Life-Led Learning

Christmas Coolness

2010-12-27T18:19:00.001-06:00

Miss Banana was thrilled to get a new book from one of her fave authors, Christian YA novelist Jill Williamson (publisher's website).

The Tiger Lily got an origami set. Great for 2-D to 3-D translation/modelling skills, which are a math and technical drawing essential.

The decorating the kids did. I would like to note that this is our now-finished living room, which means there will be no more building ice boats right outside my bedroom door. (For the dirty details, see Scienda Magazine on Scribd, because I know it's there and I'm too lazy to look up the blog post link right now.)

Tiger Lily was my assistant for the wallpapering, and Dave's assistant for installing the wainscot. All the kids helped with measuring trim, cutting angles, and materials shopping.

Charting Stars

2010-11-20T17:44:00.001-06:00

We really like it when friends, neighbours and colleagues get involved in telling the kids cool stuff. For some reason, they listen better to people they don't have to live with, and it also saves us a bunch of time. The Tiger Lily's interest in planets and stars continues, and it's in good part due to this guy:

That's one of my co-bloggers at Scienda, a former editing client who's become a creative partner: Marc Schooley. Marc works for the space program down in Houston, is homeschooling his son, and visited us this fall to attend Westman Bible Conference. The kids know if they see Marc, they will also see stickers based on NASA mission patches. They will also hear that they should study their math and science well, because the mission to Mars will be ready about the same time they will.

Tiger Lily learned to read a star chart this fall and has put it into practice as the days have gotten shorter. Thank to my 10-year-old, for the first time ever I've been able to spot the entire Ursa Major constellation, floating on the northern horizon as I get home from child chauffeuring and walk toward the house.

Boo at the Zoo

2010-10-29T17:26:00.001-05:00

Just before Hallowe'en, we went to the city to stay with my sister and hang out for a weekend. This is great fun. Her favourite hangout place is the zoo, and she's learned all kinds of insider information about it which she shared with the kids--animals' names and personal histories, stories about how they came to the zoo, and various cool facts that a person with a university degree in Cute And Fascinating Animals knows.

Every Hallowe'en, the city zoo hosts Boo at the Zoo, which is an after-dark walk through a zoo-wide haunted house. But we were a couple of days early. We do have a picture of our Mr. Boo at the Zoo, though.

The white bison is sacred to the Sioux, and we learned that two of them were recently shipped to the Sioux First Nation reserve just over the hill from Granddad's farm!

The lions were very lazy. However, because the place was almost deserted, the kids could run back and forth along the path surrounding the enclosure. The sight of mobile, noisy prey at least made the lioness perk her ears up for a moment.

This is a statue of the real, original Winnie-the-Pooh, the little black bear who inspired the children's stories.

The badger was in a deceptively cute mood. If you have read Narnia, you will know that this is much better than a badger in an angry mood.

We saw many more sights, but we took less pictures and did more looking. What a fun way to spend a Friday!

Sailing Manipogo Provincial Park

2010-08-27T17:03:00.001-05:00

Several hours north of us, comfortably out of range of the inconvenient cell phone and the ubiquitous over-urbanized would-be holidayer, there is a provincial park. Nestled on the shores of Lake Manitoba, it's called Manipogo after a legendary Loch Ness-type creature that was said to inhabit the waters long ago in native myth.

This was one of the most beautiful places we've camped, and with sailing. We hope to go back for two weeks next year. The area is swampy, and the water depths can be extremely shallow. I learned that I do not like this at all for a sailing environment.

However, as far as the kids were concerned, finds like a lush, deserted island full of garter snakes made up for other downsides such as extremely calm weather. Also, as usual, Dave found ways to keep things entertaining when the wind died.

Hmm, it's boring right now. What can we do with a piece of old tarp and some random metal spars?

Make a spritsail! Spritsails were used on large, heavy ships to add lift at the front.

The kids got lots of photo and video-taking practice.

Light winds mean inadequate tension on sail ropes, which can mean tangling. Becalmed, Spazzerific climbed the mast to untangle a hopeless situation.

The kids were thrilled to count over 80 garter snakes swimming near the snake island. Upon first arriving, there were snakes visible sunning on rocks everywhere. By the time the kids got off the boat and began exploring, a lot more reptilian swimming practice was going on, and the rocks were magically empty of nearby wildlife. One snake spotted our boat in the water and swam toward us, seeming intent on climbing aboard. Oh, foolish, foolish snake...

Music by Computer

2010-08-16T03:36:00.001-05:00

A fascinating overview of a software that analyzes and makes similitudes of great music.

