Unschooling the Lazy Way

We are less than homeschoolers, we are less than unschoolers...we are mediaschoolers. First, I want to say that we aren't less in a sense of "we equal less" but in a less as an "educational substance" amount.

After we stopped doing ORCA, we were free at last...free to do whatever we wanted, whenever! So, I set this goal of getting the house caught up before Winter Equinox, then it was New Years, then it was the end Jan...Feb...now March. You see the pattern? ORCA was like a ball & chain, but it was also a good thing...it held us accountable and kept the kids doing something, even if that something was mundane and almost meaningless in the grand scheme of things, it was something.

So, in the past month, I haven't caught up on housework, I have been blogging, doing my own research online, and depressed.

I did turn a new leaf this month though, the kids have been reading books at least once a day, and every so often they do penmanship. Sometimes they do educational stuff online. Oh, and less media overall since I put the no video/computer games in affect a week or two ago. Progress, but we need another shake up in the right direction.

Yesterday I locked all the non-educational channels on cable, so that it wasn't so easy to turn on. No computer, Gamecube or DS/Advance games at all. Now they just watch PBS, Animal Planet and skim around for other "educational pursuits" on the TV. Still, not good enough, but better.

I am starting to feel the "ohmygosh" Morgan's going to be a "junior high kid" next year! But in reality, he is only going to be 11 in June, he can still be considered an "elementary school kid" next year too.

The next step...NO TV, period. We'll get there!

A Day in Our Life

Summer 2007- Logan 10 mo. & Hayden 4 yrs. playing in the new sandbox.

Today we had sun and it almost hit 60 degrees...which such a blessing for us with cabin fever! It has been sunny for most of a week now, with sporadic rains here and there, usually at night (the best kind of rains!).

The boys played in the sandbox for almost 2 hours, making mountains and roads. I went outside and we all sat around our garden boxes and picked out old dried up stems from last seasons herbs and tomato plants, speculating what we wanted to plant this coming season. Logan saw and played with his first caterpillar, rolly polly, a small worm and a HUGE night crawler. Weed pulling, digging, eating herbs, broccoli & lettuce (that somehow are still magically growing in our garden, even after so many freezes!) brings peace to the quarreling boys and the sun fills us with warmth & that vitamin D we fall short on up here in the NW.

Working on their new fire pit, with much pride I might add, they take such good care of the border and make sure that it is covered in case of rain. This is a new addition to our life, playing with fire, after hearing an online TED talk about what kids need to know and what they are lacking in this generation. Playing with fire, supervised. They relish the moment when it is their turn to light it, and tend to it (geez, if they could just learn to cover the sandbox as well!).

All is not peaceful, not even most of the time, but today we hit a seasonal high because everyone was so happy to be out of the house, and warm. Of course, arguing in the car is the height of their "fun", taking Morgan to gymnastics is just the best (NOT!).

Baby sleeping, boys looking over their Pokemon cards, Animal Planet on showing the Blue Planet...quiet reigns for now.