First Slingshot Lesson – 10 and 12 year olds
We would come home hungry if we were hunters! Is 10 too young for a slingshot? I know as soon as I got mine as a 12yo, I wanted to break windows. Holy eff did I break a lot of windows – I could do it from far away! You can’t really blame me for […]
Unicycling : Getting Closer and Closer!
We had a ‘big’ dose of unicycle lessons recently. By big dose, I mean about 20 minutes of practice over a few days. It was a push to see if he could get it before he turned six. He’s not there yet, but it will only be a few more tries…he’ll get it next month for sure…if he wants to…I don’t actually care if he does or not…as long as he keeps practicing whenever…there’s so many other ways they are both being active, it’s low on everyone’s list.
Obstacles. Three Year Olds are Free. This One Should Be Paying!
What a great place for kids of all ages, even for the adults who bring them! Disclaimer: Most adults come prepared to sit and wait, and the cousins we brought came prepared to hate it, so did 🙂 )
The catchphrase I’ve been hearing lately is ‘soft play’. Let the kids go do whatever they want in the safety of their injury-free environment. I suggest hard play for every child.
Teachers Don’t Need Training. They Can Even Be Five.
“What I like the most about playing dino doctor is teaching her the dino names like you taught me ” – Aidan, 5
I wondered, very briefly, when we had our second kid, isn’t it going to be a lot harder trying to manage two kids learning at different ‘grade levels’? That was quickly replaced with, ‘well, I guess she’ll have two teachers, and he’ll be a teacher of things he learns.’
Getting Around : We Now Convoy :D
Razor E90 Electric Scooter : Unicycle Stroller Speed Getting Around : We Now Convoy 😀 i can put heavier stuff up on the roof rack and still push it with one hand while filming with the other now that one of the kids pushes their own weight 🙂 walkie-talkie installed to handlebar so i can […]
Community Firefighting for Homeschool
Well, the 5yo says to his little sister, you’re officially a firefighter now.
Big day yesterday, we put out a fire! The 5yo smelled smoke first and we saw the ground burning. (when we got closer we could see it was all the wood chips at the base of the sign that were on fire)
Pets Are So Important. RIP Willis :(
The cats have been so important to us for two decades. Now we have none. The kids were seemingly not affected by his passing, already wondering what new pet we would get. I think it might be a couple of hamsters next. (Their minds were blown when I told them unlike hamsters in the pet […]
Dam Fun. Dad & Son.
Our second T-shirt day of the season – our first was a month or so ago. (Let’s get with Spring, ammiright?) The great part this time was the high winds. Strangely enough, he seemed to benefit from the wind BOTH ways! When does THAT happen? Sure we have adventures that are enjoyable for both kids, […]
A Broken Keyboard
We had to replace the keyboard. What to do with the old one? Take it apart!
Lots of screws to unscrew, and lots mysteries to unravel.
Our New Pigeon Family in the Making!
We’re so lucky a season of new unschooling classes just flew in! It’s quite interesting to watch what they are doing in their ‘unwatched and alone’ action…especially in watching how the nest gets built and pressed into shape while they go.
Homeschool : Where You Can Hit Your Students With Bats
I came here to smash you with a bat and feed some geese and I’m all out of birdseed…Strange Math Was Afoot –
Usually when by the river in London, two geese plus birdseed…
Meeting a Sloth & Mommy Touching a Snake
We had a great time at the Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo Meet a Sloth event! The biggest downside was it was on March break and there was an ocean of school kids there. Man, they make for a crowded event 🙂
It doesn’t take long after getting in to see how much the staff loves doing what they are doing and are so good with the kids; whether it’s answering their questions ‘at their level’ or artfully avoiding questions in order to maintain the flow of the presentations.
Sweetwater : Our Trip to the Sugarbush
What a great time we had here, sorry if it’s too Canadian, eh?
I first thought, ‘well this will be neat for the kids’. I didn’t realize how interesting and fun it would be for them! A short informative tour showcasing modern-day sap collection with hoses and taps compared to the old fashioned way you may be more familiar with…buckets on a tree (I know that’s what I was picturing!)
Mortal Kombat, Green Screen, Scootering, & Swimming : A Week of Unschool : Episode 4
How fun is unschooling? How beneficial is screen time? How comical is ‘video game violence = violent kids’?
Another great week of education and excitement!
The five year old beat Mortal Kombat Armageddon on the Wii. Leading up to this, and since this happened, there have been several dad-son ‘real life’ battles. They mostly end with me getting to his tickle spot (ribcage) but one, in particular, ended much differently. An accidental headbutt and a bloody lip on dad. He officially Finished me! His little sister is also getting on board. She threw a frisbee at me outside. She said it wasn’t a frisbee, but Kung Lao’s hat! (I haven’t caught on video the super cute way she mimics Scorpion’s ‘GET OVER HERE!’)
Welcome to Parks But No Bathrooms Season
Here in Ontario, parks (at least their bathrooms) are closed in the winter. And into the Spring. No matter if it’s hot for several weeks before the opening date, like it always is.
Remember how convenient that was anyways during diaper years?
You can’t beat this time of year for the park-things to kids ratio, but having some bathrooms around, well, that’s just handy!
A Day of Pool Firsts
Swimming lessons?? Unschoolers call it ‘swimming’.
Before heading over to gramma’s for another swim (and snack from gramma’s snack drawer) I reminded the new goggler how little time he spent under the water on his trips under the surface. I figured it was because he was fighting buoyancy and had not learned how to keep himself down.
I then realized he probably had no idea how long he could hold his breath for…
Five Year Old’s Unicycle Progress Report : Leany. Having Fun.
When cardio is leaning on a wall for a few minutes
Birthday Terrarium From Gramma
Here’s a fun little activity for the kids…let them grow their own life in a container…Well, actually, let them follow the instructions, give or take, to make their own life in a container…I guess we’ll see in a few days if it worked.
A Week of Unschool : Episode 3
Another great week of learning! He learned how to more properly navigate a giant ice pile that used to be a snow pile. They even got to climb up and slide down it when it was a snow pile again.
We were on the DIY kick after our homemade playdoh, so we made up some homemade puffy paint. Just self-rising flour, salt, water, and food colour, but oh no, we didn’t have any self-rising flour.
Treading Water
Down to one kid in waterwings! Many hours have been spent in gramma’s pool between now and the time he was wearing swimming diapers. Swims with gramma, or grampa, or mom or dad, or his aunt, uncle, and cousins, or any combination thereof.
Just recently he mastered ‘goggles and nose holding’ for new underwater adventures and was excited to show me. (I got him to dip down sans-nose holding a few times, but it didn’t last long)