Two Giveaways

2010-05-28T13:42:00.002-05:00

Over the past couple of weeks, I've had the chance to exercise some self-taught skills in computer-assisted graphic design. Dave and I did go on to write a nine-post series on the thinking underlying the parenting method associated with Lydia Schatz's death. We're going to take people's suggestions into consideration and make it into a free PDF e-book.

As part of that, we did want to do a good cover design. We licensed a professional artist's work, and she allowed us to test out two pieces before choosing which we'll finally use. Her work is really outstanding, and we're delighted to have the chance to use it.

Secondly, I read a book. Not just a book. A strange and varied adventure through a future of religious totalitarianism, the courage to stand against it, and the nature of personal freedom. And beyond that, the author agreed to interview with me about the general topic of freedom in beliefs.

So, first, I have some really cool books I'm giving away (see the interview here).

And secondly, we could use all the help we can get choosing a cover design and tweaking the details, so as a thank you, we're giving away one each of the two art prints under consideration (see the covers here).

Gardening

2010-05-14T16:46:00.002-05:00

Flowerbed near the kids' play structure/sandbox.

Plum tree in bloom

Not sure what they think is the most fun--putting in the seed or following the paths. They planted nearly 100 hills of potatoes.

Self-Made Mobiles

2010-05-10T16:30:00.000-05:00

The 10-year-old Tiger Lily is a crafty sort. She has been cataloguing science topics of interest by making some rather detailed mobiles.

Bird Brains

2010-05-07T16:15:00.005-05:00

Our oldest has always had an inordinate fondness for birds, as witnessed by the duck-whisperer episode last year. Today, he bird-whispered a small captive that had gotten trapped in the biodiesel room attached to Dave's shop. The kingbird (a relative of the phoebe, I'm told) was stunned, and sat tamely on the Bird Whisperer's hand while he...

...Yep, brought the kingbird in my house for its very own photo shoot, courtesy of siblings.

The nonchalant Bird Whisperer stood there in the doorway of the mudroom with the kingbird perched on his open hand. "Don't worry, it's stunned," he said. Apparently it had taken a wee bonk on the head trying to escape the biodiesel room.

I looked at him doubtfully. The Cake Artisans were in the process of making their cousin's birthday cake, with icing and decorating supplies all over the kitchen table, just three steps up from where he stood. "You know stunned birds recover suddenly and fly," I said.

"Oh...Like that?" he said.

Yeah, like that. Oh, great. So we scrambled to cover and put away the baking stuff. The Bird Whisperer climbed up on a chair and gently attempted to put a pail over the bird's head, and/or hand-capture it. The bird took off into the mudroom. The Bird Whisperer slowly, patiently approached. The bird fled to the living room, where it landed on the furled ice-boat sail.

The Bird Whisperer crept up again and gently snared the kingbird in the folds of the sail, then took it carefully in his hand.

"No more bringing birds in my house," I chastised, but I couldn't help smiling. Oh, goodness, these are the adventures of the day. My children and the magical world they bring with them.

The kingbird, still not quite back up to snuff, posed for its photo shoot while the Bird Whisperer tried to determine a safe, cat-free place for it to recuperate.

However, after a short rest, sitting peacefully in its rescuer's hand, the kingbird flew away of its own accord, to somewhere that is not in my house.

Spring

2010-04-16T16:15:00.007-05:00

Home Ec: Another cake for another family member

Art: 3-D modelling with Play-Doh

Phys Ed: got the trampoline going for the year. The kids were taught proper safety and some basic techniques by an auntie with a gymnastics background. The shadow says it all.

Spring commissioning of the sailboat. Sail and rope checks, repairs, maintenance, reinstalling the compass which contains liquid and has to be stored indoors over the winter.

Child Deaths and Christian Homeschooling

2010-03-09T19:04:00.003-06:00

Pursuant to the current controversy over the Pearls' child training methods and two resultant child deaths due to parental beatings, I've posted a few preliminary thoughts over at the grownup life-led learners' blog, Scita > Scienda.

After some discussion, Dave and I have decided to look over some of the materials available online from No Greater Joy (articles, blog posts) and do some analysis designed for the conservative Christian audience and for the use of those who are concerned for the children involved.

It's our feeling that, while the deaths of Sean Paddock and Lydia Schatz are the ultimate tragedy, it's equally important to consider the ongoing impact of the NGJ teachings on the homeschooling community, on Christian families, and most of all on little ones.

