Visiting Unschooling Ruminations blog

The Myth of Forced Determination

I've found this post an interesting read as I too still find it hard to understand the idea of "self

learning" and I am very grateful for the last comment on the follow up

"Mary's got butterfly's"

"The nice one's" aka Monarch Butterfly.

My Mum has been up to help today was our son has the flu. She dropped our daughter off at my Nana's while it was rest time.

A new adventure, not done before...alone at Nana's

When our daughter arrived home after an hours visit (Nana still driving...very carefully I hope up our road) she bounces in telling me all about the "Heaps of Caterpillar on Mary's tree".

My Aunt gave us a book of "Back yard creatures" which has just been wonderful as we have been able to look up so many things...and this butterfly is one of the last remaining that we have not seen.

"There was one even hatching...but I don't know if it's alright as the cocoon was STILL green"

Bugs have really become a great part in our daughters life at the moment. We spend time in the garden and also as much as I can exploring in the bush too.

Kawau Island visit

Department of Conservation other wise known as DOC put on an open day on the smallish island of Kawau...Map for a look see

So I with all my wisdom booked myself and the kids to go. Then in the following days Hamish developed a new behavior.....the runner.

Auuugh...pull my hair out.

So quick call and Dad is coming too.

We took our daughter to the island when she was about 20months too. This was a lovely stay. It was one of the last big walks I've done for years...we crossed part of the island with no track, no good map and a vague idea.

A long haul with a baby strapped to your back in a wrap.

We made it and loved it...well my feet didn't.

So return again...this time with running races, sausage sizzle, historic house viewing and treasure hunt. Lots of sport equipment to borrow too and some guided walks.

Dad helped out with the science questions and a short walk was a great learning experience.

This kind of trip is how I would like our future classes to be....I was stressed to start off with (just my nature...but came right after a bit of a sit down and breath with Jon Kabat Zinn)

We have one world and we are it's people

One week on today from the Christchurch earthquake.

It really goes to show that people are more important than anything...and we can pull together and help.

This snip from our paper

"More than 900 international personnel from 12 countries are now working with New Zealand search and rescue teams in Christchurch, Mr McCully said.

Australia had been the biggest contributor to the rescue effort, he said.

It had sent 142 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) workers from New South Wales and Queensland, 323 police officers, a 23 person medical team, three dogs to sniff out survivors and a 75-bed field hospital.

The United States sent 80 USAR workers and 40 tonnes of equipment and the United Kingdom sent 64 USAR personnel.

That generosity was matched by Japan, China, Singapore and Taiwan, which each sent USAR teams and search and rescue dogs.

Japan also sent a team of four counsellors, four fingerprint experts and an interpreter, while Singapore has 116 Defence Force personnel manning the security in Christchurch.

The recovery operation in the quake-hit city will also been bolstered by 1000 sheets of reinforced plastic, 1000 blankets and about 50 power generators expected to arrive from Korea on March 3.

Japan will donate 1000 plastic sheets and 2000 six litre water tanks. Australia is sending sanitation resources including camp toilets."

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/02/christchurch_earthquake.html amazing photos

What can you say but thank you

Earthquake in Christchurch....and the questions that go with it.

I would first like to express my deepest love, hope and sympathy for all who have been lost, hurt and displaced in the Christchurch Earthquake. I have been lucky, as far as I know my family are safe.

Christchurch for me has always been a winter city. I would visit in winter with my Grandfather who worked on one of the outlying ski fields. I have climbed the cathedral tower which is no longer there. Dave and I have visited Lyttelton which I loved.

Since the quake 6.3 hit we've been listening and watching it as much as we can to the news. I find myself often on the edge of tears. I also find myself wishing that I could just jump up and go help. I've spent years in Urban Search and Rescue up until I was married then a Mother....but I still want to help. But my first call is to my family...that was one of my first lessons when I first started to learn still in collage oh so many years ago.

Now I sit on the couch with my daughter who really has no understanding of what is going on. She hears numbers of people lost or dead and asks "why so many"..."why did they not run away"...

Then she starts to tell me what she would do in complete miss understanding of what it would really be like in an earthquake.

She is upset that buildings can fall over (my daughter screamed for about 15mins when she first broke a plate....something which seemed so solid broke)..."Why did they not build them safer?" "How could they fall down?"

"How does an earthquake happen?" We talked about the earths plates crashing and I showed her with building blocks...and she seemed to kind of understand.

Then I've had the hard questions "What happens to the people under the buildings?".... "Why have the rescuers left that building and moved on...where are they going too....why don't they keep digging...I'd keep digging"

I've tried to explain that there is only a certain amount of people to help and only a certain amount of time that people can live (though we are glad to hear often that that time can be pushed out) and that there are other people trapped in other buildings who need help too.

Oh so hard for a nearly 5 year old to understand....what must it be for a 5 year old to live it....it takes my breath away and brings tears to my eyes.

Reading books at your level

Reading a book which was said to be for your age group was how I .... didn't learn to read.

I was put off. There were so many books I wanted to look at be it just the cover, the words or even the picture or the fact I wanted to talk to my parents about the content. But I was not aloud to take the book out of the library if I got five mistakes while reading aloud to my teacher on the first page.

Right at this moment my daughter is 'reading' Jon Kabat Zinn's "Coming to our Senses". I'm not going to tell her she can't.

I feel the more she wants to look at books and the more books we have in our house that are interesting then her...and my son's interest in reading will keep going.

Is school teaching us to trust only an expert?

There is one teacher. There is one book. There is one curriculum.