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CLICK HERE -----> A Year Without School -Unschooling Adventures

Sunday Funday Gunday

And that's why we call him "Sharpshooter"!

Dig It!

Gymnastics

Every Tuesday, Sharpshooter trains in this gym! Pretty rockin' gym, huh? And yes, we have it all to ourselves. And yes, Baby Leonidas is about to give me a heart attack! 

Body Vitals at Science Center

Today we went to see the Body Vitals exhibit at the Science Center. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed. It was incredible!! Although, somehow the kids were able to name a food that they thought every internal organ looked liked. Gross! 

INSIDE A TORNADO!! GOT UP TO 70MPH!!!

After the exhibit, Sharpshooter talked the girls into playing airsoft! LOL! 

Valentines Painting Class

Sharpshooter got in touch with his softer side today and painted me a beautiful canvas! 

Mardi Gras

We made a homemade king cake and mardi gras mask! 

Living Math

Sharpshooter is attempting to teach Baby Leonidas to count orange slices! :-)

Sponge Bob's House

Colt carries this around the house calling it "Sponge Bob's house." I tried explaining to him that it's a mathematically impossibility that Sponge Bob's house is a real pineapple because a TRUE pineapple would have Fibonacci spirals and Sponge Bob's house does not. Just like I tried to explain to him last month that Sponge Bob is not actually square. He seems completely disinterested in my rants. Maybe once he turns three he will get it. LOL! 

Not All Who Wander, Are Lost

Some people think this quote is about perception, that just because someone looks aimless they may still be on a journey. But I like to think of it as meaning "wandering IS the journey" -- a kind of, stop-and-smell-the-roses type quote. I think we have to be as intentional about "wandering" as we do about striving. If we never "wander" we will not appreciate all the beauty around us! As unschoolers, we may appear to others as wanderers with no mission in life, but sometimes wandering is the mission. 

Homeschool Pride Day @ Louisville Zoo

Big thank you to the Louisville Zoo for hosting a "Homeschool Pride Day" once a month!! This month we learned about animals that live underground. The boys got to play with a three ring armadillo and it was soooo stinkin' cute!!

Day 32 - Lord of the RINGS

Sharpshooter loves gymnastics. Rings are his favorite. Here is a short video from last week's practice! 

Day 30 - Contracts

I may need to help her on her negotiation skills a bit, but nonetheless, I like her style. (And yes, she forced her Dad into signing this.) Can't stop laughing! Guess it pays being the only girl in the house. =)

Painting Fun!

My little Renaissance man made me a Valentines gift today. (Too bad when he gave it to me he said it was "so ugly he was going to slash it with a knife when he gets home." How sweet.)

Day 25 - The Gun Control Debate

Last night I over heard Genesis (11) and Sharpshooter (9) having a gun-control debate. For his upcoming birthday, Sharpshooter received his first real rifle and Genesis was having some issues with it. Sharpshooter was taking his rifle out of the box, and thus began the debate:

Genesis: I thought those guns were illegal now.

Genesis (11) on left, Sharpshooter (9) on right.

Sharpshooter: No, the president is only wanting to ban assault rifles and magazines that hold more than ten bullets, this is a .22 rifle and it only holds ten bullets at a time. But, Gun World [where we bought the rifle] does still sell assault rifles.  

Genesis: It's ridiculous that a place like Gun World would sell assault rifles.  Who needs a weapon that fires that fast!?

Sharpshooter: Why is it so ridiculous? 

Genesis: Didn't you see what happened in Sandy Hook? That guy used an assault rifle to kill all those kids! 

Sharpshooter: Yeah, I know, but that guy was crazy, that's why he killed those kids, it had nothing to do with assault rifles! Besides, where that shooting happened already has really strict gun laws and it didn't stop him. So does Washington, DC and they have the highest crime rates in the nation! [Patting myself on back for this comment, Momma taught him well.]

Genesis: I still don't see why someone needs a gun that big. A hand gun should be enough protection for a person. 

Sharpshooter: [Frustrated] You just don't get it! [Shakes his head and walks out]

Of course, I couldn't prevent myself from stepping in. I explained to Genesis that I understand his concern over assault rifles but the reality is that even if they are banned, the bad guys will still have them. I proceeded to act out an skit in which a "bad guy" walks into a building with an assault rifle and all the law abiding citizens are unprotected; and then compared that with a scene in which a "bad guy" walks in with an assault rifle and all the "good guys" also have an assault rifles. Let's just say, the second scene was a lot less messy. 