Since this blog is my journal of unschooling activities, those posts will run at Scita > Scienda as we get time to assemble them. The desire is to create resources for folks of any belief background who would like something to share in a writing style that will reach the target audience.

For those wishing to keep an eye out for that, Scienda's links are updated regularly in this blog's sidebar, and posted to the @lifeledlearning Twitter account.

They're Coming to Get Me

2010-03-02T16:12:00.000-06:00

Snow Fort

2010-02-06T22:25:00.005-06:00

Dave took the kids out and helped them build a snow fort using an old-fashioned saw to cut snow blocks. They spent the afternoon working on it. They think it is the Coolest Fort Ever.

Nurture and Negligence

2009-11-27T18:16:00.005-06:00

It's a funny thing, that big complaint that technology has destroyed human interaction and is eating our children's brains.

Actually, I think it's our compliance-based social climate that's eating our brains here in North America, but hey, I'm prone to saying crazy things.

Among Christian homeschoolers, one of the big concerns about public school is that it will ruin our children's ability to socialize morally. Y'know, secular unschoolers (as I grew up) have the same concern, just different moral emphases they highlight in talking about the institutional model. Where some might be concerned primarily about sexual pressure, others are concerned about consumer morality. Some, both.

We're all individuals that way, with our own motivations for our ethical priorities, drawn from our own particular life experiences. the overriding concern is behavioural pressure and lack of sufficient insulation (not isolation) from it. As adults, we still fight it.

If I were to sum up those concerns, though, the evil-tech myth is an excellent focal point. Are kids rotted out from digital entertainment? Nah, it's from parents using digital entertainment as a substitute for parenting.

Hey. Hello. Parental engagement is the insulation against behavioural pressure. As adults, it's no different. Having a circle of affirming, supportive, and defending relationships is what keeps us strong enough to go it alone when we have to.

I've come to the conclusion that no engineered environment is as strong as parental love, which is the ultimate peer affirmation. (Oh, wait. Is my child my peer? Rephrase: Is my child a human being with the same innate worth in the eyes of God as I have? Easy answer.) I know lots of good kids who attend public school. And there's messed-up ones whose "unschooling" adventure was to be left alone by parents who disengaged from walking through life with them.

Nurture, not negligence. It simplifies things in a hurry.

Defensive Decision-Making in the Unschool Paradigm

2009-11-27T17:23:00.002-06:00

We made a big step this fall and started driving the hour to the city for music. The Tiger Lily and Mr. Boo are happily enrolled in a basic theory/singing/piano class being taught by one of their aunties. That auntie is a whiz with kids. She can make anything fun and motivate a youngster to do all kinds of things they've previously refused.

She understands child-led thinking and how to flex with a kid's heart in order to introduce them to new concepts.

The other thing we decided to try was taking a voice class through the conservatory at the university. This has not been going so well. My girls feel frustrated, intimidated and often condemned. Mechanically, the teacher is doing everything our previous teacher did. It's not a problem of subject material. It's the teaching style.

This past week, for instance, I mentioned that Tiger Lily likes independence in making her music choices. The immediate response was not to question whether more flex could be had, or a different approach taken to how he gives assignments. It was, "Well, that's an issue of teachability."

'Scuse me. We're talking about a kid who, between you and me and none of my other offspring, is probably the most advanced and gifted autodidact out of all four. A kid who will follow people around doing what they do, asking a bazillion questions, trying whatever they ask of her...when she trusts and understands them.

And it's not a shyness issue. She came up to me back in the summer and said, "Making friends is easy. You just go up to people and talk to them." The trust has failed to form because of a failure of communicative connection.

I'm hurting because there's great stuff to be learned, but instead my kids' spirits are being affected. Their love of singing is being broken down. So's mine, just because of how it's affecting them.

Come to think of it, I might even be a touch angry.

Monday, we'll be having a talk with our teacher. That is, I will be. I don't even know what to say; I've loved the knowledge I've received, but not the burden of expectations. We're not there to get university degrees--just to make it more possible to enjoy music more deeply.

I shouldn't have to feel like I have to defend that. But it happens sometimes. Unfortunately, I believe in my educational method. Over the last year, I myself have made friends who've affirmed how well it's worked for me personally. Over the last several, I've seen what it's done for my kids' autonomy of thought.

And that's what I'm ultimately defending. If that means we miss out on a given set of information at a given season, I choose intellectual autonomy over that. With independent learning skills, we can find the information elsewhere.

Sari and the Invisible Alligators

2009-11-20T23:57:00.002-06:00

This is so cute. And funny. "Sari flipped her bed over and found invisible alligators all over her bedroom." But of course. What else?

