Monday, February 2, 2009

We are an Unschooling Family as of Today!

Last Thursday Ezie and Mallory finished up school in Rensselaer and as of today we are "unschoolers". I'm very new at this, but my sister Cathy is an expert so I'll be visiting her unschooling blog , Born to Learn .... Free to Learn, a lot for advice and information. It's going to take the kids awhile to adjust to not sitting down and doing school work everyday and me awhile to having them around 24-7, but I think it will all work and be fun in the long run!

Mallory is very interested in learning about Black History and The Underground Railroad so I bought a couple of movies, Sounder and Race to Freedom: The Story of the Underground Railroad. We'll be doing some stuff on this topic and Ezie wants to find out how a huge ship can be steered by the one little wheel that the captain moves around. That should be interesting too!

Jace is going to love having the kids home all the time now. He learns so much from them. The kids are great at playing with him and Mallory is a born teacher. Jace's language improves so much everyday and he is getting more and more social. He isn't nearly as shy and withdrawn as he used to be.

Today, we are going to learn organizational skills and start unpacking and organizing the tons of stuff we moved over the weekend (we're finally done moving!!! Yay!!). This will be an on going project because, I kid you not, there is literally a ton of junk to go through. We are working towards organizing for a big garage sale this summer. The kids are going to help sort, price and sale stuff and then donate what doesn't sale. They are excited about the whole thing.

So I think our new adventure will be great for all of us! It will definitely be a learning experience for me as well as the kids and a great chance for all of us to reconnect as a family.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Yay! I am so excited for your family. My best advice as an unschooler is to always follow your heart....it knows what to do and how to do it when you listen. Also, listen to the words and actions of your children. When they are home and have a say in their eduation, they start learning how to listen to their own hearts and minds and you will see amazing results. Learning is all around us in everything we do (you already found organization and planning for a garage sale) and our kids like to be a part of that world.

Polka Dot Moon said...

How wonderful Sherry! Best of luck to you and enjoy the ride!!
Denise

Anonymous said...

Good for you! taking kids out of public school is always the the hardest part of the decission. I'm so proud of you!
Missy

Deborah said...

Oh wow Sherry! That is so cool! I had no idea that this was in the plan. Of course, if Danny knew, he wouldn't have told me anyway! :-) I'm happy for you and the kids, and I think it's going to be an awesome, learning experience for you and your kids. Love, Deborah

Lindsay-ann said...

Hi Sherry
I wish you well with your unschooling. I am sure you will all find it a wonderful experience.
Good luck with your organizing and sorting out.
Lindsay

Anonymous said...

Good luck! Sounds like you are on the right track-always go by what the children's interests are as everything is a thing to be learn something new about. : )
Even though my son went all through regular school, we still did things with him that he liked at the time.
Don't forget to enter my One World-One Heart giveaway-I jumped on the bandwagon. : ) It's a sampling book of famous American painters like the Wyeths.
By the way, someone entered to try and win-and I never got a swap from them back in the fall. I think you know who I mean. I just deleted her name.

Lisa'sLettersandLace said...

Wow, I'll have to check out that web-site. I wanted to share a scrap web-site with you. My last post shows it. She also has free e-mail newsletters if you are interested. She is a New Englander too. Take care, Lisa

Beth said...

Congratulations! Have a great time home schooling and unpacking - Beth

Beth said...

Oh, I will check out her site! I came here from imagingermonkey, and i am lgad I had a chance to read more of your blog!

Sonya said...

Am I too early to comment for Katy's international stashy-giveaway (It is Wednesday 4th here in Australia)? Goodness, who would have thought giving fabric away could be so much fun! I'm doing it too, so do visit - ooh, and great blog, by the way :o)
Toodles,
~Sonya

juliecache said...

I came here because of the stash give away, and am staying to read about your unschooling adventure. Congratulations on the decision.

Twyla and Lindsey said...

Sherry, I am so excited about your decision to do this! I really think you all are going to love it. The kids are free now to explore Everything They are interested in. They will learn so much. I wish you the best! Twyla

Unknown said...

Wow good for you....I guess I am just not that brave....Melinda

BunnyKissd said...

YAY! That is wonderful!

My DIL made this up using the pictures of my 5 oldest boys. So funny!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

All 8 of my kids

All 8 of my kids

My 6 Grandkids

My 6 Grandkids

Me, Earl, My daughter-in-laws, son-in-law, kids & grandkids

Me, Earl, My daughter-in-laws, son-in-law, kids & grandkids

The Whole Family

Use This Calculator and the Math Problem to Find Your Birthday

Calculator Code





This free script provided by
JavaScript Kit

Birthday Calculator............................................................ You can try this trick on the calculator, but it will also work with a pen and paper......... (With this calculator, you have to hit the equal (=) sign after each operation.)................................... Enter the number of the month of the birthday.......... Multiply that number by 5............ Add 6............ Multiply by 4........... Add 9............ Multiply by 5......... Add the number of the day of the birthday.............. Subtract 165......... The result will show the first one or two numbers as the month and the last two numbers is the day of their birthday.

On what day of the week were you born?

Enter your birthday

(then hit the "Update" button):

Numeric Month (1-12):

Day of Month (1-31):

Year (eg. 1960):

Date of Birth:

Day of Week:

This free script provided by
JavaScript Kit

PARTY PUZZLE

Click to Mix and Solve

Well, here I am - this is me, Sherry

Well, here I am - this is me, Sherry

Valentines Swap- video made by Graham Neale from Kirkcaldy, Scotland

In Your Eyes-- Only Sadness by Abby Kaplan

Swaps for 2008

2008 swaps updated

2008 Swaps cont...., Things I Participated In and Awards

Photobucket

Let's Give Each Other a Make Over! Click on Me & I'll Take you There!

Blog Archive

Labels

My spirit is craving to take me here - a quiet tranquil place!

My spirit is craving to take me here - a quiet tranquil place!
I would love to get away and just find me. Find my artistic side and just be able to let my spirit go!

Personality Test

You Are 9: The Peacemaker
You are emotionally stable and willing to find common ground with others. Your friends and family often look to you to be the mediator when there is conflict. You are easy going and accepting. You take things as they come. Avoiding conflict at all costs, you're content when things are calm. At Your Best: You feel connected, trusting, and fulfilled. You feel at peace with your place in the world. At Your Worst: You compromise your values to make sure peace is maintained. You give in to bullies. Your Fixation: Harmony Your Primary Fear: Causing conflict Your Primary Desire: To preserve things as they are Other Number 9's: Marge Simpson, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, Jerry Seinfeld, and Abraham Lincoln.