Genesis still wasn't buying it and stood his ground. I respect that. 

I love watching Sharpshooter and Genesis debate. You should have heard them this last election, Genesis supported Obama, and Sharpshooter supported Mitt Romney. I imagine they will debate politics for the rest of their lives. I have flash forwards to fierce debates at Thanksgiving dinners and other family gatherings -- and I can't wait. I welcome civil debate and the free exchange of ideas into the house among my children. In fact, I love it! 

Day 22 - Science at the Track!

Quick update: Monday's we have homeschool co-op (Sharpshooter takes recorder, Art, Math Games, and Cooking classes) so I don't get much chance to blog on Mondays. However, after co-op yesterday Sharpshooter got to interview a 90-year-old WWII veteran! He was a lot of fun and told us some great stories about life in WWII! I wish I had recorded the interview or took pictures or something, but alas, I didn't. Anyway, thanks so much to Clyde Windell for allowing my son to interview you and for your service!! (And thanks to Amber Windell, his granddaughter, for setting up the interview!)

Today we went to something called "Science on the Track" at Churchill Downs (you know, the Kentucky Derby race track). It was the coldest day ever!! So cold that the public schools even called for a 2-hour-delay so that kids didn't have to wait outside for the bus in the morning! At Churchill Downs we learned the basic differences in silt, sand and clay and how rock is weathered and eroded to form these particles -- and how they are then combined to make the perfect, most safe race track.

Here are some pictures from our day! 

In the Winner's Circle!! 

Baby Leonidas leaning about Colts! 

The boys racing eachother!

Brrrrr!!!!

Baby Leonidas and Me trackside!

Interview with a US NAVY SEAL SNIPER!

Sharpshooters's current obsession is snipers! He spends all day reading, watching,  listening to or making anything he can that's sniper-related. This has been a great unschooling topic because it has led him to learn history, physics, math, and interviewing skills. As his learning facilitator, I thought it would be cool to set up some interviews for him with some real snipers! So, I started searching for snipers who would allow my nine-year-old son to interview them, and not only did I find several willing snipers, but I found some of the best in the world!

When Brandon Webb, former Navy SEAL, sniper, and author of New York Times Bestseller, The Red Circle, agreed to let Sharpshooter interview him, my son was soooo excited!! Sharpshooter immediately started writing down his questions (see photo), typed them up, and emailed them to Brandon. 

Brandon wrote back within 24 hours and you would have thought it was Christmas morning when Sharpshooter received his answers! 

Thank you so much, Brandon Webb, for not only allowing my son to interview you, but for your brave service to our country! 

The Interview

Sharpshooter: What did it take to become a sniper?

Brandon: It takes a lot of patience. Most importantly you have to be good at math and shooting!

S: What was your main weapon?

Brandon: We have many weapons as a SEAL sniper. My favorite was the .300win mag bolt action rifle. Today I really like the HK 417.

S: What's your favorite sniper movie, favorite weapon, and favorite video game?

Brandon: Sniper movie is Act of Valor (sniper scene). Video game is Call of Duty and Hitman (tell your mom I'm sorry I told you that!..lol) Gun, I answered above already.

S: Do you know a good YouTube video on snipers I could watch?

Brandon: There's not much on YouTube buddy. Most the guys stay off of it.

S: What could I do at 9 to prepare to become a sniper?

Brandon: Study hard, develop a habit of setting
achieving goals in your life. "Excellence is a habit" 

S: What was your favorite part of being a sniper?

Brandon: Being part of a special team.

S: What was the hardest part of your training?

Brandon:  Hardest part of SEAL training is being mentally challenged by being extremely cold for 6 months. Sniper-having to wait hours for one chance to make a graded shot!

Keep up the good work and listen to your mom, she knows best!

Your friend,
Brandon

Just for fun!

Baby Leonidas learning the hoola hoop! 

Baby Leonidas the nerd!! 

Day 17 - The Dictionary Debate

When my children don't know the meaning of a word I tell them to do what every adult does: Google it. (e.g. define _______). 

We own multiple dictionaries but all they do is collect dust on the shelf. I've actually received criticism for not teaching my children to use a "real" (whatever that means) dictionary because, as the critics argue, "technology may not always be around, and then what will they do?"