A free PDF from BlueBison.net, Invisible Alligators is "a story of a monkey who has all sorts of problems caused by the invisible alligators that sneak out each night from under her bed, and how things eventually work out for the best."

Very printable-for-the-kids. Blue Bison also has plenty of colouring pages along with its steady supply of alligator temples, monkey pirates, and blue llamas, among many other creations. We can donate to the coloured pencil/coffee supply if we so desire. Really delightful.

A Child's Contribution to a Conference

2009-11-13T00:23:00.003-06:00

This, my friends, is the Tickle Trunk. It contains all sorts of miscellany, from Fun Tack to scissors to some extra foam insoles for sore feet. It is something recommended to us by an experienced conference co-ordinator. I believe there's even a small hammer and some nails in there. The kids helped shop for all the doodads last week. Today, we decorated a plain ol' file box and turned it into a bit of Mr. Dressup magic.

The Westman Bible Conference is this weekend. The pookies will be helping to hand out programs at the door, pulling kitchen duty (those over 10 only), doing setup and take-down. but tomorrow is all about a walk by the river, some family reading, and checking into a hotel with a pool. The pookies are very excited.

Planning and organizing this conference has shaped our whole year since spring. Now it's about to be suddenly over, in a burst of excitement. Let's enjoy it while it lasts.

Homeschool Blog Awards

2009-11-10T15:13:00.003-06:00

Hey. Cool. I'm floored. Life-Led Learning's nominated in the "best unschooling blog" category at the Homeschool Blog Awards. Thank you...wow.

There are a ton of great categories, and a ton of great blogs among them. Check it out.

The Rogue Scholar

2009-10-19T01:27:00.003-05:00

This was my Sunday afternoon relaxation. I was going to make a slideshow of the different stages that went into this, but I ran out of creative motivation. More fun just sketching.

I did the pencil sketch, photographed it and printed off a slightly larger copy, because I was considering adding a digital environment, something representative of what we live in. Haven't gotten that far yet, but I may. Instead, I ended up just doing hand colouring on the copy with pencil crayon, pencil, pastel and ink.

I've tagged it with my other blog's name because I was thinking of using it as a graphic for my About page and writing a blurb about rogue scholarship and what it means to approach life that way. I didn't start the thing for that purpose, but I can't seem to avoid unschooling myself. I've found a few friends who are smarter than me, and it's totally fun to go adventuring off into new realms.

The kids watched quite intently--a few times, I had to tell Mr. Boo to quit leaning in my pastel tray. They were fascinated with the colouring process. We chose the skirt colour from one that I've rarely ever used, because it's a coral that doesn't occur very often in my usual subjects. I've never let them into my chalk pastels as they're very soft and I'd like there to be something left of them afterward.

I've actually never found myself doing this style before. I don't know what to call it--comic-bookish? Sort of? Anyway, I really liked the dramatic effect of the pen lines, which I actually did mostly last, after the colour was laid down.

And, of course, we talked about what a rogue scholar is, and I watched an idea get absorbed. Go swashbuckling, my babies. Be idea pirates, and laugh in the face of those who seek to impose their levies on the free frontiers of thought.

Maclean's Profiles Unschooling Book

2009-10-16T00:34:00.002-05:00

Check it out. Kinda ironic that they open this by casting the decision to de-institutionalize and start immersing in actual real life as "dropping out." But not bad, not bad. Nice to see some mainstream coverage of unschooling's benefits and practicality.

Video: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

2009-10-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

Since we have an unfinished renovation to live and host in, we decided to make it as fun as possible for us and our guests. Here's a bit of our Thanksgiving prep. One of the most joyful things in our house is getting food ready and preparing a table for our family and friends. The kids absolutely love it.

Not only did I have the fun of doing my first ever primary-hostessing of a holiday get-together (normally the grandparents do this--I feel so grownup!), but we had a friend show up out of the blue to join us. He was travelling home to his own family, but we managed to convince him to share in a plate and some pumpkin pie. ;-)

Video: At the Season's Turn

2009-10-10T00:37:00.005-05:00

Today, we went to Grandma's farm to get some vegetables from the garden. Tiger Lily decided she wanted to interview me while I gave a little report about it. The snow started yesterday, and is still falling in little bits and fits. However, it's still pretty green around here...we had tea and honey-spice bread with Great-Grandma and learned a bit about wartime rationing in WWII England. There was also much reading done of the age-oriented books Grandma keeps on a special shelf, while Mom, Dad and Great-Grandma visited around the table.

