Thursday, October 16, 2008

Just Today

Just today we awoke to a gray sky and decided to stay home all day. We kissed Dad goodbye. My oldest was sniffly and stayed in bed to read. My other two boys and I snuggled on the couch and watched "Charlotte's Web." We talked about how sad the ending is, and that we almost cried, but then we didn't.

My youngest, heart full of good feeling from the movie, decided to make tea and a PBJ for his sniffly brother and he carried it up on a tray for him. Middle boy drew him a cheerful card and placed it on the tray.

I read to them, a book about chemical engineering for kids, and what they liked most about it was how the brother in the story let his sister do something all by herself even when he may have wanted to help her.

We moved on to more books and talked about gravity. "How come the people in Antarctica don't fall off when they fall?" "Could you run and leap from the top of the Earth and land further down on the sphere?" "Mom, I get what's three-dimensional, but what's something that's one-dimensional?"

They danced to Blues music. Middle boy practiced spell-casting in the backyard with his wand that he whittled and embellished on his own. They listened to a bit of The Iliad on CD, and we talked about how one wouldn't know how to pronounce some of the names unless you heard them first.

My oldest played a game on the computer where you can run a mock Congressional campaign. He lost the first election, then he won the second time by a landslide. We discussed the Presidential debate. We watched a math video someone loaned us, and they skipped around to different parts they found interesting.

We ate soup and grilled cheese. "How about Harry Potter?" "Let's watch The Sorcerer's Stone again!" So now they are cuddled up doing that. Later, my youngest will play soccer, but that's all I know. The day is unfolding, full of comfort, choices, and family.

"When the words appeared everyone said it was a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself, is a miracle." E.B. White

Our days are not always this peaceful and agreeable, but the opportunity to live these days and enjoy them is because we unschool. The unschooling life enhances the richness of our relationships and experiences. The openness to new games, people, places, and the chance to explore the unknown is there because we unschool. The time to re-visit old favorites and to reflect on our development and on what comforts us; that time exists because we unschool. As a mom, I know to appreciate and enjoy these simple miracle of days because we unschool.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written and wonderful to read of such a free, happy family, learning and growing together. Well done on having the conviction to follow through with your beliefs and making them a success.

I've read so much about unschooling and though my eldest has been a term at a conventional school I am not ruling out 'homeschooling' at some point in the future. Both she and I are very happy with her schooling (in a lovely New Zealand school located near a beautiful bay in a rural setting) at the moment - but I'm always open to homeschooling should the need arise.

I really admire what you are doing and believe the current way of conventional schooling won't last another century (or maybe less).

Laura/CenterDownHome said...

That sounds like a cozy, golden day, clouds not withstanding.

Those questions made my head hurt. 'Specially the "one-dimensional" one.

Unschooling has shaped our family. On Wednesday, we decided to leave for a trip to Arkansas on Sunday. No school schedule to consider, no homework to bring along. We're free to just pick up and go and live and learn along the way as a family. It's a good life. :)

Wishing you guys another joyful, peaceful day!

debra said...

There is a sweetness to those kinds of days, isn't there. I remember when my kids (now 20 and soon to be 17) loved the Boxcar Children series. We'd sit, snuggled under blankets or rocking in the hammock (depending on the season). It truly doesn't get much better than this.