Seriously?! 

Well, first of all, if technology is no longer around then some major apocalyptic event has occurred, and second of all, if that's the case and for some odd reason my kids desperately need to know the definition of a word, I'm confident they can teach themselves how to use a dictionary in that moment.

(I am also not big on teaching spelling for this same reason. In this post alone, I had five words with the red squiggly lines underneath that are now corrected -- and in a matter of seconds! I <3 you, technology! ) 

DAY 15 - FANNING THE FLAME

Every human is born with innate curiosity. Imagine that curiosity as a flame inside us all that is lit by our Maker at our time of conception. As a mother and as their teacher, I want to give my childrens' inner flames as much oxygen to grow, to spread, and to run wild, as I possibly can. Only oxygen, only open spaces, only freedom can allow a flame to survive. I mustn't extinguish the flame by boxing it into a classroom, burying it under the sands of worksheets and rigid schedules, and most importantly, I must not try to tame it or standardize it -- for no two flames were ever meant to burn the same. We are all born with this fire of wonder, creativity, and curiosity; it's lit right into our DNA. The challenge is not how to get the flame, but rather, it's how to keep the world from burning it out. 

Day 14 - Winning Souls

I'm not advocating that you withhold discipline from your children -- not at all. All I am saying is beware of falling into the age-old trap of believing that the law can do in the hearts of your children what only grace can accomplish. I've fallen in the trap myself; not just in parenting but in my own walk. Obedience can either be a sign of mere behavior modification, or a sign of total heart transformation; and only a heavy, continuous dose of grace can ever bring about the latter. The law focuses on winning a battle, grace focuses on winning a soul.

Day 13- Listening

I try to listen to what my children are saying. Not hear what they are saying, but listen...really listen. Nonetheless, I still catch myself doing the whole "yeah, hmm, uh huh, cool..." thing, but not really listening. When this happens, I stop whatever I'm doing (this usually means putting my phone down), I look into their eyes as they speak to me -- and I do my best, my honest best, to give them a genuine and thoughtful response to whatever they've said. You wouldn't believe how hard this is to do. It is so tempting to half-listen or half-respond. It is so tempting to let my mind wander to the next thing on my to-do list, but I feel that listening (closely) is one of the most simple, yet most profound ways, I can serve my children. 

Day 12 - Bombs and Bonds

Today's "Lesson"? Homemade grenades! (Note to self: release the bomb sooner. I almost lost an eye!!!)

If you want to make these at home, just pour white vinegar into a bottle, add some baking soda, put lid on, shake, throw, and run! 













One (of many) things I love about unschooling is how close these two have become. Spending all day, everyday, exploring the world together has created a uniquely beautiful bond between them.  

Day 11 -We Are Unschoolers

(Disclaimer: I respect all parents’ educational choices. There are many alternatives to education. This article is not meant to be critical or even persuasive, it is simply our personal journey. Enjoy.)

“Unschooling?! Isn’t that just for the liberal, atheist, hippy type of homeschoolers?”

Or, at least, that’s what I asked myself the first time I heard about a conservative, Christian family choosing to unschool their children. 

But, I listened to their case, kept an open mind, and fell in love.

Unschooling, in short, is allowing your child as much freedom to learn as you can possibly bear. For us, it means no set curriculum, no assignments, no lesson plans, no tests– in essence, no school! My children learn what they want, when they want, and how they want, in the belief that education should be fun, passion-driven, and voluntary.

(Stop right there. I know what you are thinking: “But what about math? How will they ever learn math?!” I will get to the “math issue” later, in another article, but for now it will suffice to say that math can be found in the most surprisingly fun places, such as board games, cooking, music, building things – oh, and my favorite, buying things! In addition, I find it ironic that I usually get the “math question” from people who never use anything beyond basic, practical mathematics in their career or daily life. Strange. Oh well, moving on...)

When I first pulled my son out of public school we took the traditional approach to homeschooling, i.e. we did school-at-home. We bought packaged curriculum, had set school hours, a classroom, and all the works. Although I wouldn’t describe our initial homeschooling days as bad, we weren’t having the joyful, rich, and exciting learning experience I had romanticized about when first deciding to homeschool.

