Unschooling – Page 8 – a hippie with a minivan

drawing and more…

In the last few weeks I have seen a big change in Xavier’s interests and the way he is looking at things…

First… He now sits down at the table and draws… out of his own accord…

Every few months in the past I would try to get him to do that and most of the time nothing came out of it… he would be frustrated that what he drew didn’t look like what he wanted to draw. I would get frustrated because I thought that he “should” be doing it and maybe even liking it but he wasn’t… I finally let go of that idea and just waited… The paper, crayons, markers and all of the other creative stuff were accessible he would use them when he wanted… or at least I hoped… and now he does… Our creative line that hangs in the kitchen was bare or full of old creations for the longest time and now it has all fresh stuff on it.. and there are now even a few drawings taped to the wall that Xavier put up…

Another big change in Xavier is eating… he is now trying foods that he has always turned his nose up to… Supper time has been a lot more fun and I love seeing him discover new tastes… Colin of course is going into the picky stage… but a weird one… he will eat Sushi and seaweed salad but won’t eat pepperoni pizza…

I go through phases of feeling that I need to do more than unschooling… I think a lot of it has to do with the lack of real-life support.. I truly believe that unschooling is the right way for our family though and as the kids grow older, because really even Xavier is still so young, I feel my confidence will grow.

For now… I am learning to relax, answer questions and let them discover… and though there are still many struggles to overcome for myself I love the path that we are letting them lead.

independant homeschooling study…

Home schooling improves academic performance and reduces impact of socio-economic factors

TORONTO, ON—Home schooling appears to improve the academic performance of children from families with low levels of education, according to a report on home schooling released today by independent research organization The Fraser Institute.

…

“The research shows that the level of education of a child’s parents, gender of the child, and income of family has less to do with a child’s academic achievement than it does in public schools.”

The study also reports that students educated at home outperform their peers on most academic tests and are involved in a broad mix of social activities outside the home.

Research shows that almost 25 per cent of home schooled students in the United States perform one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private schools. Grades 1 to 4 home school students perform one grade level higher than their public- and private-school peers. By Grade 8, the average home schooled student performs four grade levels above the national average.

Hepburn said a growing body of new research also calls into question the belief that home schooled children are not adequately socialized.

“The average Canadian home schooled student is regularly involved in eight social activities outside the home. Canadian home schooled children watch less television than other children, and they show significantly fewer problems than public school children when observed in free play,” she said.

Link

Happy Thanksgiving!

To our fellow Canadians of course…

Thanksgiving really marks the beginning of Autumn for me and I love Autumn.

The colours are changing, the air is cool and the leaves are starting to fall and it all just makes me feel homey. I feel like cooking hearty slow cooked meals, I feel like sitting outside with a warm cup of tea and watching the kids play in the leaves.

Last Friday we went to “La Courgerie” A pumpkin, squash and gourd farm with the local homeschooling group.

We took the Ferry and then it was a 15 min ride there. 4$ each gave us a tour of the farm and learning about the types of gourds and squash. A taste of products that they make there on the farm and the owner also showed us the some instuments made in africa that are made from gourds which all the kids got to hold and we all made music at the same time. We also went a picked pumpkins and then had a tractor ride around the farm.

Tonight we are eating the Traditional Thanksgiving supper…

Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, maple glazed carrots, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing and Pumpkin pie for dessert… Xavier is really looking forward to it all and has even made a centre piece with somethings that we found at the farm… including this one…

recycling…

Today we went to the Recycling Triage plant with the homeschooling group and we had really great time… It was also quite informative because we had quite a few questions on how things are separated since we no longer separate recycling at home.

We got some breakfast and ate on the road and had a nice ride there (about an hour drive). The tour started with a visit to where people bring stuff from their homes that are then recycled (wood, paint, concrete, metal etc) or thrown out (broken furniture, appliances, oil etc)

Then we headed for the triage plant but we were lucky to have a truck arrive and unload in front of us….

Then we had a little information session on what they do, how it is done and where it goes and what is done with it after…

Xavier surprised me… not only did sit and listen he even put up his hand to ask a question…

“Can toys be recycled”

The answer was no.. not because the type of plastic is not recyclable but because the type of plastic is not indicated on it.

Then we went on a tour of how they do triage…

Magnet that takes Metal out…

Xavier

Xavier stayed next to me the whole time but Colin made two friends and stuck with them… they even lifted him up to see things!

and here is a video just to show How fast things are moving in there… the workers are taking plastic bags out of the paper…

it was really a great day…

Wasn't ready for that…

I have always known I was going to homeschool… way before I had kids… even when I was a kid myself…

I was ready for people questioning me, asking about homeschool, wondering about the legalities and the logistics and the myths.

But… I wasn’t ready for the reactions that I have been getting…

Because Xavier is now “school age” everyone asks about school. When I say that we homeschool some ask the questions that I was ready for… but many others surprise me…

they have no idea what homeschooling is… they have never heard of it.

I wasn’t ready for that. How can someone have never heard of homeschooling?

I know that it isn’t popular in french-canadian circles but I thought the concept was at least known. I remember talking to one of the moms in my area that homeschools and she too had never heard of it until she started searching for information on school alternatives for her son who has leaning problems.

It really surprises me each time… I won’t even think about talking about unschooling with them…

Is this common?