We also went touring around the backroads taking pictures and video of unusual things we found. The biodiesel is starting to get a tad crystally in the fuel tank, and Dave wanted to use it up, so we had great fun just driving around looking at out-of-the-way places.

Mr. Boo said grace thusly over a supper of cream-of-mushroom and farmer-sausage soup with fresh bread: "Thank you that we got to go for a drive all together today." So true. We seem to thrive on spending time together just for the sake of it, no other point needed to the adventure.

An Unschooling Curriculum

2009-10-06T10:03:00.003-05:00

With the weather turning, the activities around here are changing.

We've begun music lessons--taking voice with a new teacher, one who has intuitively picked up where the last one left. This is a great thing.

Dance has started again, as has judo--however, due to a growth problem with his knees, Spazzerific (age 13) is sitting judo out till after winter holidays. Tiger Lily had made the decision to quit dance for a year, and this year, made the decision to go back.

The kids' daily activities are, as always, pretty much self-directed. The other morning, before I woke up, Mr. Boo (age 7) had done two loads of laundry simply because he likes it. He'd done them "correctly" (without causing hazard to the machines or clothes due to overloading or odd chemical concoctions out of soap).

With winter comes regular chess matches, it seems. Library books. Five different brass instruments, duets and solos being played on and off throughout the day. Painting by numbers--painting the brother, when he's less than helpful--good one, Banana. Spazz looks great in red and blue, and he seems happy that way.

Tiger Lily wanted to learn long multiplication the other day. I showed her how I remember my times tables, 1 through 12: by chanting them rhythmically so they're like a clapping game or a children's song or a skipping rhyme. Some of them do actually rhyme, and she was interested in that. We listened to how the products skip count by 2's, 3's, and so forth.

Banana (nearly 12) has been baking up a storm on a regular basis. Bread from scratch, using Grandma's recipe. Sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, tweaking the recipe for the new breadmaker so it works just right.

And today, having heard me mention that first snow's likely coming on Thursday, I was informed after the initiative began that the children are disassembling the potato patch, harvesting that which they planted. They're on their way in now.

The kids are finally, finally all in their own rooms. Spazz tore down the old wallpaper--sprigs of flowers, you see--and helped repaint the former master bedroom. We're sighting the end of this reno stuff. At least the major part. However, I was just informed that I'm supposed to host Thanksgiving (Canadian) next weekend for Dave's family. Ummm...oh, great. Time to improvise.

So, that's our life in parentheses just now. Yeah. We, um, don't really do anything around here. Gotcha!

Introduction to Logic--Instructor: Monty Python

2009-09-23T14:51:00.003-05:00

An argument is not just a contradiction.

An argument is a collective series of statements in order to establish a definite proposition.

In order to argue with you, I must take a contrary position.

Words we looked up to get the most out of this good fun (click for Webbie's online):

Series
Establish
Definite
Proposition
Contrary (is related to "contradict")

I cannot express how much of a headache this little exercise was. It consisted mostly of four children hitting each other and yipping, "Yes you did!" "No I didn't!" "Yes you did!" "No I didn't!"

Sighhhhhh. I hear they'll leave home eventually.

First person to say "No they won't" is gonna get it.

Wild Duck Rescue

2009-08-26T19:36:00.003-05:00

We have a birder in the family. He's the oldest, so all the younger kids have been well-admonished over the years about handling baby birds and how it can kill them because their parents reject them.

In related news, our dog has been futilely paddling around the pond behind the house, trying to catch a duck, for the last eight years. It's an obsession with her.

Well, today, her dreams came true, and she caught a half-grown female mallard. The kids were on the scene and promptly rescued the duck. I looked out the window, and there was Spazzerific with a duck in his hands. Those of us here rushed out there in excitement.

She was half grown, already independent, and apparently uninjured, just shocked as far as we could tell. Her feathered head received many gentle one-finger pats from the younger children while Spazz carefully guarded her space.

I held her for a moment while he got his shoes on to go return her. (We go barefoot a lot of the year around here.) she sat trembling in my hands. I learned that ducks, unlike chickens, don't like to be held by the body alone; they sit more contentedly with a hand under their feet. (Well, I don't know what chickens prefer, I know what they're going to get from me, and it's not the chance to scratch my hands to bits.)

The kids went to take her back to the pond. That dumb dog followed. Fortunately, Tiger Lily is a Pet Whisperer, and deeked out the dog by tossing rocks into other parts of the pond. The dog can't tell the difference between rock splashes and duck splashes, and our young mallard got safely away.