My older son certainly loved being home with me and little his brother, but he would sigh in dread as he sat down to do certain subjects and he would count down the hours until school was over. I didn’t pay this too much mind, as I assumed this was how homeschooling was supposed to be! I figured lesson plans, worksheets, buying curriculum, and long days battling over fractions or forcing my wild-at-heart, outdoorsman of a boy to read books like “Little House on the Prairie,” was the price a parent had to pay to be a good home educator – and I was willing to do it forever.

Until, that is, I realized there is another way!

I became enthralled with the unschooling philosophy and read every book, article, or blog post written on the subject. It was like a veil had been lifted – one of those major “aha” moments.

It’s funny because we have all said at some point that “learning should be fun,” but in reality that usually just meant we would find a way to teach something with a slightly more hands-on approach or try incorporating a game into our lesson, but it was never really much more fun and the children still viewed it as school work.

But with unschooling, school really is fun. Better put, life is really fun. Now that we have started unschooling, learning is not a chore that I have to force my kids to finish before they can go do whatever it is they want to do. Instead, learning no longer has a beginning or end because, for us, living is learning. We don’t disassociate learning from living by putting it in a set building, for a set time, with set subjects.

And again, I know what you are thinking, “But, as a parent, and especially as a Christian parent, isn’t it our duty to ‘train our children in the way they should go...,’?”

My answer is: definitely! As parents, we should certainly give our children covering, training, and guidance -- and unschooling allows us to do that in a less directive, prescriptive, or forced way. Instead, we guide our children with an approach that is more respectful, thoughtful, and relationship building.

Don’t confuse this approach with me “being a friend and not a parent,” because that is certainly not the dynamic in our house. We still have chores, we still require good manners, respect and obedience -- but under that umbrella -- we allow A LOT of freedom.

I have read articles and books that attempt to lay out scriptural arguments for homeschooling, but I will not do that here. Why? Because, frankly, I don’t think God cares if you homeschool your children or not.  (cue gasp from the legalists!) That’s right, I don’t think He cares whether your children go to public school, private school, homeschool or are unschooled. God only cares that you walk with Him in whatever path you choose.

That being said, even though I don’t think God prefers one method of education over another, I do know that he prefers joy and freedom over misery and slavery. I think it is a shame that so many people carry life around like a heavy burden. It doesn’t have to be that way – and choosing to unschool, for us, has been a burden lifter.

I choose to unschool my kids for five main reasons:

       1.)Our earthly life is short – and no one will say on their death bed that they wish they had done more calculus worksheets.

   2.) Because God created each one of us unique from the next and I believe that unique individuals learn best when they are not forced, but rather when they learn something out of personal interest or need.

   3.)Because people (and yes, children are people too) appreciate and long for freedom.

   4.)Because living out a principle is always a more effective way to lead than enforcing a rule. (Be the change you want to see in your children!)

   5.)Because I would rather spend time getting to know who my children are, than telling them who they need to be.

After all, my children are not really my own, they belong to God and He has entrusted me with them. This season of my life, this season of having children home with me, will only last but a moment.  I want that moment to be rich with joy, communion, adventure, love, trust, memories, freedom and most of all, grace. I don’t worry that allowing my children the freedom to choose what they learn or don’t learn will hurt their chances of “succeeding in the real world,” whatever that even means. 

In the end, the most important human skills, i.e., humility, courage, compassion, sense of wonder, ability to forgive, resourcefulness, or faithfulness, can’t be measured on a test but can only be lived out.  Some may call us radical, and I’d have to agree. We are radically joyful, radically passionate, radically adventurous, radically in love, and radically free. 

We are unschoolers. 

Day 9 - Dropping an Anchor and Naked Eggs

 When it comes to learning, I prefer not to cast a wide net, but rather to drop an anchor and stay somewhere for awhile. I allow my children to choose which topic we drop the anchor in and how deep it goes. Right now, they have chosen "snipers." Everything from documentaries, to YouTube videos, to making rifles and scopes and silencers, to making the perfect camo, to learning how to gauge a target's distance, to watching every single Hollywood movie made about snipers from the past 30 years, we have done it this week!



Oh, and we made a naked egg today! So cool. You let the acid in vinegar dissolve the calcium carbonate, which gets rid of the shell but leaves the middle. It is like a bouncy ball now. And if you shine a light through it you can see the yolk and everything.