead satisfying lives right into and throughout adulthood, something many people have a hard time doing!

We attended the 2004 Live & Learn Unschooling Conference and met some amazing people and their wonderful kids. It has been the most inspiring thing for me personally. (I'm still trying to figure out how to get us all down to Pensacola, FL next year for the 2005 conference!)

I felt the need to create this blog as I really need a place to write my thoughts and mull over them, play with new ideas, connect with other unschoolers and let those we love take a peek into our life. If you have any questions, please ask!